Christmas is over and Aiden was very fortunate to receive lots of great new toys from his family and Santa. However, in order to accommodate all the toys, we would ideally need to live in a small mansion and not our two bedroom townhouse. All of Aiden’s toys are in our main living area or in his bedroom. We have been creative in our use of space and I am sharing some tips for creating a playroom in a small space. We decided to give his space a travel/adventure theme. This is a quality that we would like to teach Aiden at a young age, so it seemed appropriate.
Containment!
All little boys need a teepee and rocking horse right? Well, Aiden does and those are the staples of his playroom. They are probably the largest items he has and we use those to mark out the playroom space. We have found that by containing all of his items to one location it makes the rest of the house seem unaffected by little kid toys. It also creates a space that we know is safe for him to play in.
Although the playroom is in our main living area we wanted it to have its own distinct feel so we added the beige Cars Lorena Canal Rug. We love that the color and overall feel of the rug fits in the adult space in which it sits, but still has the fun pops of color that make it fit well for a sophisticated child’s space. Of course, the cars fit in well with the travel theme (and my new blog logo too coincidentally!)
The best part about this Lorena Canal rug? It is machine-washable and fit into a standard washer and dryer. I’m not kidding. Having a very messy one-year-old the rug washing theory has been tested and it is totally true. As if that wasn’t enough it is so SAFE for Aiden to be crawling all over for hours a day. It is handmade in India with natural dyes. It is eco and contains no VOCs. If you aren’t totally convinced yet, proceeds for the rugs support the Sakula Project, and provide schooling for children in India. Hopefully, you see now why I had to have one of these rugs.
Finding multi-use furniture
When we moved into our home we knew space would be tough the older Aiden got so when we were looking for new furniture we tried to find things that served multiple purposes. For example, our couch has hidden storage under the cushion. We don’t leave all of Aiden’s toys out at a time. We try to rotate through things, so the things that are not out are stored in his closet or under the seat cushion. This also helps if we have company and we want to keep more of his things out of the way.
Have a home for everything
We have a rule that everything must have a dedicated space. That way, we know it fits somewhere and looks clean and uncluttered. We are big fans of baskets and the multi-use furniture pieces to help accomplish this one. This also helps us keep the house clean because we can put everything back where it belongs at the end of the day. We also keep a lot of Aiden’s toys in the teepee. We pull things out during the day when he wants to play and then hide them in there at night when he is done.
Keep your small space in mind
When you are making a wishlist for your baby/toddler keep your small space in mind. Aiden did not have any large items (other than the before mentioned rocking horse and teepee) on his wishlist simply because we don’t have space. We try to ask for books and blocks and things that can have a home and be easily stored.
Do you have a small space? What tricks do you use to maximize space?
If you liked this post check out Feature Wall or Easy DIY Shadowbox of Baby’s Hospital Items.
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Disclosure: I received a rug from Lorena Canal in exchange for my honest review of the product. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog!
