Alexander's "Big Boy" room + decorating tips

Alexander recently made the transition out of a cot and into a "big boy" bed, so Stu and I decided to give his a room a little makeover as well. You may remember how we had lovingly set up the nursery two years ago in anticipation of his arrival. By making a few little changes, we were able to update this space and make it more toddler friendly.

We bought Alexander a king single bed for two reasons: firstly, so one of us could comfortably lie down with him through the night if he was feeling unwell and secondly, we'd hoped that this bed would see him through to his teenage years (not so sure about that now as it's doubling as a trampoline!).

It's a low bed so if he can climb on and off with ease and with a cushioned bed head not dissimilar to our bed. Alexander is pretty obsessed with trucks and anything with wheels at the moment so we bought his rescue vehicles sheets, much to his delight - he loves pointing at each one and naming them before bed each night.

We stopped changing Alexander's nappies on the change table as he is too mobile so with the change mattress off, it now functions as a shelf for toys, wipes, nappies etc, We also installed new curtains in a neutral beige and moved the pom pom foot rest to the front of the window so Alexander can stand on it and look out into the backyard.

Apart from the cost of the new bed and sheets, this little room makeover cost us hardly anything. Simply by moving and reusing old furniture and accessories, we were able to add some style to this room. in fact you can quite easily recreate Alexander's room with this bed and 4 drawer tall chest from Super Amart who has also asked me to share some tips on how you can decorate your kid's room on a budget. Read on if you're interested...

1. Spend on furniture with longevity - The bulk of our budget was spent on Alexander's new bed as this is an item that can grow with him and has the most longevity. The fact that it's a king single size means he will likely still be able to use it well into his teenage years. Be sure to check out your local Super Amart store for their wide range of bedroom furniture.

2. Shop at garage sales and thrift stores - Stu and I spotted an old wooden chair with faded paint but was otherwise in good condition at a garage sale for next to nothing. Stu gave it a good sanding and painted it a vibrant shade of yellow and it now sits pretty next to Alexander's room, lending a fresh pop of colour. Ditto for the toy Tonka truck.

3. Add colour with accessories - Pick solid colours for furniture and choose colourful or patterned  accessories to add interest. As you can see, we've chosen a plain white bed, tall boy and walls as a base for this room, allowing for the hints of yellow, blue and lime green to bring life to this room.

4. Books and toys as decor - Alexander's collection of colourful books and some of his well made toys double up as decoration for his room. This saves us having to find storage for them.

5. Straw baskets as storage - I used straw baskets for organisation purposes and allocate each basket to toys/books, nappies, shoes. Alexander has learnt what each basket is for and assists in returning things to the baskets at the end of each day.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Super Amart (click here for their current promotions). I was compensated for this post, however all opinions are my own.