Central Coast Home & Lifestyle Autumn 2023

Children's Bedroom Designs

W hen designing, furnishing and decorating a child's room the age of the child is the most important consideration. Below are some tips for various ages. Nurseries for babies - A nursery is as much a parent’s room as the children. Parents will spend a lot of time there. Make sure the cot meets all Australian safety standards. The babies room needs to be warm, cosy and well ventilated. Have a comfortable chair in the room where mum and dad can sit when feeding or nursing the baby. Buy and locate a change table that is within easy arm reach of where your nappy changing accoutrements will be located. Keep in mind that babies are not babies for long so minimise the use of wallpaper, furniture and other items that can't easily become part of a toddler's room. A fewwell-chosen bold colours will look great

a corner and put a few select favourite toys on it. This will help make the bed a cosy and welcoming place for the toddler. Ages 5 to 11 - Children this age are collectors, so they'll need not just storage space for toys but also other "treasures" they accumulate. They'll need a combination of built-ins and shelf space, and the storage facilities needs to be at a height they can easily reach. Consider getting a bed that has built in storage space rather than a bed that simply sits on four legs. Lastly, they will need a workspace for homework and arts and crafts at their own height. If you have limited space a raised bed with a study area underneath is a great space saver. 11 and up - As children approach teenage years their bedrooms become private domains and it is more up to them how the bedroom is decorated. You can suggest defining activity zones for sleeping, homework, listening to music and friends.

in a baby's or toddler's room. They help make it a cheerful, happy place. But remember bright colours can also keep baby up and entertained so keep the walls white and have the colour in things your can relocate if required. Set aside some space for a secondary baby change area near the main living space if the baby’s room is not close, this will save constant travelling to the baby’s room. Toddler's bedroo m - No sharp corners, Fix all heavy bookshelves that can fall onto the child to the wall, Plan lots of storage for toys so that its easy to keep the room uncluttered and its easy to tidy. Adopt a theme be it a fairytale castle, train station, or zoo. Whatever theme you select, make sure your child, likes the theme also; and don't overdo it, you can change the themes as the child gets older with minimal expense. Again, do the colouring with covers, curtains and carpets and keep the walls white. For toddlers a bed is a home base, not just a place to sleep. Put the bed in

29 Home & Lifestyle Magazine | Autumn 2023