Transition to a Toddler Room

When your baby starts to outgrow that baby nursery theme that you spent so much time and energy creating, it’s time to update the nursery and create a room that your toddler will love. Building a room around a theme will help your child enjoy their room. Personalize the room and let your child be involved in the design process. This is a perfect time to boost your child’s self esteem and urge them to feel like a big kid.

The first step is to get your toddler excited about the idea. Try transitioning to a toddler bed at this time. Let your child know that this is their special bed and start by letting them pick out their sheets and blankets. By this age, most kids will have a preference when it comes to cartoon characters, trains, airplanes, or other themes. Letting them make the decision about what direction to go will help them transition more smoothly and benefit developmentally from the experience. Once you have the bed design in place, move on to the walls.

New paint can be an exciting addition to a room. You may want to choose the paint yourself if you want it to last through future redecorating, but if you enjoy painting and don’t mind repainting every couple of years, go ahead and let the paint color be your child’s choice. Choose a border that matches the theme. If you don’t want the border to be glued to the wall, choose one that is self-adhesive. These can be easily removed later without damaging the paint. Putting the border at your child’s eye level instead of around the ceiling is a good option for a toddler room. There are also lots of stick-on decals available in many themes at hardware and retail marketer’s stores. These are very inexpensive and can add a lot of personality to a room. Posters are also an inexpensive option and can decorate a space very effectively.

New blinds and curtains can quickly add to the theme. Shelves can be easily hung and can display toys, pictures or other items that also help pull the theme of the room together. Besides the decorations, you want to consider organizing the room to meet your toddler’s growing needs as well. Get rid of those infant rattlers and space-robbing baby gyms. Update with more age appropriate toys and games. Make space for your toddler to work and draw or color.

Update their closet by moving the bar down to their level. Invest in some childrens clothes hangers and encourage your child to start selecting their own outfits and dressing themselves. A hat or coat rack installed inside the closet door down low will encourage your child to start taking care of their own room by hanging hats, bags and coats when they enter the room. Placing a bench in this area will encourage them to put on their own shoes and start to take care of themselves. Your efforts will help your child grow confidently and make life easier for you and your child.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the owner of Only Kids Hangers, a leading provider of childrens hangers. The right childrens clothes hangers really make the difference in kid's retail or home organization. For more information, please visit www.onlykidshangers.com.

Baby-Proof Your Nursery

It’s never too early to start baby-proofing. Before the baby arrives is the ideal time to start considering what may be a hazard in your home. The nursery is especially important since your baby will be spending lots of time there. Keep baby-proofing in mind when you decorate your nursery. Furniture anchors and electrical outlet covers are very important and can be easily installed when you decorate the room.

Babies grow and develop so quickly. If you wait until you see a need for baby-proofing, then it can sometimes be too late. New parents especially may not realize how curious and creative a new baby can be. Before you know it, your little one will be putting everything in his or her mouth. Everything within reach will be explored by feeling, grabbing, chewing and tasting. Because of this, choking hazards are your first concern. The general rule is, if it fits down a toilet paper tube, it can fit down a child’s throat. Any small items should be kept out of reach and where a toddler or child can’t climb to get to it. On top of the dresser can entice them to climb up to it.

A non-anchored dresser is a serious crushing hazard to have in your home. Make sure that all shelves are anchored as well. Anything that could possibly tip over should be anchored to at least one stud in the wall. Cover all electrical outlets with plug covers when not in use. Outlet covers that allow things to be plugged in and covered are very useful and easy to install. The cover locks down so that only an adult can unplug the appliance. Keep cords bundled and out of children’s reach. Long cords can be inviting to chew on, get tangled up in or trip over. Keep cords behind an anchored dresser or shelving unit whenever possible. You can even secure excess cords to the wall with a small clamp to discourage your child from playing with them.

Keep lamps, heaters and other burn hazards well out of reach. Secure these items so that they can’t be pulled off of a shelf or dresser by the cord. If your heating vents are located on the floor, keep in mind that they can become very hot during the winter. Replace metal vents with plastic ones or place a physical barrier that your child won’t be able to get past in the way of the vent. Take precautions if there is a radiator or portable heater in the nursery as well. You may end up putting a baby gate all the way around the radiator or heater.

Stuffed animals, blankets and clothing pulled from drawers are the number one fire hazard in a child’s room. Your gates should be high enough that a child can’t throw flammable items near a heat source. Don’t forget that incandescent light bulbs can be very hot and start fires as well. Consider fluorescent light bulbs for lamps in a child’s room. Keep baby blankets, stuffed toys and clothing out of your child’s reach. If you keep them in the crib, make sure that they are well out of the child’s reach from the outside. Install child locks on dresser drawers and keep as many clothes as possible put away in the closet on childrens clothes hangers. Prepare early and you’ll be confident of your child’s safety when he or she arrives.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the owner of Only Kids Hangers, a leading provider of childrens hangers. The right childrens clothes hangers really make the difference in kid's retail or home organization. For more information, please visit www.onlykidshangers.com.

DIY Little Boy Room Ideas

Boys can be very active and you want to keep this in mind when you’re designing a room for them. Everything must be organized and easily accessible by your little fellow. Getting organized can take a little planning, but its well worth the effort. Once you get everything in place, you can start decorating. Hiring an interior decorator and making major changes can get expensive. Here are some ideas on how to organize and decorate in a cost effective, do it yourself, timely manner.

First take inventory of everything that you want to keep in the room. Start with the basics. Clothes need to be easily accessible to your and your child. Keep the closet nice and neat with high-quality childrens clothes hangers or childrens wooden hangers. Extra rods are easily added and can make twice the space in your child’s closet. Hang as much as possible to avoid overstuffing drawers. Closet organizers that hang from the rod can be great storage places for sports equipment, shoes or can be used to lay out school clothes for the week in advance. Use high shelves for extra bedding or out of season clothing. Hooks and behind-the-door racks are convenient for hats, book bags, belts and other small items that may not currently have a place to go.

The next step is organizing the toys. This is something that parents sometimes dread, but the effort is well worth it. When toys are organized, it makes cleaning the room a snap. Little boys will play with things that they once ignored and get the most out of the toys that they have. Toy boxes stuffed with every kind of toy is confusing and just looks like clutter when it’s opened. Toys are lost, crushed and parts are separated when they’re not organized. Let’s face it, it happens to everyone and it makes for money wasted on toys that do not get played with.

Divide toys into groups like super heroes, balls, sports equipment, big trucks, little cars, and so forth. Use existing shelves and toy boxes to separate each type of toy. If you have a large toy box, you can sometimes use cardboard boxes inside of it to keep things separated. You can also add buckets and extra shelving to the room for just a little money. Use the space under the bed for larger trucks, train sets and race tracks. Put games with small pieces up high so that you can dictate when they are taken out and ultimately dumped. This will help keep things organized and keep their toys and games together with all of their parts. No more wasted money or time searching for pieces and parts.

If you’re trying to save money, go with a theme that matches the bed spread or the current color of the room. Wall adhesive stickers are a great option for kids who really want a character themed room, but will soon outgrow it. They are easily removed and won’t leave marks on the walls. Kids have fun decorating their own room with stickers and the project will give you something fun to do with your child. Toys or balls hung from the ceiling add a cute touch to the room. Keep a dresser top or shelf clear for the character toys or sports equipment matching the theme to be displayed. Keep as much of the room as possible clear for play space and your little boy will have a fun new room to spend time in.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the owner of Only Kids Hangers, a leading provider of childrens hangers. The right childrens clothes hangers really make the difference in kid's retail or home organization. For more information, please visit www.onlykidshangers.com.