Decorating Ideas for a Baby & a Five-Year-Old Sharing a Room
Consider the needs of your new baby and your 5-year-old when decorating the bedroom the children will share. It's important to make the space comfortable for both children, while providing something special for your older child. Let her help you make plans for the room so she feels a bit of ownership and pride, instead of creating a sense that the new baby is taking over her bedroom. Does this Spark an idea?
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Colors
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The colors in the bedroom should work for both children. Soft, neutral colors tend to work best for newborns. Brighter colors can accentuate the room for the 5-year-old. Allow your older child to choose the color scheme, or guide him in choosing a color that works with the colors you like. For example, design the bedroom around a blue and red color scheme if he loves the color blue, but the new baby is a girl. Alternatively, guide a 5-year-old girl in choosing a neutral color scheme if the baby is a boy. Using neutral background colors, such as beige, cream or chocolate brown, will allow you to designate a particular color for each child even if they're completely different, such as blue and pink.
Themes
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There are numerous themes that will work in the room for the new baby and your 5-year-old. Ask your 5-year-old for ideas on what theme he'd like the room to be decorated with. Assess his favorites and choose one that works for the baby as well. For example, a circus theme, farm animal, jungle animal or numbers and shapes will work for both children, even if you have a boy and girl. Play with patterns if your 5-year-old likes them, such as stripes and circles. Using a theme that works for both children allows you to assign a detail to each child for their own identities, while complementing each other. For example, your 5-year-old might choose a cow as his favorite farm animal, and you can assign a duck to represent the baby's area.
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Furniture
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The furniture doesn't have to match exactly, though the pieces should complement each other and work with the rest of the room's decor. White, oak or chocolate brown furniture will work for both children of either gender. Use pieces that do double duty or opt for slimmer pieces if the room is small. For example, two lingerie chests will take up less room than two chests or dressers. Add a bookcase above a chest if you want clothes storage, toy storage and decorative display space in one piece. Your 5-year-old might like a loft bunk bed where she can sleep on top and she can have a tent or special play space under the bed. Add a bed underneath when the baby moves out of the crib.
Accessories
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Use accessories to decorate and give both children their own place within the room. For example, hang their names or monograms above their beds, add distinct throw pillows or bedding, and color coordinate their dresser knobs or toy bins. Spell out the baby's name on images of train cars and the 5-year-old's name in puffs of smoke coming from an airplane if you're using a planes, trains and automobiles theme for the room. Alternatively, use the color red to symbolize the baby's things and blue for the big brother if the theme incorporates both of those colors. Lamps, artwork, framed pictures, rugs and toys add to the room's decor.
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References
- Photo Credit little brother and sister playing together, on white image by Renata Osinska from Fotolia.com
