Transitioning from a nursery to a toddler room doesn’t have to be hard. In fact most of the time it’s just repurposing the furniture and items you already have!
When we moved into our current home, our daughter was two. As we approach the milestone of having a three year old, it seemed like a good time to do an update on her nursery turned toddler room and show you all of the ways we’ve repurposed items from the nursery at our old house and a couple of new items we’ve added along the way!
While her bedroom in our current home is quite a bit bigger than our last house, I think it’s always a struggle for space when it comes to kids and stuff. Can I get an amen? We’ve tried to find creative, attractive solutions to storing toddler toys and other miscellaneous items while still making them easily accessible for her.
Transitioning From A Nursery To A Toddler Room
Nurseries are so cute. Do you know what I mean? You get to decorate the room however you want, the baby doesn’t move anything (or move themselves, ha!) And it’s all about the fun little details rather than trying to figure out where to fit what seems to turn into a never ending pile of Fisher Price toys.
A toddler room is truly where the rubber meets the road when it comes to decorating something to be both functional and pretty to look at. After all, if something’s not working for a toddler, you’re going to find out real quick.
Repurposing Nursery Furniture
We repurposed every piece of furniture from the nursery in our last house except for the crib. Our last nursery was so small we actually had to use a mini crib, which, by the way, is a great option if you live in a small home or apartment. When we moved into this home, we upgraded to a full size crib that converts into a toddler bed. Fingers crossed, our goal is to hopefully go another year before having to convert it to the toddler bed.
We still use our rocker for bedtime stories every night, and our Ikea Kallax turned changing table is still going strong. Once we were done with diapers, we just removed the changing pad, diaper wipe warmer, etc. and now use the top as more of a traditional dresser for a diffuser, some books, and toys. You can read more about how we converted the Kallax in this post.
Adding New Storage Options
Finding good storage solutions that work and look good has by far been the the hardest thing to incorporate. I’ve found lidded baskets to be a total game changer. They hold a lot of stuff, are easy to move around the house as needs change, and look great all while doing it.
One of the things I didn’t realize until having children was how out of control the book situation can get. In a good way. Initially I had books stored in baskets all around the house, but as the collection grew, I realized it was getting harder and harder to find books when they’re piled twelve deep, especially when you’re two or three years old.
So in an effort to find something small, movable, and toddler friendly I went in search of a good bookshelf. After a lot of research, I came across this acrylic book cart . While it was a bit on the higher side price wise, once I saw how practical it was and how perfect it was for fitting in a smaller size room, I was sold. I’m happy to report it’s made all the difference when it comes to story time and encouraging independent reading.
Decorating With Everyday Items
One of the things I love most about making a home (aka decorating it, organizing it, arranging it, etc.) is figuring out how to turn everyday items into something beautiful to look at. It’s almost like a big puzzle. If you can figure out how to turn something useful and functional into something that also doubles as decor, you’ve hit gold.
For a kids room I love to use books this way. Some favorite picture books displayed on the wall facing out becomes instant art. A couple of corduroy dresses, a tulle skirt, and a little purse displayed on wall hooks are both easily accessible for little hands and a fun reminder to enjoy this short, sweet period of time growing up.
Gaston // A Little Princess // Bon Appetite // You Belong Here // Madeline
How To Keep It Colorful But Not Crazy
Lastly, I wanted to make sure the room felt colorful and playful, but given the amount of time we spend in here nothing that would make me crazy. Kids toys and belongings are by nature pretty colorful, so I tried to keep that in mind when it came to pairing it with the decor.
A colorful rug is really the only major color element I added, while keeping the furniture pretty neutral and basic. The acrylic book cart adds a ton of color through the books but still feels light and visually simple. The art is pretty neutral with some pops of pink to help tie things together.
Crib // Similar Curtains // Similar Art
Book Set // Wooden Nesting Bowls
While no room is ever truly done, and there are a few thing I would still like to do to the space, this little room is a hard worker that we all appreciate having!
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Where did you get the rug from?!
Hi Jessica! I bought it from Rugs USA a couple of years ago. It look like they still sell it here: https://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/rugs/rugs-usa-bordered-herati-medallion/Navy/200RZSW13A-P.html
Hope that helps!
This room is beautiful. Where did you get the 4 woven baskets for the closet? Can you please share how to decorate/hack the closet with the drawers and baskets?
Thank you.
Hi – The baskets are from West Elms, they are about 4 years old and I don’t think they sell those exact ones anymore 🙁 The dresser is the Ikea Kallax shelf, Ikea sells the drawers inserts separately if you want to add them to the kallax (here is the link to them: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/kallax-shelf-unit-white-80275887/). We added the feet to the kallax with ones bought at home depot (I spray painted them gold). It works great in small spaces! I hope that helps!