There is a seemingly infinite number of flooring choices available in the market. However, when you have a child crawling around or a toddler taking their first step, you might want to opt for a kid-friendly flooring option for their rooms. 

There are several advantages to kid-friendly flooring choices, as they can shield your child from hard falls or allergies. Picking the best flooring for kids’ rooms can save you loads of cleaning and maintenance time. As a bonus, it will improve the quality of life for your family. 

So, what is the best flooring for kids’ rooms? What flooring features should you focus on? Let’s discuss.

What is the Safest Flooring for Kids?

When choosing flooring for kids, keep in mind that this checklist does not only apply to their bedroom but also their play area and other parts of the house where they spend their time. Some of the key features that you should look out for in kid-friendly floorings are –

• Durability: Any toddler parent will admit that their kid’s energy has no limit. So, whether it’s a nursery, bedroom, or toy room, you need to consider the amount of beating the floor will take. Your kids will smash their toys on the floor, jump and run around, or even drive their toy car around, and your floor needs to be a “worthy opponent.” 
• Safety and Comfort: As your child starts to crawl or take their first steps, your flooring should support their soft feet and give them a safe spot to land on. It should also have a low thermal conductivity to keep your children warm.
• Hypoallergenic: You should pick a hypoallergenic floor that doesn’t hold on to dust, fibers, or other allergens to avoid any allergic flare-ups.
• Noise dampening: Kids are noisy. So, choose a floor with at least some noise dampening properties to mute the screams and jumps to some extent.
• Low maintenance: Being a parent is already overwhelming, and you don’t want to make your life even harder with a high maintenance floor. The reality is the flooring in your child’s bedroom or playroom will have a load of spills, and you won’t be able to clean it immediately all the time. So, we recommend going for a low-maintenance floor that won’t stain, tackle wet spills, and can be cleaned up easily.

Best Flooring for Kids’ Rooms

Hardwood flooring

This luxurious and aesthetically appealing flooring choice comes with a number of benefits. It’s durable, non-toxic, and offers a variety of options. It is also fairly easy to clean and maintain as long as you follow the proper procedure. Although they scratch easily, they can be simply repaired by regularly sanding and polishing. Using the right finish, such as polyurethane, can protect the hardwood floor and improve its sturdiness.

Wood also has less porosity, meaning it doesn’t promote bacteria growth. It is also healthy for children with allergies. However, the two main downsides of using wood flooring for kids’ rooms are that wood will not provide any cushioning if your child falls and is prone to moisture-caused damages — both of which can be solved by placing area rugs in the right places. 

Bamboo flooring

Bamboo is an up-and-coming environment-friendly flooring option that is kid-friendly too. Although technically it’s grass, not wood, bamboo is often categorized as hardwood. It is one of the most durable flooring choices. It is also stain-resistant, perfect for a kid’s room where you can expect regular spills. 

Like hardwood, bamboo is also a natural flooring option, making it popular among parents who don’t want to expose their children to inorganic materials. You will also get plenty of options with bamboo flooring. The different bamboo species come with exclusive properties. For example, strand-woven bamboo plank flooring is the sturdiest, while caramelized bamboo is weaker in comparison.

Laminate flooring

While we all love the classic and gorgeous look of hardwood, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Good quality hardwood floors can cost you a fortune, and it’s often considered high-maintenance. And if that is the case for you, laminate flooring is the next best thing. Laminate flooring mimics the look of hardwood at a much lower price. It doesn’t require any polishing or waxing and can be cleaned easily.

Laminate flooring can withstand spills and is not prone to moisture-caused damages — making it perfect for a kid’s room. Although you should take care of spills immediately as water can make laminate very slippery. It is also great if your children have allergies because dirt, dust, pollen, dander, and animal hair can’t penetrate the tight seal.

Cork flooring

Cork is becoming increasingly popular for kid’s rooms for its soft underfoot, providing a safer landing in case of accidents. It combines the best properties of carpet and hardwood. Unlike carpet, it doesn’t collect dust and pollen. Cork’s anti-microbial property prevents any mold growth. It is also easy to clean and maintain. 

However, remember that cork is susceptible to dents and scratches since it is a soft material. But if you use cork tiles flooring, you can easily replace the damaged pieces.  

Rubber flooring

Rubber is the most used material for daycares, play areas, or even gyms because they are sturdy yet provide cushioning and grip — thus, ensuring safety. Rubber is also an excellent insulator and has soundproofing qualities as a bonus. There are a variety of strengths and thicknesses for rubber flooring. If cared for properly, a sturdy rubber flooring will last over 20 years. They are also easy to take care of and clean. You can place interlocking rubber tiles in your kid’s play areas only if you don’t like wall-to-wall rubber flooring.

The main downside of rubber is they often have a strong odor. Since it is a natural material, the odor is not necessarily harmful to your children. So, we suggest that you test it out with your children before installing rubber flooring in their room.

Vinyl flooring

Vinyl is one of the most versatile flooring materials available as tiles, plank, and sheet flooring. You also get a wide range of colors and textures to complete your room’s aesthetics. Vinyl flooring is sturdy enough to withstand your children spilling liquids or scraping their toys against it. It has a top protective layer that can resist scratching, scuffing, chipping, or cracking.

Vinyl flooring gives a softer underfoot compared to other hard flooring materials. This low-maintenance flooring is super easy to clean. Since it’s waterproof, you can clean it with water and don’t have to worry about water-based damages.

Area rugs

Area rugs are the most common choice for parents, and there are good reasons for it. For all of the kid-friendly flooring options mentioned above, you can use area rugs to make them even safer. Area rugs are mobile, so that you can place them anywhere around the house. When your toddler starts to crawl, soft rugs can prevent them from scraping their knees on the hard floor. They are also an excellent insulator and feel comfortable to sit on. You can simply place them anywhere in the house and create a temporary playing area on the floor without worrying about your child getting cold. 

Rugs trap dirt, pollen, and other allergens. So, you must clean them regularly to avoid any allergic reactions. You should also opt for natural fibers over synthetics since they are hypoallergenic. 

Carpets

Carpets were once considered the most kid-friendly flooring option, which is still popular among parents. Its soft and warm properties make it very comfortable for the kids. It provides a soft landing for toddlers who are likely to fall. Carpets are also slip-proof and soundproof. You get a variety of colors and prints in carpets to choose from to decorate your kid’s room in any way you like. We recommend natural materials such as wool if you go for carpets for kid’s room flooring. Avoid carpets made of propylene and nylon fibers.

However, carpets get a bad rep for promoting bacteria growth and absorbing allergens which can cause allergic reactions. Also, spills and stains on the carpet are difficult to clean up. They have to be cleaned regularly, which can be time-consuming. Carpets also need to be replaced at regular intervals as they are not very durable. 

So, what is your favorite flooring for the kids’ room? Comment below and let us know!