“Switching from Paw Patrol to a favorite sports team can make a world of difference to your maturing child. It also helps them be seen and show off their unique personality.”
Nesting for a new baby was such a fun part of pregnancy for me. I enjoyed finding inspiration on Pinterest and creating a new room for a new little person we would be welcoming into our home and family. But these babies continue to grow up, and their nests may need to grow with them. We are allowed to take a moment to mourn the outgrowing of a nursery that we lovingly created for them, but then we must embrace this new version of our children as they grow older. Some things are universal for transforming the nursery, such as exchanging the crib for a big kid bed, but there are a lot of variables, too, when it comes to updating a child’s space.
When I was a kid, my mom loved to redo rooms, paint and rearrange furniture and helped me redo my room three different times! We even painted my old plank floors twice! It was so fun, and I loved having a say in which color I wanted to paint my room and new bedding to add. Now I’m the mom, and because we have moved several times, I’ve been able to redo my children’s rooms a few times—and it’s still fun. I think it’s important for kids to have a space to call their own and to be proud of.
Painting the walls of a room can drastically change the room’s energy and gives a big bang for your buck. I recently painted our 43rd room, I believe, in all our homes along the way. And although it can be time-consuming, painting is fairly simple. You can be more creative by adding elements like stripes, stencils, a mural or an accent wall. Wallpaper is also making a comeback these days, if you’re up for a pop of fun that way. If you know your current home isn’t your forever home, feel free to stick to a more neutral color wall color for resale purposes. You can add personality other ways and you won’t have to repaint before listing your house.
Furniture is another way to give a space a new look. The transition from a crib or toddler bed to then a twin or bigger bed is a big deal, and the type of furniture selected can set the tone for the room. Complete sets are an option, but sometimes it’s more cost-effective to find bits and pieces along the way or repurpose pieces you already have in your home. For each of my babies’ nurseries, I found an old dresser to use as a changing table that then became their dresser. My daughter’s was a beautiful piece we found at an antique store, my older son’s was found on Craigslist, and my youngest son’s was cheap and not great, but my father-in-law took it home and redid it over the winter before my son was born and it turned out beautifully. Rearranging the furniture you already have is also a fun way to breathe new life into a space without spending any money at all. My children enjoy doing this often on their own now when they get an urge and have time over the weekend.
Giving the gift of a bedroom facelift is a fun option too. Jess Chavez, mother of three, says, “We’ve allowed our kids to make changes as long as they aren’t too outlandish that it would damage the room or lower property value. Typically, depending on what they want, it’s a birthday gift. Elle recently wanted a redo of her room (new bedframe, furniture, paint, curtains), so definitely a birthday gift. We sold the old furniture and found most of the new pieces on Facebook Marketplace and got a reasonable bedframe online that fit her theme. Curtains were on sale, and then all that was left was paint. We also let them reorganize their room and move things around however they want.”
That leads us to finding budget-friendly options, especially if you have more than one child or let your kids redo their rooms often. Besides Craigslist, social media can be a great way to find pieces that you’re looking for—try Facebook Marketplace, local free groups and other apps. Thrifting is great if you enjoy shopping and the thrill of the chase for the perfect item. Other budget-friendly ways to transform your child’s room are changing out bedding and curtains. Taking down the Thomas the Train curtains or switching from Paw Patrol to the Kansas City Chiefs can make a world of difference to your maturing child. It also helps them be seen and show off their unique personality. If painting the walls is not an option, add some interest to the walls is by using wall stickers or decals, hanging a large tapestry or ever-popular posters and photos. Changing out the artwork can help children share their interests and show that they are, in fact, growing up. Etsy is a great place to look for inspiration, and Hobby Lobby has wall art on sale often as well. These are also rent-friendly options if you’re not wanting to invest a lot of money into a temporary space.
Moving is a good time to upgrade your children’s rooms. It gives them something to look forward to and exercise some control over if they’re upset about the move. Moving is also a great opportunity to get new furniture—and it’s bonus if you happen to have a moving crew available to assemble the new furniture at the new house. We did this on our second move. Our older kids had simply transitioned to twin beds on a plane frame after they moved on from the crib, but when we moved, we picked up a trundle bed and bunk beds that went right on the truck and were set up in their new rooms. This was very exciting for the kids. We’ve also moved children’s bedrooms in our current house. Our sons shared a room for a few years, and then when we moved our daughter to our basement bedroom, we also moved our older son to his own room. This gave them yet another chance to design their own space with some advice from me.
Sharing rooms can be tricky—getting kids to agree on an overall look for the room, as well as giving each child his own space within the room. When our boys shared, they each had their own bedding as well as some artwork that they liked or were interested in. Dividing up the space, painting one coordinating accent wall on each side, having their own bedding and artwork to show their interests, even if it’s just a favorite color, are approaches that can help each child feel like a part of the room is his.
Stephanie Loux is the mother of Layla, 13, Mason, 12, and Slade, 9, and has redone eight rooms for her children so far and mostly enjoys doing so.