by Laura Leigh Fields

Created on: September 15, 2008   Last Updated: September 18, 2008

Decorating a child's room can be a never-ending process if you are not careful. Trends, characters, and icons are ever changing and so are kids' tastes. There is no guarantee that your child will like the same thing in a week, a month, or even a year so it is best to shy away from fads and stick with universal decorations.

Styles and themes can vary without being specific. Choosing characters like Hannah Montana, The Incredible Hulk, The Wiggles, or Mary Kate and Ashley can turn into trouble in the long run. Instead of picking specific items such as Cinderella pick the broader category of princesses in general. Children grow out of things and this should be taken into consideration.

There are a lot of great decorative ideas that can be suited for kids of all ages. Pick teddy bears, clouds, kittens, smiley faces, American themed (stars, stripes, and flags), celestial, hearts, flowers, religious themes, or horses. Basic decorations are best for shifty kids. This way, you don't have to spend a lot of money redecorating every time a new icon comes out.

Talk to your child about their favorite hobbies in a general sense and try to come up with a theme that will best suit their taste. Go shopping together for fun items that will look good covering the space in their room. Get your child involved (if they are old enough) in the process from beginning to end and they will be more sentimental about the way it turns out rather than insisting it be changed.

Pick a paint color that is happy and cheerful but will go with the chosen theme. White is a good color but gets dirty easy. Black is a drab color that should also be avoided. Choose shades of light blue, pink, yellow, orange, red, or green. Some home improvement stores will even let you custom mix your own color.

Once the wall is painted add other decorations. Choose wallpaper borders in the theme you chose. Traditionally border goes across the top of the wall touching the ceiling. This is good for a classic touch but doesn't look as great in a child's room. Opt for running the border around the middle of the room, eye level for the child.

If you are artistic, you can freehand pictures or words on your child's walls. If you would prefer to, you can use stencils or sponges to add details. You may even want to decoupage (cut and paste items collage style) some pictures in different spots.

Choose curtains or simple blinds that will pull everything together. Screen style blinds can even be decorated to match the walls. Match carpet

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