And just like that, my little girl’s baby bedroom transformed into a space perfect for the toddler that she is!

It feels a fitting time to have made over Ottilie’s bedroom, whilst pregnant with our next baby. It seems to fit the natural flow of our family life- as one little bird hops the nursery-nest and flies off into the realms of big-girl beds and reading corners, the next is ready to take her place in the cot! Oh, how the time flies when you’re watching children grow.

At the time of writing this I’m exactly 30 weeks pregnant, and feeling the familiar rise of the Urge To Nest! Lists are being made of all I want to get done by October, a list which includes (but is not limited to) painting the nursery, putting up a plethora of photos and prints, packing a hospital bag (in case my homebirth plans go awry), getting a truckload of newborn clothes washed and ironed, and of course I’m hoarding cleaning products like a madwoman and suddenly obsessed with scrubbing bathroom grouting and washing down cupboard fronts. Jason learnt last time to stay out of my way when I’m in nesting mode and to comply swiftly with all requests to tidy, clean, and sort, which is probably for the best ;)

So, back on topic, today I’d like to share a few photos from the mini makeover we’ve done of Ottilie’s bedroom over the last couple of months! I’m so pleased with how the room’s come together, and Ottie loves it too!

First up, walls! Jason painted the room as a surprise for Ottilie and me when we were away in France (the cutest <3), and the shade is Farrow & Ball ‘Chamomile’. I love how it’s a slightly dirty pale pink, and not a traditional ‘baby’ pink shade.

I think Ottilie’s favourite addition to the room though has been her new teepee! We’ve put it in place of the armchair that used to be in that corner, which we found just wasn’t being used since Ottilie started having bedtime milk and stories in her bed after we switched her out of her cot. And it’s been a standout hit! Ottie loves taking books in there to read either by herself or with us, putting her teddies and babies to ‘bed’ inside it under the blankets, or using it as a hiding spot during one of our very, VERY frequent games of Hide and Seek!

It was a total bargain too, bought from Hobbycraft on recommendation from Jen! I’ve put a few cushions inside (the watermelon one Ottie picked herself from H&M, she’s obsessed with ‘walkermelon’ and so I couldn’t say no to buying it for her!), and also strung that sweet felt pompom garland over it too! It was Etsy find, from a shop called Nordic In Kent.

A quick note on Ottilie’s bed and the cot > bed transition- I’ll be honest, there was a period when I wasn’t sure we’d made the right call. We had a LOT of nighttime wanderings and very early starts, and I was a bit worried we’d turned our toddler from an excellent sleeper into a dreadful one!

But actually I think it was just a case of timing, as Ottilie’s cut two new teeth over the past few weeks since she went into her bed which has upset her sleep, and also I do distinctly remember her being an early riser last summer too. And she’s got loads better over the last few weeks- with a bit of help from the Gro Clock, she doesn’t really ever get out of bed at night anymore and we’ve pushed bedtime back to 8pm to help her sleep in slightly later in the mornings!

Oh, and still swearing by the Gro to Bed set for its genius integrated pillow and duvet with zippable sides, to prevent covers being kicked off in the night. Not so essential in this heatwave, but I think it’s the cleverest idea!

 

I thought today I’d share a little update on a new play area I’ve just made for Ottilie that so far has been a storming success!

Our kitchen and dining room are adjoined to form one big space, with an eight-seater table taking up about two thirds of the space in the dining half of the room and French doors down the end of the room letting in lots of lovely natural light. It’s one of my favourite spaces in the house, but I’ve always felt that we weren’t making the best use of the room. The other third of the dining room not taken up by the table and chairs has always been a bit of a dead area, containing just the piano, the dogs’ beds, and not a lot else!

I decided it might be nice to create a little play area there for Ottilie, not only to give the room some life but also to give Ottie some on-hand distractions for when I’m cooking and preparing food. She has a tendency to cling to my legs and whinge, which makes moving round the kitchen quite tricky!

Since I’m already in full nesting mode and therefore want our house made perfect as of NOW, I had everything for the play area ordered and sorted within about 3 hours of deciding it wanted doing!

My favourite find of the whole area might just be that gorgeous pompom basket in the photo above, not least because I very nearly bought a similar one from La Redoute for £65, but found this one at an independent shop near us for £20! A bargain if ever I saw one!

It’s currently home to Ottilie’s collection of tractors, trucks, and diggers, because my goodness this little girl of mine is obsessed with anything on wheels right now! We’re planning on a trip to the London Transport Museum for her 2nd birthday in a couple of month’s time, which I think she’s going to adore!

My main aim for the space was to have just a small selection of toys, laid out in an easily accessible and inviting way.

Like basically other parent ever I ordered a set of the infamous IKEA Eket modular shelves, which, may I just say, I TOTALLY built all by myself and didn’t have any husband-input on. You can’t even imagine how proud it made me, especially being totally DIY-phobic and always keen to delegate boring jobs to Jason! ;) Ottilie was a great helper too!

So cheap they may be, but I think the shelves look so great! They’re just the right height for Ottilie to reach and take whatever toys she wants to play with from the top, and I find that since her toys, puzzles, and books are all out and visible and accessible, it seems to tempt her to play too.

I’ve also made it a space to introduce some new and different toys, like her new boxes of puzzles! In the living room we have her toy kitchen and wooden tea set, babies, prams, and toys that in general invite more imaginary play. Since I knew this space would only be used for short bursts, I’ve filled it with toys that will absorb her attention fully but are things she tends to move on from fairly quickly. Like puzzles!

I’m very much enjoying picking up scattered puzzle pieces from round the room 18 times a day, let me tell you ;)

Oh, and I’ve been using the corner as a place to display some of the bits that Ottilie’s painted lately, which I love! She’s especially proud of her little birdhouse, and likes to ask herself ‘Who painted dat?…Ottilie!!’ whilst showing it off!

Last but not least is the rug! It’s from Next, and perfectly fit my criteria of having a dark pattern and being durable enough to withstand toddler spillages and muddy dog feet, but not look drab and boring! I’m so pleased with it, and think it’ll be a nice place for the baby’s bouncer and playmat to go come October time too.

So that’s our new play area! You can’t imagine how happy it makes me seeing Ottilie enjoy the space, especially when it means I’m able to cook meals without a toddler sitting up on the worktop next to me throwing handfuls of salt/onions/pasta onto the floor at random!

~ ~ ~

I’m on a bit of a mission to update parts of our home at the moment, so would you like to see more as I go? We’re almost finished sorting Ottilie’s bedroom (we’ve done a nursery to toddler room makeover lately, and it’s looking so cute!) and are about to tackle the spare room too!