Thoughts On Nursery Furniture With A Growth Path

Parents dont, however, have to buy new furniture every time their child needs something different -- nowadays a lot of nursery furniture can adapt to the needs of a growing child. Lets take a look at some options. Choosing furniture that lasts There

Parents dont, however, have to buy new furniture every time their child needs something different -- nowadays a lot of nursery furniture can adapt to the needs of a growing child. Lets take a look at some options.

Choosing furniture that lasts

There are various ways to make sure that the furniture parents initially buy for the nursery lasts for as long as possible. These include:

  • Cot beds: for example, parents can choose to buy a cot bed instead of a cot if they dont want to have to deal with buying a junior bed in a couple of years. Cot beds are still perfectly safe cots but they can be converted later into a bed as necessary. So, take off the sides and the cot turns into a junior bed! This could extend the life of the cot until the child is 5 or 6.

  • Extendable beds: a few cot beds are also extendable. So, when the child outgrows the junior bed it can be extended to grow with the child. As an alternative, for older children, parents can also buy extendable junior beds. These start off small and then can be made bigger as the child grows (to around standard single bed size).

  • Types of furniture: parent should think hard about the types of furniture they choose for the nursery. For example, many opt for a changing table which stops being useful when the child is toilet trained and/or gets too big for the table. Buy a changing dresser, however, and it can then be used later for general storage in the room once the changing mat is removed.

  • Style: nursery furniture comes in all kinds of styles and designs. If parents opt for a classic style then the furniture will last longer. Buying furniture that is decorated with cartoon characters or baby designs will be great for a few years but the child is likely to want a change once they feel more grown up.


Safety considerations

All furniture designed for nursery use should be safe, stable and well-constructed. Take care when putting together flat-packed furniture and follow the instructions to get the safest build. If buying painted furniture then check it was decorated with lead free paint. Useful extras to look out for include rounded edges, drawers that open and close smoothly and safely and handles that dont stick out too much.

Conclusion

Bear in mind that buying furniture that grows with the child may not suit all parents. Some will prefer to buy new stuff as the need arises. Children -- small as they may be -- can inflict a lot of wear and tear on their furniture and parents may find that it doesnt last long enough to grow effectively in any case.

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Caroline Taylor is an independent researcher and author.



Find further information on selecting a nursery furniture set at Allkids, one of the UK`s most popular childrens` and parenting resources with over 3.9 million visitors in 2006, together with a wealth of information, resources, kids safe websites & shopping.

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