7 Eco-Friendly Kid’s Room Design Tips
Image Credit: Rebel Walls
7 Eco-Friendly Kid’s Room Design 7 Tips!
Putting together a comfy bedroom for your kids while keeping it eco-friendly can be a challenge. Most products targeted towards kids are wrapped in plastic and other non-eco-friendly materials. According to studies, only 34% of parents (1) stated that they were aware of the concept of eco-friendly furniture for their kids’ rooms. Decorations and furniture are made to catch the little one’s attention, disregarding the problems the excess packaging and materials can cause to our planet.
Research has shown that kids ages 3-9 have shown a 158% increase in concern (2) about their impact on the environment in 2020/2021. Even if you didn’t plan on building an eco-friendly room for them up to this point, their concerns over the environment may convince you otherwise.
Being informed on these issues is the best place to start. After that, the true challenge starts. How can you find the balance between eco-friendliness and your child’s dream bedroom? If you need some help accomplishing this task, here are some great tips to consider.
1. visit your local thrift store!
One of the best places to start when putting together an eco-friendly room is your local thrift store. Every second-hand store you find is bound to help you find amazing pieces of furniture to decorate your child’s room.
While this is a great idea, there are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for eco-friendly pieces at a thrift store:
DECIDE ON THE QUALITY OF FURNITURE YOU WISH TO BUY - If you are capable of putting together a DIY project with ease, then you won’t have to limit yourself to finding top-notch pieces. Oftentimes, thrift stores carry pieces that need a fair amount of upcycling before they can become part of a room. If you’re handy, you can bring some older pieces back to life with just a few modifications.
AVOID PLASTIC AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE - While buying something that contains plastic second-hand is better than buying it from a store, it should still not be a priority. Furniture made of wood might turn out to be a little pricier, but they are bound to last a much longer time. In addition, they can easily be modified and painted, so they match your child’s room better.
GET YOUR HANDS ON SOME GOOD QUALITY FABRIC - A great way to add a new look to thrift furniture is with the help of some fabric. Whether you choose to saw throwaway pillows or an upcycled blanket, thrift stores can give you access to amazing quality fabrics.
How to Set Up an Eco Friendly Nursery
2. CHOOSE NATURAL MATERIALS
One of the best ways to put together an eco-friendly room is by using natural materials. These can be found in every store as long as you know where to look. One of the most commonly used materials is bamboo. Bamboo furniture and fabrics can be a great place to start. Along with that, all-natural wood furniture will last a very long time and will be easy to replace in the future.
Along with that, choosing eco-friendly fabrics such as cotton, linen, muslin, and other similar natural materials is an amazing option. Not only will they be good for the environment, but also for your child’s health. You can choose to have bedding, diapers, and clothes made of these materials to keep your child’s room as close to nature as possible.
One thing to keep in mind is that the products you use to clean these should also be as natural as possible. You can order term paper writing (3) if you are a parent who is attending college and wants to spend more quality time with their kid. Moreover, this can help you write a plan for which materials you will use to decorate your eco-friendly kid’s room, so you don’t overlook anything. Using baking soda, vinegar, orange peels, and similar ingredients can drastically reduce your waste and help you keep everything clean without toxic chemicals.
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Image Credit: ANewWall
3. CHOOSE YOUR PAINT & WALLPAPERS WISELY
Did you know that wallpapers and paint can be bad not only for the environment but also for your child’s health? These colorful and fun decorations oftentimes contain ink that is filled with chemicals such as PVC, metals, and even toxic flame retardants. They can seriously negatively impact the health of your child in the long run.
If you wish to give wallpapers a try, there are a few things to consider when looking for a trustworthy brand. The most important one is for them to use non-toxic and water-based inks. Along with that, they should be free of PVC, flame retardants, and metals and also low on or free of VOCs.
The same options apply to regular wall paint for an eco-friendly kid’s room. The ones that are safest for your child and the environment will probably contain mostly natural ingredients. These can include clay, citrus as well as milk proteins which will not harm the ozone layer or your child’s well-being.
There are plenty of new companies which are eco-friendly and keep all these factors in mind. Many even use non-woven fleece paper and other materials which don’t include plastic in their wallpapers. These are a great option for the perfect eco-friendly kid room design.
4. THE IMPORTANCE OF INSULATION
If there is one investment that should be made in an eco-friendly child bedroom is insulation. Do you live in an older house or apartment that gets too cold during the winter and too hot during the summer? The higher the chances are that the insulation is not the best.
Upgrading your doors and windows might be pricey, but it will be a very profitable investment. First, the temperature in your home will be significantly more stable. This way, you will save a lot of funds when it comes to electricity. This can be especially helpful if you have a child that tends to get sick easily during the winter.
In addition to that, a big benefit that comes with insulation is the noise-canceling effect it provides for an eco-friendly kid’s room. You might have a small child that has a hard time sleeping with noise or an older child that needs to study. In either case, these eco-friendly means will help reduce noise pollution significantly.
Image Source: Little Lights
5. CHANGE the LIGHTS TO LED ONES
Yet another simple change you can make to design the perfect eco-friendly room for your child is that of light bulbs. Most light bulbs that are not LEDs have a smaller life expectancy and tend to use up more electricity in the long run. This doesn’t only mean higher bills, but also more damage to the environment.
LED light bulbs on the other hand tend to use anywhere between 25-80% less energy (4) and last 3-25 times longer. Thanks to this fact, the greenhouse emissions from power plants are drastically reduced. This means less pollution to the environment and more money in your pocket. Most importantly, your child will not notice any difference in the amount of light produced by eco-friendly light bulbs.
6. make your own eco-friendly decor
If you and your child have some free time on your hands, this could be the perfect time for a DIY project. Instead of buying decorations for their room, you can choose to purchase materials that can be turned into fun projects.
These can include eco-friendly materials such as thread, rope, natural fabrics and dyes, glass beads, wood, and other similar options. If you visit a local thrift store, you will also be able to find plenty of recyclable materials for these projects. Giving your child the chance to create something of their own while teaching them about eco-friendly projects is important.
There are plenty of children’s channels on YouTube as well as blogs and Pinterest boards that you can follow for inspiration. Not only will you be able to create something fun they will truly love, but you will also spend a lot of quality time together.
Image Credit: Etsy
Image Credit: Homeplistic
7. INCLUDE A FEW PLANTS
Another great way to make your child’s room eco-friendlier is by adding plants. While you might think that plants should not be included in smaller spaces, your child’s bedroom could benefit from them.
They can be a great addition for many reasons:
Plants will produce precious oxygen and help filter the air in your child’s room.
They are usually inexpensive and can decorate the room very nicely.
Plants will also teach your child a lot about responsibility and taking care of something important.
All of these reasons contribute to the design you are trying to create for your eco-friendly kid’s room. Plants come in all shapes and sizes, and you can easily find ones that are low maintenance. Just make sure that you go for a clay-based pot instead of a plastic one so that you keep up with the design you have chosen.
Image Credit: Babyletto
MAKING THE ECO-FRIENDLY MOVEMENT A PART OF YOUR LIFE:
While you are putting together your child’s room, it is important to remember that every room can become eco-friendlier. During this experience, you can learn about DIY crafts, eco-friendly paints, and light bulbs as well as a lot of other useful information.
What you need to remember is that all these actions are valuable lessons for your children. Based on reports, 57% of parents (5) think their children know more about sustainability than they do thanks to the advances in technology and living trends. Helping them become even more eco-friendlier will shape them into conscious people in the future. This can help you and your kids live a life that will be much more kind to our planet.
Which of these tips do you believe will contribute the most to a child’s eco-friendly room?
Author’s Bio: Jessica Fender is a professional writer and educational blogger. Jessica enjoys sharing her ideas to make writing and learning fun.
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Sources: (1) Bio Resources (2) The Toy Association (3) EssaySupply (4) Energy.gov (5) Country Living
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