Helpful and Frugal Tips for Decorating Your Child's Bedroom

Have you studied your child's bedroom lately? As your child goes through the milestones of life, these transitions warrant a change in his or her personal space. Hopefully when you created the nursery, other than the crib you planned accompanying furniture that will grow along with your child. A well-thought design should be flexible enough to accommodate your child's changing personality. It's expensive to decorate a room and hopefully with these tips, you can make changes that enlighten your child but will not break the bank.

Communicate with your child. If your child is old enough to express herself, she should be involved in design decisions. After all, this is not your space; it's one for your child to enjoy. However, discuss budget matters in a simple tone, explaining that small changes can be made that stay within the decorating budget. First think about paint and the colors your child loves. Now, if for example she picks a bright kiwi or fuchsia, don't despair. Remember this is a small request that makes your child happy and walls can eventually be painted again to a more normal color in the future. Maybe go for one or two accent walls. On the other hand, you may be able to express how a neutral wall may be nice and your child can accessorize in her favorite colors via pillows, throws, lamps, rugs and such. This approach may work. If two children share a room, then the communication gets a little more complicated, but strike a negotiation before starting the plans.

Storage is important for many reasons. It's best to plan flexible places for storage '" a place for clothes, books, toys and games. Try to strike a balance between neatness and a place to play. A shelf, cabinets, cubes and see-through bins all help to promote both goals. Try to keep things at your child's level for access to play things. Even a clothing rod at a reachable level is great for children to learn to obtain and return their clothing. Upper storage areas are perfect for parents to store seasonal clothing and items not used on a daily basis.

Think twice about white furniture. If you don't want to daily clean furniture, stay away from white that shows every mark and smudge. White may look cute for a nursery, but doesn't really grow with the kids, especially if your child is a boy. A light colored wood tone works well with a toddler as well as a teen and can tolerate bright accent colored accessories that are placed on it. Now, if you are stuck with white, consider painting it as your child gets older and has their own d©cor ideas.

Beware of themes. Do you really want to change the d©cor of your child's room every couple of years? It gets costly to purchase themed wallpaper, curtains and comforters. It may be best to pick a favorite color for the walls and bedding and accent with themed accessories. I remember the hard work my husband and I went through to change my daughter's room from nursery rhymes to Strawberry Shortcake and then to a teen disco room. If we had gone neutral and only changed accessories we would have saved time and money.

Floors matter. Make sure your child has ample floor space to play. Wood or tile is preferable if your child or family has allergies and if pets frequent the space. If you prefer carpeting, keep the pile short and one that is easily cleaned. Remember to keep the flooring neutral and accent favorite colors with throw rugs. For very young children, there are fun accent carpets with game boards and roads for rolling toy trucks across.

Source: personal experience

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How to Get Ready for Baby on a Budget