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We are about to move house – only a few weeks left, eeeek! – so I’m currently down the rabbit hole of buying beds for the children and looking at the page of Better Bed Company. Mine are 7 and 9 so not so little anymore. There are so many options to choose from that it’s hard to navigate what would be the best choice. So, I’ve done my research on this and I finally decided what bed (and mattress) is going to be the best for us to purchase. I thought, I will share my findings in this handy guide with you (skipping talking about cot bed and toddler bed), I hope you find these tips useful.
Choosing the right bed is important, especially for kids. They need their good night sleep more than adults. When not rested, tiredness will have a negative effect on their health, mood and performance in school. As a parent, all of them are very important to me. It starts with a good bed to promote good sleep.
1. Consider how much space you have
Children likely to have the smallest room in the home, so space-saving is often crucial when buying beds for them. Firstly, measure up the room and decide what sort of space do you have for the new bed. There are many options for smaller spaces and the same might work for a larger room as well – it is entirely up to you how do you want to use the bedroom space.
2. Decide about the type of bed
There are many clever designs of kids beds available nowadays:
- Single bed or children size beds – the most cost effective bed type, probably the cheapest option of all. I’d say, if you move the child from cot to their new, bigger bed, you might as well make it a full size single and save buying an another one in between
- Ottoman bed – this is a single bed, with practical storage solution under the bed, which you can access to by lifting the mattress up
- Bunk bed – in case you have children sharing room, a classic space-saver, most children love it (at first, anyway)
- Mid sleeper – these are great for storage and ideal for low ceiling rooms
- High sleeper – like bunk bed, but with just one bed on the top. It saves space, because underneath the bed you have the empty floor space for anything from storage to play area
- Desk bed – this is a high-sleeper bed combined with a desk for studying underneath, with or without some shelving
- Cabin bed – they tend to merge features of the bed, storage elements and/or desk, the best choice for small spaces
3. Set a budget
Decide how much do you want to spend on the bed. You can always try to find second-hand ones but in the reality, I find this isn’t as easy as it sounds. You need to collect the bed, often it breaks when you try to de-assemble it or it’s more damaged in the reality as it shows on photos… So do your research on the internet for different models and prices. Bare that in mind, that quality will always cost a little more, but you don’t want to compromise on the quality of their sleep either. Remember, you get what you pay for.
4. Choose a bed together
It’s nice to get the kid involved if you can, maybe you can narrow a selection of beds down to 3-4 different ones you like equally (and they are within your budget) and let the child choose.
5. Don’t forget about the mattress
The mattress, of course, equally important. Always buy the right size and – whilst I advocate to buy second hand whenever possible – avoid buying used mattress. The right mattress depends on may factors, and that could be another blog post, but to mention a few: consider id they are restless sleepers and move constantly, overheating and more. Always use the mattress size that is advised by the manufacturer to ensure that it fits within the bed frame securely.
Conclusion
Buying a new bed is always an investment for years to come. Whilst a mattress can be changed every so often it’s needed to be, the bed frame will outlast them and can be used for decades or passed down. A good bed is an investment: not only because it can be resold but the quality sleep the children are getting is invaluable in many aspects – so choose their bed carefully.