Your child has been sleeping in the crib beside your bed for two years now. By day, the child plays in a tiny little spot in the living room. And if you’re in the kitchen, your baby would be napping in the pram, or sitting up in a baby chair. Around the end of the 24th month, your baby would seem too big for the baby crib. An active child might try to climb out of it, and that might’ve scared you once or twice! Your baby’s toys are everywhere, tiny little clothes overflow from your drawers, and you truly feel that your baby needs more space. Babies quickly grow into toddlers with very different needs. And also very different safety requirements. Here are 10 toddler room essentials that your child’s bedroom needs. Read more to find out how to create a wonderful space for your child!
Do Toddlers Need Their Own Room?
Yes, they do. As soon as your baby feels the crib and the playpen are too small, then they definitely need their own room.
Toddlers’ needs are quite different from one year to the next. Here are the essentials of their bedrooms starting from two years of age, then as they develop into curious three year-olds, all the way to when they are school-ready four year-olds.
What Do You Need in a 2-Year-Old’s Bedroom?
A two-year-old is still fully dependent on you, the parent, for most of its livelihood. They still can’t dress themselves up, feed themselves, or go to the toilet. It’s too early for all that.
The furniture in the baby’s room would reflect that. And as you spend a lot of time and your effort in the nursery, you should consider your own needs as well. For example, place an armchair or a chaise lounge in the room.
You’d need to use plenty of grooming products, nappies, and clothing items for your child. Pick a storage cabinet that would be comfortable for you. No need t bend your back over a low-down drawer cabinet.
As for your baby’s needs, here are some of the basics.
Baby Bed
The baby bed for a two-year-old should mainly be safe. That’s why it’s important to have guards in it. It’s also essential that the corners should be rounded to avoid injury.
The MEBLEX toddler bed has all that, in addition to a thick foam mattress, and large storage space. The bed comes in a wide variety of colours to suit every taste.
Changing Table
The STUVA/FRITIDS changing table from IKEA looks amazing. But it has far more than good looks. This highly functional changing table can grow with your child. When the time comes, you can easily repurpose it into a desk! The only thing you’d need to add is a chair.
Grooming Set
A colourful grooming set with animated drawings should be the perfect addition to two-year-old essentials.
The Yellodoor baby grooming kit is the cutest little set for your baby’s good looks. It has 17 pieces that fit both boys and girls. There’s a manicure set, a brush, a comb, and little scissors. In addition to a thermometer, some practical gadgets, and even a finger puppet. What more do you need in a basic, no-worries kit de soins pour bébé?
Toy Storage Unit
Kids love to load and unload objects. They also enjoy moving their things from place to place. The FLISAT toy storage unit from IKEA has the right combination of small size, lightweight, and wheels to pull this off.
A two-year-old might need a bit of help with towing this box, but as they grow a bit more, it would be tons of fun.
What Do You Need in a 3-Year-Old’s Room?
A three-year-old is more mobile, more skilled, and has a ton of toys! A new larger bed and plenty of storage space are the basic needs for this age group.
Here are the toddler room essentials for your 3 year old.
Toddler’s Bed
Your baby has newly graduated from a crib, so let’s try to make sure the transfer to a real bed is a smooth one.
Buying a bed with guards is an extra measure to make your child feel safe. It’ll also make you feel better, knowing that there are a few supports to keep your child from rolling off the bed.
The Kinder valley bed has the right shape and size. In addition, it comes with a matching mattress, a printed sheet that fits around the mattress, a pillow, and a lovely little duvet. The bed is pristine white, so you can play with the colour of the bedding. This automatically changes the mood of the room!
Bookcase
Leaders are readers. So even at the tender age of two or three, your child would benefit a lot from having a variety of books.
A three-year-old is still tiny and short, so the best bookcase would be one that matches the size and height of your child. The Labebe child bookcase is perfect for that. It’s double-sided, easy-to-clean, and made from safe materials.
Toy Box
An organized room is much more comfortable for your child, and for you as well. The best way to keep the room in good order is to provide storage spaces for your child’s toys.
The simpler the better, and if your child can throw all the toys in one container even better. You do realize how cranky kids can be at the end of the day! The KidKraft toy box is an amazing storage chest. The best part is that its top can easily work as a table.
What Else Do You Need in a 4-Year-Old Bedroom?
At this point, maybe you have another child, so this could be the playroom for two children. Or, your child would have friends coming over for play dates.
Your child is now much more independent and self-aware. The decoration, toys, and available space should reflect that. Storage, shelves, and clothes cabinets should all be accessible to your child. The newly found autonomy requires that!
A four-year-old is also notorious for getting into trouble. Make sure to child-proof the bedroom a bit more to go with the new range of motion.
Here are some toddler room essentials for your 4 year old child’s room.
A Bed With Storage
Storage is king for children of four years and up. Having a bed that contains extra room ‘to put stuff in’ is the way to go. At this point, your child would want to classify and organize all the toys into different categories. Maybe according to preference?
The ACMA bed is spacious, has protective guards, comes in a ton of different designs, and has the extra drawers!
Storage Bench
A large storage bench that could also do double duty as a two sitter or a bed is ideal. The Tetbury storage bench seems to be the perfect piece here.
Crafts Bench
You can let your child explore her creativity with the FLISAT bench from IKEA. It could also save the walls from plenty of crayon doodling.
(Speaking of IKEA, check out our post on IKEA toy storage hacks!)
Desk Set
A four-year-old has school around the corner and probably has already started kindergarten. A desk is a developmental piece that needs to be added at that point.
The Hartleys kids’ desk is the best fit for boys or girls. It would go perfectly with the HGTRD office chair. The best part is that this set can carry through a good part of your child’s teen years.
Toddler Room Essentials
As a checklist to what you need to include in your shopping list, here’s a round up of what you need to include in your toddler’s room.
What Do You Need in a Toddler Room?
This is pretty much what every toddler needs.
- A bed with side rails
- Storage space for clothes
- Space for storing toys
- Storage space for books
- An arts and crafts table
- A desk with a suitable chair
- Plenty of room for playing
- Child-proof items, like plug covering
- A baby monitor
- Large-sized toys like a tent or a doll’s house
How Can I Decorate My 2-Year Old’s Bedroom?
Children develop their taste in art from a very early age. By the time they celebrate their eighth birthday, their music, colour, and style preferences are almost set. That’s why planning your toddler’s bedroom decoration should take some care and attention.
Your child’s tendencies in colours and shapes could be noticeable from toys, books, and clothes preferences. If there’s a certain cartoon theme they particularly like, then that’s a good clue. But before going all thematic in your kid’s room, remember that kids grow. Quite quickly as a matter of fact.
The decorations in your child’s room should inspire joy and happiness. The designs should also inspire creativity and exploration.
A few posters with basic shapes, colours, animals, marine life illustrations, and space, could be a good addition. They could be changed easily at any phase as your child grows past the years of fascination.
Carpets and curtains add colourful touches, as well as serve important functions. They regulate the light and heat inside the room. Moreover, thick carpeting can absorb excessive noises. Just bear in mind the cleaning requirements of the fabric before you make a purchase.
How Do I Make My Toddler’s Room Cosy?
A few creative ideas and the right kind of furniture could turn your toddler’s room into a little paradise.
Making any room cosy starts with proper lighting. Include the main lighting unit at the centre of the ceiling, plus a couple of side-lights. Make sure that the room gets plenty of sunlight during the day, and filter it with suitable curtains.
The colour of the walls should be bright and warm. Even if you pick a cool colour, try to pick a vivacious design to complement it. The whole colour scheme of the room should be matching. That is, the walls should play nicely with the furniture, the carpets, the curtains, and the lighting units.
Kids need plenty of clear space to play and get creative. As you lay out the furniture, make sure that there’s enough room for free play. Also, try to place a large central toy. A tent or a doll’s house should be great additions to the list of toddler room essentials.
Nothing says cosy like the perfect room temperature! Check using a baby bath and room thermometer to make sure it’s comfortable in their room, always.
Toddler’s Room Storage
You can never have too much storage in a toddler’s room. Make sure it’s varied in size, shape, purpose, and placement. This helps tremendously in the organization.
Clothes are better off folded and placed neatly in drawers. This would make it easier for your child to dress up, or put the clothes away. Cabinets are good too, but most parents find drawer units much more practical.
Children like to climb on everything. So try as much as you can to use units that aren’t too high from the ground. Also, any unit you put in your baby’s room should be fixed to the wall. That’s to avoid the possibility of it falling on top of the child.
Some Tips for Transforming a Nursery to a Toddler’s Bedroom
A toddler’s bedroom should be safe, functional, and cosy. It should fit your child’s personality, and inspire joy, creativity, and fun.
Toddlers spend a lot of time in their room. It’s best to make it as interesting and cheery as possible. You also need to have relative peace of mind when your toddler is playing or sleeping alone in the new room. Child-proofing your toddler’s room is certainly worth the effort.
(Check out our post on baby proofing windows and other tips for child safety.)
If you’re converting a nursery to a toddler’s room, you don’t need to do a complete overhaul. Here are some ideas to consider.
15 Tips for Converting any Room Into a Toddler Room
Here are some suggestions for creating a toddler’s room out of any available space in the house. Get creative, and plan it well.
- Check the safety of the room, make a childproofing plan
- Start with child-proofing the windows
- Install baby gates in front of the room door or stairs
- Cover the electricity outlets
- Put the electric cables inside conduits
- Install a baby monitoring system
- Choose a colour scheme and a theme for the toddler’s room
- Put in the curtains and carpets
- Put an armchair in the room, away from the window
- Set up a new toddler’s bed, preferably with storage
- Choose the storage units
- Choose the desk and chair
- Create a space for arts and crafts
- Make the decorations cheery and cosy
- Leave some empty space as a free play area
Toddler Room Essentials: A Summary
Planning a toddler’s room might seem like an overwhelming undertaking. But it’s as fun as they get. You could put the whole project together in a week, or take this slow, and build it up piece by piece. Totally up to you.
Children get really attached to their rooms. They become territorial, and that space in time becomes their ‘happy place’. Parents also can feel a sense of serenity in their kids’ room that is unique to that little spot in the whole house.
That was our comprehensive list of the 10 toddler room essentials every child’s bedroom needs. Hopefully, it inspired you with some creative ideas.
Speaking of essentials, don’t forget to be prepared with a kit essentiel pour bébé!
PRODUITS CONNEXES
- Mother Goose Baby grooming kit
- Yellodoor baby bath water thermometer
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