6 Things to Consider When Designing a Child’s Bathroom

Renovating your home is an excellent way to make your space more functional, update your home’s style, and ensure it meets your family’s needs. Making changes to your bathrooms allows for better use of this smaller space and lets you customize options for your sink and vanity, shower, and storage. When designing your child’s bathroom, it’s essential to consider their needs. 

Younger children have different bathing needs than older kids, and you need to consider how your kids will use the space as they grow. For instance, you may want to include a tub/shower combination instead of one or the other. Or place a lower shower shelf that allows your children to more easily reach for items. Using kid-friendly design tips in your bathroom renovation ensures your new space will be functional and fun for your child to use for years to come.

1. Keep the Whole Family in Mind

When designing the space for your kids, you need to keep your entire family in mind. Families with younger children may be tempted to use pastel colors or decorating themes from their kid’s favorite shows. But kids grow up and out of these designs quickly, and they’re often not appealing to older kids or adults. 

Instead, pick neutral or classic designs that won’t go out of style for your vanity, tub, shower, and flooring. Use fun or bold colors on the wall that appeal to all genders. Smaller decorative items such as soap dishes, toothbrush holders, or pieces of wall art are great ways to incorporate your child’s favorite things and are easy and inexpensive to change out as they grow. So that towels don’t get left on floors, consider hanging small custom metal prints for each child with a towel hook below their image to help them know which towel is theirs. This adds a touch of decor to the bathroom while also helping with keeping your bathroom clean and organized.

If your bathroom is used by a wide age range, consider everyone’s needs. This may mean you need to install a tub and shower combination. It is best to get a bathroom remodeling company to give you their expert advice on the best way to go about installing a new shower and tub because there is often a lot of measurements that need to be considered before deciding on what to install.

It may also determine how you store items. Keep your younger kid’s belongings on lower shelves and cupboards, with items for older kids and adults higher. You want to make the bathroom functional for everyone, not just a few of your family members.

2. Include Tons of Storage

Your storage needs will depend on how many kids and bathrooms you have, as well as storage space available outside your bathroom. A vanity with numerous drawers and doors offers the best storage options. Smaller items are easy to store and find in drawers and pull-out shelving, while bulkier items such as towels, bath toys, and hair dryers fit easily behind larger doors. Consider using bins to help organize your kid’s items within the vanity. Different colored bins or labels on the bins can help your child identify their own items and are great for storing extra items your kid needs easy access to. It may help avoid arguments between siblings about which items belong to whom while keeping the space less cluttered.

3. Plan for Kid-Friendly Materials

Kids can be messy, no matter their age. You’ll want to keep this in mind while choosing the materials for your child’s bathroom. Save the high-end and luxury materials for your master bathroom and opt for items that are more durable and less easy to stain for your kid’s bath. Consider tiles for your flooring or shower walls instead of wood or paint. Tiles are less porous, making them less likely to absorb moisture or stain. This feature also makes them easier to clean, so consider heading to Standard Tile or a similar company to find the perfect design for you. The denser clay used to make porcelain tiles also makes them more durable and able to withstand high traffic areas than other materials – perfect for withstanding little hands and feet.

You may also want to use a darker-colored grout with your tiles. Dark grout helps hide dirt and won’t show stains or grime like lighter colored grout. Pick out a tile shade for your kid’s bathroom that pairs with a darker grout color. Using the right materials and tile tools to install your flooring keeps your child’s bathroom looking great.

4. Consider Separating Spaces

Creating separate spaces or entrances within your bathroom is helpful if you have more than one kid using it. Separating your tub, shower, and toilet area from your sink and vanity allows more than one kid to use the bathroom at a time. This helps when you’re getting ready for the day, letting one kid shower while the other brushes their teeth. You may want to install a double-sink vanity if multiple kids share the bathroom.

Designing your child’s bathroom as a Jack-and-Jill bathroom is a feature growing in popularity. It allows easy access to the bathroom from multiple rooms, including direct access from your child’s bedroom. It gives your kids’ rooms an ensuite-bathroom feature that is also great for guests. A Jack-and-Jill bathroom doesn’t require a hallway entrance, giving you more options for when you’re renovating your existing space.

5. Don’t Forget About Safety

Safety is one of the most important concerns when designing a children’s bathroom. You want your kids to be able to use the space independently without worrying that they’ll slip or fall and injure themselves. When installing the bathroom flooring, opt for slip-resistant tiles. These tiles have a textured surface or have been coated in a non-slip film. You should also apply non-slip bath mats or decals to the shower or bathtub floor.

For fixtures and hardware, install faucets with anti-scald devices. Anti-scald valves work by regulating the hot water flow and temporarily redirecting hot water if someone flushes the toilet or uses a faucet in another room. Choose faucets with single-lever handles, which are easier for little hands to grip and accurately adjust the water temperature. Ensure that all glass elements in the bathroom, such as shower panels, mirrors, and cabinet doors, are made from tempered safety glass. Tempered safety glass is designed to withstand impact and extreme heat or cold. 

6. Get Your Kids Involved

While you’ll want to keep the kids away from your design materials and construction equipment such as tile saws, that doesn’t mean they can’t be a part of your renovation. Ask for their input and give them age-appropriate tasks so they can feel involved in the process. This can be as simple as having your kid decide between two paint color options or letting older kids create their dream bathroom on paper. Your kids may even give you ideas for their bathroom you hadn’t thought of yourself. 

Get Designing

With these tips in mind, get started designing your child’s bathroom. First, make a list of your child’s and family’s needs and must-haves. Then decide on a style or design theme for the bathroom. Ask for your kid’s input on colors or textures for the bathroom. Pick out materials for your child’s bathroom with durability and safety in mind. Finally, buy materials for a DIY project or hire a contractor to help.