Gillies Furniture Article

Children's furniture is rapidly becoming one of the most sought after types of furnishings being bought today. With two parent incomes, and lowering number of per family children; there is extra money left in the budget for this expenditure. In the past, kids usually grew out of children's bedroom furniture too quickly to warrant spending money on it throughout each stage of life. When babies' grew out of cribs, they were given single beds which they kept until they became adults, but the future of furniture has changed. There are 3-in-1 bedroom sets, whereby a crib, once no longer needed, can convert to a toddler bed, which can then convert to a single, full or queen-size bed. These types of ingenious styles allow a parent to purchase one item that can be used throughout a child's life. These unique purchases, however, come with a hefty price tag, so the investment in 3-in-1 set should be thoroughly researched before a purchase is made. In addition to the practicality of purchasing these pieces, there are also the benefits of safety to consider. Children's furniture tends to have smoother surfaces that are free from splinters and rough edges. Bolts, screws and joints are hidden and meant to be secured tightly. The JPMA or Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association Certification Seal assures parents that products are built to the very highest safety standards. This is especially important in cribs. Crib slats or spindles must be spaced no more than 2 3/8 inches apart. This protects a child's head from being caught in between the spindles. When buying children's bedroom furniture used, or from antique stores, parents should make sure that if the pieces are not up to date with current safety guidelines, adjustments are made. The mattresses should also fit snugly leaving no room for tiny fingers to get caught in between. Parents should be very concerned with providing safety and protection for their children. And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children (Isaiah 54:13). Experts recommend against the purchase of bunk beds for children under 6 years of age. Top bunks should have guardrails to keep a child from rolling off the bed while they sleep. The guardrails should extend at least 5 inches above the mattress. The mattress should fit snug on the board or springs. In addition to all these standards for bunk beds, the ladder could be the most important of all. Parents should be certain that bunk beds have a sturdy ladder that prohibits falling accidents. As an additional safety precaution on children's bedroom furniture in the form of a bunk bed is to never allow more than one child at a time onto the top bunk. Kids like to horseplay, it would not be uncommon to have one child accidentally fall off of the top bunk. In addition to the dangers a bunk bed holds, parents should never place a child's bed near windows where they can climb onto and fall out. Children's bedroom furniture should certainly be inspected carefully by the parent before a purchase is made. Chests and dressers are also an ideal purchase for younger ones with smaller clothing. Also, the children's bedroom furniture is smaller in height making it easier for the child to put away or remove their clothing or other items independently. As a precautionary suggestion, parents should also inspect children's furniture in the form of chests and dressers. The drawers should open and shut smoothly and with ease. The drawers should also have an automatic stop that prevents them from being pulled out all the way and surprisingly falling on a child. Teach the child to only open one drawer at a time and never allow children to stand in open drawers. Their weight placed on one side of the dresser may cause the entire dresser to fall over on top of them. Care in the selection of appropriate pieces should be made, especially when siblings of different sizes and ages are sharing a room. Bookcases and entertainment centers are also continuing to grow in popularity. Bookcases should always be secured to a wall to prevent them from tipping over. Many young children like to climb on top of bookshelves. Securing furniture to a wall will prevent injury should a child climb onto the piece. In addition to climbing on children's furniture, overloading a top shelf of a bookshelf can also cause instability in the piece, either by a collapsing shelf or by allowing the uneven distribution of the weight to tip the shelf over. Some bookshelves can be attached to a desk or chest. Caution and accuracy should be taken during the assembly process. Entertainment centers carry the same risk as bookshelves. Proper assembly and weight distribution is absolutely necessary for the protection of young children, especially when loading the entertainment center with something as heavy as a television set or stereo. For more information: http://www.christianet.com/furniture