DECORATING KIDS’ ROOMS:

Start from the bottom up—with the floor

From the time a baby first learns to crawl through years of playing with blocks, board games, Barbies and Matchbox cars, young children spend countless hours on the floor. And where do teens spend most of their time at sleepovers? On the floor, of course.

So many experts advise parents to get down on their hands and knees to get a kids’ eye view before they start decorating a child’s room.

In a kid’s room, it’s important that the flooring be comfortable and inviting. The right carpet can be a great choice, but parents have lots of other options, too. Laminates and wood floors can be both beautiful and comfortable and area rugs can be used to soften the surface. Area rugs are easy and inexpensive to change as the child grows.

Standing up to kid traffic

As for carpeting, lots of different styles and colors work well in kids’ rooms. Parents should ask themselves how much general mess and maintenance they can tolerate, and choose accordingly. If keeping things clean is a big issue and you’re short on time, then you probably don’t want off-white carpeting in the children’s rooms.

Berber style carpet stands up particularly well to heavy kid traffic and carpets with sculptured patterns and designs do an amazing job of hiding dirt. Most of today’s major carpet brands offer built-in stain protection, which can be a lifesaver in kids’ rooms. LEES carpet features Ultra25 with Scotchgard Protector, which protects the carpet fibers from top to bottom! The stain protection is so strong that it’s backed by a NO EXCLUSIONS 25 year Stain Warranty which covers every stain, from fruit juice to finger paints. It’s a great choice for kids!

Keeping it clean

With kids, spills and stains are a fact of life, so the best approach is to relax—and be ready. For spills on carpets, quick action is key. Keep a roll of paper towels handy to blot up liquid spills immediately. For quick pick-ups, use a hand-held vacuum, or keep an old-fashioned push-type carpet sweeper in the child’s closet. They’re great for getting rid of cookie crumbs, and little kids love to push them. For more carpet cleaning tips, check out First Aid for Carpet in the Advice Section.

The most common mistake parents make in decorating a child’s room is to overdo it. Many of today’s parents have money and they’ve waited a long time to have kids, so it’s tempting to do too much. They want the room—and their children—to be perfect. But they must remember that this is their child’s personal space, not a decorator show room. If you anticipate your child’s every need, there’s no room for him to learn and grow—or change.