How crazy it is that one day you are setting up the perfect little nursery space and next thing you know, your toddler is climbing out of the crib! It's seriously wild just how fast time goes.
When I designed our nursery, I tried to plan ahead as much as possible so that it'd be easy to transition the room to a toddler space as my daughter grew.
Let me be clear, I did that not because I'm the greatest future planner, but actually because I'm not! I knew I'd be too busy to do a full room switch when the time came and plus we had a small nursery room so I wanted to avoid having to swap in new furniture as much as possible.
Here are some furniture pieces and room set up decisions I made early on to so that the nursery could grow with my little one.
Convertible Crib
I chose a convertible crib to make the transition easy and to get more use out of it. We didn't shop for a new bed til my daughter turned 4!
Many cribs offer a half-rail option but the one we got allowed us to remove the entire side. I didn't want to have to worry about little bumped heads on the half-rail corners.
This worked out great because I kept a twin mattress on the floor next to the crib in case my daughter rolled off (but let’s be honest, I ended up falling asleep there most of the time!).
Simple Changing Station
Instead of a full changing table, I simply got a changing pad to put on top of a dresser.
It saved space and we didn’t have to get a whole new dresser once my daughter was potty trained.
If you decide to go this route, do be mindful of the dresser height to make sure it’s comfortable for diaper changes.
Storage Baskets (a lot of them!)
I personally feel that there is no such thing as too many baskets!
I used large floor baskets for my daughter's toys and dedicated one one for her stuffies (she has a BIG collection). Having different baskets also made it easier for her to help with putting things away.
I also had some smaller baskets for things like socks, hair accessories and little bit & bobs.
My tip for toy baskets, go for the bigger sizes. They will get filled up so quickly!
A Little Book Nook
Instead of high wall shelves, I decided on a toddler-height bookshelf so that my daughter could easily grab favorite books on her own.
I preferred front-facing bookshelves that showed off all the colorful children's book covers. I thought having them displayed like this really helped my little one get excited about books!
These kinds of bookshelves also tend be slimmer in size which was perfect for our small nursery.
Toddler-Size Furniture
Over time, I added a small chair and a soft play mat to give my daughter a cozy and comfy spot to sit, play, and move around as she started exploring more on her own.
If you have the space for it, investing in some soft play furniture pieces are also a great option!
Wall Art for Little Learners
Of course I saved the best topic for last!
When it came to our nursery walls, I wanted colorful prints with fun learning elements so there was always something new to discover and learn as my daughter grew.
I couldn’t find anything that matched our ocean nursery theme, so I decided to design my own (did you know that’s how Skye & Friends began?).
I’ve since added more cute print collections for themes like Forest Animals, Dinosaurs and even Winnie-the-Pooh.
When you are ready to brighten up your walls, browse our collection of alphabet, counting and positive affirmations print or email me if you're not sure where to start!
