Categories: Home Remodeling

Bathroom Design Ideas For Kid Friendly Bathrooms

Bathroom design ideas are often innovative and push the envelope to what’s possible even with limited space and resources. But the one area where this exciting specialty is stretched to its limits is with kid friendly bathrooms. Done right, good bathroom design ideas will ensure the inclusion of the right features that will scale and grow as your children do.

But don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s child’s play to design a kid friendly bathroom. It sure isn’t all fun and fantasy, even though your creative juices will flow more freely with this project than any other. Family bathrooms are active parts of your home, where people bathe, wash, brush teeth, play in bathtubs and more. Not only is there a need for space and accessories for these actions, but also for storing related items.

Bathrooms Won’t Grow – But Kids Will

An interesting challenge when coming up with small bathroom design ideas for kids is that they grow up. You could get caught up in designing accessories and features for the young person in your family, only to discover to your dismay barely a year or two later that growing taller by a few inches has created a serious problem!

Children grow fast. And their needs also will change accordingly. While you certainly can renovate the room to fit these changing needs, it is possible to put off (or even completely avoid) the need for costly changes by investing a little more thought and planning into the bathroom design ideas you will implement initially.

What’s The Right Height?

A bathroom vanity countertop can create difficulty if it’s of the wrong height. You don’t want your kids to stand on tip toe on a slippery floor to reach the faucet. At the same time, you don’t want to get caught up trying to keep on raising the height of your sink to match the rapidly growing teenager.

Here’s where bathroom design ideas can deliver value. A working solution may be to have the counter top at a standard height, and then use a step that pulls out of a vanity drawer on which the child can stand. Shorter and younger kids can use the step. As they grow taller, they may no longer need it. At that time, the step may even be dismantled, a far easier task than raising a bathroom countertop itself.

How Toilets Also Adapt To Growing Kids

There are toilets with seats suitable for a child undergoing potty training all the way to adulthood. Quiet close seats can avoid annoying banging noises when kids use the toilet. Portable potties can also be placed inside the bathroom for children who are too short to use the regular toilet, but don’t want to go to the loo in the living room.

Storage Needs Evolve As Children Grow Up

Kids have plenty of things they use inside the bathroom. Unless you provide for storage room, these items will often get distributed over all available counter space. You rarely will have ‘too much’ storage space. Bathroom design ideas must make allowance for this need. Deep oversized drawers and cabinets can hold toys, bottles, soaps and shampoos. Vanity cupboards that can be shut are better repositories for diapers, towels and other items that may otherwise clutter up the bathroom. Make sure there’s a place for everything even when you’re designing your kids bathroom.

Miscellaneous Bathroom Design Ideas for Kids

There are a whole list of things to keep in mind when designing a bathroom for children.

1. The bathtub must be easily accessible. Provide steps to make mounting easy and safe. A hand-shower can make it easier for kids than a regular one.

2. Faucets should come with anti-scald protection. Adjustable shower bars can continue to be used even as your youngster grows taller.

3. Non-slip surfaces are a must. Water stagnating on smooth surfaces can lead to nasty falls. Textured surfaces and a good incline that prevents water from pooling are elements of good bathroom design. Bathroom tile design ideas based on these are ideal.

4. Handles to hold on to are a plus. Drawers with knobs or handles, towel rings and hooks, and racks that are easy to reach can prevent clothing and other stuff getting strewn all over the floor.

Bathroom design software is available to model future designs. You can get modern bathroom ideas galore by surfing the Web for advice. Bathroom design pictures may give you some neat ideas. In the end, your imagination and creativity are what will end up helping most in designing a bathroom for kids that’s safe, fun and can grow with your youngster’s needs.