Your children probably spend most of their time in their own rooms, so it’s important to make it kid-friendly. This means that the furniture and the design should be chosen in a way which conducts to playing and learning, while being safe and comfortable. Carpets and rugs are an important piece of the puzzle in setting up the kid’s room, since they’re at the central place of the room where kids will probably sit, roll around and play. When choosing a rug for your kids’ room, you should keep the following things in mind:
Safety
- Materials: many kids are allergic to synthetic materials and even if they are not, they might develop allergies, so make sure to pick a rug that is made of natural fibers. The best options are wool rugs, or the combination of wood and sisal. They are antibacterial, nontoxic, and don’t cause allergies. Another natural option with the same properties are sheepskin rugs, only they are thicker and softer. In any case, avoid toxic rugs.
- Thickness: depending on your kids’ age, you will want to consider the thickness of your rug. It is better to have a thick, soft rug for babies and toddlers since they spend a lot of time sitting on it, or lying on their tummies, and you want them to be as comfortable as possible. Also, soft rugs prevent injuries from falls and allow the kids to play and jump barefoot without hurting their feet. If you have older kids, thinner rugs and carpets are fine since they won’t play on the rug as much anymore.
- Prevent slipping: depending on the surface they are on, some rugs might slip all the time and present danger for your kids. Check the bottom surface to see if the material would be prone to slipping on your floor and get a non-slip rug underlay or rubber shelf liner and paste rectangles underneath the corners of the rug to prevent slipping.
Design
- Learning rugs: these are rugs and carpets with different prints that serve educational purposes. They are a great way for your child to play and learn at the same time, and they usually end up being the favourite ‘toy’. By far the most popular ones are traffic and road print carpets, but there are some other options as well, like alphabet, hop-scotch, 3D animal farm, world map, numbers and shapes and so on.
- Decoration and taste: older kids usually don’t spend much time on the rug anymore, so getting a one that matches well with the room design is a good idea. You can go for solid color rugs or, at least, rugs with fewer details and colors. When they grow out of the toddler phase, your kids will probably have their own taste so you should consult with them to see what kind of color and design they would like. You can leave the choice of the design up to them entirely as long as the rug is safe and functional.
Maintenance
- Easy does it: rugs are not always easy to maintain, especially in the kids’ room since spills and stains are common. You should look for a rug that can easily be cleaned or washed. Use only non-toxic, organic cleaning products. If you are not sure how to go about rug cleaning, you can always hire professional who will be able to deal with it quickly and efficiently, than risk ruining it with the wrong chemicals. You should, however, try to use a high-quality steam cleaner and vacuum clean them as often as you can and get that work done with ease.
A good rug can completely enliven your kids’ room and make it a fun and useful place. As long as it’s safe, functional, interesting and easy to maintain, you can’t go wrong with your choice.