You may have absolutely fallen in love with the plush suede sofa set in a pale cream color or the elegant traditional style wood coffee table with the etched glass top, but if you have children under eight years of age (or you are currently expecting), you may want to consider purchasing furniture that is specifically kid-friendly. When there are young ones around, furnishing your home with expensive furniture can be a recipe for disaster. Let’s face it; no matter how well-behaved children are, they do tend to be generally rougher on things than adults. They don’t need a reason; just they’re kids and they like to bounce, bang on a tabletop with your wooden spoons like a drum and get the occasional “good” idea that it might be fun to make the wallpaper in the dining room a different color. Yes, accidents will happen, but you can create a home designed to be comfortable and practical for everyone, even the adults.

First and foremost, select darker colors for carpets, furniture upholstery and window treatments. Also choose fabrics and materials throughout your home that will be easy to clean. Avoid the obvious colors like white and cream, as well as pale pastels and lighter neutrals like beige and gray.

You don’t have to buy cheap items for the rooms of your home, but don’t plan on spending a lot of money for furniture that’s going to take a bit of a beating. Well-made furniture doesn’t have to cost a lot. There are things you can look for that will tell you if you’re getting a bargain or if it’s just not constructed properly. Well-made living room, dining room and bedroom furniture constructed from wood should use good materials and techniques, such as glue and clamp, dovetailing, dowels and screws instead of staples in the construction of drawers and cabinets. The piece of furniture should sit on the floor perfectly level (no rocking back and forth). Especially when purchasing dining room furniture, tables and chairs should have finishes that are non-toxic and are easy to clean with a damp cloth.

Select furniture that doesn’t have sharp edges, corners or angles. Keep furniture profiles simple so that nothing juts out or sticks up that might cause a small child to trip or get snagged. Particularly for kids eight and under, choose sofas and chairs that are lower to the floor; it will make them easier for children to sit in them.

Because you are buying furniture for a family that includes little ones, choose multi-purpose furniture that provides both seating and storage options such as benches, toy chests and ottomans.

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Post tags: cabinets, coffee table, dining room furniture, drawers, table and chairs, toy chests

        

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Great for storage, yes, but the KidKraft Nantucket Storage Bench would make a great “window” seat as well – a perfect place to read on a rainy day

Don’t despair – there are some easy and simple ways to organize your child’s room that will help keep them on track and the rest of your home neat and uncluttered. 

A mix of closed storage and open storage will provide your and your child with options – closed storage lets you hide items from view, giving the room a tidy feel; open storage allows children to see at a glance what is stored where.

Whatever you choose for your child, storage containers should be age appropriate, fun and easy to use and made of non-toxic materials. Toy organizers and storage bins should also be very accessible; if they are not, you know what will happen – everything will land on the floor or be stuffed out of sight in the closet.

Children, like adults, are tactile and love to experience different textures, colors and shapes. Choose storage bins and toy boxes that are bright and bold. There is a wide variety of storage solutions for kids to choose from – toy chests and toy boxes, toy caddies, toy organizers and storage bins.

A toy caddy is very handy, especially for younger children, for transporting toys and other miscellaneous items to and from their room to other areas of the house. Storage bins range from utilitarian and multi-purpose to fun and funky and they can have a particular theme like animals, princesses and automobiles.

Levels of Discovery Stack A Buddies Kids Storage Unit

Make the most of baskets – they can help you wage war on clutter. They look stylish and trendy (a bonus for you) and are user-friendly (a bonus for your kids). Adding a row of baskets or individual see-through bins to a couple of bookcase shelves creates a convenient space where kids can “stuff” things out of the way. Baskets and stackable bins can be a great way to tame an unmanageable closet and keep it organized. 

A toy chest like the Teamson Design Under the Sea Hand Painted Kids Toy Chest/Box can an a whimsical element to a child's room

Under the bed isn’t reserved just for monsters. Transform the space under the bed into useful storage with under-bed drawers. If your child’s bed won’t accommodate under-bed drawers, this would also be a good place for baskets or a set of storage trays for items like shoes or sports equipment.

It’s easy to forget the storage potential of the walls in your child’s room. Put hooks on the backs of doors so that they can hang up clothes, backpacks, etc. without too much effort. Hanging racks are also handy to have. Shelving units, floating shelves and shadow boxes are ideal for displaying mementoes, collectibles and other highly valued treasures. While not strictly storage related, placing a cork board or some kind of message board will give them a place to display pictures, etc. while keeping their desk or activity table free of bits of paper.

These straightforward and simple storage solutions for kids will help you to organize your child’s room easily and conveniently. Storage solutions for your child’s bedroom are good for the rest of you home, too. A wall organizer in the family room or a set of storage cubes in the hallway (one for each child) just might inspire them to put things away rather than “store” them on the floor.

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Post tags: child's room, closed storage, open storage, storage bins, storage solutions for kids, toy chests, toy organizers, toys

        

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