Feng Shui Your Child’s Bedroom for a Good Night’s Sleep

Credit: iStock / caracterdesign

Clutter under the bed can prevent Chi from circulating and your child from sleeping

Clutter under the bed can prevent Chi from circulating and your child from sleeping

Give your kids – and yourself – a good night’s sleep by applying feng shui in their bedroom

A child who complains that she can’t sleep because “there are monsters under the bed” may be onto something. Of course parents know there isn’t a monster under there, but there might be dust bunnies, food wrappers, dirty laundry, broken toys, and crumbled comic books. All of these items combine to have an invisible energy aura that can be very scary!

According to the principles of feng shui, everything in our environment has invisible energy or ‘Chi’ (pronounced chee). You can’t see Chi but, believe it or not, it is there. Everything in your home has a vibrational energy of either good or bad Chi that can affect how you think and feel. Combine the mood and physical health-altering affects of Chi with a child’s overactive imagination and you can see where the idea of scary monsters comes from!

Slay the Monster Under the Bed

Your first feng shui step should be to clear out everything from under the bed and give it a good vacuum. Then, look at the bedroom layout and décor. Unknowingly, many parents actually create children’s bedrooms that  increase their kids’ energy levels, rather than help lull them to sleep.

Picture a boy’s bedroom with a racecar bed as the main feature. Imagine the walls painted fire engine red, the ceiling plastered with glow-in-the dark stars, and a life-size Buzz Lightyear poster on the wall. Seriously, could you sleep in a bed designed to get your engine revving, with Buzz Lightyear’s giant eyes starring at you all night long?

Feng Shui Tips for Your Child’s Bedroom

Bed position:

• Avoid having the foot of the bed pointing out the door. This can lead to a sense of insecurity.
• Ensure the child can see the door while lying in bed. This helps them feel more secure.
• Do not place the head of the bed against a wall that holds the electrical panel (to reduce exposure to electromagnetic energy), directly under a window (which can lead to insecurity), or one that is directly across from a toilet or the stove—so all their dreams symbolically go ‘down the drain’ or ‘up in smoke.’

Type of bed:

• A bed made of wood is preferred to one made of metal. If the bed is metal, ensure that no electrical cords touch it.
• The bed should have a head and footboard (for personal stability).
• To allow good Chi to circulate around people while they sleep, all beds should have four legs and be raised off the floor.
• If you have a Captain’s-style bed – with storage drawers underneath – store only soft toys and sleep-related items there.
• If possible, avoid bunkbeds. They have oppressive chi and can make a child feel trapped.

Colour, theme and décor:

• Choose pastels and other light colours to create a sense of calm and relaxation.
• Use a Himalayan salt crystal lamp to help clean the air and provide a soft, ambient night light.
• Avoid activity-related themes – such as racecars and war toys.
• Avoid bedding and wallpaper with wild, chaotic patterns (especially if your child as ADD/ADHD).

Last, but not least, remove all electronics from kids’ bedrooms. Yes, this includes televisions, computers and electronic games. And, yes, they will complain! Move electronics to a playroom or family room where activity is encouraged. Make the bedroom a place your child can relax, read a good book and unwind… and you’ll both sleep better!

Terri Perrin is a Vancouver Island-based feng shui consultant and owner of Fine Art of Intention Feng Shui. She has been helping kids (and parents) sleep better by sharing her passion for feng shui through informative workshops and consultations since 2009. She is also an award-winning freelance writer. Her first feng shui book, The Complete Guide to Feng Shui Crystals, which provides a general introduction to the BTB School of Feng Shui, was published in January 2011 and is available on Amazon.ca.