Whether they are infants, toddlers, teens or just-about-adult, decorating your kid’s bedroom can either be a creative expression of your love, or a source of self-doubting despair. The decisions are endless – as are the costs – and the demand for the perfect bedroom is implacable.

Where to start slaying this beast?

The first step is to decide what the budget for this project is going to be – and promise yourself that you will stay within that budget. Next you need to decide whether you (and your child / children) are going to go with the traditional pink for girls and blue for boy’s colour schemes, or are you a progressive parent that allows other colours into the scheme as well. Will this decision be influenced by the theme of the room? Of course, if it’s a Barbie theme pink will be very appropriate. Then again, a cars (or Cars – the Disney version) will allow for multiple colours, including blue and red.

The theme is also very important. Not only does it help determine the colour scheme, it also needs to be age appropriate to prevent your child seeing monsters under the bed or in the closet. There is also evidence that certain themes stimulate brain activity and others depress the child’s development.

Do some research on the internet to find the most appropriate (and affordable) supplier of the bed, dressing table, wardrobe etc. that suits your theme.

A fun thing to do together is to paint the room together as a family, or let your child paint his / her own pictures on the walls to give it a customized look.

All-in-all, decorating your kid’s bedroom should allow for the child to feel safe, treasured and allow him / her to be able to express themselves.