Decorating nursery rooms is one of the most exciting tasks expectant parents face. You put in countless painstaking hours choosing just the right theme. You buy a crib, dresser and changing table and outfit the room with crib bedding, mobiles and coordinating curtains. You paint the walls in just the right shade to tie everything together.

But after a couple of years, children outgrow nursery rooms and parents are stuck wondering what to do next. Of course, those who anticipate having another child can use nursery rooms again. However, parents who know they won’t be having any more children may want to repurpose these nursery rooms. Most parents prefer to do a nursery conversion and make this space either a children’s bedroom or a kids’ playroom.

Nursery Conversion: Children’s Bedroom

During a nursery conversion, the first thing you’ll need to do when decorating a children’s bedroom is to get the right furniture. Most nursery dressers and armoires can continue to serve their purpose in a child’s bedroom. If you had the foresight to buy a convertible crib, then your biggest job is easy: simply convert the crib into the toddler bed. If you used a traditional crib, you’ll need to buy a new bed for the children’s bedroom.

Decorating a children’s bedroom may be easier than decorating nursery rooms, since you don’t need so many specialized pieces of furniture. Toddlers have distinct personalities, not to mention favorite characters and colors. During a nursery conversion, use your knowledge of your child’s preferences to create a children’s bedroom that suits his personality. Repaint the walls in a color he likes and put up framed photos of favorite cartoon characters.

While designing the children’s bedroom, enlist your child’s help in choosing the bedding for the new “big bed.” This may help make the nursery conversion to a bedroom a little easier. Small children are easily overwhelmed by lots of choices, so narrow your bedding options down to two or three bedding sets and have your child pick a favorite.

Nursery Conversion: Kids’ Playroom

Some parents choose to set up their children’s bedroom in a different room and repurpose the nursery to become a kids’ playroom. When decorating a kids’ playroom, make the space as fun and vibrant as possible. Choose bright colors for the walls and floors — you may wish to use semi-gloss latex paint or washable wallpaper, as these items are easy to clean. Make sure the kids’ playroom is brightly lit, but don’t use lamps that your child could easily tip over.

Choose lightweight, versatile pieces for playroom furniture, such as beanbag chairs or inflatable furniture. Kids’ playroom furniture has a tendency to get moved around quite a lot, so try to keep heavy furniture out of this space while you complete a nursery conversion.