Some of you may know that I have a Interior Design degree (and for the record, this is not the same thing as an “Interior Decorator” in case you were wondering) and although I don’t dabble in it as much as I use to, I still have a love and appreciation for tastefully designed interior spaces.

Now one thing they don’t teach you when you’re in Design school is the baby and toddler design dilemma  Those of you who’ve been there (or may be there right now) know what I mean.  It’s about giving up your space to accommodate your little one.  For me, it  means totally bending the principals that they taught me in design school…so that I don’t have to say “NO!” every five seconds while in a room with a baby or toddler

Here are how the design principals have changed:

Create a living space where your furniture faces a focal point such as a fireplace or entertainment unit

Create a living space that blocks your child in and enables them from touching the entertainment center and remove the coffee table to allow more play area

Proportion your space using asymmetrical or symmetrical design to create balance

Move your crib over so that your child can’t reach the socket with cords, thus throwing off your centered wall decal that was perfectly placed when the crib mattress was full height

Adding small home decorations such as candles, frames and other chachkies can give life to the space as well as showcase the overall theme or design aesthetic

Removing all candles, frames and other chachkies from the reach of your toddler, ensures the safety of your child and your property

Design the master suite with fluid movements and relaxing cool colors to encourage peaceful rest

If your Master suite is large, turn a portion of it into a colorful play area with lots of exciting toys neatly organized into wicker bins accented with a box of building blocks to encourage excitement and learning for your toddler

When space planning an interior all wall outlets should be at least 12′ apart.

When you have a baby, wall outlets should be hidden, capped and corded areas avoided

Select window treatments that add  texture to your room with a mixture of soft materials and structured valance

Take your sheers and stuff them into the half drawn blinds, out of reach of your toddler, giving them ample space to blow raspberries on the glass without ruining your window treatments