How to Choose A Rug For The Nursery

I’ve seen people purchasing an inappropriate nursery rug and regretting the unwanted results afterward. So, I thought why not share some useful tips with people who are struggling with choosing the right nursery rug!

Now, if you’re also in a dilemma and thinking about how to choose a rug for the nursery, you’re on the right webpage. This article is going to explain the right type, size, pattern of a nursery rug along with some useful information. Without further ado, we should dive deep. Ready?

Why Is A Nursery Rug Different From A Rug for the Living Room?

Before we delve into any further details, here’s a brief description of why you should think a bit differently for rugs according to different places.

The safest nursery rugs come with a lower pile that protects your kids when they crawl around on the floor. Also, there should be a plastic back on the rug so it can prevent it from sliding across the room.

An area rug will ensure comfort, warmth, color, and elegance to the nursery and it covers a larger surface area compared to a little mat. Also, nursery rags offer a lot more design possibilities when it’s about colors and styles.

How to Choose A Rug For The Nursery

Some major and minor questions need to be solved before you buy a rug for the nursery. Here is everything you should get to know before making a purchase.

What Type of Rug Is Best for A Nursery?

The very first thing you might be confused about is the type of rug. What type of rug would be best for your kids? The answer isn’t single, to be honest, there are several options. But make sure the rug isn’t itchy or stiff. Choose the safest and most comfortable possible rug for a nursery.

Here are some best rug types so you can choose according to your needs.

Cotton

Do you prefer natural fibers over any other materials for your kid’s nursery? Because most parents do so. And, when it comes to natural fibers, cotton is the best option. Features that a cotton rug offers are:

Cotton may be the safest option if any of your family members has allergy issues or things like this. Although you can’t expect this rug to repel dirt and stains as other fibers do, the good news is, it’s pretty easy to clean.

Also, the material won’t put a dent in your bank account so go for it if budget is one of your concerns. Moreover, cotton can transition as your kids grow.

It’s soft, non-toxic so you can let your babies crawl on them without worrying about injury or any irritation.

Sisal

Another great option for natural fiber lovers because sisal is an environmentally friendly, natural material. We’ll talk about options apart from natural materials as well, before that, let’s see what sisal features sisal offers you:

See? So many reasons for loving the material, ha? But hey, before you make the final decision, make sure you know the downsides as well. Some parents don’t prefer sisal because it’s not soft and fuzzy.

Also, sisal isn’t the best option when it comes to warmth. So, it’s not the right option if your baby is going to crawl on the rug.

But, I’ll tell you what. If you go for a sisal and wool mix rug, that’s the most comfortable and all-natural option. It’s non-toxic as well so yes, your baby will enjoy crawling on the material and you can be at peace without worrying about allergic reactions or anything else.

Olefin

It’s a synthetic fiber so this is the option if you were looking for something other than the classic, natural materials. This is a great choice for most mothers because it offers the features below:

As you can see, the material is packed with a lot of alluring characteristics so you can consider it if it matches your requirements.

The best thing I’ve found about olefin is, although it’s a synthetic fiber, it’s surprisingly cushy and snug. For being water-resistant, it’s the safest bet for your kids’ rooms because a lot of spills and stains may be found there.

Wool

Getting back to the natural material, here’s another of the best options if you still prefer natural fiber materials. Wool also has a lot of reasons to choose it over any other materials, let’s see what we’re talking about:

For being stain-resistant, there’s nothing to worry about every spill from your baby cause it won’t dent its color. And, wool rugs are soft and give an inviting feeling, so, it’ll be the right option for your crawling babies.

But, the price tag isn’t so likable. Still, if you can care for and maintain the rug properly, wool can serve you for such an extended period that the pricing is worth every penny.

Polyester

If you want to give your babies a smooth and silky feeling when they crawl on a rug, then polyester rugs should be your concern. Also, this material is:

For being resistant to toxic and chemicals, polyester rugs help keep your babies safe from things that can cause irritation.

Shag

There’s no definite material for shag rugs because they can be made of a variety of materials. However, every material is cozy enough which makes it the right choice for the nursery. Other reasons why shag rags should be your choice are:

Other than these, shag rugs come in a variety of colors and styles from traditional to contemporary.

But it’s not the best rug out there if you’re going to place it on a higher traffic area such as a hallway or family room but a champ for bedrooms because of its coziness. And, cleaning shag rugs isn’t the easiest thing in the world so you might not love it as it has to be cleaned frequently.

What’s The Right Size of A Rug for The Nursery?

It depends on the type of rug you’re going to purchase, how the major furniture is placed in the room, how big the room is, and some fundamental things like these. However, rugs are always preferred in large sizes but nursery rooms are generally small areas. So, you can go for anything like 4×6 or maybe 5×8 if it’s a standard nursery room.

A small rug can highlight a particular area or item (e.g a reading corner, or a crib). But things are not this smooth. There are variations in the final looks according to the placements you make. For example, if you’re trying to draw attention to a large, single item such as the crib, you should center the rug on the piece. It will let the front half overlap the rug. But say, you want to set off a specific area, then you should simply group the necessary pieces on your rug.

However, you might not like how a small rug chops the look of a small room up. In this case, you can go for a larger rag that’s able to cover more floor area and give the nursery a more cohesive look. In fact, some prefer the rug to be large enough so it can go underneath some furniture.

So, it’s okay to choose a rug that’s able to fill all the empty spaces in your kid’s room and leave only some inches between the furniture and the edges of the rug.

What Rug Pattern Is Preferable for A Nursery?

There’s zero limitation when it comes to choosing the pattern for a rug for the nursery. You can literally start from anywhere and go with your flow. Some of my favorite rugs for nursery are mandala, Aztec, and Southwestern.

Since the rug is going to be a piece of art for the floor, it should be attractive enough and kid-friendly. Pick a pattern, design, and style that match the room’s decor. It will make the nursery more beautiful and appealing.

Moreover, you’ll want to have a rug that works well to hide stains. If you still feel confused with the pattern, you can do some experiments by placing the rug at different angles. After that, you can pick one placement.

Other Factors For Choosing Nursery Rug

Other than those fundamental factors, ease of cleaning, layering, and things like these matter as well when it comes to choosing a nursery rug.

Ease of Cleaning

Although a lot of materials we’ve talked about that are easy to clean, polyester is the winner because it’s literally the easiest to clean. You can think about machine washable rugs as well.

There are new brands nowadays that are working amazingly to produce machine washable, kid-friendly rugs. Overall, ease of cleaning should be one of the concerns because you may or may not like to clean the rugs 5 days a week!

Layering

Do you think just one rug isn’t all you want? Well, then get two! Honestly, layering rugs is never backdated even though it’s an excellent way to add multiple textures and interests in only one space.

You can use one large rug and then layer on a smaller one in a different color and texture and break things up such as sheepskin, it would be great trust me!

Durability

The last thing you want is a short-lasting nursery rug you’ve spent a huge time and effort to purchase, right? Durability should be in your mind while clicking on the buy button so make sure that you’re doing it right.

Wool would be the most durable one from natural material options. But if you want a synthetic one, nylon would be the best. They work really great in high-traffic areas like kids’ rooms.

Also, you can think about polyester as its EverStant fiber is made from recycled plastic water bottles. So, it’s environmentally friendly as well. There are other options like SmartStand that are easy to maintain, long-lasting, and soil plus stain-resistant as well. Therefore, take a bit of a long time to choose wisely.

Shape

For kids, it’s best to choose a shape for nursery rugs that is both fun plus functional. You’ll get a variety of sizes and shapes available ranging from circular or square to flowery or cloud shapes.

Mostly, oval and round shapes are the most popular ones for nursery rugs, however, rectangular ones are more traditional ones. So, you can go for any of them based on your preference and the design of your kid’s room.

Safety

Last but not least, safety should never be overlooked when you’re choosing a kid-friendly rug. Spend a little more money if needed but make sure that you’re purchasing the safest possible one.

Speaking of safety, it’s always best to purchase natural fiber rugs for babies or children.  Natural ones are always warmer compared to synthetic ones and they don’t generate plastic-like odor as well.

Wool would be the best option from this perspective. It is natural and completely safe for kids, so see what you think about it!

Is A Rug Pad Necessary for The Nursery?

Hell yes! It’s not recommended, it’s kind of a must to have an area rug pad to go underneath the rug. A rug pad helps the rug to prevent slipping so you don’t have to worry about your kids’ crawling or every step.

Also, it helps the rug prevent lowering trip hazards, wrinkling, and bunching as well. You can consider getting a dual surface pad that’s designed to use on both soft and hard rug surfaces.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Words

By now, you know everything about how to choose a rug for the nursery. Hopefully, now you’ve already decided about which type, size, and pattern of the rug you’re going to choose.

No matter what you choose, make sure it’s the safest possible option for your kids as there’s nothing more important than safety. Also, take other things like durability, ease of clean, etc. into consideration so you can take the most advantage from the rug you purchase.