When you plan a room for a newborn, bear in mind that decorating a nursery can be as much about creating a comfortable space for you as your child. With babies rarely spending time alone in their room, a peaceful nook for you to nurse your little one is essential. As they grow, energetic toddlers will need a place for supervised play, as well as a secure and cosy bed to encourage them to snuggle down alone at night.

Tips For Decorating Bedrooms For Babies Through to Teenagers
By Penny Day

When you plan a room for a newborn, bear in mind that decorating a nursery can be as much about creating a comfortable space for you as your child. With babies rarely spending time alone in their room, a peaceful nook for you to nurse your little one is essential. As they grow, energetic toddlers will need a place for supervised play, as well as a secure and cosy bed to encourage them to snuggle down alone at night. The more independent tweenies will hanker after their own den for games and sleepovers with friends, while for self-sufficient teenagers, privacy and somewhere to do their homework is all-important - what was once your domain will very definitely be their own.

But it's also important not to lose sight of your own aesthetic. 'It's easy to abandon your sense of style when it comes to decorating kids' rooms,' says Esther Wise, founder of cool bed-linen and accessories company Renegade Kids. 'Instead of going all out with pink or puppies, adapt the same procedure as you would when decorating the rest of your home. Don't compromise your own taste.'

So, with the ideas on the following pages you'll be inspired to create a room which will adapt to your children's ever-changing needs, without breaking the bank or compromising your personal style.

Babies
Calm and comfort are all-important for newborns, so choose delicate shades and tactile fabrics for cosiness. Rather than furniture specifically designed with babies in mind, choose well-made items that can adapt with your child. For example, a chest of drawers can be topped with a mat to make a changing table, and wardrobes with adjustable rails can be raised as your child grows up. For a really trendy tot, white lacquer furniture has a timeless Scandi look and works well with colourful accessories and textiles.

'New babies need shapes and movement to stimulate them,' says Laura Slack of Places and Spaces. 'Mobiles are great for this but make sure they are hung high enough to be out of reach when your child is old enough to stand.'

A two-in-one cot bed will last until your baby is ready for a grown-up bed. For a beautiful Scandi design check out the designs by Stokke.

Blackout blinds are a good choice for babies' rooms. They make it much easier to settle small children during the day or on light evenings and should help stop them waking up at dawn in the summer months. Roller blinds also allow you to let in as much natural light as possible at other times.

To avoid your baby becoming too hot or cold, don't position their cot right next to a window or by a radiator. It may also be a good idea to invest in a room thermometer. Babies are far more sensitive to temperature than adults and SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) has been linked to overheating, so it's important to try to keep the room at around 18