A big boy bedroom and SleepyLights

Last updated on March 31st, 2024 at 10:57 am

This past September was a very special month for our family that witnessed so many changes not just in the kids growing up but B starting school and many changes to our home as well. It was time to redecorate B’s room and give him a big boy bedroom he deserved. I probably left it looking like a nursery far too long if I am honest trying to keep him my baby. We talked about various themes he wanted and I tried to steer him in the direction of one that wasn’t full of Lighting McQueen but still was something he loved. The wall had already had navy stripes from the nursery so I stuck with the navy theme and added red. B has always loved cars, taxis and buses to the point of obsession as well as guards and soldiers. When I saw this London themed bedding at The Little White Company I showed him to see what he thought.

“Oh Mommy, it’s perfect for my bed. I could pretend to drive in my pyjamas” was his response. I had to break it to him he still would have to sleep in his new big boy bed and not play. The bedding was perfect to match the navy and red colors we already had for the room too so we worked on it from there.

B used to have a toddler bed that was his cot bed converted and he was just getting too tall for it and too big. We bought this ikea day bed as it has three large drawers for storage and clothes since B has no room for a dresser and it also pulls out to convert into a queen side bed if we have guests over or B has a friend stay the night later down the road. His room is a very odd L shape with hardly any light as you can see they are grainy and it was very hard to photograph to show you. It looks so much better in person. The daybed ended up being the best option for his funny shaped room and perfect for story time in the afternoons as a sofa.

I added this ikea poster shelf to adorn some lovely things I picked up in London the last time I was there. It brought the theme to life for the room. It’s the center focal point when you walk down the hallway upstairs and look into his room. When I am decorating a room in my house I try to pick solids, stripes, or other patterns for the main decor and for the accessories choose themed items. That way its always easy to redecorate or change a theme without costing a fortune. I could put anything on this white shelf to change the theme if I wanted to. Although B secretly just wants to line up every car, bus and taxi he owns on it as a display shelf. 

Here is B’s reading corner and homework desk area. You can find B and MM playing at this table for hours whether it’s with puzzles, sticker books, playdoh, building blocks or homework time. I got this little toybox full of wooden blocks when B was born its the last baby item I really have from when he was little and I just can’t get rid of it. The kids still pull it around with all their wooden blocks in it and build towers on B’s desk above. They play so good in their rooms and I love that they have this extra space together.

My two kids are big bookworms and we have boxes, closets, and drawers full of books. I like to continually rotate their story books on their shelf in this space. Not only for my own sanity of reading the same book over and over but to keep it changing. Each month I display books about whatever season we are in or a holiday that is coming up. As you can see this is hour Autumn – Halloween reading list for October. The kids love helping me decide which ones get put in the closet and which ones come out each month. It’s become a fun little thing we all do together. 

B’s granddad was a police officer for twenty some years and when he retired he gave his passed down his hat to B. I didn’t want to put it in the closet but wanted to display it and tell him stories of his granddad’s police days. It ties in with the guards and London theme so we added to B’s new nightstand shelf. It was perfect for the spot. I always love when home accessories have more meaning or memories to them than just decoration. 

These octagon shelves I really like to display B’s current awards or little knickknacks but I have moved them around about six times so far and I still not sure I like how I have them. The ship is B’s silver piggy bank that is engraved from his godfather on his christening day. The gold award he got for excelling in his music class. I think they might actually look better spread out side by side rather than up and down. I didn’t realize it until I took this picture in fact. That’s the story with my decorating it never ends and I am constantly moving things around to my husband’s dismay. What are your thoughts, should I move them so they are more like a collage or keep them straight?

This little red bus is very old that my own dad gave B to play with. B makes up stories about it and always wants to keep it safe as he does with any toys that come from my dad. This bus is probably older than I am as you can see but B treasures it so much.

We have now come to that stage with B that he is aware of the dark and scared of it. He has had black out blinds in his bedroom his entire life. In the four and half years it’s been pitch black in his room with the door shut he has never complained. When he started school and got his big boy bedroom he all the sudden asks us to leave the door open or the landing light on and said he was scared of the dark now. I remember being really scared of the dark as a kid myself and I knew I needed to find some kind of plug in light or lamp we could have for him. Lucky for me Lumenico got in touch to test out their creative SleepyLights which is a multi-colored LED night light with a remote. It was just what I was looking for as I didn’t want one that really stuck out during the day but needed it to do the job at night.

They have so many to choose from for boys and girls over 30 designs. We went with a monster truck which B says looks like Mater off of Disney Cars. It has a happy little face and is clear and white outline so it’s lovely in his bedroom on his nightstand during the day. It has so many choices of colors you can choose, we have it a different one every night of the week.

It has four settings on the remote. Sleep: which is automatic fade to low light perfect for sleeping, Side Lamp: is the brightest white light for night time reading or bottle/breast feeding, Timer: automatic fade to low light then turns off after one hour, and Rainbow: which cycles through the colors for calming naptimes. It has low heat LEDs with a safe USB power to ensure safety. I love that there are no batteries to change either. The remote is handy as B’s bed is on the other side of his room so it stays on the landing and I can change the settings if I need without walking into his room. 

You can see all the amazing colors and how vibrant they are. I would say the darker colors are great for those that like their light on all night long. B didn’t like the timer effect and wake up and it be off. The white light and lighter colors are great for bedtime stories and you can see above how much it lights the room in the middle of the night. I would have loved this light when I was breastfeeding instead of turning on the main light and waking the baby all the way. It really has made B sleep feel more calm and relaxed about the dark. He knows how to turn it off and on if he needs. It’s as easy as plugging it in to ensure he sleeps without nightmares or scary shades. The fact that it’s a truck just makes his whole day. 

We have been thinking about getting built in wardrobes in the kids’ bedroom when they get a bit older but for now we still use their smaller nursery wardrobes as they don’t have many clothes yet or large ones to hang. B’s wardrobe fits perfect kitty corner behind his door with his laundry basket. I love the chandelier that was there in his baby nursery so I haven’t upgraded that yet as it’s too lovely even though it’s not very big boy bedroom material. I am hunting down a light shade that might match his bedroom more but yet to find one.

It’s a funny shaped room with little light on one side but it’s B’s big boy bedroom and he absolutely loves it so much. He really is growing up so fast lately. I can see the changes starting school already has on him. I am glad I finally have a room that suits him. I love reading to the kids now on his daybed and doing homework on his desk. It’s a room we do spend a lot of time in now.

See what B’s room used to look like here… 

*We were sent SleepyLights to review.