Blog provided by Together Trust. Together Trust champions for the rights and needs of care-experienced children and people with disabilities, autism and mental health differences.
Creating the ideal bedroom style to ensure a good night’s sleep may sound simple but in practise, it isn’t always so easy. Especially if your child is fanatical about a certain interest. Add to this the fact that many children have an abundance of toys, games and books and before you know it their room is a mass of clutter.
Back to Basics
Try to keep the theme of a room simple but still inviting. It needs to be a place that your child can feel comfortable and relaxed in when it is time to go to sleep. Remember that the walls, floor, furniture and bedding are all part of the theme for the bedroom. If your child feels calm and content, they are more likely to fall asleep quickly. Selecting the colour scheme for your child’s room is important; it helps to make your child feel at ease. Try to steer away from simply choosing your child’s favourite colour, instead consider the effect the colour could have on your child’s physical and emotional responses.
Blue
Blue is a cool, calming colour and has positive associations with natural elements like the sky and water. Soft, muted blue is noted for calming whilst a more intense blue can encourage reflection and clarity of thoughts. Blue has been found to promote feelings of calmness and relaxation which is important when settling to sleep.
Green
Green is another cool, calming colour. It is associated with nature and is therefore helpful to promote calmness and tranquillity. These peaceful connotations could help your child to relax and de-stress. Certain shades of green can be more pleasing; look for more muted subtle tones rather than bright tones.
White / Beige
White and beige are neutrals and inspire happiness and relaxation. They are considered to minimise distraction and therefore can promote calmness whilst settling to sleep.
Pink
Pink may not seem a good choice for a bedroom due to its red undertone however, a soft muted pink is thought to promote feelings of tranquillity. Pink is also believed to induce positivity.
Yellow
Yellow is considered a colour of happiness by many children due to it’s connection with the sun, so can be a good choice if you want to make the room more appealing. Ensure you use light muted yellow rather than a bright tone.
Keep it Simple
Try keeping the room simple with the use of plain painted walls rather than using busy patterned wallpaper. Stick to matt paint rather than silk so you aren’t further reflecting any light. You can then add subtle accents to the room to make it more appealing to your child, perhaps by adding some themed wall stickers or themed prints. Wall décor – Happy Linen Company.
Also consider making the room as clutter free as possible by having a place for everything. Open shelving can seem an obvious choice to store books and toys of different shapes and sizes but having them on display can become a temptation to a child who is struggling to sleep. Instead consider putting filled storage boxes on the shelves or in a wardrobe.
Lighting Colours
Whilst we recommend more cool colours for room décor we suggest a warmer colour for any lighting that may need to be kept on all night if your child struggles to sleep in pure darkness. If a night light is required to help your child fall to sleep, ensure it is dim, close to the ground and has hues of red, orange or yellow. These colours imitate the natural sunset and signal to our bodies that it is time to sleep.
