As much as we might like our children to stay babies forever, they tend to grow very quickly—sometimes even too quickly for us to keep up. This can cause certain milestones and transitions to creep up on us and leave us little time to prepare for the transition. Fortunately, you can make this entire process much easier on yourself and your child by designing their nursery with the future in mind. Here is how to design a nursery that grows with your child so you can ease into each transition as they come.

Look Beyond a Pink and Blue Color Palette

The classic pink and blue themes are classics for a reason. However, they’re likely to create more work for you in the long run when your child decides they don’t like those colors. For this reason, neutral color schemes are becoming an increasingly popular option for many parents, as they’re both accommodating of your style and easily customizable for your child. This way, should your toddler discover a love for jungle animals, you won’t need to worry about painting the room green.

Buy Durable and Adjustable Furniture

Your child’s crib is the central component of their nursery, but they’ll likely grow out of it by the time they’re somewhere between two and three years old. This means that you’ll need to start looking at toddler beds a lot sooner than you probably intended. But if you initially design your nursery with a solid wood convertible crib, you won’t need to break your budget by purchasing a new piece of furniture. Instead, all you’ll have to do is convert your crib into the bed and teach your child about the transition. These models are also often stronger than standard cribs and can withstand more abuse over time from a fussy baby.

Leave Space for Future Drawings and Achievements

Another key part of designing a nursery that grows with your child is leaving them enough space to display their proudest creations and greatest accomplishments. While it may be tempting to fill every corner with cute décor and toys, putting too much in this space will make it difficult to move them when the time comes. As your child grows, these items turn into clutter and take up the space they could use for other things.

Incorporate Décor That Is Easy To Replace

Make sure, as well, that when you’re decorating your nursery in the beginning, you aren’t filling it with things that are expensive or difficult to replace. Toddlers navigate the world by touch, so once they’re old enough to move around on their own, the chances are high that they could damage or spill something. Just in case this happens, it’s always a good idea to keep any precious personal artifacts and breakables out of this space.