Play and sleep are two of the most important things your infant will do as they grow up, and you don’t want them sleeping and playing in the same place; that can lead to poor sleep, but with the space you have…you’ve decided to get a room divider to separate your play and sleeping spaces or keep your infant and toddler apart. See if any of these Baby Room Divider Ideas work for you.
1) Bookshelf
There are many types of barriers that can work as room dividers, and they don’t have to be designed as dividers. You can use other pieces of furniture to create the illusion of separation without building an actual barrier. Bookshelves like these are an excellent choice because you can use them to store toys and later books, and the base is wide enough that they can stand freely. Try placing two bookshelves back to back to increase stability. This particular bookshelf comes in baby blue and pink, making it an ideal choice.
2) Book Rack
Book racks are another way to create a barrier, though they don’t block sight fully. The nice thing about these is that they can stand freely so that you don’t have to put them against another piece of furniture. This makes them a good choice for a small nursery where you don’t want a thick barrier, and they’re designed to display books by the front. This makes a book rack perfect for an infant or toddler who can’t read but may choose a book from the colorful pictures on the front.
3) DIY Durable Curtain Divider
If you want a complete divider that’ll block your infant from seeing the other side of the room altogether, you’ll want to pick something durable that your infant won’t be able to pull down or damage, even as they grow into toddlerhood. You’ll also need something without frilly and dangling pieces because those can be dangerous to infants. You can try making a durable curtain divider like this one with no frills to keep two infants separated or separate an older child’s space from your infant’s in a shared bedroom.
4) Toy Box and Bench Combo
Benches are also good ways to create the illusion of separation to break up two spaces in a room. They’re small and don’t block sight, but they make each space feel separate, which is perfect for creating a play space. This bench is even better because it’s a toy box and bench combination, so you can turn it so that the toy box opens into the play section. It also gives you a place other than the floor to sit and play with your little one.
5) Freestanding Wood Shake
If you have two children sharing a room, you probably won’t want them waking each other up or keeping each other awake during the night or naps. In this case, a larger partition may be necessary to block sight from one part of the room to another. We’d suggest getting something like this freestanding divider from Amazon. It’s tall enough to block your line of sight, easy to move, and has a wood shake look that’s perfect for a nature-themed nursery.
6) Three Colors
You can divide rooms with physical objects like pieces of furniture, but before you do so, you’ll want to think about your reason for doing so. If you’re trying to block noise and stop two infants from keeping each other awake, then a physical barrier is the way to go. On the other hand, if you only want to define space by creating one area for your 3-year-old and one for your infant, you can paint the room with one color for each child and use a third color to tie the room together as described in this HGTV article.
7) Toy Storage Organizer
If you’re trying to separate a play area from the crib so that your little one has distinct play and sleeping areas, you just need to find the right furniture pieces. You don’t even need a tall divider, so you can get something like this toy storage organizer with convenient bins and shelves. The bins and shelves are accessible even to infants and the piece is wide enough that it should stand safely in the middle of a room.
8) DIY Repurposed Windows
If you want to do something creative, you can turn old items into a room divider that matches your baby room’s theme. For instance, old windows can be an excellent room divider material for a nursery because they separate two spaces, but you can see through them to check on your baby if you need to. You can use these instructions to repurpose them and then add window decals to match your theme. If your theme is farmhouse or old-fashioned style, these are perfect, as well.
9) Short Bookcase and Cubby Combo
If you’re using furniture to divide a room, you’ll need to use pieces with a thick base, place two pieces of furniture against each other, or use short pieces that won’t be easy to knock over. Otherwise, you risk furniture falling and hurting your child since some pieces aren’t designed to be freestanding. A short bookcase and cubby combo like this could be a great way to separate two spaces because it’s sturdy and you can easily see over it from anywhere in the room. You can store toys in it for your play area, too.
10) DIY Shower Curtain Rod and Sheet
One of the simplest ways to create an all-purpose room divider is to use a shower curtain rod and either a curtain or a sheet. The nice thing about shower curtain rods is that they’re often designed to go almost anywhere, even without brackets. They’re fairly flexible in terms of where you can use them, so you can create a cheap and easy DIY room divider with one. Try using these directions from Snappy Living if you’re not sure how to go about it.
11) Storage Ottoman
If you’re just trying to separate spaces but don’t need something completely blocking the view from one area to the next, then furniture is probably your best tool. A storage ottoman like this one is nice because you can see over it to supervise your baby from anywhere in the room and since there’s no definite back or front, you can sit on it from either side. You can also access wherever you store inside it from either side of the barrier. We found this baby pink one that may suit you.
12) Freestanding Farmhouse Divider
If you want to completely section off one part of the room, a store-bought freestanding divider like this one is a good choice. Unlike a homemade one, you can just buy it and put it up without having to modify anything. This one from Amazon has a farmhouse look that’s perfect for a farmhouse nursery and gives an old-fashioned look to the room. Since it’s hinged, you can change its shape to make sure it blocks only what you want to block.
13) Simple DIY Sheer Curtain Divider
If you want to visually separate two children or block light for your little one, you’ll want a floor-to-ceiling divider. This project idea takes almost no effort but gives you a way to divide up a room safely. The nice thing about this particular idea is that you can still keep an eye on your baby through the curtain since it’s somewhat transparent, making it much safer than blocking your infant from sight with a solid curtain.
14) Divider With Shelves
If you just want to buy a tall divider that’ll make your baby’s room feel like two separate rooms, this option might be the best for you. This divider from Amazon is freestanding and has shelves on it. This gives you a little extra storage space, whether you need it for a changing table on the other side of the divider or for toys and books for your 5-year old who is sharing the room.
15) Book Nook Cubbies and Bench
This book nook from Amazon also makes a neat divider because you can use it to store books and as a reading place. Your little one will love this as they grow older and use it as a reading place, a spot to do homework, or a place to run toy cars up and down! For now, it works to make two spaces feel separated without blocking your view of either area and gives you some extra storage. It’s short enough that you should be able to stand it on its own.
16) DIY Macrame
Macrame is a neat decoration that adds a natural impression to any room. It gives off a creative vibe that helps make the room feel cozier and freer. You can use these instructions to make a small macrame room divider, but you’ll need to watch a couple of things. While this creates a visual separation, you’ll want to keep the bottom from dangling into any play areas where your baby could get to it since hanging strings aren’t safe for babies. This is perfect for blocking the line of sight between two cribs or a crib and a changing table.
17) Two Colors
If your reason for dividing the room is to create two distinct spaces for twins or a baby and toddler, you don’t necessarily need a physical barrier. You can simply get two paint colors and paint each side of the room a different color to create separation. Try using blue and pink for a boy and girl, or if you have same-gendered babies, use a neutral like this green alongside the traditional color for that gender. If the second child is older enough to have a favorite color, you can use that, too!
18) Fire Station Toy Shelf
Your room divider can serve multiple purposes beyond the usual storage and visual separation. If you’re trying to keep play and sleeping areas separate, you can always separate them with a toy. This toy shelf is painted like a fire station, making it the perfect decoration for a play area in a baby or child’s room. The shelf can effectively separate the sleeping area and play area while serving as a toy and toy storage.
19) DIY Choice Fabrics
This DIY room divider is nice because it has multiple layers and you can choose any fabric you want. For instance, you can follow the directions but use a fire engine fabric for a firefighter-themed bedroom. You can also choose two fabrics and have one on either side, which is great if it’s a shared room and your 4-year-old likes Disney Princesses but you want your baby boy’s room to be dinosaur-themed. It’s also great if you want the sleeping area to have cool, soothing colors and the play space to have vibrant patterns.
20) Plastic Toy Organizer
This plastic toy organizer is one of the best ways to divide a play area and crib in a baby’s room since it’s tall enough to make the spaces feel separate, but it’s still easy to see over to check on the baby. The numerous plastic bins are the perfect size for toys or even baby clothes, so you can turn the organizer so that the bins face either side. It should be sturdy enough to make an effective divider without any danger of tipping over.
21) Freestanding With Built-In Designs
Prebuilt freestanding dividers are one of the best divider options if you want to make the room feel like two separate rooms. This is great if you want to have two children in the same room or want to keep your changing table apart from the crib. We found this decorative freestanding divider on Amazon with built-in circular designs. The various different-sized circles will be interesting for your little one and the gold will make it interesting, as well.
Do you have a room divider that you’d swear by? What else should we have added to our list? Please let us know in the comments below.