What Should I Put In A Toddler’s Bedroom?

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Toddlers should have a bed appropriate to their age, a reading area, somewhere for their toys and somewhere for their clothes. You can then add as many accessories and as much furniture as you like to make your toddler’s bedroom work for them and you.

When Should I Move My Toddler To Their Own Room?

The Lullaby Trust recommends keeping Baby sleeping in the same room as you for at least the first 6 months of their lives. Please do have a look at their website for other recommendations about safe sleep for your child. After six months, they can stay in their parents’ bedroom or move into a separate room either by themselves or with siblings.

We moved our first daughter into her own room just after she turned one. We moved our second daughter out of our room at about nine months just because she was going to share with her older sister so wouldn’t be alone. Being alone in bed can be scary for a child so we didn’t mind having them in our room for so long.

What Furniture Do Toddlers Need?

Toddlers need a bed which is safe for them.

Some parents and carers opt for special toddler beds which are smaller than your typical single bed. A single bed is usually around 198cm long whereas a toddler bed may be 143cm or similar.

We have a toddler bed from IKEA which has three lengths. We’ve started off with the shortest setting and when our daughter grows, we’ll extend it and add the extra section of mattress, and then do that once more. It makes the bed last longer and has meant that at the moment, we don’t have a long single bed taking up space in her bedroom when she doesn’t need it that long at the moment.

Some toddler beds also come with rails to provide a bit more safety in case your little one decides to roll and fall off the bed while they’re sleeping. But you can also buy these separately.

Some parents also like their toddlers to have independence as early as possible so provide them with floor beds. This follows the Montessori way of bringing up children.

A floor bed means the child is in no danger and can come and go from their bed as they please with no help from adults required. The mattress is either on the floor or extremely low to floor so if the toddler rolls out of bed while asleep, no damage is done to them. Or if they want to get out of bed themselves, they can easily do so.

This style is particularly in fashion at the moment:

They could also benefit from some kind of wardrobe or clothes storage system. We have a large, old wardrobe (think Narnia vibes) which I painted pink just before daughter #2 arrived. It is completely unusable by our daughters but looks great. in hindsight, I’d probably get something that they could use more easily so they could go and get clothes out for themselves at an appropriate age and so be more independent. My 4-year-old can barely open the door so it’s not ideal.

I’ve seen some great systems where the children have an open clothes rail with a couple of outfits on and they get to choose which outfit they wear that day.

Another great piece of furniture to have in a toddler’s bedroom is a bookcase or some kind of book storage. Reading and sharing a love of reading from an early age will be such a big help to your child for their school years.

We tried the rainbow bookcasevcraze where all the books are sorted into colours. I did it once and it then got messed up and I never re-made it. It looked great at the time. Very Instagram. But just not compatible with how much time I have to tidy up.

These types, where the children can see a selection of books, are great.

This one which rotates is fab as who doesn’t love a piece of furniture that spins!

You could just have a bog-standard white bookcase like we have and some IKEA spice racks, similar to these:

I hacked our bookcase though by adding wallpaper to the back of the inside. It matches the bedroom now but when there are lots of books on the bookcase, you don’t see the wallpaper which is a shame. Our IKEA spice racks are now painted a Rust-Oleum Strawberry Vanilla colour which perfectly matches the Narnia wardrobe and the wallpaper.

Should a Toddler Have Toys In Their Room?

If you have a separate play room then there is no need for a toddler to have toys in their room.

However, if you wish your child to learn to play independently or to self-soothe when they wake up in the early morning, then having toys in their bedroom can help.

Providing toddlers with toys in their bedroom can help them to play independently. You could provide them with open-ended toys such as dolls or building blocks or cars. They could then play with these toys for as long as their imaginations allow as long as they’ve been shown how to play independently.

Playing independently is a skill in itself and usually requires some form of training to take place rather than just leaving a child to “play” with a bunch of toys.

Having toys in a bedroom can also aid early morning wake-ups. If you don’t want them waking you up early every single day, you could tell them they are allowed to play with their toys in their bedroom quietly until others in the house start getting up. It may work, it may not. It all depends on the child but having their toys there provides this choice.

If you’re going to have toy storage in your toddler’s bedroom, take a look here at some ideas:

How Do I Make My Toddler’s Room Cosy?

Toddler bedrooms can be made as cosy as you wish.

• You could add a home-made quilt or throw onto their bed, like I did.
• Put throw cushions on their bed.
• Hang a curtain or voile fabric from the ceiling around the top of their bed.
• Choose warm tones to give the room some warmth.
• Fill the space with toys, books and pictures on the walls.
• Use natural textures such as twine or wood in their room.
• Create a reading corner with a soft cushion or comfy chair for them to use.
• Add twinkly lights.
• Have a lamp as well as a main light so you can create a cosier atmosphere when using just the lamp.
• Pick a theme and stick with it so everything is cohesive.
• Create zones in the room: a sleeping area; a reading area; a play area etc.
• Keep any ornaments or knick-knacks child-friendly if they’re within reach. Their bedroom should be a “Yes” space where they can be safe to play and sleep without feeling like they can’t touch certain things in their room or be told off for going near something.

What Age Do You Stop Sleeping With Toys?

Children stop sleeping with toys at various different ages. It all depends on the child. We have to ask ourselves does it really matter whether or not our child does still have a cuddly toy or doll with them at bedtime?

It tells you a lot about someone if they enjoy making fun of someone because they sleep with a soft toy.

Allow your child to decide when it’s time for them to stop with the cuddly toys. No pressure. Just leave it up to them.

For some children, it’s usually a comfort thing. They want to cuddle the toy and think it will make them feel better or happier. They may have special memories linked with their soft toys. So, taking it away from them isn’t going to help in any way.

Children will naturally decide when it’s time for them to stop having cuddly toys in bed with them. They’ll want to be more “grown up”. They’ll want to do what their friends are doing. So, eventually they’ll make the decision for themselves. And if they don’t, is them having a toy harming anyone?! No. So, leave them be.