How To Select Furniture For Children

It’s a frequent predicament; decorating a toddler nursery with the right child furniture. Your child has advanced beyond teddy bears and pastel decorations, and is ready for a motif that looks more “grown up" but still retains that sense of innocence. You also want child furniture that’s as practical as it is pretty. After all, your child’s grown more active and curious. He loves to play, read, and occasionally subject his toys to the loud banging and kicking.

Design – The initial move is to settle on a theme. Look at your child’s personality and personal preferences. Does he love cars or animals, cowboys or aliens? Is she spellbound with fairy tales or stories of jungle safaris? If you’re not certain, then narrow the choices to two and let your child pick – the room becomes more special if he helped put it together.

Functionality – When buying child furniture, check functionality and design. The stools should be sturdy, and use non-leaded paint. Look for surfaces that are easy to wipe clean and have rounded corners. Desks should have an adequate amount of room to accommodate paper and crayons, tea sets or books. After all, this is your child’s “work space". Particular incentives are ledges or storage space where you can store small boxes for art materials, puzzle pieces and other knick knacks.

Safety – The advantage of buying specialty children’s furniture is that you’re more or less assured that they have met safety regulations and are constructed for a child’s dimensions (at least he won’t topple over as he attempts to clamber up a chair!). And naturally, the nice-looking design encourages the child to sit and play. This is his table, his chair, and for toddlers, that awareness of ownership is an immense factor in establishing self-esteem. He is growing more independent, and the function of parents is to allow for just enough freedom in a safe environment – like a room where everything is child-friendly. Here he can be left alone for hours, learning to play independently and explore on his own, without mommy constantly worrying that he’ll break something (or his neck). That alone makes investing in specialty child’s furniture worthwhile.

Tables and chairs encourage your child to spend hours drawing, writing, reading, or engaging in pretend play. This set will serve as the stage for your child’s imagination. With no table or chair, your child will be forced to do these activities on the floor, while hunched over, or lying on his stomach. This is exhausting and eventually bad for his posture.

Book cases will encourage a child’s love for reading, so books must be kept accessible. He should be able to grab a book whenever he wants to, and then return the book himself (unless you want to develop the habit of picking up after him each time!)

Toys can get lost or broken if they are left willy-nilly on the floor. The most effective toy storage ought to have special compartments to segregate the various items in his ever-growing collection. Instructing your child to sort out toys (stuffed animals on one shelf, blocks on another) also helps him develop abstract thinking.

By: Azlan

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Alan Parkins is a researcher and writer working for www.basichomedecor.com, where you can get all the best children’s furniture at the best prices. Visit us for all your furniture and decor needs.