When decorating a child's room, plan on being flexible and expect change

As children grow so do their interests and tastes. Plan now to keep up with new growth

When decorating a child's room, start immediately to think long term. The time a child spends in the room will range from birth to the teen years and perhaps beyond.

If this is your first child, 20 years will seem like forever for you now, but as your child grows, you will come to realize that they are with you for an incredibly short time span in relation to your life.

From nursery, to preschool, and on to grade school seems like forever, because they require huge blocks of your time. However, once they attain pre-teen and teenage years, the time will fly by, and you will wonder how it happened that they grew up so fast.

Make long range decisions right from the start when decorating a child's room

When decorating a child's room, your first project will be the nursery. It will be tempting to spend a huge amount of money on specialized baby furniture, especially if you have waited a long time for this moment.

Looking at the long term picture, a baby spends a very short time in this stage of development. The bed he is sleeping in at this point doesn't interest him at all. You are choosing the furniture that will be used in decorating a childs room at this age for yourself. If you have scads of money and want to spare no expense then by all means, go for it.

However, if you are on a budget, there are many used cribs available. They may be found at flea markets, online at eBay or in the classifieds. Often you can pick up an excellent crib, maybe even one you could not have afforded by buying second hand. Painting and stenciling can add a personal touch and with a new mattress and bedding, no one would realize this is not a custom designed crib.

When decorating a child's room choose furniture that has a long life

Save your money and stay away from the cute, expensive baby store when decorating a child's room. Invest instead in furniture that will grow with your child.

An armoire, whether new or antique is a great piece of furniture for use when decorating a child's room. At the infant stage is can be used to hang infant clothing and also for diaper and bedding storage. As the child grows it can hold toys, then sweaters and tees, and eventually can even be outfitted as a computer station or entertainment center.

Painted furniture adds character to a room and can easily be changed as the child grows and their interests change.

Try to look at furniture used in decorating a child's room from a child's point of view. What will this bed or bureau look like when the child is five, ten, or fourteen? When you find a piece that will transfer over the years, this is the time to buy the best you can afford. Be good to yourself and your child and choose classic pieces that will never go out of style and that you will never get tired of looking at.

Colors can also be chosen for the long term when decorating a child's room

When decorating a child's room, it is important to think of how often you wish to redecorate. Do you love constantly having a new project going? Yes? Great, then you can redo the room every few years. However if repainting and wallpapering is not your idea of a fun time, think long term when choosing your color scheme.

Children love bright colors and it has been proven that bright colors enhance learning and promote creativity.

Using a neutral color scheme when decorating a child's room is a good way to be assured the room will be flexible enough to change with the child. Off whites, soft ivories, muted grays are all a good choice of neutrals. Sage green, old rose, and pale peach are also colors that can be used easily with other colors.

Add bright colors and bedding to bring character and fun to the room and you will find using a neutral color scheme on walls when decorating a child's room will give you great flexibility.

A plain painted background with a strippable border placed at the childs eye level is a good choice. If the child outgrows the theme, strip the border and replace with something more in keeping with his age. Again at this point, you can place the border again at eye level.

Choose wallpaper that is feminine or masculine but not "babyish" for child's bedroom decorating themes when decorating a childs room. This will eliminate your having to do the nursery over in two years.

If you enjoy doing creative projects, check out this website.WallNutz Paint By Number Mural Kits -- and easy and inexpensive way to create your child's dream room or nursery. No artistic ability required! This is a great way to get a start on a theme when decorating a childs room.

Plan storage for the long term

A Child's Room Planned with Growth in Mind
Today Toy Storage; Tomorrow a Study Area

When planning and decorating a child's room, storage is a major concern. There will be clothing, toys, sporting equipment, books, computers, electronic equipment, and on and on and on.

If there is not adequate storage, all if these items will end up on the floor (That's not to say they won't end up on the floor anyway)!

Think height when planning storage. Shelves built near to the floor will be used when the child is a toddler. If the child can reach the shelves, he can be taught right from the start to pick up after himself. Later on as the child becomes a teenager, these shelves can be used for shoes, ski boots, roller blades and other sporting equipment.

Shelves built higher up can hold items you wish to keep from a small child and later on can be used to hold books, photos or other paraphernalia.

More ideas for decorating a child's room

Every stage of child development has different needs. In the coming weeks I will be adding more pages to this section to address some of these age differences. There will be ideas for toddlers, preteens, teens, and college dorms. If this is a subject that interests you, be sure to sign up for my RSS feed. This way you will receive notification as soon as these pages are posted.

In the meantime, if you are starting to plan a nursery for a new family member be sure to check out the Hoe Decorating Workbook and use the Analyze Your Nursery Quiz before you start. This will save you both time and money and help jump start your creative ideas.

Also check out Decorating Your Nursery

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