7 Ways to Design a Healthy Room for Kids

When designing your child’s bedroom, you not only want it to look good, but you should also consider how to make it a stress-free, comforting place. A healthy room is more beneficial than one might think, and can help improve sleep, mood, and relaxation.

With these seven kids room ideas, you’ll be able to create a healthy space where your child will love to spend their time.

1. Use a calming color palette

Whether it’s the wall color or the furniture color, different hues can affect your child’s mood in different ways. Blue is known to be one of the most relaxing colors and helps reduce tension. It’s also a great option because it’s gender-neutral, so if you’re planning on turning the nursery into a kids bedroom, you can’t go wrong with this color.

Be sure to pick a blue that’s soft and not too bright. If blue doesn’t appeal to you, colors that are similar to blue, such as violet or grey, would also work well.

2. Think about sound and acoustics

Babies and children are especially sensitive to noise, so parents should pay special attention to how much sound exposure they get during the day. Sound is also critical for sleep and can play a role in how fast your child can fall asleep and how long they can stay asleep.

You should design your child’s bedroom in such a way that it minimizes loud noises. This can be done by removing toys that make sound from the bedroom, as well as any stereo systems or music players, and making sure the door is thick enough to reduce outside noise.

3. Reduce clutter

A crowded space is not a healthy space, which is why you should make sure your child’s bedroom is cleaned up and free of clutter. Clutter and extra “stuff” around the house has been shown to increase stress hormones, in addition to reducing focus and making it harder to concentrate on specific tasks.

By reducing the amount of things in your child’s bedroom, you can make sure that their space and mind is more peaceful. If their bedroom does get messy, you should encourage them to spend 15 minutes at the end of each day cleaning up their room. This not only helps establish a routine, but the act of cleaning up can also be very therapeutic in itself and help you child unwind at the end of the day.

4. Consider what furniture and toys are made out of

Your kid’s bedroom furniture, décor, and toys are an important thing to look at when designing their bedroom. Flame retardant chemicals, known as organohalogens, should be avoided. They’ve been linked to health problems such as cancer, reduced IQ, learning deficits, hormonal issues, and more. Some other chemicals to avoid are BPA and phthalates, often found in plastics, and lead, which tends to be found in older homes and lead paint.

When purchasing furniture or toys, some good materials to look for are wood or bamboo, anything 100% PVC-free, anything biodegradable, and anything made out of organic cotton or hemp.

5. Be aware of lighting

Healthy lighting is critical for creating a serene space for your child.

Your child’s circadian rhythm, or sleep-wake cycle, is regulated by light. This should be reflected in their bedroom—the morning and daytime should be full of bright light, while the evenings and night should be more dim and dark.

Brilli’s circadian rhythm lighting can help mimic this sunrise to sunset effect. You can customize the light at any time of day, which is especially helpful if your child’s bedroom does not have a lot of natural lighting. With lighting that’s synched to the body’s natural cycle, you’ll notice your child will feel more awake during the day and ready to relax and sleep at night.

6. Minimize technology

Technology is important in the modern world, but sometimes too much of it can be a problem. Your child’s bedroom should be a place of minimal technology, especially because the blue light exposure from screens can interrupt sleep and make it harder to fall and stay asleep.

Instead of using a computer, TV, or tablet in their bedroom, try encouraging your child to play with their toys, read books, or explore their creative side through drawing or painting. If you’re unable to remove technology completely because your child needs a laptop or tablet to do homework or study, try to remove the technology just before bedtime and while they’re sleeping.

7. Regulate temperature and air quality

Sleep occurs best in a cool, comfortable temperature, around 65-70 degrees, which is why it’s best to make sure your child’s bedroom stays around this temperature. In addition to temperature, having a bedroom that’s free of dust and too much moisture is beneficial for your child’s air quality.

In the summer, you can use a dehumidifier or air conditioner to keep air cool and comfortable. In the winter, you may need a humidifier if the air is too dry. Good ventilation will keep the air flowing and reduce the amount of dust and pollutants in the air at one time, but if your house is older and not as well ventilated, an air purifier will also help.