Children definitely need a bathtub. That is the main thing to me. Otherwise, I would just be neutral with them. I also like vanities for storage (sounds like you are doing vanities).

The very BEST thing we had in our kids bath was a 36" empty space (next to one of the sinks) on the 96" vanity that was used as a changing table. A changing table pad fit perfectly.

This bath is a Jack & Jill between the room we used as a nursery and another bedroom.

If you have the room, you won't be sorry to have that area so near running water.

Thanks, ladies! Glad to have some input from someone who's been there, done that.

Oh, and I would have SO loved a built-in step stool for the vanity! Having to step around the thing all the time, or trip over it, or clean around it.... don't get me started!

But yes, a tub/shower is definitely the way to go. Put the shower head on a rod so it can be handheld as well as adjusted when the kids start showering but are small and need the head to be down lower.

Agree with the neutrals thing too. The cute kid bath stuff is where the color will come in and you'll change your mind fifty times before your kids come about that darn theme!

I agree all neutral. I've gone through so many different colors, fish, cheetah, now they want chrome. The subways and beaded board sound great. Then depending on your children, you can paint and decorate accordingly.
Besides, then they'll leave and you'll want something soothing.

Also, I prefer NOT to have sliding glass doors on the tub used for kids. My first bathroom I had after having children had these and it was a real pain to lean over and bath the baby. Also, the vanity was next to the tub so that made the shower doors more cumbersome. Leave them off in favor of a simple shower curtain instead.

looking way down the road :-) we have been in the same house for 15 years and with 2 teenage girls -think of privacy and thoughput later. We are remodeling their bath to partition off the shower with toilet and adding another sink. Gosh, our older girl takes about 40 minutes in the morning...of course, 2 separate bathrooms would be ideal.

I just did my two kids baths. For my 9 year old son, I did biscuit tile with some strips of mossy green and Pratt and Larson Pond theme accents. For the girls, 7 and 11, I did white tile with grayish blue strips and Pratt and Larson Ocean/Marine accents. The accent tiles are pricey but hand colored and not cutesy in the least. My point is, if you do a neutral but light background and a gender-neutral accent color, that you would like yourself, you'll be fine. Save the cute kiddie stuff for shower curtain, towel, etc. if you like. My kids have already outgrown that stuff, and the time just flew by. I wouldn't even do "cute" wall tile. I also put in quartz countertops, beige in my case, and I LOVE them. They've handled toothpaste, mouth rinse, nail polish, etc. with no problem at all. I like the shower bath, and put in a curved rod. I agree with kew2006 about no glass sliding door, and I love having the shower head on a sliding bar. If you can, screw the towel bars and toilet paper holder into a wood bar under your drywall. My kids pulled a towel bar out of the wall that was just attached to drywall.

Great post! We are doing the same thing but really planning to only stay 5 yrs. I am doing white subway tile with blue subways placed randomly and a rope of blue around. it is not a "boy blue", so I think it works for both genders and just gives a little color to neutral subway tiles. We're also doing the tub/shower combo and the rod is a great idea...

Echoing what previous posters have already said.
You can create space for baby changing even in a smaller bathroom. We positioned sink to one side to give us that precious space (have the changing space next to wall if possible).

Ditto with the towel bar/shower bar/ preparing ahead of time and having wood between the 2X4's. We do that on walls for picture hanging too!

Stepping stools can be built into the toe kick or bottom drawer- Lee Valley makes a very inexpensive gadget to push stepping stool open with your toe.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lee Valley drawer kicker

YES! white or very neutral I did my 2 girls bath in a theme that includes the tile and sinks and now, of course I wish it was all white then they could change it from ducks, to flip flops, to frogs whatever they like cheaply! but you (I) live and learn! :)

Thanks for all the great advice! Definitely some things to think about.

Definately a tub with NO shower door! My young children also prefer a toilet that is not elongated.

Also watch because many new vanities are much higher than 20 years ago.

I would highly recommend a handheld shower on the sliding bar(we have a Grohe one and I would buy it again - more expensive but it has held up very well). The handheld shower is great for cleaning as well as rinsing shampoo/soap when kids are in the tub. I also agree with the other posters who suggest a shower curtain rather than a door. Good luck!

The two best things we did have already been mentioned above. One is the bottom drawer step stool (see pic) and the shower on the bar that we can move up and down (my 9 year old uses it at the lowest, my dh at the highest).

budge1 ,
Please tell me more about your "bottom drawer step stool".
It looks like it has a "sliding lid" so you can actually put things in the drawer ... what a cool idea!

It also looks like its located in the toe kick space ... if so, is there a drawer glide, or some other type of runner to keep it properly aligned in the space? And does it sit on the floor, so the person's weight is not an issue?

Hi napagirl. I will try to describe how it is put together but I am no carpenter so if you have any other questions please ask.

The cabs were custom made and are on feet about 3 inches off the floor. The sliding lid works the same way a pull out bread board would. It slides into its own slot above the drawer, but is hidden by the drawer front when the drawer is closed. It doesn't really seem to rest on the drawer, but the carpenter did mention that the drawer slides were made to hold 100 lbs (I think) so maybe it does rest on the drawer.

He made it quite snug and when it is humid the kids have trouble pulling it out on there own, but I think it is better snug than loose otherwise it would slide out under them.

Double & triple echo the idea of NO sliding shower door. When we moved to TX that is what we ended up with in our rental house & then the one we bought and they are the PITS for small kiddos.

Also, if there is anyway to have a comfortable place for you to sit that isn't the floor or the toilet seat, try to fit it in. There is a certain age where kids are old enough to bathe themselves, want to play with their toys at bathtime, but are still too little to be allowed by themselves. We are in the process of designing a home where we hope to be blessed with future grandbabies visiting and we want to incorporate that feature to ease our (older) bones when it is time to bathe them.

Best of luck with your plans for the house and the future - Jo Ann

budge1,
Thanks for the additional pic and details, it was very helpful.

I'm really looking for something that would fit in the toe kick space, but that could be "doubled over" to increase the height from 4" to 8".

Short, round toilets are much easier for the kiddos (make sure the toilets are a little bit shorter than usual in both height and length). Try to find extra space for the potty chair, too.

Don't use kitchen-height vanities, keep them a little bit lower.

Single lever faucets so that you can adjust the temperature very quickly.

Our kids' bathroom has two sinks (a must). The vanity also is a wall mount with open space between the floor and vanity. Perfect for tucking away step stools, bath toys, and cleaning under.

Drawers!!!

Shelves and/or medicine cabinet that can't be reached by short folks (and don't forget to consider whether they could reach it by climbing on the vanity counter, toilet, or rim of the tub.

I agree with the other posters that you don't want a glass door when they're little. Too hard to help them with their bath. We took ours down; it will go back up when the kids are too old for baths and making a huge splashy mess in the shower.

I echo the others re: no shower door (curtain only is perfect), handheld shower with a slide bar, and keeping vanity height reasonable. If you don't go with the built-in step stool, at least give plenty of clearance around the vanity so you're not tripping over it every time you walk in the bathroom.

I like having space for a hamper in the bathroom--my kids can whip their dirty clothes into it right before they step in the bath.

Also be careful to choose slip-proof tile for the floor. My old bathroom had 8" tiles that were somewhat smooth--not shiny, so you'd think they'd be okay--and I can't tell you how many times the kids took a tumble as they went dripping wet from tub to toilet. Tile with a bit of texture, or small tile (lots of grout provides traction) is better.

Kids like to see themselves in the mirror, but most framed mirrors or medicine cabinet mirrors are too high! Treat your kids to a boring old wall mirror mounted so that it begins right above the backsplash. They will love it. (Plus it provides an easy-clean surface for all the toothbrush spatter and wet-hand-flapping spatter that they will surely create).

Lots of drawers in the vanity or cupboards. If you have girls (sorry to be so sexist), there will be hair products and accessories....

Make sure the bathtub insert (which I think is a perfect choice, by the way) has adequate places to put shampoo and soap. Some have more shelf space than others. Nice if it can be out of reach of toddlers' hands.

Put a towel bar/hook at kid-height right outside the shower.

Make sure there's an outlet that can house a nightlight.

Spring for a soft-close toilet lid, or even a self-close. This feature is for you. :-)

Also for you: Think about maintenance when you select a sink. My kids' old bathroom had a green sink, and I was forever nagging them to be more careful about how they spit out their toothpaste. Every speck of toothpaste showed up, so it always looked gross. Now they have a white sink. I know it has toothpaste dribbles in it, but I don't notice.

Maybe consider putting the fan on an automatic timer? Kids *will* leave such things on....

Thanks again for all the great advice! I must say, I had not thought of the shower door vs. curtain issue. You all have saved me!

Igloochic, I've seen you describe your son's bathroom before, and I think its great! Question about the tub- how deep is it? Wondering what the right depth is so its deep enough to prevent splashes yet still be a comfortable height for a shower, also. Also, your son is soooo cute!!! Is he a redhead (sort of looks like it on my computer)? I have a soft spot for redheads, since I'm one myself. And I love that faucet, too! Too bad its crazy expensive.

Thanks again for all the great advice! I must say, I had not thought of the shower door vs. curtain issue. You all have saved me!

Igloochic, I've seen you describe your son's bathroom before, and I think its great! Question about the tub- how deep is it? Wondering what the right depth is so its deep enough to prevent splashes yet still be a comfortable height for a shower, also. Also, your son is soooo cute!!! Is he a redhead (sort of looks like it on my computer)? I have a soft spot for redheads, since I'm one myself. And I love that faucet, too! Too bad its crazy expensive.

This is a great thread! We are also in the process of planning a bathroom for two boys...one is now 1yr old and the other is due in August...and we plan on being in this house for a long time. We will certainly try to incorporate as much of these ideas as possible. I would love to see more pics and hear more about the built in step stools...what a great idea!

thank you :) my little monster is a curly red headed little terror :) theres a book coming out called "Little Red Heads" that he's in (he's the alaskan red).

his tub is deep...21" but we both (dh and I) gave it the step test and didn't have trouble stepping in. mom's coming in october. she's healthy, but she said she'd let us know if a grab bar would be a good idea after she use it a few times. we can easily add one as we're doing for the master tub (32" deep/no shower though).

you know, i've done almost all of the good ideas here, including the timers on the fan and the in floor heater, except the long mirror. honestly i didn't think od it...but what a great idea. we'll have to do that for ds so he can see himself in the mirror...because the one i purchased is probably not long enough.

I have two daughters under the age of ten, and we recently did a minor remodel of their bathroom. The MOST important thing I wanted for their bath were one handled lever sinks, like that Kohler one in the commercial. Little kids will turn on the hot water knob and scald themselve-it's easier for them to adjust the one lever than to try and remember which knob is the hot water and the cold. Plus they tend to just turn on and off the lever and not move it from side to side anyway so it's always on warm.

The other thing we did was put in a speckled blue corian counter top. I think it was called Mediterranean, anyway, it's EXCELLENT at hiding toothpaste. My kids are kind of messy and I was so sick of always seeing white and blue toothpaste all over the place every morning. The corian totally hides it!

If you can do a deep tub, it'll keep more of the splashes in. You can sit on a stool to wash them. We've had some major water spillage when they splashed too much in the shallow tub...

Anymore advice or pics for us newbies??

I'd totally recommend having a hand held shower in addition to an overhead. It is perfect for rinsing the kids off in the bath. Agree with the curtain not a door. Also, I've seen and wish we would have bought a whirlpool tub that fits in a regular bath space. Would have been a little deeper and just something extra. Even not that a deeper tub is better for splashes.

I'm a grownup, and I hate my new kitchen-height vanity.

And I agree, neutral in terms of tile, etc., and let all the decorating be in the shower curtains and soap dispensers.

personally, I wouldn't even bother "decorating for kids" with paint or wallpaper border. Too much work.

If your kid gets to have a dinosaur shower curtain, a Spiderman toothbrush holder, and a towel w/ his own name embroidered on it, he's gonna think he's in heaven. That's enough.

And by the time he outgrows dinosaurs and Spiderman, and decides he only wants to be called "Butch" instead of "Adrian," they'll have all worn out, and you can buy him a black shower curtain, black towels, and a Stinking Biscuit toothbrush holder (whoever they are; probably some tremendously loud and annoying band in the year 2023)

LOL talley_sue

"If your kid gets to have a dinosaur shower curtain, a Spiderman toothbrush holder, and a towel w/ his own name embroidered on it, he's gonna think he's in heaven. That's enough."

This is absolutely correct. DD has a cinderella toothbrush holder, Ariel towel and Hello Kitty Tootbrush (with matching toothpaste -- who knew there was such a thing?). DS has curious george. The wall art in the kids' wing (hallway and bathroom) is purely my kids' artwork stuck to plain ole white walls. They love it.