How To Create A Kid-Friendly Living Room That Doesn’t Compromise Style
This may seem silly, but one of the things that I was so frustrated by when creating registries for both babies, or just shopping down the aisles of Target, is how kids’ toys and equipment actually looked. While our homes have upgraded from the bright primary colors and neons from the 80s and 90s, it seemed baby and kid items hadn’t quite made the leap.
In both our house now and the apartment we brought both our babies home to, we have (had) one central living area. This means all the baby gear has to live in the same room as where we binge watch Netflix after the kids have gone to sleep, where we entertain people, and just generally where the adults relax too.
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With both babies, I have carefully searched and selected to try to find beautiful, neutral toys (while also going with as little plastic as possible). These a.) don’t want to make me pull my hair out, and b.) also follow one of the basic principles of Montessori-style education, which is to make your space beautiful, clean, and minimal for your kids to develop their sense of independence and order in the home. (More on that in one of my favorite books, “The Montessori Toddler: A Parent's Guide to Raising a Curious and Responsible Human Being”.)
With two kids under two now, I’ve learned a couple of tips and tricks that help me maintain a living room that’s kid-friendly that doesn’t compromise style! Here they are for you:
How To Create A Kid-Friendly Living Room That Doesn’t Compromise Style:
1. Be selective About Toys And Equipment You Purchase.
This one I would say mostly falls on parents because you can’t control what other people will gift you! However, if it is something that’s important to you, have a conversation with your friends and family about the things that you’d prefer NOT to have in your home.
For us, we prefer wood toys over plastic toys, no toys that make noise (as in touch a button and a noise comes out), and toys that help develop more creativity and less button pushing. Here’s the list of search terms I usually go through in terms of timeless toys and equipment: minimal, natural, neutral, wooden.
I also tend to avoid blatant pinks and blues to indicate gender simply due to usability! If they are gender-neutral toys, then you can get more use out of them as you have more kids.
2. Rotate Out Toys So Only A Small Selection Is Out At A Time.
This I also learned from Montessori education, but you rotate toys out maybe once a week for two reasons: to avoid your kid getting bored or overwhelmed with all the options, and to reduce clutter.
We put toys that aren’t in use in a cabinet or in the kids’ closet. And then every week or two weeks, I go through and alternate what’s out in the playroom/living room.
The things we always have out are the kids’s book (although I do re-arrange the bookshelf about once a month to alternate what books are eye-level for Harper), the IKEA kitchen, our wood blocks, and the Magnatiles.
I usually do this swap on a Sunday night with a glass of wine ;)
3. Use Kid-Friendly Decor Items.
An alternative title is: Don’t hide all your stuff just because you have kids. For actual living room decor, I have seen some parents ditch any decor completely for the sake of keeping their living room kid-friendly. Some people even ditch coffee tables for fear of bonked noggins.
File this under “possibly selfish,” but ultimately, my husband and I are the ones enjoying the living room more than the kids. I’m also a big proponent of not having everything baby-proofed in order to create opportunities to say “no” and create boundaries. We’re those parents that don’t hide the remote so we can teach Harper that even if the remote is out, it’s off-limits and only for adults.
For kid-friendly decor, I avoid glass and breakables, and anything too small to swallow. But other than that, everything is fair game. We have antique books, plants, candles (with lids for when they aren’t lighted), baskets, coasters, magazines, throw pillows, etc. I also avoid anything that can’t get thrown in the wash.
And lastly, just know that it’s just stuff! If Harper takes a Sharpie marker to it, it’s not going to break my heart or ruin anything. She’s two, so accidents or smeared fig bars are bound to happen.
4. Use Style-Friendly Storage.
Baskets, baskets, and more baskets. Rather than plastic tubs, we collect toys into large, oversized canvas baskets and use Canvas drawstring tote bags to group similar items like blocks, Duplo legos and the Magnatiles. This way everything has a place, and is still tidy, but we don’t have to have a large toy sorter.
5. Make Tidying Up a Regular Priority.
Tidy up before naps and bedtime to keep your main living space clutter-free (ish). I’m pretty fast and loose with this rule because James and I are also generally untidy people. We’re working on it! But Harper helps us put away her own toys, and she recently has been “helping” wipe down surfaces and dust, too.
The Wrap Up
Keeping your room adult and kid-friendly ultimately requires selectivity and intentionality with what you let come into your home, and having a limit on how much you have “out” at a time to reduce clutter. I hope this was helpful! Let me know what you think in the comments.