A few weekends ago we did a green accent wall in our 2-year old's room. We had a ton of paint leftover that I didn't want to go to waste so I decided to do a mini playroom makeover and add a green accent wall.
I love home projects, but I'm also very "cheap" (for lack of a better word) so this $40 gallon of paint wasn't going to go to waste! I ordered a new rug from Boutique Rugs for around $60 with the plan to move the old playroom rug to the patio for some additional use this summer.
Due to the current situation with COVID-19, we are sticking to a strict budget since there is so much uncertainty. That being said, we are putting off all big home projects and just focusing on some small projects to keep us entertained here at the house!
If you are also wanting to do some home projects, just an FYI you can order all your supplies online and pick them up curbside from Lowes! Also, we did curbside pickup from Sherwin Williams for the paint. Quarantine projects even with social distancing. Yes!!!
Our playroom is not a very large room, but it is in a very good location for small kids! I wanted to be able to see the kids in the playroom while standing in the kitchen doing dishes. (Every Mom's dream, Haha!)
For that reason, the room didn't end up being very spacious due to the location in the house and our house design. Since it is a small space, we have to be pretty picky about what toys go in there.
My biggest issue with the the playroom now is being able to organize it in a way that works for 3 kids who are all different ages and need age-appropriate toys for their age. We have a 4(almost 5) year old, 2.5 year old, and a 9 month old. Our oldest loves Hatchimals, LOL dolls, and all those things that come with a million tiny pieces.😆 However, I don't put those things in the playroom because I don't want to have to worry about the baby choking on something when I have my back turned. (She is currently putting EVERYTHING in her mouth!) We keep anything that needs supervision (like crayons and markers) in a closet for times we can watch them in use.
Right now, it is pretty impossible to have my eye on all three kids at the same time ALL the time. So, for that reason I like to know that I have a space in the house that is SAFE for them to be. You know...for times when I need to run to the bathroom or sneak a minute alone in the pantry to eat a cookie :)
Here are some things I love for a playroom:
1. IKEA TROFAST- These are the BEST things I've found for toy storage! They are SUPER sturdy and low to the ground, so you don't have to worry about them tipping over on top of a kid. They are inexpensive and very good quality. We've had ours for 3 years and they still look brand new! They come in SO many color combinations, which makes it easy to match pretty much any space. The drawers are KID-FRIENDLY. Meaning, they can't smash their fingers in them accidentally like normal drawers. Also, they are customizable so you can pick the drawer sizes based on your needs. The top of the TROFAST is kid-height so it gives them a space to play with toys on top of it. The TROFAST drawers are easy to use for kids which helps us with clean up. They know how to open and put toys in all the bins at the end of the day. I could go on and on about the TROFAST! You won't regret making this purchase!
2. LESS IS MORE- Have you ever noticed that your kids don't play well when the playroom is a disaster? We noticed this a couple of years ago and have since started picking it up more frequently. We also keep the clutter to a minimal. I often go through the drawers and toss or donate anything that isn't being used. Kids change so much so fast, so this is necessary to make sure old toys aren't just sitting around taking up space. On top of the TROFAST units we keep a few select toys and rotate them out. They always do better with LESS options.
3. TOY ROTATION- I read from a brilliant Mom somewhere that she did a toy rotation every few months. It wasn't until I had 2 kids of my own that I started doing this, and it was life changing! Every 1-2 months we take a few hours on the weekend and change up all the toys. We get new(old) toys out that we have stored in the closet and put away the toys that they are sick of playing with. I also usually rearrange the playroom a little and sit toys in different spots in the room. My daughter LOVES this and is always so excited when she realizes that's what we are doing. We call it "make the playroom fun again"! HAHA. (Make America Great Again.. like that :))
It works like a charm and my husband is 100 percent on board because he sees what a huge difference it makes. If I realize the same toy is getting put aside over and over again even after being stored for a couple of months, that is when we GET RID OF IT!. The ones that are usually left aside are the ones that are super load an annoying (V-tech). Though I am not against those toys at all, they never "teach" my kids anything and they rarely chose to play with them. They are loud and flashy and look cool in the store, but in my experience kids don't like them very much.
4. MOUNTED TV, NO CONSOLES, NO CORDS, NO BLINDS. NO CURTAINS- Because we want the playroom to be SAFE first and foremost, we do not have any cords, blinds, curtains, or furniture that's not kid-friendly. We have a mounted TV that has no cable box or cords that the kids can reach. Nothing is underneath the TV that they can climb up on. In the playroom we have no lamps or anything with a cord and all outlets are covered. We also did no curtains and no blinds for safety. We wanted to eliminate everything we could think of that would be a safety concern. I also see many times playrooms have TVs on top of a TV console. Kids always go for the TV and the cable boxes first for some reason, so we made sure to have ours mounted up high so they couldn't mess with any of the technology. We also opted out of a closet in the room so that there wouldn't be a door they could smash fingers in. This obliviously isn't always an option, but if you are building it is worth considering. As they get older we can add things in, but for now we need a safe spot for them.
5. RUG CHOICE
Don't be that person who picks a stark white rug for a playroom! The best rug for a playroom should be inexpensive, low/medium pile, and have a pattern or color that hides ALL. THE. THINGS. My kids rarely eat in the playroom, yet it is still one of the grossest rooms in the house! For all of those reason, I won't spend a lot on a playroom rug and I'm not getting a shaggy rug that will trap in all the crumbs, boogers, hair, etc. The low pile ones stay cleaner and they are generally cheaper anyway. I buy most of our rugs online since it is hard to go shopping with 3 kids! My favorite retailers are Boutique Rugs and RugsUSA. I just buy the rugs with the highest rating and have always been happy with the quality. Our other rugs are from IKEA and At Home. Both have great inexpensive rugs if you want to see them in person first.
Apparently I have a lot of thoughts on the playroom! Maybe this will be helpful to someone though :) Here are a few more pictures of our playroom refresh!
