Buying Children's Beds

Once a baby has grown out of the need for a cot, choosing the right kind of bed for a toddler can be an overwhelming business, there are just so many to choose from! Racing car beds to princess beds, beds inside a jungle tent to pink Cinderella carriage beds, all of these choices and more will leave any toddler enthusiastically running up the hill to bed land night after night.

Novelty Beds

Novelty beds are not particularly the most economical of bed choice, but if you are ever going to indulge your child with an item of furniture that is more frivolous than frugal, now is the time! Any child so small will eventually grow out of a bed specifically designed for a toddler, so if you can find one where the price fits your budget, you may just make the transition from a cot to a grown up bed that little bit easier for the family.

Buying a novelty bed will also give the youngest of children a first taste of choosing and expressing their own tastes and colour choices, a great way of encouraging a little independence at an early age.

If the idea of a novelty bed is not your cup of tea, or if you think it is over-indulgent when considering the economics of such an item, then a junior bed is a different and perhaps more practical option. A junior bed is not quite adult sized and is usually made for toddlers to last several years.

Wooden Beds

There are many sturdy wooden junior beds on the market, the beauty of these are their timelessness, and a great idea if you are planning to hand it down to your next child! These beds are suitable for both girls and boys so if you choose a decent solid wooden frame with tough springs on the base, these beds can serve an ever-growing family for years to come.

Bedding Accessories

There are so many accessories and bedding available to buy that incorporate all children's' tastes from cartoons to football teams, making even the most sensible bed an extension of your child's personal taste and lets face it, it's much cheaper to replace a cute duvet cover than a whole bed once your child decides he no longer likes Star Trek!

Once your child has grown from toddler to junior and has their own social life both in school and out, there may be the call for sleepovers. Sleepovers are a great way of teaching a child basic skills of being a host, including generosity, amiability, sharing, and caring about their friends. But these little friends will need somewhere to sleep! There are different roads to take when putting up guests, much depending on the size of the room your child has.

High Beds

If they have a small bedroom, a high sleeper bed is ideal. This is like a bunk bed but without the bottom bunk. In the space underneath the bed, as well as perhaps a small desk and chair, there may also be enough room to store a single sofa or futon bed. These often serve as cosy and comfortable chairs when not in use as a bed so are a great addition to any child's bedroom.

If your junior's bedroom has plenty of room, you can go to town on the variety of beds and guest beds available. Bunk beds are a classic, but remember any child will play around on both beds when there is no guest staying over, so be prepared for more washing and bed-making!

Sofa Beds

A full size sofa bed is an excellent choice, mainly as a good quality sofa bed will last years and will also be a comfortable and suitable bed for older relatives and guests to sleep on. Just remember that a cabin bed and bunk beds will not be appropriate for an older teenager, and certainly not for a toddler.

Teen Age Years and Beyond

Soon after you move your baby into a toddler bed, he or she will be a teenager and will want something altogether more grown up. Well, it seems like soon after! The years as we all know, absolutely fly by once baby days are left behind and before you know it, you turn around and in the place of a gurgling, smiling delightful four year old, is a surly, grimacing young adult who hates anything that any parent suggests!

The bed you choose now will be an adult bed and may one day even leave home with your son or daughter, take a look at the variety of Beds at Bedstar. This bed could be the guest bed of the future or could become a family heirloom if you don't spare the credit card! If you are preparing to buy a bed now that will last for years and years, you must see the bed before you buy it so you can tell for yourself if the quality is what is has been purported to be.

Long Lasting Beds

Solid wooden bed frames made from oak or mahogany are the most durable, yet also the most expensive beds. Find out how the base of the bed is designed, most are either box sprung or have wooden slats. Wooden slats can be replaced if they get broken over time, whereas box springs are incredibly hardwearing, but there is not much that can be done once a spring has finally sprung! Solid pine is another great material for bed frames, massively cheaper than oak or mahogany; solid pine is still long lasting and will serve you and your family well.

Of course, there is no harm in investing in a large, wooden, heavy duty, long lasting bed when your child is no longer an infant. Families have been passing beds down through generations for years and years and as long as the base is regularly checked for damage, and the mattress is replaced every 5 years or so to ensure a comfortable and supportive place on which to rest and ensure the most beneficial sleep, it may work for you, after all, it never did Charlie Bucket from Charlie and the chocolate factory, and his huge family any harm!