DANNICA’S BIG GIRL BEDROOM

It honestly feels like yesterday that I was planning and designing Dannica’s nursery–spending hours upon hours on pinterest boards, and pouring over hundreds of different kinds of cribs, beddings, dressers, etc. Little did I know that she would spend zero time in her actual nursery because she co-slept with us since she was born (figures, right?!).

And now here I am, “scrapbooking” her new big girl bedroom! We decided to change her playroom into her new bedroom instead of transforming her nursery because Dannica LOVED her playroom, and we wanted her big girl bedroom to be a space where she felt safe and familiar in. With that said, I didn’t want to make too many changes to it, because then it would defeat the whole purpose of the room being familiar to her. I decided to switch out her former lounge space/reading nook where her teepee was into her new sleeping quarters, and then to create a new reading corner next to her mounted bookshelf.

With that configuration in mind, I scoured high and low for the perfect toddler bed that would convert into a twin bed. I knew I wanted to start with a toddler bed vs. a twin or full sized bed because I wanted it to feel as cozy as possible. I also knew I didn’t want to make the same mistake of spending a fortune on a bed that she might end up hating (like her crib that she never slept in), so we wanted to purchase something that we can easily change without feeling like we were losing a fortune. In the end we found this darling bed from IKEA. You can convert it from a toddler bed into a twin sized bed, it sits very low to the ground, is mess-proof (Dannnica has a tendency to draw on furniture), and so affordable! We bought the matching mattress and plain white bed sheets from IKEA that grows with it as well. And we are so glad we did this vs. investing on an expensive name brand mattress (again like we did with her crib=first time mommy mistakes) because…ahem…potty training. And to finish off her bedding, we found a simple yet feminine quilt and pillow sham from Pottery Barn Kids.

For that extra cozy feel, I found this beautiful canopy by Numero 74 (which you can purchase here). And the canopy was the perfect little transition for her bed to mimic her little teepee. Dannica’s lullaby of choice is “Twinkle, twinkle, little star,” and I thought putting up little stars or twinkle lights would subliminally clue her in for bedtime and soothe her. It might sound like a stretch, but even after 2 weeks of sleeping in her room, she still sings “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” before she drifts off to sleep!! I went back and forth between putting up star wall decals vs. fairy lights, and in the end went for the star wall decals (available from Urban Walls). But, this was mostly for safety reasons, and as she grows up, we may change things up a bit.

Last but not least, you may know by now (from previous posts and on IG) that I am a huge fan of texture and textiles. So I found these adorable star pillows from Numero 74 (available here) to tie in with her constellation themed bed, and then reused her IKEA rugs that used to be inside her teepee for a more affordable and kid-friendly version of a rug (easier to replace in pieces and wash in case of messes than a large rug).

***For other product sources in her room, you can find all detailed information here in my previous post.***

***I have also included a little video tour of Dannica’s new big girl bedroom–click link below***

Click here for video of Dannica’s bedroom

Creating this little space in her little room was extremely emotional and bittersweet. I don’t want to chalk it up just to pregnancy hormones either. Rather, I think it is because oftentimes, these material changes hold deeper and more emotional meanings when  it comes to our children. Whether it be clothes or furniture or toys, they are all changes that signify, “Hey! Your baby is growing up!” I hope you find some inspiration from this posts for those of you who are also transitioning your toddlers into big girl beds and taking that next big step. And for those of you who aren’t quite there yet, enjoy every second of all things baby because, they grow up all too fast!