Transitioning Your Baby’s Nursery to a Toddler Room

by Kimberly Foerst

As your baby grows – and it happens so quickly! – into a toddler, the nursery will need to be updated to meet your child’s changing needs. For example, a standard crib can become unsafe as the child will learn to climb out of it and could fall and hit the floor. A toddler bed low to the floor would be a safer option.

toddler standing in a crib

Toddler Beds

Many cribs are made to convert into a toddler bed when your child is ready. If yours doesn’t, you will need a toddler bed for your child. The great news is that most crib mattresses are the same size as toddler bed mattresses, so you can continue to use the same mattress and crib sheets on the new toddler bed if they are still in good condition and you like the look of them. If your child tends to roll around or move a lot in their sleep, place the bed up against the wall on one side, and leave a soft cushion or pillow on the floor of the open side where he or she could potentially roll off the bed.

Swapping Furniture

Go through the room and determine what can be removed to open up the space, and think about what needs to be added that wasn’t there before. Some things in the baby’s nursery will no longer be useful for a toddler. For instance, as the child is potty training, the changing table might no longer be needed in the room, and you can use the space for something else instead. Maybe a bookcase of his favorite bedtime stories could go there, or a small desk for him to eat at or to color.

storage boxes in a toddler room

What’s Being Stored

If you have a large collection of pacifiers, diapers, wipes, teething toys and other things that you want to wean your toddler off from, remove the bulk of those items from the storage areas in the nursery. Instead, store more age-appropriate things you will need for your toddler such as books, toys for learning, Pull-Ups, crayons, and plenty of extra clean clothes and bed linens as you go through the potty training stage.

Room Decor

If your nursery was decorated with transitional decor, then you probably won’t have to make any changes. But if the look of the space is “too baby” for your toddler, be sure to give them a new look that fits their personality. If your child has displayed an interest in animals, princesses or cars, or if she simply loves the color red, try to incorporate those passions into the new look of the toddler room. The decor choices could range from how you style the bed to art on the wall, the paint colors you choose and so much more.

toddler on a chair in a nursery

Less is More

Remember, your child will be up and moving around while spending time in their room. Be sure to keep the floor of the room as open as possible. This will reduce the risk of tripping and falling, especially if they wake up in the middle of the night when it’s dark. Don’t fill the room with too many toys or obstacles for them to get around. If you overdo it on anything, let it be storage boxes. Teach them young that everything has a place, and you’ll also protect yourself from stepping on something painful like a plastic building block.


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