Most parents shopping for a bed for their children know pretty much exactly what they want – and that’s why we’ve previously concentrated on the golden rules about visiting Bedpost with children.
But as well as doing your research before jumping in the car and making sure you know how much space to play with in your child’s room, it also pays to know what other parents tell our sleep experts.
So here’s the checklist of concerns parents usually bring up when they come in to our stores to buy a bed for their child.
1. The price: There’s no getting around the fact that one of the first questions we ask when a parent says they’re buying a bed or mattress for a child is how much they want to spend. And it’s amazing the range of budgets out there – from $200 for a single mattress to $5000 and upwards for some of the larger beds for older children. And when it comes to advice from our sleep experts? Well, when it comes down to it, youngsters are going to jump on their beds and possibly treat them as adventure playgrounds for the first few years, so maybe stick to the lower end of the market until they’re old enough to realise the value of what they sleep on.
2. The age: A toddler’s first bed is one of those landmark moments for parents but one of the main questions we’re asked is how long it’s going to last them. Chances are that a child is going to need two beds to get them through to the age when they’re moving out of home so, again, depending on the space available, we’d usually recommend a single or king single first up and then, potentially, a double or queen to last them through their teens.
3. The space: Most parents come in knowing they need to balance practicality with budget and style when it comes to kitting out their kids’ rooms and that’s why we get plenty of questions about trundler beds and storage. King single trundler beds that fit under existing beds are great option for parents who know they’re going to have plenty of kids’ sleepovers or visits from extended families, options include the Sealy mattress-within-a-mattress style, the Turnwood trundler (which can also fit under the company’s Stratford bunk bed) or the Guest Trundle Frame by Eastwest International. When it comes to storage, there are choices such as Turnwood’s kids range which come with optional draws, or Sleepmaker’s upholstered draw base which has up to four deep drawers with extendable runners – but when it comes to the advice most parents get, it’s to buy a wooden frame with enough space underneath to put your own boxes or drawers.
4. The comfort: This can be a strange one because there are plenty of things to consider, such as whether a child is used to the comfort level of their parents’ bed. Most of our sleep experts, though, think that most parents have a pretty good idea of what level of comfort their children need and, until the children are old enough to argue it out with them, that’s the type of mattress they buy. An interesting aside in New Zealand, though, is that our sleep experts find a majority of Asian parents choose firm beds, whereas a majority of Pakeha New Zealanders choose softer mattresses for their children.
5. The health: Parents who are very particular about their children’s health often ask about natural products that have low allergenic properties and we are able to refer them to products such as Design Mobel which use latex because it is naturally resistant to mould, mildew and dust mites. For the more budget-conscious our sleep experts can also advise using a mattress protector that claims to be dust mite free.
For more information about your nearest store, which beds might suit your child or to get more ideas about how to shop for a bed with a child, contact Bedpost on 0800 233 767, email us via the website or Live Chat with us via the pop-up window on this page.
