You can’t believe it – your little baby has grown from scurrying toddler to a full-blown big kid. The nursery suddenly transforms into a big kid's bedroom. 

In this series, our nursery essentials lists keep getting shorter. That’s because as your child gains independence, the need for everything that comes with being constantly hands-on also fades away.

The room is no longer a place for you to tend to your child, but rather a place for your child to rest, play, and feel like they have his or her own space. In the final post in this series, we’ve compiled several short lists of essentials in each category for changing the nursery into a big kid's bedroom.

Sleeping

It’s time to invest in a bed that will last many years. The toddler bed is out – you’ll need a bed that will fit your child as he or she grows to their full size. For sleeping, your big kid needs:

• Twin or full-size bed 
• Mattress
• Sheets
• Comforter
• Lamp
• Optional: Nightlight 

Clothing

While not quite as fast, your big kid is still growing like a weed so keep those donation bins handy and the clothes sorted. She may be dressing herself now, so help her find where to hang up or put away her clothes. He might not be growing quite as fast, so you may only have clothes in one size. In that case, organize by season. For clothing, your big kid’s room needs:

• For closets: Hang clothes by size/season
• For dresser: Organize drawers by category and size - Kibou’s pick: OXO drawer dividers and Mari Kondo folding method for bigger clothes
• Donation bin
• Optional: Hanging shelf or door organizer or shelf for shoes

Books & Toys

Hopefully you’ve been able to control the amount of toys accumulating in the room to a single toy basket or bin. By now, the toys should look completely different as your child’s interests change. If you still have plenty of toddler toys mixed in with the new toys, you’ll need to start weeding those out. They may have outgrown many of the board books as well, so your donation bin will start to see some of those. At this age, they’ll probably appreciate a little desk to enjoy books, or draw.

• Basket or toy bin
• Donation bin
• Small bookshelf 
• Optional: Small desk

From infant nursery, to toddler nursery, to big kid room – the list of essentials continue to shrink and shift from a focus on parenting, to that of a child’s joy and comfort. In the years ahead, the room will continue to shift but the minimalist philosophy that we founded Kibou bags on remains the same – only keep what you need in the room. If it doesn’t serve a purpose, it will only create clutter and disorder.

Check out our recommendations for a minimal infant nursery and toddler room.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay via Pexel