The Ultimate Guide to Wallpapering Your Kid’s Room

Looking for the perfect children’s wallpaper? Here’s how to create something you’ll both love with this helpful guide to wallpapering your kid’s room.

With so many designs to choose from, deciding on the perfect wallpaper for your kid can seem overwhelming at first – but it can actually be the perfect opportunity for your child’s personality to shine. Let your imaginations run wild together to create something they’ll love with this helpful guide to wallpapering your kid’s room.

Different Development Stages

First things first – what’s your child’s age? Are you prepping your walls for a new baby, or giving a bedroom a much-needed makeover?

Taste, personality, and style are all important elements to consider when choosing your wallpaper, but age is also incredibly significant, as the different developmental stages of children play a key role in how they respond to their environment.

Infants & Babies

Just one week after birth, babies will start to develop seeing in colour, at a depth of around eight inches. It’s not until the fifth month that their eyes become capable of forming a three-dimensional view of the world. The surroundings they’re exposed to during this period are crucial for their development, which is helpful to keep in mind when choosing the perfect wallpaper for your new arrival.

It’s best to go for soft, neutral colours, as these will be less straining on a baby’s developing eyes. Patterned wallpaper can also be a beneficial option, as research has found that geometric patterns and shapes can provide the stimulation and engagement necessary for healthy development.

Many parents will want to get their decor all sorted out before the baby’s arrival, so it’s often smart to go for something gender-neutral on the walls – our scandinavian-inspired Mountain Wallpaper from Holden Decor’s Over the Rainbow collection would be perfect in any baby girl or boy’s room.

Toddlers

As your baby turns into a toddler, their bedroom will also evolve, playing host to a whole world of different activities. In terms of wallpaper, it can be helpful to start incorporating different styles and designs to segment various parts of the room, as well as using brighter, bolder prints that your toddler will be able to recognise now that they are better able to differentiate between various shapes.

Schoolkid

This starts a whole new chapter in a child’s life. Their days are suddenly filled with socialising, learning, and playing in a way they haven’t been exposed to before. They’re introduced to new friendships, new subjects, and new interests, all of which will influence their tastes and preferences.

You might be met with discussions about their room you haven’t encountered before. Interior decor could quickly start to become more of a team effort. With so many options out there, deciding on a wallpaper you’re both happy with doesn’t have to be hard – our Dalmatian Patel Multi Wallpaper by Arthouse would make the perfect all-over print for an 11-year-old just starting their journey into secondary school.

A Multi-Use Space

As adults, our homes hold all sorts of different rooms dedicated to various activities. Children’s bedrooms, however, are a one-stop playground – a space for sleeping, playing, relaxing, socialising, and learning. Finding a wallpaper that serves as a suitable backdrop for all your children’s day-to-day ventures can seem tricky, but these ideas might guide you in the right direction:

• Utilise play corners. A designated play area not only helps when it’s time for a clear-up, but it can actually allow your child to connect with their emotions more easily. For example, we’re often advised to keep our beds reserved for sleeping and relaxing only, so that our brains don’t learn to associate this area with anything else, such as working or eating, which helps us drift off to sleep better at night. It’s the same with children’s bedrooms – with fun, brightly-coloured, and engaging play corners situated away from their bed, your child will more easily be able to separate play-time with sleep-time, which is a win-win for you both.
• Opt for a relaxing design to frame the bed. Similarly, to encourage relaxation you could go for a more delicate, darker-toned wallpaper positioned above their bed. Our Cosmos Charcoal Space Wallpaper by Arthouse is the ideal dark and dreamy galaxy-themed design to send your child off to sleep amongst the stars.
• Include a changeable feature wall. As children grow and their tastes develop, you might find yourself in a sticky situation once your daughter suddenly decides she hates the Disney Princess wallpaper you put up on her request last month. Life hack – include one feature wall that you can switch up every so often if you want to, keeping the other walls plain, simple, and untouched.

Avoid Overwhelm

It can be easy to get caught up in all the exciting designs in the world of children’s wallpaper, but it’s important to remember that children can easily become overwhelmed or over-stimulated, especially in a space overflowing with bold colours, loud prints, and clashing patterns. Find the balance between calm and colourful with these tips and tricks:

• Consider the space. When picking your perfect wallpaper, take the time to consider the space it’s going to fill, and how you can create a feeling of harmony. For example, if your child’s room is on the smaller side, you can open it up with lighter tones and delicate patterns, creating the illusion of depth.

• The importance of colour. Bright colours are fun, engaging, and a great way of showing your child’s personality – but try to avoid anything garish or lurid. Ultimately, you still want your child to be able to relax in their room when it comes to bedtime.

• Think of the interior decor as a whole. Similarly, balancing your chosen wallpaper design with the furniture and decoration in the room is key to avoiding a sense of overwhelm – if you’ve chosen a bold, bright, busy pattern for the walls, for example, opt for simple furniture.

Ideas to Get You Started

Whether you’re looking for a classic, contemporary, or modern wallpaper, here are some cool decor ideas any kid would love:

Go Evergreen

Avoid the eternal stripping and pasting with an investment that you know your child will love forever, such as a fun geometric pattern or a simple striped print like our Carat Striped Vinyl Wallpaper by Erismann.

Pick a Plain Print

Forgo the hours of painting in exchange for a simple, fresh, and plain print wallpaper in one all-over colour.

Animals

When in doubt, animals are always a fail-safe option. Superheroes and cartoon characters come and go with the seasons, but a love of dinosaurs lasts. Our Dino Kingdom Children’s Wallpaper by Belgravia Decor is the ideal animal print to transform your child’s bedroom into a prehistoric playground.