Having children is a life-changing event that means you’ll be prioritising them in your decision-making for many years to come. Whether you’re preparing a nursery or a playroom, you need to consider the demands of life with little ones when designing spaces where they’ll rest and play.

We look at floor covering options for your home and break down their suitability for your growing family.

Carpet

Comfort is one of the biggest draw cards when it comes to carpet. As your baby grows, carpet becomes a soft surface suitable for tummy time and will cushion a toddler’s falls. Installed in a playroom, it provides a comfortable play surface, reducing the need for additional mats. In nurseries, the sound-insulating quality of carpet will help to create a peaceful environment where your baby can (hopefully) snooze the nights away.

There’s no denying that kids can be messy, so you should think about the durability and stain-resistance of carpet when purchasing. Carpet tiles can be a more practical alternative as they can be replaced individually if they sustain any damage.

If you or your children suffer from allergies, vacuum your carpet weekly and deep-clean it annually to make sure it doesn’t accumulate dust and trigger allergies.

Timber

Timber is a classic flooring option that you can depend on to stay stylish even once your kids have left home. If you ever need to move to accommodate the changing needs of your family, timber floors are guaranteed to make an impression on potential buyers.

Timber flooring is louder to walk on than softer floor coverings, but you can dampen the noise by introducing some stylish rugs or foam tiles. Although hardwood has a long life, it can be vulnerable to scratches, so the addition of rugs or mats will also help to protect the planks.

Timber also requires re-coating in high traffic areas over time to keep the finish looking new, so keep this in mind if you’re thinking about installing it in a busy playroom.

Bamboo

If you love the look of timber floors but want a more cost-effective option, bamboo is a modern-looking alternative. This beautiful, natural material takes only a fraction of the time that wood does to reach maturity and continues to grow after harvesting, so is much more eco-friendly.

Naturally harder than timber, bamboo provides better scratch-resistance to any mischief little hands might cause. Bamboo is susceptible to humidity and temperature changes, so assess whether the climate you live in is optimal for this type of flooring before installing.

Vinyl

Vinyl flooring these days is a decorator’s dream, available in so many styles that there’s bound to be one that suits whatever theme you have in mind for your child’s room. If hardwood flooring is outside your price range, vinyl now comes in realistic wood textures. As vinyl is quieter to walk on in comparison to hardwood, it is better at muffling the sound of active kids.

You can count on your floor encountering a fair share of wear-and-tear as your children grow. Newer styles of luxury vinyl planks mean you don’t have to worry about ruined floors. Just replace the damaged plank and your floor is as good as new.

Cork

Of all the interior trends this year, cork may be the most unexpected. But with all of cork’s great qualities, it’s not hard to see why it’s experiencing renewed popularity.

Cork is a natural material which is easily renewed making it environmentally-friendly. Raising a family doesn’t come cheap, but you can keep your power bill down by harnessing cork’s natural heat and cold insulating properties.

Cork flooring has a springy feel, so it will provide a soft landing for any little stumbles. It also feels great to walk on, being warm and supple underfoot. Boasting excellent noise absorption and durability, cork flooring is a great eco-friendly flooring solution for a home with children.

We hope this guide has helped you to select the best floor coverings for your family. If you’re bringing home a newborn home, remember to install floor coverings well ahead of time so the floor has time to air out. If you need more advice on choosing a kid-friendly floor covering, step into your nearest Andersens showroom and ask one of our friendly, experienced team members.