The Baby Gets Bigger — How to Set Up a Nursery for Him?
Your child is no longer a toddler and is becoming more independent every day? Does it play alone more often and look for a quiet place in the house or apartment? Then it is probably about two and a half years old and you can think about converting the baby room into a nursery.
But what is different in a children's room than in that of a baby? You may have already adjusted one or the other when you noticed your child's changing needs. Here are a few ideas on how to furnish your child's room and what to consider in terms of safety.
The Right Cot
The question of a new bed arises as one of the first when you set up a children's room. If your child has slept in his cot up to this point, you have probably already rebuilt it so that he can get in and out on his own. But how big should the new bed be?
Basically, nothing speaks against a large standard bed with the masses 90×200 centimeters. If you install a fall protection, your child can now sleep in a large bed. Many children are happy and proud to have the same bed as the grown-ups. If it feels a bit lost at the beginning with so much space, for example, the plush toys can go to bed and line up along the edge. What also creates a homely atmosphere is a canopy or mosquito net. Maybe you even want to hang a string of lights over your child's bed, which also provides cosines.
If you do not have a lot of space available in the nursery, loft beds are a suitable solution. They are characterized by the fact that the lying surface is more than 1.5 meters above the ground. However, loft beds are recommended by experts only from the age of 6 years, because on a bed not only sleep, but also rooms. Children under the age of 6 are not yet able to assess the amount and the associated dangers.
An alternative to the loft bed is the half loft bed. With a lying surface of just over a meter above the ground, it is significantly lower than a loft bed. Half-raised beds are often equipped with a slide, which of course makes the bed particularly attractive for children. Here, too, the experts recommend a minimum age of 6 years. But let's be honest: Children over the age of 6 no longer slide down a slide with the same enthusiasm as three-year-olds do. So it is up to you as a parent whether you can ensure safety if, for example, your child organizes a slide party with his friends. The advantage of half-bunk beds is that you as a parent are standing at the height of your child. In addition, just like the loft bed, it is a space-saving variant because storage space is created under the bed.
Loft and half loft beds can be pitched up into so-called play beds. In specialist shops, there are countless ways in which you can put together a personal play bed. You can convert it into a knight's castle or a princess castle, attach a basketball hoop, mount a climbing wall or even buy the window for a puppet theater.
If the loft or half loft bed has become obsolete one day because your teenager prefers to sleep in a normal bed, most of these beds can break down the high legs.
Making bed linen is more difficult with bunk and half loft beds than with normal beds. It takes some mobility, patience and sometimes good nerves until the fixed linen is attached.
If you do not want to put your child to sleep in a large bed yet, a junior bed is recommended as an interim solution. These beds measure between 70×140 and 90×160 centimeters and are in most cases equipped with a permanently mounted fall protection. Especially if you are planning a loft bed for later, but your child is still too young for it, a junior bed is a good solution.
Another possibility is the co-wax bed. However, you would have to decide on this early on, because with a length of 140 centimeters, babies can already sleep in it. This bed is characterized by the fact that you can gradually adapt it to the size of your child. However, with a co-wax bed, you need a suitable mattress or at least a mattress part after each adjusted size, with which you can increase the lying surface.
Before buying a bed, also consider whether a bed with additional storage space can help you. Many beds in are available with bed drawers. These are large drawers that fill the gap between bed and floor and offer plenty of storage space. There are these so-called storage space beds with both open and lockable compartments.
The Right Mattress for The Cot
The mattress for a cot, just like that of the cot, should not be too soft. It is ideal if the upper body sinks up to 2 centimeters. Especially in childhood, bone growth is so rapid that the muscles lag behind a bit. As a result, the spine is not yet optimally protected and needs good stability during sleep. In the specialist trade you can get advice on which degree of hardness is recommended due to the weight of your child.
As with the baby bed mattresses, there are also different materials for cots. Here, too, the cold foam mattress is very popular, as it is not too expensive to buy, well air-permeable and suitable for allergy sufferers. Unlike baby mattresses, however, these cold foam mattresses can already be equipped with different lying zones and mattress contours or combined with other materials, such as latex.
If you prefer a mattress made of natural materials, you can also choose from a wide range here. Especially for children with animal hair allergies, for example, mattresses made of a combination of virgin wool, coconut and latex are very suitable.
Popular are so-called reversible mattresses. These have two different degrees of hardness for the growing child and can be turned over if necessary.
Basically, cot mattresses have a removable and washable cover. In addition, you should protect the mattress as soon as your child no longer wears diapers at night. Use a waterproof mattress protector, but it is necessarily air-permeable.
Which Slatted Frame Does a Cot Need?
With the slatted frame, it is important that this gives the back of the child as much support and support as possible, even if the low weight of the child hardly stresses the slatted frame. Therefore, a slatted frame with the rigid est possible cross-connections is recommended. The slatted frame is especially useful for cots to ensure good ventilation of the mattress from below. The ideal distance between the individual slats is between 4 and 5 cm.
In addition, the slatted frame should be stable and well attached to the contact surface. Children use the bed not only for sleeping, at some point they discover that you can also romp around wonderfully in it.
When buying a slatted frame, make sure that it has been produced with low emissions.
The Ideal Wardrobe for Your Child.
If you were able to store the clothes for the baby in a changing table, a child now needs a little more space for the clothes. In addition, you will no longer need the changing table at some point.
When buying a wardrobe, it is advisable to think a little ahead. Especially with regard to the size of the cabinet, you will not regret it - if you have enough space — if you already decide on a spacious model. But also note that in a few years, a colorful nursery cabinet may no longer meet the taste of the adolescent.
For a wardrobe in the children's room, the most important thing is that it should be robust. Therefore, solid wood is very suitable. In addition, it is practical if the cabinet has a smooth, wipe able surface, wood grains, for example, are more difficult to clean.
The interior design of the cabinet can be completely adapted to your needs. Whether you prefer drawers or compartments is up to you.
Very important is the attachment of the wardrobe. Children like to climb and come up with the most incredible ideas. Therefore, anchor the cabinet very well in the wall. In most cases, screws, dowels and, if necessary, contra-angle hand pieces are already supplied by the manufacturer.