Alston Furniture Article

Furnishing Your Child’s Room-Some Things to Keep in Mind

When you find out that you have a new baby on the way, it can be a lot of fun to design and furnish your child’s nursery. Odds are, you will take a lot time making sure everything is perfect, and the room is 100% safe for your new little bundle of joy. When your child grows older, and it is time to buy new furniture you should keep much the same frame of mind.

First and foremost, you should make certain that your child’s room is safe. Your child needs to be allowed to play and spend time in there unsupervised, with you comfortably certain that he or she won’t get hurt in anyway while in there. When you go shopping for furniture for your child’s room, you should keep safety in mind, above all else.

If you are unsure what to look for in children’s furniture as far as safety is concerned do some research online, especially at the consumer safety commission website. You will be able to see any recalls that have been made for safety reasons, as well as find some valuable tips that can help you when you actually go shopping.

You want to make certain that the furniture you put in your child’s room is sturdy, as you know he or she may feel the urge to climb on it at some point, is highly durable and can hold up to a child’s use, and is able to support the child’s weight, in the event the child does decide to pretend he is a monkey, as they all will eventually do.

You want to make certain that the furniture you choose has smooth edges, and if you are in doubt, you can purchase soft guards that can be affixed to the edges before it is placed in the child’s room, just as an added safety measure. This will help prevent lacerations when the child runs into or inadvertently falls and hits the corner of the bed, desk, etc.

The furniture should be heavy enough to not turn over when the child tries to climb on it, or should be somehow secured to the wall. A child could be seriously injured by having a heavy piece of furniture topple over on him, so you want to be careful here. Make sure that you don’t place anything on a high shelf in the child’s room, so that there is no temptation to climb to get it. If you have shelves or storage units in the room, put heavy items on the bottom, which will also help to anchor them in place.

You also have to be careful with toy boxes, as the lids can often cause injury to the child as well.

If you choose to purchase bunk beds, make certain that they are sturdy enough to hold up to your children and that you place them against the wall so that the child could not fall in between the bed and the wall. Safety rails should also be used, especially on the top bunk. The mattress should also fit well, so that there are no gaps.