How To Choose Furniture For A Kids’ Room: 12 Useful Tips
In this article, we will talk about why is it important to select a table according to a child’s height, which models of beds are the safest and what questions you need to ask manufacturer before buying furniture for your kid’s room.
If you decorate a nursery, a cot, a chest of drawers and a changing table is probably all what you need to purchase from furniture, but what to buy when kids are getting older? What to look for and how not to make a mistake: here are several important points to take into consideration.
Appearance
1. Pay attention to the materials that furniture is made of. For a kids’ room it is better to choose natural wood, MDF or plywood. Check with the manufacturer the thickness of the materials – it must be at least 15 mm thick for all cabinets.
2. Take a closer look at hardware. This is something where a manufacturer can save lots of money because it is not visible at first sight. Find out what kind of hardware they are using and where it is produced: ideally it should be quality products made by well-known manufacturers (Hettich, GRASS, Hafele, Blum).
3. Look at the furniture from all sides. If you can not do that for some reason (for example, you buy it online), do not hesitate to ask the manufacturer for photos of furniture from different angles – by doing so you can assess the quality of work.
4. Check the certificates. Children’s furniture is a special category of products: it must provide the necessary comfortable conditions for the normal development of children. The health of any child directly depends on its quality.
Ergonomics
5. Imagine the furniture “in action” – in an environment close to the reality. If you purchase online, ask the photos of furniture with people – like this you can better imagine its dimensions.
6. Remember the rules of ergonomics. Children grow quickly and often they need furniture “for growth”. For example, starting from the third year of life, the bed should vary in dimensions from 70х150 cm to 80х170 cm.
7. Adjust the height. At 5 years old the child will easily reach the shelf at a height of 130 cm, and at 7 years – up to 150 cm. If you hang them higher, getting things out of them will be difficult.
8. Choose the right desktop. It is very important for your kid to maintain the posture and good eyesight. The height of the table for a child of 6-7 years old should be 52 cm, for 7-8 years old – 58 cm, for 9-11 years old – 70 cm. For toddlers under 6 years old tables with a height of 40-45 cm will be enough.
Safety
9. Check the materials. Paints for kids’ furniture should be based on harmless solvents, preferably water-based (acrylic, acrylic-polyurethane or oil-wax).
10. Pay attention to details. The hinges and mechanisms of the drawers should be with soft-close runners so that the child does not pinch his hands.
11. Remove the wires. If the furniture or decor has any wires (for example, built-in lighting), then good fixing and insulation is important. Make sure that all sockets are protected from children’s access.
12. Minimize sharp corners. Give preference to furniture with rounded angles so that your kid does not hit the corner or scratch himself with it.
Hope that these tips were useful! Check out some cool ideas of furniture for your kid’s room at Fantastic Furniture website.
