by Rachel Doherty

Created on: May 31, 2008   Last Updated: March 19, 2012

Car-themed decor has been a mainstay in boys' bedrooms for years. Today, the popularity of Disney's Cars movie has made the love of all things automotive even more appealing with colorful, unscary, and fun characters that are perfect for a young boy's bedroom. The array of products with a Cars theme is staggering. By combining prefabricated Cars products with more classic car elements, you can make a dream bedroom quite easily.

First, a toddler bed in the shape of a race car can be a central element to the room. Of course, red is the preferable choice as Lightning McQueen is everyone's favorite. If possible, you can put the number 95 in yellow lettering on the side. If your child is too old for a toddler bed then stick with any standard twin bed. Next, you will want to get sheets, pillowcases, and a blanket or comforter with the Cars theme. These products are widely available, but if you can not find one element then you can at least stick with the color red and it will still fit. There are also cute accent pillows available with the Cars characters on them.

Putting up wallpaper with this theme is not recommended. Although, your child would love their walls plastered with Lightning McQueen and Mater, it is simply not practical. In just a few years, your child will have moved on to more mature decor and you will have a big job taking down the wallpaper. A practical compromise is to get a few packages of wall stickers in the same theme. Not only are they easier to change later on, but many of them are movable. Therefore, your child can help you put them up and even rearrange them, encouraging participation and creativity in the child.

Furniture pieces should also be kept simple and classic. They can be accented with items like Cars themed lamps, decor stickers, placemats, drawer pulls, and other removable items. Again, you want the furniture to be able to outlast your child's latest obsession.

If the room has wood floors, then a rug with the Cars theme would work. Otherwise, you may be able to find a rug that has a racetrack design on it. Not only would this fit with the theme but the child can pretend it is a real racetrack with his toy cars. By the way, some strategically placed Cars toys can serve double duty as decorations in the room.

Finally, remember to include items that will encourage keeping order in the room. A toy box with either Cars characters on it or a plain one which can be accented with decor stickers will keep toys in check. Something to hang coats on can be put on the wall. If you can not find anything with the Cars theme try getting a plain wood pegboard and using paint and stencils to fit your theme. To keep laundry in check, a Cars hamper with a lid will make your kids want to clean up.

As with any themed decor, if you can create a scene that will bring comfort and joy to your child while keeping it flexible enough to update as he grows, you will not only make your child happy now, you will make yourself happy later.

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