How to create the perfect nursery: tips from a psychologist

Flatplan is a service for creating interior design projects. While working on a project, Flatplan designers consult with experts: a fitness trainer knows how to make an apartment comfortable for sports, a chef knows how to arrange a cozy kitchen, and a freelancer knows how to create an office at home. In a joint project, we seek advice from experts from various fields.

This time we asked the child and family psychologist Sabina Lamanna to tell you how to equip the nursery.

The interior of the child's room influences the development of the child. If arranged correctly, it will help the baby to grow in a joyful and comfortable atmosphere, develop creativity and form as a person.

How to properly zone a nursery

A children's room is a place for sleeping, playing, studying and storing things. To make the room functional, you need to divide the space into three parts: a sleeping place, a play and study areas. For a preschooler, the priority is the play area, and for older children, the study area.

It is better to arrange a workplace by a window, where there is a lot of natural light. If possible, the sleeping area should be moved away from the door so that the child has a sense of security. For games, it is best to set aside a place in the center of the room on a soft carpet, providing access to daylight.

Advice from Flatplan

Game Zone

The play area must be safe and fun. You should not clutter up this space with voluminous toys, it is better to make it free and give the child a place for creativity. In the play area, you can place a Swedish wall and a table for games with sand and water, cover the wall with slate paint. The more abstract the entertainment, the better the child's imagination works and the more opportunities for play.

The slate covering will allow the child not only to draw on the walls, but also to use them in learning - to solve problems, to memorize the rules. You can combine such a coating with a magnetic one: you can also attach magnets with notes on such a wall.

Advice from Flatplan

Slate paint can be used to cover not only the wall, but also cabinet doors and countertops. This paint is also available in white - you can draw on it with markers.

If space permits, organize a reading area in the room: hang display shelves at eye level and put children's books face first. Color pictures will interest the child, he will want to consider them. Place soft pillows on the floor for a place to sit comfortably with a book in hand.

Study area

To make it comfortable for the child to study, it is important to choose an ergonomic table, chair and lighting. It is best to choose such furniture so that it grows with the child: the bed becomes larger, and the table and chair - higher. The light should be bright and without harsh shadows - this will make your eyes less tired. To help the student, you can hang a geographic map, tables by subject and reminder posters that will help you collect a portfolio and do homework.

When arranging a place for classes, it is important to take into account the individual characteristics of the child: how attentive and diligent he is, whether he quickly grasps information, whether he needs reminders and illustrative examples. For example, if the child is not very diligent, you should not make a study area in front of the window: he will often be distracted. For the same reason, all helper posters should be located a little further from the workplace.

Sleeping place

A well-organized sleeping area can improve your baby's sleep. To do this, you need to choose a good mattress, pillow, bedding and the right lighting.

The size of the bed should be appropriate for the child's height (his feet should not rest on the headboard).
Choose bedding in pastel shades from satin, chintz or calico. It should be soft, without bright patterns. Colorful underwear can distract from sleep, and bright colors can excite the nervous system.
Try to make the sleeping area cozy so that your child enjoys being there.

To get your child to sleep well, 1, 5–2 hours before bedtime, dim the lights in the apartment and close the windows with blackout curtains. The hormone melatonin, which is responsible for sleep, is produced only in the dark, so during sleep it is better to refuse any light, including a night light. Its light reduces the Sensitivity of the circadian system to evening bright light in preschool ‐ age children. melatonin levels, which makes children often wake up at night and feel tired in the morning. It is possible to use a red lamp. This lighting does not suppress the Red Light and the Sleep Quality and Endurance Performance of Chinese Female Basketball Players' production of melatonin.

How to choose the right colors

Color influences Color psychology: effects of perceiving color on psychological functioning in humans. on the emotional state of the child. Some shades cause melancholy and depression, others - joy and enthusiasm. Therefore, it is important to correctly choose the color scheme for the nursery. The main rule is not to oversaturate the room with one color and not make it too bright. It is better if the room is in calm pastel colors with bright accents on the walls or decor items.

When choosing color accents, focus on the psycho-emotional characteristics of the child (active and easily excitable, calm and shy). It is important to choose colors so that they do not interfere with study, play and sleep.

Here's how some colors affect the emotional state of children:

Red enhances Perception of the color red enhances the force and velocity of motor output. heart rate and respiration, and physical activity. If there is a lot of red, it can cause aggression and anxiety. However, small red accents can improve concentration and help a shy child feel more confident.
The color yellow is associated with Children’s Emotional Associations with Colors. with sunlight and evokes joyful emotions. If there is a lot of yellow, it is difficult for a child to calm down and fall asleep.

Blue calms down Color-emotion associations: Past experience and personal preference. … It works well for excitable children and reduces physical activity. But if you overdo it, it will have an overwhelming and depressing effect.
Children’s Emotional Associations with Color possesses brown color. calming effect because it is associated with nature. Children who are anxious will feel good in a room decorated in these colors. However, brown must be combined with beige and other pastel shades, otherwise it will shackle and overwhelm the child.

Green is considered a good choice for a child's room because it is the color of nature and freshness (especially if you use pale green shades). It enhances Fertile green: green facilitates creative performance. reading ability and imagination, enhances creativity.
Pink brings up Children’s Emotional Associations with Color. delight and other positive emotions. In addition, it develops empathy and a sense of caring, so a room with pastel pink shades is an option in which there is nothing wrong.

Ask your child's opinion, but offer options to choose from. For example, ask: "Do you like this blue or this green better?"

How to create a comfortable environment

Choosing furniture

Children explore the world around them and test everything for strength: swing on chairs, jump on beds, disassemble the contents of cabinets. This is part of growing up, you shouldn't swear over such pranks. Another thing is that furniture must withstand children's experiences.

An older child, of course, will want to retire. To do this, you can allocate space with light shelves that will allow light to pass through, but visually fence off the room.

Advice from Flatplan

Furniture should be practical, functional, but not bulky - this can overwhelm the child. Give preference to furniture in neutral shades. Bright wardrobes, a bed and a table will quickly bore a child, and buying a new one will be expensive. Better to add colored accents to decor items: posters, lamps, pillows and bedside rug.

We organize storage of things

Children can be taught to be tidy with the right storage design. Place toys and other items in small containers at eye level so that your child can put away toys and other items. Containers should be comfortable for children's hands and easy to slide out. Stick a photo label on each that shows what is where. However, containers alone will not teach you anything - adults should set an example.

Giving up on TV

Psychologists and pediatricians advise giving up TV in the nursery: it impairs Media Use and Child Sleep: The Impact of Content, Timing, and Environment. sleep, reduces Children and Adolescents and Digital Media. school performance, provokes depression and obesity Effect of Social Media on Child Obesity: Application of Structural Equation Modeling with the Taguchi Method. …

A child under 1, 5 years old should not be given a tablet at all and shown cartoons on TV - rapidly changing bright pictures overexcite the American Academy of Pediatrics Announces New Recommendations for Children’s Media Use. the baby's nervous system, negatively affected by Potential effects of screen media on cognitive development among children under 3 years old: review of literature. on its development and can worsen sleep.

You can accustom your child to gadgets by the American Academy of Pediatrics Announces New Recommendations for Children’s Media Use. from 2 years old, limiting the time spent at the screen. For children 2–5 years old - this is one hour a day, for children 6–12 years old - 2 hours a day.

Flatplan will help you to equip the nursery so that the child is comfortable in it. The price does not depend on the complexity of the project and the size of the apartment: for 29,900 rubles, you can get a ready-made flat plan of the entire room with drawings, estimates and tips for builders. Leave a request, and in a week you will have a well-thought-out design project with purchase checklists and drawings.