Transform a closet into a toddler bedroom or small closet nursery using these tips and tricks.
After raising our children and living as empty nesters, I never imagined we would be turning our hall closets into bedrooms for our grandchildren.
It’s funny how life works.
When our children were growing up, we didn’t have much money, so fun bedrooms weren’t a priority. I still remember how excited I was to gift my daughter a “Tweety” bedroom set when she was a teen. Unfortunately, by that time, she didn’t seem to love receiving it as much as I enjoyed giving it.
Now that our children are grown, and all have children of their own, we are finally able to afford kid-themed bedrooms and make this space feel like a wonderland for the kids.
Grandchildren truly are a gift.
Transform a Closet into a Toddler Bedroom
Our two-story home only has three bedrooms. Two of those rooms are upstairs and are connected by a hallway that has a deep-set closet space on each side.
Since we only really used those closets to hold junk, we decided to turn them into bedrooms for when our grandchildren came to visit. We could have also turned these closets into nurseries if we had done this when the boys were younger.
Pictured above are the side-by-side closets upstairs that we used for our toddler bedrooms.
While these spaces aren’t full walk-in closets, they are more significant than the average small space closet. The doors are wide, and they are deep, creating a sense of privacy and additional room space on their own.
Convert a Closet into a Kid’s Bedroom:
Converting these closets to bedrooms was the most fun we’ve had on a remodeling project in this house. If you’re fortunate enough to be working with the additional square footage, you could even add a small play area to your room.
Closet Toddler Bedroom Supplies:
- Wood for the beds OR any Toddler Bed that will fit in the closet
- Peel-N-Stick Flooring Planks OR you can leave the floor as is
- Wood for the dresser OR a small dresser that fits in the space
- Curtains for the doorway (you can sew them yourself or buy them online)
- Toddler bedding set
- Wall decals
- Wallpaper border
- Crib Mattress
Tools:
- Jigsaw
- Box Cutter
- Saw
- Drill
How To Transform a Closet into a Toddler Bedroom:
- Start removing everything from the closet.
- Paint the walls. Remember to spackle and sand everything to repair all dents, nail holes, etc.
While it might be tempting if you skip this part, the room will only look as great as the effort you put into it. It’s also good practice to fix things like this as you go because if you sell your house, you won’t have to go back and do it then. - Remove the closet doors (save the closet doors because you’ll need them if you sell the house or turn the bedroom into a closet down the road).
- Lay your flooring. We went with a peel and stick vinyl that looks and feels like hardwood. We knew the beds were going to be wood and wanted everything to match. Vinyl is a great option because it’s water-proof and peel and stick planks are easy to lay.
The planks are 4 inches wide by 3 foot long and you want to stagger the planks when you lay them, so they look natural. Pre-lay the planks so you can easily measure and cut any excess before placing them. They look amazing, and most people would not be able to tell the difference (especially the toddlers). - For the toddler bed, you will frame out a wooden box (considering the child’s height). You can always get a step stool if you’d like to make a taller bed, but our goal was to make it as easy as possible to get in and out of bed. The box needs to be a little larger than a crib mattress.
Tip: If you put a hinged door on the top of your “box” you can use the bed for extra storage space! - To add an element of safety to our bed, we added an 8inch protective railing to the side of the frame. We were going to leave the piece solid but decided to use a jigsaw to add the oval cut-outs so light could shine through. (You could make this bed unique using any shape you like).
- For the dresser, I framed another box. Due to limited space and a slanted roof, I was able to build a two-drawer dresser, which is more than enough for a toddler on vacation. Again we were able to use the main under-the-bed storage for diapers and toddler necessities.
- Before securing the boxes (bed and dresser) to the walls, we placed our Fathead murals on the walls along with our wallpaper border.
- To secure the box and dresser to the wall I used screws. If you buy your toddler bed and dresser, you will want to make sure the dresser can’t fall over onto your toddler.
- Once you place your crib mattress on the new bed, you are ready to install the curtains.
We were able to find bedding; a super-hero themed shelf and a home decor super-hero figurine for each room. - I purchased the matching cloth from the craft store and sewed curtains for the doorways. In my eyes, these are sleeping forts, but no one is searching for that term.
- After hanging your curtains, making your bed, and hanging any other decorations, your room is ready to go.
I wanted to put in a string phone; you know the cans that have a string running between them for talking and listening to each other, but we decided not to put the holes in the walls. Walkie-talkies require less repair down the road ;).
When the boys came to visit, they were able to sleep in their forts with their battery-operated lanterns. It was fun for us and them.
Once our oldest grandson outgrew his toddler fort bed we needed to have a new room for our granddaughter.
In just one afternoon we were able to do a girlie makeover. We transformed the room from a Superman Room into a Princess Room.
A little paint, some decals, a new border, and a new toddler bed set transformed our closet into a beautiful princess castle!
Are you trying to transform a closet into a toddler bedroom?
It’s not as difficult as you may think. It will take some time, but the end result is worth it! 😉