6 WAYS TO ADD LIGHTING (TO YOUR CHILD'S ROOM)

That warm sunshine through your windows is quite literally happiness for the soul, but as the days shorten, lighting up the inside of our homes is the next best thing. When thinking about ways to add light to your nursery, children's rooms, or playroom, consider one (or more!) of these six key ways to light up the space.

1. Make use of overhead light

There are SO many beautiful pendant lights to choose from and many allow for a dimmer switch, sometimes making this the only light you actually need to add to a child's room. I love this pretty feather pendant from Ella's room.

2. Use a floor lamp

Simple for kids to switch on and off and handy if next to a rocking chair for reading, a floor lamp can provide task lighting as well as overall ambience. This budget friendly tripod lamp is sturdy and looks pretty too. 

3. Install wall sconces

Use wall sconces for a high-end look that provides just the lighting you need in the exact position you'd like it. I love using wall sconces above kids beds, especially where there isn't space for other options, like in Rafa and Leo's room below. 

4. Use a night light

I've shared some of my favourite night lights before and I love to include them in the rooms I design. So many kids love having a little light they have control over turning off and on themselves and they are handy in a nursery to ensure you can see what you are doing in those mid-night changes! This rocket nightlight is from Etsy.

5. Use string lights

Lights on a string come in so many ways, that the options are limitless. I love the bright ball lights, fairy lights, star lights, you name it. They are practical and add such a soft touch for calm light and decor on a wall or draped over a book wall. 

6. Use a table lamp

Table lamp or task lamps can provide just the light you need for a change table in a baby room, a little light in a toddler room or on a desk as children get older. I love pieces that carry through from baby to teen and a solid table lamp will do just that.

I like to include at least two of these ways in each room that I decorate so that there are a couple of options for providing the light you might need. An overhead light and a night light will work in many cases, but ambience lighting in the form of a lamp is almost always welcome too.

EASY WAYS TO ENCOURAGE ENERGY SAVING WITH KIDS

Teaching our kids about the environment is part of our every day lives. We limit packaging in the kitchen, recycle where we can, walk to local stores, compost our food scraps so it makes sense to teach them about saving energy too!

When BC Hydro contacted me to share about their newest challenge, Team Power Smart, where you can sign up to see if you can reduce your home’s electricity use by 10% (they’ll reward you with $50 off your bill!), I thought it would be a fun way to get the kids involved in thinking about saving energy in their daily lives.

Kids love to feel useful (and we are lucky ours love to help) so if you teach them how their actions can help our beautiful planet, it encourages a caring attitude and starts the conversation about how small changes they make can help shape their future.

Here are some easy ways to encourage your kids to save energy:

1.    Use a nightlight instead of leaving the hallway light on:

Little ones can be scared of the dark and a nightlight is a great way to help them feel more comfortable going to sleep.

2.    Use blackout curtains (helps babies sleep better too!):

It’s surprising how much warmer / cooler your home will seem with quality blackout curtains. You can start using these from Day 1 in a baby’s room and teach little ones that their curtains are helping to keep their room the right temperature so you don’t have to change the thermostat.  A dark room is perfect for encouraging a good night sleep too!

3.    Close the fridge door:

“Shut the fridge!” can be heard multiple times a day in our house. Anyone else’s kids open the fridge door and leave it open?!! It’s a simple step to help in keeping the energy in.

4.    Turn the lights off when you leave the room

We are all guilty of this but it’s so simple to quickly flick the switch when you leave the room you are in and teach kids to do the same. Quick reminders seem to do the trick for us.

5.    If they use electronic devices, teach them to turn them off when they are finished

Whether it’s the TV, an ipad, laptop or other device, teaching kids to turn off what they aren’t using helps to save the need to power up so often.

Interested in learning more about the BC Hydro Power Smart Challenge? Sign up here!

*This post was sponsored by BC Hydro, all words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting our partners!