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Home › Articles › Toddlers › Toddler Touches

Toddler Touches

Fun Ways to Decorate and Create a Kid-friendly Space

By Sue Poremba

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Lambeth and Brian Kaplan have turned their toddler son's bedroom into a space that is entertaining and educational. The room has a large Curious George poster with the alphabet, a chalkboard above the changing table and padded Styrofoam numbers that attach on the floor.

"Our philosophy with teaching Zach is to make it fun," Brian Kaplan says. And in the Kaplan home,teaching and fun are incorporated in the way their son's room is decorated and designed.

A toddler's bedroom serves many purposes. It must be suitable for sleeping, of course, and dressing. But many toddler rooms serve as a playroom and a place to quietly look at books. When decorating the room, parents want to stimulate the child's mind but still create a restful place for napping.

Choosing a Color
Kiki Luthringshausen of Lincolnshire, Ill., owner of KHaus, an interior design center, suggests toddlers should have inputin the color the walls are painted if the child is truly interested. "Some kids just don't care, so don't force them to pick," she says.

Luthringshausen recommends staying away from bold, primary colors in the bedroom. "I believe the bedroom needs to evoke a soothing environment," she says. "Try to use a soft shade. It may sound boring, but I prefer neutrals for wall color and giving the room life with great fabrics."

Windows to the World
Don't underestimate the value of windows as both a decorating and learning tool in a toddler's bedroom.

Traci Lesneski, head of interiors at the Minneapolis-based architecture and interior design firm of Meyer, Scherer and Rockcastle, greets each day with her young daughter by looking out her daughter's bedroom window. "If possible, provide windows in a toddler's room that are low enough or place a bench or window seat that is high enough so the toddler can look out," Lesneski says. "That way they can see the weather, birds, nature and, every evening, the stars."

However, if this is where the toddler naps or if you want your child to sleep past sunrise, Luthringshausen recommends using a blackout option for windows. "I often use Roman shades with a blackout liner," she says. "If the room can handle panels, I will do panels on grommets. The grommets allow for easy hand drawing."

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