IT’S finally happening…

In a few days Elsie will be all settled into her ‘big girl’ bedroom whilst I mourn the loss of her nursery and how quickly she seems to be growing up. (I know, it’s pathetic right but you just know there will be tears!)

When we were moving house and using removal companies to move all of Elsie’s baby things, I knew that Elsie’s nursery would be the first room we would do up because – crazy people that we are – we moved in when she was just six weeks old.

I took such pride in designing and decorating her nursery, spending ages on everything from choosing the right fabric for the curtains to deciding where I was going to hang her pictures.

However this time round things are a little different, it’s a needs must situation (she desperately needs more room and to go in a ‘proper’ bed) so we’re moving her in first, and the renovation will follow soon after.

When it does happen though, here’s what I will be bearing in mind to try and ensure we get it right…

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Thinking about the best use of space

In Elsie’s new room, we’ve already decided where the bed is going to go (away from the windows, near a radiator, against a wall) and I’m now busy thinking about where and how she can play and relax.

I want to give her room to run wild (she’s a lucky girl as the room is a big size so she’ll be able to do this) but also make sure she has a comfy corner / reading nook where she can chill out, read books or just get comfy.

Toddlers have lots of different needs so I want Elsie’s bedroom to reflect this, enabling her to both sleep and play well.

Making sure it promotes good sleep!

Elsie isn’t the best at sleeping so over the past few years I’ve tried and tested all kinds of tricks to try and help us all get some much needed kip. And one of the most important things I’ve realised is that Elsie’s room needs to be dark for her to sleep well. Any light just wakes her up and unsettles her.

We’ll more than likely be using black out curtains again, but you may just need dark curtains or if your child’s room has a roof window, a special VELUX roof blind to make sure the room is as dark as possible for them to sleep.

Getting my toddler involved

Elsie is very excited about moving into her new bedroom, you may even say she’s giddy! And I think part of the reason why she seems so happy about it, is because I’ve tried to get her involved as much as possible.

She understands that this is her special room and also that she has some say in how it’s designed and decorated (within reason obviously!).

Little things like allowing her to chose her duvet cover and asking her opinion about where she’d like her toys to go seems to to be really helping with the transition so I’ll definitely be doing my best to keep her involved as the decorating progresses.

Realising it’s not about me, it’s about HER

When I decorated Elsie’s nursery, I had free reign with how it looked and how we decorated it. But this time round it’s different.

Naturally in my mind I have ideas of how I would love her room to look but I’m also reminding myself that just because I love something, doesn’t mean Elsie will. For eg. I’ve seen the most adorable (and stylish) duvet cover for her bed but…Elsie wants her Frozen one.

I know there will be some things that crop up that we can’t compromise on (you know for safety etc) but now she’s older I think it’s important to try and incorporate her likes and dislikes as much as possible.

And who knows, hopefully, if she’ll love it as much I think she will, she may even like sleeping in it ALL NIGHT LONG.

I can’t tell you how good that would be folks. How good that would be!  *crosses fingers*

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What do you think mums and dads? Have you got any top tips for me? Any amazing decorating pearls of wisdom?

With love,

Kate

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