How to Decorate a Bathroom for Kids

Incorporate your child's interests when you decorate a bathroom.

Consider all that a kid does in the bathroom. She brushes her teeth. She takes a bath. She makes funny faces in the mirror. Whether or not she's spending her time in the bathroom wisely, decorate the room in a way that will make her eager to get there when you say, "Go wash your hands."

Instructions

1. Choose a theme. If your child like sea creatures, decorate around a sealife motif. Put up a shower curtain featuring sharks and fish. Echo the theme in towels, curtains, bath rugs and soap holders. Install seashell-shaped drawer pulls and cabinet knobs. Paint a beach scene on a bare wall.

2. Decorate the tub or shower with playful appliques. Find appliques that reflect your child's personality, such as butterflies and flowers, or frogs and ducks. Appliques are inexpensive and removable, so they are easy to eliminate when your child outgrows them.

3. Accessorize with child-sized items. A colorful footstool -- personalized, if you like -- is practical and decorative. Storage baskets in bright colors keep the tub area looking neat. A mini laundry hamper will keep dirty clothes off the bathroom floor. Choose one with handles that allow your child to cart it easily to the laundry room.

4. Buy decals to decorate the wall. Stick to your theme or find bathroom-related pieces that declare, "Clean Your Ears" or "Brush Your Teeth." The decals are easy to remove.

5. Frame your child's artwork from school and display it in the bathroom. Rotate pieces through the bathroom gallery.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to include some kind of hamper in your child's bathroom. Since they constantly go through clothing changes, be kind to yourself and make it easy for you to collect dirty clothing.

• Keep small or dangerous items out of reach of children.

References

• HGTV: Designing a Great Kids' Bathroom