Kids Bed Buying Tips: How To Choose The Ideal Bed For Your Child

You’re designing your child’s bedroom, which means you’ll have to buy them a bed at some point. The bed will be the central part of the room’s design; it’s essentially what the whole room will revolve around. Choosing a bed for anyone is hard enough, yet picking one for your child raises other questions and considerations. 

Buy the wrong bed and you’ll end up replacing it in a few months. Buy the right bed and they’ll have something to use for many years to come. On that note, here are some great tips to help you choose the ideal bed for your child: 

Pick A Bed They’ll Grow Into

To avoid any confusion, we’re talking about choosing a proper bed for your child. This means they’re old enough to sleep in a real bed, rather than a cot or a very small bed for toddlers. The general rule states that toddlers move from a crib to a toddler bed when they’re anywhere between 18 months and 3 years of age. Then, they make the step up to a “real” bed when they’re around 4 years old. 

That’s the stage we’re looking at in this post, and it’s why you should pick a bed your child can grow into. Lots of parents get caught out buying a small single bed because it fits their child now. They’ll grow in a couple of years, and you’ll constantly need to buy new beds for them with this approach! 

Instead, pick something that should be good enough for a fairly long time. It may seem spacious to your child in the beginning, but they’ll soon grow into it. A regular single bed is a fantastic idea because it’s suitable enough for most children and can serve them well into their teenage years. 

Opt For Something With Multiple Purposes

You’d ideally like to find a bed with multiple purposes to save space in your kid’s bedroom. Look at beds with storage as an option here; your child gets a bed, but they also get loads of extra storage to keep their clothes or toys. It means they receive more bedroom space overall because you’re storing things under the bed instead of in drawers or a big closet. 

Beds with a trundle can also be a brilliant option – your child has space for a friend to sleep over, if they wish. Some children’s beds are built with the bed up high and a built-in desk space or gaming area underneath, which means there are so many functions built into one small area. 

Think about the functions your child will benefit from the most. If their room needs more storage, then a storage bed is the smartest choice. If they need a desk in their room – but there isn’t much space – then a bed with a desk makes more sense, and so on.  

Invest In A Quality Mattress

People don’t appreciate the importance of a quality mattress until they’re well into adulthood. You reach your mid-twenties and realise that you actually need to spend money on a decent mattress to help you sleep – and save money in the long run. 

Invest in a quality mattress for your child’s bed, and you’ll avoid loads of issues down the line. For one, it can genuinely help them sleep deeper and for longer, which prevents them from wandering into your bedroom claiming they can’t get to sleep at night. Secondly, buying a bad mattress means you have to replace it after a couple of years, and that gets expensive. 

A quality mattress can last for 10+ years, meaning it stays around for most of your child’s childhood. Opt for something that’s supportive and helps to regulate their temperature. Yes, you might pay a lot of money for a mattress like this, but it’s genuinely worth it. 

Consider The Safety Features

Your child may be old enough to transition to a proper bed, but you still need to keep their safety in mind. They shouldn’t fall out of bed and hurt themselves, though you don’t want to take any chances, especially with certain beds. 

For instance, if you’re buying a bunk bed (or any type of bed where your child sleeps high above the ground), then it needs to have safety railings that stop them from rolling off the mattress. You should also consider adding safety features around the bed, particularly if the room has a certain flooring type. Hard floors can cause injuries if your child falls out of bed or stumbles when they get up. So, either lay down carpet all in their bedroom or get some thick rugs to cushion any falls. 

Picking a bed for your child doesn’t have to be as confusing or stressful as it may seem. These tips will help you find the perfect bed based on your child’s needs – and you’ll get something that stays with them for many years to come. 

Check out some of our other tips articles.