We recently moved into a rental house, and when I learned that there were three bedrooms but one on the first floor and the other two upstairs, I quickly had the idea of making a playroom in our house and having the kids share the upstairs room. And I’ve never looked back. (I actually did have some doubts about my 7 month old and 20 month old room sharing but it’s been great so far!!).
I’ve always dreamed of having a room designated to all things toys. A place that can be fully kid-friendly and allow you to shut the door on the messes if need be. I always thought this would have to wait until we buy a bigger home, but I was wrong. This rental house has provided such a good space for this.
In the short time we’ve had a playroom set up, I’d like to share with you the things I think you need in your playroom and why.
Diaper Changing Station
Especially since our playroom is on a different floor than the bedrooms, having a spot to change the kids’ diapers is a necessity. Even if their room is on the same floor, I think it’s very nice to be able to change their diapers right there in the moment in the room amongst the other kid still playing. I have a Diaper Genie and then a cute basket that holds both their diapers and wipes.
Lamp
I love having a lamp for the early mornings and evenings spent in this room (we’re in there a LOT). I don’t love harsh light to begin with and this really helps the room feely homey and cozy for the kids (& for me and my husband).
Essential Oil Diffuser
After dinner and as bedtime is approaching, I love putting in some calming essential oils in the diffuser. I’m not one of these “crunchy” moms who is obsessed with essential oils and use them for everything, but I do think it’s fun to have it smell good in there and using a lavender type blend of an oil is great to help calm them down and prepare for sleep.
Hammock/Chair
We bought a hammock swing about 3 years ago. In each home we’ve had since then, it has had a different use/purpose and it was my husband’s idea to put it in the playroom and I’m so glad we did! It is a bit bulky but it’s extremely cozy! I love rocking my daughter in there, reading books to my son while swinging, or just simply watching them play while swinging.
Books
Some people only keep books in the kids’ rooms or high in a cute shelf the kids can’t reach. I think it’s important for them to be at the kids’ height at all times. They’re so good for them. We read so many more books with my son since having them in a playroom.
Personal Touch
You and your kids will both be spending a lot of time in the playroom, so you might as well add a little special, personal touch to it. For me, that is adding a photo wall. As of right now, I have four photos in a small gallery of the kids and the kids with my husband and I. You can see the photo wall from the living room couch as well, so it’s seen a lot. When I’m rocking my daughter or playing with my son, it’s so cute to have the photos there to look at. I might expand the photo gallery to taking up more of the wall using thrifted frames and other family photos as time goes on.
Storage
I love doing toy rotations for my kids and since I don’t have all their toys out at once, I need storage for those toys. And having a closet in the room to be able to do this makes it that much easier and more convenient. I use baskets and closet hanger organizers to do so.
Tia Marie
tia marie 