[beccer]

My hubby and I are in the process of decorating our foster kids room. we are asking for kids from 2-7 years old, and boys or girls...so as you can see we are in a delima as to how to decorate the room, because it has to be nuetral, but I would like to have something bright and happy, thats really all the ideas we have right now.

if any of you out there have any suggestions or creative ideas please let us know.

[mlbsands]

We actually let our first foster child help pick out the colors she wanted (she picked Blue).. but then she moved out before we could get the room done..

So,, I then decided to paint the room myself.. I did shades of blue with a really cute dolphin border which made it really great for a boy or a girl..

but again.. you may want to do some light gray or green.. and then maybe be open on what to do for bedding.. or be open to taking the child out with you to pick it out.. both of our girls really loved that they got to help pick this stuff out.. it really made them feel at home..

Mandy

[lilyiniowa]

I went through the same problem and hubby and I decided on yellow.

If we get boys throw in blues and reds
if we get girls purples and pinks
or whatever they want.

Even the lime green looks good with the yellow.

I agree that the children would have fun picking out their accesories. That is what we plan to do

[leenab]

Hi Beccer,
We rent so we couldn't paint the walls anything other than white. But we finished our boys dressers in chalkboard paint. My boys LOVED it. It sort of became the theme in the room. And the boys love to color & draw all over the dressers. So if you had a girl she could draw flowers & hearts and girly things. Our boys like to try to draw dinosaurs and monsters. Of course one of my sons picked out a sponge bob poster and bedding, the other son picked out spiderman.

It's best to just keep it simple/neutral and allow the children to pick out something of their own for the room. It gives them a sense of identity. My boys really needed this. They are very close in age (8.5 months apart), so having their own identity is a huge issue for each of them.

Also we had hardwood floors and went out and bought a huge area rug for the boys room. Bad idea. Our son developed asthma recently and we had to take all of the carpets out. So hold off on carpeting.

The boys also picked out a basketball hoop/tent thing from IKEA for their room. It goes with the black chalk board paint and has some color in it.

Just watch out taking your children to IKEA. We always end up with more than we went in for. they have some great little kids things. We just recently got a really cheap step stool for the bathroom there. They also have great plastic storage containers.

Oh and don't go too toy crazy. We did this and it was such a big mistake. Our sons never had so many toys in their lives. It was and sometimes still is a little overwhelming for them. They have 4 huge toy boxes, ones that I can actually sit in (so they're big) and there are toys that still can't fit into them. Remember their former toys from previous foster homes probably won't be sent along with them. I'm not quite sure why fp don't do this, but neither one of my boys came with toys. I could go on and on about the whole toy issue. It's always a big issue with my boys.


LeenaB

[misstonicee]

It's funny that you posted this question because I was just trying to figure out the same thing. We are in a new house so we actually don't have funiture for the fk's room. We saw a great deal on furniture yesterday and almost bought it but then realized that it was black and very over powering for the room so we didn't get it. I thought white furniture would be great since it could be used for any age/sex. Also the builder of our home painted the room blue, it's a pretty almost sky blue so I think it would be ok for any child. We do have one room that is yellow and I also like that color for either sex...seems like you could do alot more with yellow then with blue. One thing that worries me is what would happen if at the home study there is no furniture or toys or clothes in the room...will that look bad or do they realize that you can only do so much without knowing what kind of child you will be caring for?

I like the idea of the kids helping to figure out what to put in the room. We are probably going to do that for the most part but we obviously need the basics for the first few nights.

Where do you find toys that are in good condition, age appropriate and not too expensive? I have friends and family that have children so I'm sure they would offer some things, but I'd like to have some new things for the fk's to have. Why do you think that the parents wouldn't send the kids toys with them, or at least some of the things? I would imagine that unless they grow out of the toys, they would appreciate bringing the toys with them (almost like a security thing).

[newMafamily]

Some toys belong to all the kids in a family and some childrens lives are so chaotic they may not have toys or many clothes. For good stuff cheap try garage sales or thrift shops. Mention to people the ages you have in mind especially if they have children a little older- they may have some things they are wanting to give away. Accept things thankfully you can always give it to a thift shop it if if doesn't work for you. For neutral - ride on toys and a swing can go a long way. Balls are also good. Beany babies and stuffed animals can be neutral and books alway make a room more cheerful. Everyone needs to learn to read eventually. Connect 4 and checkers have a wide age range. Legos and mega blocks work too. Even with young boys a kitchen set and fake food get played with (of course the play may be different and I would break the bank on it). I would agree with previous posters just have general toys and get a 1-2 child specific toys as a gift when you know a little about who is coming. With long-term visitors I have placed gift baskets in their room and this might work with an older child. It takes the pressure off on the gift reciever and they should like something in it even if it is just a candy bar or funky shampoo or the latest kids collectable trinket (i.e these cards, beans ect). Hey there is nothing stopping you from inventing an occasion to give them something you think they would really like after they arrive.

[mlbsands]

As an FYI.. we also did not have any furniture in the room for our homestudy.. we simply told them that we were waiting to pick out some furniture when we knew if we would be getting a boy or a girl.. they were fine with that.. our agency mostly wanted to verify the size of the room and that it met the right "code" (closet, big enough window, etc). Also. although we were only taking in 1 foster child we had all the bedrooms "approved" for the foster child.. that way, if we move things around we don't have to have then new room "certified"..

Mandy

[clynn]

We did not have our beds before our homestudy.We only got them after we finished and were told we passed everything.I have two extra rooms and one is for girls and the other one was a babies nursery until I got a fifteen year old and temporarily turned it into a teens room.It is easy to find things that will go for either sex such as Care Bears.The girls love Dora but I really try to stick with things that either one can use.My walls are all oyster colored so it will go with about anything.I rent also and can paint as long as I buy normal colors but I am not very good at painting.My kids are usually under five and don't seem to care what their rooms look like so It has been easy to please them so far.

[misstonicee]

It is a good idea to find things that are for boys or girls. Also, I like the idea of having all rooms certified just in case we decided to change the rooms. We are seeking only 1 child at a time and will most likely be in the age range of 0-4 or 5. I found out today that a friend who is moving has 5 bedroom sets available and they will have a garage sale...definately checking that out!!


We have just started and will go to orientation on June 16 to get more info. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I am sure that our home and the room will be suitable but we have 2 large dogs so I am worried about what they will think of that.

Sorry to change the subject here but can anyone tell me what type of questions are asked of the referrals? What type of questions will they ask me and my boyfriend? I am trying to prepare for anything that might come up...I am making a list of all questions I think they will ask us and of all questions we have so that we would not be put on the spot. Also, Who do they want you to use a referance? I have hear they do not want family to be used...don't really understand that since your family knows you best?? What are your thoughts?

[ChristyES]

The thing about foster children is you never know how long they will stay, but on the other hand, you want them to feel like it's their room. We acomplish this by keeping the rooms a neutral color like pale blue and the bedding is a similar shade. Then I purchased these really cool wall art and border packs from Target or WalMart that peel off and are reusable. I have Nascar, Barbies, big colorful flowers, construction vehicles, etc.... The kids choose a design and I let them stick them however they want to on the walls. They love it. I also buy pillow cases in matching designs to add color and tie in with the design.

[wanabe mom]

We were in the same boat as you for decorating ideas. We agreed to take children from 0-9 and either sex. We didn't want to wait until children were placed in our home before buying furniture and painting, because we'll be busy enough setting up daycare and getting everything else prepared.

So we ended up painting the room a medium blue and a pale yellow. We painted opposite walls of both colors. There are two windows in the room, so the one wall that was yellow, we painted the window sill blue, and the wall that was blue, we painted the window sill yellow. It really makes the room look fun.

We also purchased a red bunk bed. And a dresser at a garage sale that we painted red, but the drawers are blue and yellow. The accessories in the room (picture frames, comforters, etc) are all red. I made the curtains and they are blue and yellow stripped. We actually had Home Depot match the paint color to the colors in the curtain fabric. A small desk and bookcase we painted red, again with the drawer’s blue and yellow. I love the room, I think it is fun and even had my niece and nephew judge it for me and now they want the same thing at their home!

Good luck and have fun with it!

[HeatherRene]

WOW, great ideas!! I am going (for now) with 0-5 either boy or girl. I already have a twin bed that has a green and purple pattern on the bedspread, I thought it was pretty unisex. Then I have LOTS of frogs (as I use to be a collector!) and I thought they would go nicely. A couple of them are obviously "girl" frogs (with flowers on them, a tiara, etc). I'm hoping these things will be ok for a toddler's room. I like the idea of the changing borders and wall art! that's great!
Lastly, I am thinking that a baby that is in a crib would stay in my room, it is all purples. I guess I would have to ask the home study people, but I just assumed it would be better to have a tiny one closer to me. (my house has that mother-in-law plan, but it is only 1324 sq ft, so it isn't that far)
I also have a large dog. Wondering how they will be with that. has anyone ever had problems with pets?

[msheartofgold]

Oh my I guess we all been or are going through the the same thing. When my fiance and I first decided to become foster parents (ages 0-5) i was so excited i did the room before starting any training classes "silly huh" brought all the room furniture in white. I started thinking of nursery rhymes when i came up with twinkle twinkle. What i did was brought dark midnight blue, a sky blue and white paint. Went to my local craft store brought 2 black paint pens acrylic paints yellow silver and stencil paper to make stars and moons cut outs. I did the top half of the room in light blue the middle i divided that with white and the bottom with dark blue. After the painting i did the stencils large and small stars a few moons on the middle white border i wrote with the black paint pen twinkle twinkle little star after every little star a made a little yellow stencil star. All room decor was in that theme Target helped a lot. I must say this room is fit for a little prince of princess.

[HeatherRene]

that sounds SO cool!!!

[DianeS]

My family's age range will be 2-8. We'd prefer boys, but a mixed sibling group would be fine. So we had the same decorating dilemna!

A lot of it came down to what I had time and patience for. I have recently discovered that I HATE painting and HATE scraping wallpaper. So, for me, that ruled out painting the room and ruled out wallpaper or boarders that had the slightest possibility of being picked apart!

But on the plus side we have tons of room for storage...

So we left the room walls white, left the carpet beige, picked out oak-veneer furniture, and allowed ourselves to go hog-wild with decorations.

I have sheets and blankets in every primary color available to mix and match, and a dozen selections of popular cartoon and movie characters (Spiderman, Bob the Builder, Barbie, Mary Kate & Ashley, for example). I have most currently-popular movie posters. I have several soft, fuzzy pillows in varying shades. I have curtains that match almost any combination of the above.

So, by the time I have children in the room, that bland boring white-and-beige combination will end up quite colorful. I can imagine a child choosing a blue sheet set, a Harry Potter bedspread, a fuzzy purple pillow, SpongeBob SquarePants posters, and green curtains. UGH! But if the child likes it and does well there, I don't suppose I have to! (*grin*)

We're open to several types of issues, too, so a color scheme that is bland to begin with would allow me to limit the child's choices for decoration if the child were easily distracted or overwhelmed by too much color or possessions or the like. We'll just have to see what happens!