Transitioning Our Toddler To A New Bedroom

With our second baby on the way, we made a strategic family decision to reuse the nursery for the new baby and redecorate and furnish a new bedroom for our now toddler. Jackson, our first son, will be about 2 years old when his baby brother arrives, and we thought he could benefit from a room with more space to play and a bed that can transition to a toddler bed (not yet, but maybe sometime in the next year or so). The nursery is also much closer to our bedroom, which made it a better fit for our soon-to-be newborn.

Because the nursery is fully furnished and we’ve done the whole baby thing once before, most of my nesting effort this pregnancy has been focused on this project. This bedroom was previously painted pink with a chandelier, and it was otherwise in pretty bad shape, so we were really starting from square one trying to prepare it for our boy.

We also knew we wanted to transition our toddler to the new bedroom with enough time before the new baby arrives in order to help him adjust to the change and not feel like his younger brother was “stealing” his room. When it comes to toddlers, the fewer transitions at once, the better.

With all of that in mind, I’m SO excited to be sharing the finished project! And, most of all, I’m happy to report that Jackson has been LOVING his new room. Whenever a new family member or friend comes over, he runs up the stairs to show it to them, and he points out his favorite features. So the first toddler transition was a success! (At least, for now…)

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Now, don’t get me wrong… I know I’m no interior designer. I bet many of you could have made the same space with the same budget even more beautiful. But I am practical, and I can at least promise you that nearly every item in the room has a purpose…

A Purposeful Theme

The underlying theme of the new bedroom is nautical/sea-themed, based off of this Bible verse:

“But mightier than the violent raging of the seas,
mightier than the breakers on the shore—
the Lord above is mightier than these!”

Psalm 93:4 NLT

We wanted to incorporate something that Jackson already loves (in this case, water and Baby Shark) with an important truth about God. I particularly love this verse for a little boy, because it is a reminder of God’s strength and might. I want to raise my boys to emulate the bravery and strength of the Lord, while also humbly understanding their own limitations and knowing confidently that their worth is derived from God’s strength, not their own. So, this verse was a perfect fit. And thus the sea-themed room was born!

Purposeful Decorations

The main way we added color and decorations to the room was simply with Jackson’s favorite things—stuffed animals and books! On the day of the move, we had him physically move his books and stuffed animals from the old room to the new room. Not only was this a fun activity, but it also reinforced that his space was changing.

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We made sure to position these items in places where Jackson can reach them and play with them as he pleases. The books are on the lower shelves, the stuffed animals are in a basket on the ground, etc. Yes, this means his room is usually a mess. But, it’s so worth it to see my son actively engaged in the world around him. (Such is the joy of the toddler years!)

Lastly, we gifted Jackson a couple brand new stuffed animals (a shark and a fish) to go along with the theme of his room, and we told him they were special gifts that came with the “big boy” bedroom. He is finally at the age where he understands gifts, and these DID NOT disappoint. He now frequently falls asleep while cuddling his hammerhead shark (lol!), so I’d say that was a win.

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Purposeful Process

One important thing that I think made this toddler transition easier was that we tried to involve Jackson in the process of working on his new room as much as possible.

As with most housework, it was easy to want to do it while the kid was sleeping, either during his nap or after bedtime. But, the more I started including Jackson in some of the projects, the more I realized it was a win-win situation: I was getting my to-do list done while he was awake, leaving his rest time to also be my rest time (after all, they do say, “sleep when the baby sleeps,” right?!). And he was enjoying being “included” in “grown-up” things. PLUS, I started to realize that he was forming special attachments to the pieces of furniture that he had helped build… what a perfect way to make him want to move rooms!

Granted, projects take longer when you do them with a toddler. And some projects are simply not suited for little hands (i.e. if it involves sharp objects, like nails and screws). But just try to approach it from the other angle—what can your little one “help” with? Some of Jackson’s favorite activities included: unboxing new products, throwing away the trash, sanding the walls, building with legos while I built the dresser, threading the curtains onto the rod, etc.

My parents also gifted Jackson this adorable tool box so that he could have his own set of tools while we worked with the real tools. He loved them so much that he kept putting the tools in his crib because he wanted to sleep with them like he does with his stuffed animals!

Purposeful Organization

As someone who loves to be organized, I’ve never had a problem knowing where things should go in a room. However, with a kid and another on the way, I often need other people to help, and I’ve realized that staying organized among multiple people requires additional levels of coordination and organization.

Enter: the label-maker.

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This time around, I am upping my organization game by labeling as much as possible—both in this new room and in the nursery. My goal is that other caretakers will more easily be able to find items for themselves instead of having to ask questions. Again, I’m hoping this will be a win-win.

I purchased this label-maker from Amazon, and I’m loving it! There was a slight learning curve to get it set up, but now that I have the hang of it, it’s so fun to use. It has customizable fonts and pictures that you can configure using an app on your phone, and then it prints via Bluetooth—it’s very fast and very easy!

Links & Sources

Here is where we found everything in the room:

• Black wire book rack / Riverbend Home
• Painted wooden sign / gifted
• Towel hooks (behind the door, not pictured) / H&M
• Whale & Shark prints / Etsy
• White frames / Amazon
• Green faux plant / Target
• Stuffed animal rope basket / Parker Baby Co.
• Hammerhead shark stuffed animal / Target
• Pufferfish stuffed animal / H&M
• Crib / Million Dollar Baby
• Mattress / Amazon
• Mattress pad / Newton (use this link for $30 off a Newton mattress!)
• Toddler pillow / Amazon
• Wi-fi baby monitor (above the crib) / Nanit (use this link for $20 off Nanit!)
• Gray velvet rocking chair / Babyletto
• Knit pouf / Target
• Side table / Target
• Black lamp / Target
• Sound machine & nightlight / Hatch
• Curtains (blackout) / Amazon
• Curtain rod / Amazon
• Toddler chair / Target
• Waves of the Sea print / Jenessa Wait
• Black frame / Amazon
• Brown faux plant / Target
• Ladder shelf / Target (old, similar here)
• Sailboat / gifted, family antique
• Radio baby monitor (on the ladder shelf) / Infant Optics
• Gray & white storage basket / Amazon
• Diaper pail / Amazon
• Dresser & changing table / Babyletto
• Round black mirror / Target
• Changing pad / Amazon
• Drawer organizers / Target
• Hangers / Amazon
• Blue rope laundry basket / Amazon
• Small trash can / found at Home Goods
• Ceiling fan / Wayfair
• Paint colors / White Dove + Van Deusen Blue by Benjamin Moore

Share Your Toddler Transition Tips

Do you have any tips for making a toddler transition go more smoothly? Please share in the comments below! We’re just at the beginning, and we have many more to come, so we would appreciate any help/advice we can get. 🙂