Toddlers and young kids love their favorite cartoon characters. There’s no telling who they’ll latch onto — it might be anybody from Simba to Shrek — but just about every parent knows that once an obsession begins, your kid almost acts like that character is their new best friend!
Fortunately, it’s normal for toddlers to have fictional character obsessions. And when they do, there’s nothing wrong with giving them a little bit of what they want! Many toddlers love having their rooms decorated with their favorite cartoon characters, and it can help provide them with a little more of the environmental stimulation that they need for healthy brain development.
From Disney wall decals to stuffed animals and beyond, here are seven easy and fun ways to bring your child’s imagination to life by adorning their room with their favorite characters.
1. Removable Wall Decals
Removable wall decals are a godsend for parents with cartoon-obsessed toddlers. These reusable vinyl decals are available in a huge variety of sizes and character designs, and their vividly lifelike quality means they’re sure to please toddlers who can’t get enough of their favorite cartoon friends.
However, it’s really important to make sure that you buy high-quality wall decals made with an adhesive that’s actually removable. Otherwise, you might find yourself taking a large part of your paint off when you remove the decal. Look for decals that are officially licensed by the character’s owners, such as official Paw Patrol wall decals, as these will usually be higher quality products.
2. Fun Furniture
Themed furniture is a great addition to any toddler’s bedroom, and you’ll almost certainly have an easier time getting your toddler to sleep at night if they get to climb into a Lightning McQueen bed. Character-themed furniture makes an excellent centerpiece to build a character-themed room around, or it can be a good compromise if you’ve agreed to let your child get one Batman-themed element for their room.
Of course, the thing about furniture is that it’s not something you usually want to constantly replace, so consider whether your child tends to move through obsessions quickly. If you think they’ll be done with Winnie the Pooh in a few weeks, it’s often a good idea to get a less permanent and less expensive type of character decoration.
3. Stuffed Animals
Stuffed animals bring out a whole new dimension for your child’s character obsessions — a third dimension, to be precise. Some Backyardigans are sure to bring joy into your child’s face, and stuffed animals can help spark a child’s imagination and encourage them to learn social and emotional roles.
Note that sleeping with stuffed animals should be avoided for kids under a year old, and it’s best to keep very large stuffed animals out of the bed until kids are out of the toddler years. Fortunately, however, research in child psychology now indicates that it’s actually quite healthy for children to have stuffed animals to give them comfort in tough times.
4. Doorway Art
The doorway to your child’s room is a perfect place to add decorations of your kid’s favorite characters. Working within the doorway gives you a defined space inside which you can create clever designs and dynamic scenes. For example, a decal of Peppa Pig that looks like she’s popping around the door could be a lot of fun!
Consider adding some words too, such as an inspirational message or your toddler’s name. If the door has decorative features like panels and rails, try working around these to create unique designs that work with the space you have. Whatever you add to the door, it should be lively and colorful!
5. Wall Murals
Sometimes you want to go big, and it’s hard to get cooler in the eyes of a toddler than a full-sized wall mural of their favorite cartoon. If you want to truly take them under the ocean with the cast of Finding Nemo or into the enchanted forests with Snow White, then a wall mural might be just the thing.
Large-format vinyl wall murals are available for most popular cartoon characters, and you might be surprised at some of the fun and dynamic scenes they’re designed with. Just make sure that the characters in the mural are ones your kids are comfortable with and that they don’t include elements like scary villains that might cause fear once you turn off the light.
6. Add Educational Content
What if you could help kids learn through cartoon decorations? Incorporating educational wall decals into cartoon-centric designs can be an excellent strategy for communicating important concepts like the ABCs and basic colors. Raising a toddler in a home where these concepts are constantly reinforced through decoration will help prepare them when they begin learning them in preschool or kindergarten.
The characters and the educational content can have varying degrees of interconnection. You might add some favorite characters to your ABC wall to create a positive association between the two — perhaps even a favorite character for every letter (A for Arthur, B for Belle, etc.). To teach colors, try adding some colorful characters and challenge kids to name each character’s colors (yellow and red for Winnie the Pooh, etc.).
7. Go with the Flow
Most toddlers love cartoons, but they also have wide-ranging interests! If your toddler has shown an interest in other things like sports, superheroes, princesses or anything else, remember that there are themed decorations available for these as well. Whatever your child is most interested in, you’ll create a more stimulating environment by enriching the environment with those topics.
You could even add an interesting element to your decorations with custom big heads or standouts of family members or even of your child themselves! In general, any decoration that gives your child comfort and intellectual stimulation is a good one.
