How to style a nursery that will grow with your child

Nursery styling is tough. You've got endless items that need a home, you have to find somewhere for all the practical needs like changing a nappy, and of course, it has to look good too. So if your home isn't the biggest, it can be a struggle to put together a room that ticks all those boxes. However, there are some clever tips for fitting it all in, keeping it clutter-free and creating a stylish room, fitting for the rest of your home.

Think ahead 

Before you've had kids it can be hard to envision just how quickly they'll grow up, so I would recommend choosing furniture, colours and patterns that can easily be adapted as they grow, meaning you won't need to redecorate too frequently. In the same way, don't design a whole room around temporary items such as a crib or cot, for example, and think about how a toddler bed might work in your space too. I'm currently planning a mini room revamp to update our nursery with a toddler bed, and this is definitely something I didn't think of when laying out her room two years ago!

Go cheap in 'high-traffic' areas

I personally wouldn't bother with a really expensive wallpaper or carpet as the chances are it'll be covered in wax crayon (or something worse!) at some point. The wallpaper in our nursery is leftover from when this was a spare room, and I got from Laura Ashley on a large discount day. If you're worried about ruining your carpet, choose a large, cheap rug to cover it up - and make sure its machine washable! I've actually done this the wrong way round to be honest, and I take the nice rug up when she's in there, but next time I won't make this mistake!

Storage is key

You can seriously never have enough storage in a kids room - so getting this right is absolutely essential. Choose pretty baskets and boxes to hide all the crap. I've got lots of budget IKEA baskets dotted around the room, and regularly switch the toys around when she gets bored. Make sure you've got enough clothes storage, and get into the habit of clearing bits out when they grow out of them. I've previously shared more tips on organising kids toys in small homes in this post here.

I made this hot air balloon feature in our nursery for just £1.75 - you can find my quick and simple tutorial here

Keep the bulk elsewhere

As they get bigger, kids seem to accumulate more bulky toys - gone are the days of teddy bears and rattles, its all play kitchens and paint easels for us! So if you can, its a good idea to keep the bulk of the toys somewhere else. For us, this is our conservatory, which is also handy in that its downstairs where we obviously spend the majority of day.

She does has a few of her favourite toys in her room, like her dollhouse and books etc, but I keep the larger bits are stored away downstairs. This just means we can spread the bulk around, and keep her bedroom feeling as clutter-free as possible - also important for aiding a good nights sleep (but to be honest we'll try anything!)

Double up on storage

One thing I didn't bother with when little lady was born was a changing table. Space is very limited in her room (and our whole house overall), and we just couldn't fit one in, so went for a simple changing mat on top of our existing chest of drawers, and it was absolutely fine. I had yet more baskets on the side to store all the nappies/wipes within easy reach, and additional supplies lived in the bottom of the wardrobe (just remember to restock the baskets when you run out of nappies!)

This meant we could store so much more in one space, and there was no need for an additional chest of drawers somewhere else in the house.

Have somewhere comfortable to sit

This is another important one - you'll definitely need somewhere comfy to sit. I went for this pink velvet number, however my daughter was in our room until she was sleeping through, meaning we never actually did a night feed in here. If your night feeds will be taking place in the nursery I would consider a chair with arm rests, as they're much kinder on your back. We predominately use this chair to read bedtime stories, and therefore don't spend long periods sitting in it, so the arms aren't an issue for us.

Blackout blinds are your friend

Attempting an afternoon nap whilst the sun is shining through the window is never going to work. Choose a blackout blind and you'll find your little one will associate the dark with sleep time (or that's the theory anyway!) I've teamed mine with drapes too, to soften the look of the window, however to be honest we never close them as the blind is enough.

Have regular clear-outs

I feel like I mention this one in nearly all of my posts, but living in a small home, decluttering has become a way of life for me. Every few months, or whenever she's grown out of an age range, I have a clear out of clothes. The same can be done for toys too, although that's usually much harder to do - as soon as she sees me pick something up its all of a sudden her favourite thing!

What tips do you have for styling a child's room?

Thanks for reading,
Sam Xx