When I was pregnant a friend of my mum’s jokingly said to me ‘be prepared not to sleep for the next 18 years’! I laughed. Little did I know that her joke wasn’t quite as funny as I had thought. Seven years into parenting, I am still sleep deprived. Just because your kids aren’t babies waking up for night feeds, it doesn’t mean that the sleep depravation and tiredness ends, right? I mean when was the last time you had a lie-in? Or woke up feeling really refreshed?
While it may not be possible to change the number of hours of sleep you get, it is possible to get a better night’s sleep and that’s what really counts. It’s scientifically proven that better sleep is more important than more sleep. I’ve been doing a few things recently to help myself get a better nights sleep so that I wake up refreshed in the morning and these may help you too. I’ve tried to suggest things that you can do immediately and that have worked:
How can anybody not get excited looking at beautiful, monochrome, minimal kids room decor like this or is it just me? Do kids really need to have colour in their lives 😉 This stuff is so playful for a small child’s room yet stylish enough for them to hold on to for years. What’s not to love?! Here’s where you’ll find it all:
With our new home renovations coming to an end, it’s now time to start thinking about the decorating – about the furniture, the little objects and the personal touches that will turn this place from a house in to our unique home. This is the exciting bit and the bit where we get to be creative and have lots of fun. One of the things I am very keen to do is to have a playful element in all our spaces. I don’t want strictly grown-up zones and separate kid zones. I don’t think we live like that anymore so every space in our home will be shared between the adults and the kids and I want this to show through in the decor.
I am not talking about toys strewn all over the living room or turning the dining table in to a kids craft centre, but instead picking out cute little objects, cushions and artworks that will work alongside the more grown up pieces. One of the shop’s I’ve got my eye on to bring some kiddy cuteness in to my home is Eef Lillemore (don’t worry, I don’t know how to pronounce it either!). They have some of the cutest decorations I’ve seen and I’m especially loving that panda tray for my kitchen and why not an ice-cream cushion for my living room? And what about a few of those pastel posters for the bathroom?
Everybody needs a little dose of cuteness in their home and when you have kids, it’s the perfect excuse to introduce it in to every room. I wouldn’t even object to some of that cloudy wallpaper in a hallway – so subtle and sweet. Of course a lot of the stuff at Eef Lillemore would make such fun decorations in a kids room too – like those beyond adorable posters! Something guaranteed to make you smile each morning, so why not have a little touch in every room?
Animal themed decorations are so lovely for a kids room. Even if you don’t go for the whole hog animal theme, a few touches here and there are so fun. Of course you can choose colourful versions of animal decorations but I’m in love with these kind of natural tones for a nursery or kids room. I know some people think brown/beige/sand type colours are boring for a kids room but just look at these decorations – nothing boring here. All of these would look great in any colour scheme but I love the idea of combining lots of white with natural tones like these.
I’m in love with this new French design studio – how great is their art? I love discovering new designers for a range of things but especially for kids art. Art like this that may be aimed at kids but really it’s ageless and will be loved by adults too. I’m loving the posters as well as those quirky animal trophies. Every child should have some art on their walls and I’m planning to have a lot in Anya’s new room – the only trouble is choosing from all the amazing kids art out there. But I think those animal trophies and that adorable juggler print are going to be hard to pass up! Visit Melanie, the designer’s shop to see the rest of her striking collection of kids art.
Kids and babies don’t actually need a lot of space. Their things need space but they are happiest in cosy little spaces. So I’m really loving the idea of creating a little space for your child within your bigger space. Maybe taking a corner of your living room and putting in a cute desk or carving out a small wall area in your bedroom and placing your new baby’s cot there. I love that doing this allows you all to be in the same space but you can still be doing different things along side each other. And this a great way to maximise the space in your home especially if it’s limited. I’ve picked out a few inspiring examples of where this is done really well:
When Anya was born, we didn’t decorate a nursery for her because we knew we wanted her to be in our room for quite a while. So instead we decorated a small area of our room with a cot, a mobile, a storage basket and a poster. That was not only much easier to do but it was also really nice to be all together. I didn’t take any pictures at the time but I’ve found these two baby spaces that are lovely.
Just as these two beautiful nursery spaces pictured above show, you don’t need to take up too much room to create a little haven for your baby within your bedroom. And you can easily choose a style to complement the rest of your room.
Another great way to share your living space with your kids is to create a desk or play area in your living room, your kitchen or wherever else you spend a lot of family time. I love the first picture that has used the corner of the living room so well and the washi tape house helps to creatively mark out the space. But if you prefer to keep it simpler and use even less space, you could create a more minimal and contained spot like the second and third pictures.
When I enter a home where I know there are kids, I like to see some evidence of them. I’m not talking about being untidy and having toys strewn all over the place, but of seeing a little play space or a shelf full of kids books and toys; something like the spaces above. Kids things add character and charm to a space and besides it’s lovely to be able to share all your living spaces as a whole family. With the lovely and budget friendly kids furniture and decor available at the moment from high-street brands like George Home, there’s no excuse to hide it all away.
This post is brought to you in partnership with George Home. All content, words and ideas are my own. Thank you for supporting my work with carefully selected partners that allow me to bring you content like this.
I know that black and white kids decor isn’t for everyone but I am a big fan. So if you are a fan like me then this new Dutch shop is for you. En Las Nubes does some of the cutest black and white posters, wall stickers and decorations for kiddies as well as some adorable tees. There are lots of stars, triangles, clouds and raindrops featured on a range of goodies, all in black and white but sometimes with a hint of pink or grey. I’m especially loving those sweet posters that have happy little thoughts printed on them.
About
Ebabee Likes is a style guide for babies, kids, teens and their mamas. It’s all about inspiration, ideas and indulging yourself and your brood. It’s written by me ~ Nomita ~ a style loving girl from Mumbai who now live’s in London. Read More...
