I think the best ideas for kids' rooms are functional ideas. Finish the room so that it works for them.

Hang rods very low (a second rod above can be used to store out of season clothes or things they haven't grown into yet). Plan to hang more clothes where children can see them, rather than put them in drawers. It's relatively easy for a young child to hang clothes neatly. It's harder for them to fill a drawer neatly. And they will never wear the clothes at the bottom of the stack.

Plan furniture placement so that only the bed's headboard is against a wall. Otherwise it's quite difficult for a young child to make their bed. Plan windows and window treatments to accomodate blinds to help with nap times and staying on schedule when you turn the clocks forward.

Put in a ton of built-in shelves to that they can put their toys away, but they are still visible and the kids know where to find them. I think the ideal set-up is shelving around almost the whole perimeter of the room, up to a height of about 3.5' If you go up higher you lose wall space for maps, school work, posters, etc.

I think it's nice to plan lighting so that a night stand lamp is unnecessary. They are easily knocked over and are just another "thing" in a room that is already prone to feeling cluttered.

You've got quite a while before you need to think about homework desks and computer useage, etc. I'd probably build the rooms for ages 2 - 7 and make changes as needed when they are older.

Decorating your child's bedroom every two or three years can get to be expensive and time consuming. With a little planning ahead and some simple kid's bedroom decor tips, you can save money and time whether you are a do-it-yourself person or not. Even if you choose to use a decorator or designer to decorate your child's room, you can save by asking them to follow a few simple guidelines.

For example:

Window treatments don't really get a lot of wear and tear. So you could spend a little more here when decorating a child's bedroom and get the best quality you can afford. Just keep in mind that you should choose a treatment that is solid, plaid, stripe or some other neutral pattern so when you update the bedroom, you can work with these.