7 Tips for Decorating Your Child's Room

7 Tips for Decorating Your Child's Room
By Liz Hekimian-Williams

If you're not sure where to start or how best to tackle updating your child's bedroom, you're not alone. In a lot of families, the baby nursery takes a lot of planning and decorating time but there's often less thought and energy put into decorating the same child's room as they grow older.

It's common for baby toys and furniture like diaper disposals, rattles, pull toys and cribs to get removed, but other things often seem to stay around for quite a bit longer than the growing child might wish. For instance a wall paper border with prints more suitable for your baby or younger child's room, may not be as enjoyed by your now older child (or teen?!).

Here are a few tips to help you get started with decorating your child's room. The best part about this is that your child can help you do it this time around, unlike when they were yet to be born or an infant. So this can be a fun project you can do together!

1. Select a new color to paint the walls, a color that your child likes.
If you have a strong objection to it, though, negotiate with perhaps a lighter version of that color, or limiting their color choice to only one wall. (Or, encourage them to put up some nice posters and wall hangings to lessen their color's impact!)

2. Mood lighting! Kids of all ages enjoy mood lighting of one sort or another. Together, select either a night light, a small novelty lamp
with a low wattage bulb, or an interesting colored or black light
bulb lamp. Other lighting effects kids enjoy include disco lights, statues or flowers with light effects, and glow in the dark items.

3. Bedspreads. Get rid of baby blankets and exchange for favorite cartoon throws or bed covers. When they're teenagers, they might enjoy more sports or frilly, or even more adult taste bed
coverings.

4. Personalize something for their bureaus or their walls, with their
names and/or photographs. Photos can be made into a collage. Engraved names in stones or personalized acrostic poem name prints are fun kid's room additions. Acrostic poem name prints
make great keepsakes and can be updated every few years. They use the letters of your child's name to start off self-esteem enhancing phrases that tell about your child's unique traits, interests and characteristics at that stage of their life.

5. Create a comfort zone area in the room, for cuddling up cozy and reading. Think about using big pillows, plush or inflatable chairs, anything your child might enjoy to sit on and relaxing in. You'll also want to conveniently have some books placed within their arm's
reach. You might also want to place some music equipment by that area for them to enjoy. And if there's room, try to add an additional seating space for you to enjoy with them, reading or
listening to music with your child, or simply chatting together. If you have a teenager, they'll likely want to have another seating space for you or their friends to use.

6. Together with your child, agree upon a wall paper border that you can use to decorate their room with. This idea can be in addition to or used instead of painting their room. Adding or changing a wall paper border can be a very simple and quick way to change the look
and feel of your child's room.

7. And... here's an interesting idea my daughter suggested when I asked her for suggestions about decorating a child's room ... ( I simply had to share this intriguing idea with you!) She said, ell them to get an extra thick room door so you don't hear your kids fighting!

Can you tell that she shares her room with her sister and something about the noise level in their room at times?!

Hmmm... maybe she's got a good idea there after all!

2003 by Elizabeth Hekimian-Williams, Giftsprings

Liz Hekimian-Williams is owner of Giftsprings.com, an online gifts and home decor shop where you can find many home decorating novelties including night lights, low watt novelty lamps and personalized acrostic name poem prints. http://www.Giftsprings.com

GOSSAMER WINGSCarol Dorman

Hello, my baby. What dreams you hold in the palm of your tiny
hand. What destinies. As time begins your preparation for life
you silently grow. Already there is love between us. A love,
incomprehensible to those who have not known it and so I will not
speak of it too often.

So many challenges await you. The terrifying journey from secure
womb to cold, loud Earth will be softened by warm milk from my
breast. And time will continue to prepare you.

We will rejoice at your first smile, your first step, your first
word. A world of firsts for you, my precious one. Explore,
discover and dont forget to dream. Big dreams! Follow them and
you will grow so tall. Where will they take you, my baby? Will
you ride horses? Will you sing songs? Perhaps the sea will beckon
you, perhaps the sky. Perhaps the heavens! Wherever you go,
little one; always remember your heart. Your dreams will be
nothing without it.

The apple trees are laden with fruit, sweet and ripe. By the time
you arrive, they will be all gone. The orchard is steadfast,
however. Each year it produces - we are never in want. Like it,
your home will be steadfast and strong. You will feel safe here
and secure. There will be storms, as there are in the orchard but
they will pass and the sunshine of your familys love will warm
you once more. Time will take you by the hand and continue to
prepare you.

I walked by the sea yesterday. Angry waves lashed rugged rocks,
punishing them for blocking their path to dry land. As the salty
spray spritzed my face I heard a menacing challenge. Come with
us! Dare to be immortal! But the rocks stood fast and so did I.
In that moment of terrifying exuberance I have never felt more
alive.

You also will see and feel wondrous things. You will grow towards
these experiences as a flower grows towards the sun. Each one
will enrich and teach you. You will also know heartache. Loss and
sorrow which I will strive to ease but cannot. When such things
happen, my darling baby do not cocoon, thus shutting out the
world. Rather, let those who love you cry with you and share your
pain.

Healing will come, gently on wings of gossamer.

These feelings I express will eventually be familiar to you. You
will become a parent yourself and know and cherish and coo.
Goodnight, my sweet one.

Goodbye, my baby. What dreams you held in the palm of your tiny
hand. What destinies. As time began your preparation for life you
silently died. Already there was love between us. Now, unbearable
sorrow. There will be no journey from womb to Earth. It was the
heavens that beckoned you. Fly away, my precious, fly away.

On gossamer wings.

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Carol Dorman is a WAHM from Sydney, Australia and publisher of
Nurture the Nurturers ezine - he ezine for every woman,
everywhere To subscribe mailto:5016-subscribe@zinester.com
To request her FREE report titled: EARN $$ WHILE PROTECTING YOUR
FAMILY mailto:bewell@freeautobot.com
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