Children


Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

Planning for the long term

5004Your kids will always change their minds. Whether it’s within seconds, minutes, hours, or days, it’s inevitable that your child will at one point change their mind about their likes and interests.  Seventeen years of these attitude changes can take its toll on any room, and can become very expensive. So how do you prepare for your child’s ever-changing tastes when designing their room?

Plan for the long term

Your focus when planning for longevity needs to be solely on the furniture pieces. This is where designing a room time-and-time again can become very costly.  Kids are very hard on furniture. That’s a fact. Buying quality, well-built pieces is vital here. This doesn’t mean you have to break the bank and buy the absolute best. But look at the manufacturer’s warranty and take it into consideration when deciding what to buy. Also, heavier woods are sturdier and will last longer, but can be more expensive. Woods like pine are not as high quality, but will save you money.

Stay with the traditional

With the amount of TV and movies your children are exposed too, it’s hard to say what characters or themes they will like from one day to the next.  So when your child decides it’s time for a new style in their room, simply change the wall hangings or the painting scheme. This is something that can be inexpensive and easy to change. Kids outgrow themes on a daily basis, so if you purchase a new bed with every theme, plan for a lot of spending.

The sooner, the better

When designing for a nursery, stay away from gender specific colors like pink for a girl and blue for a boy. Thinking long term means using neutral shades for paints, and then adding bolder colors to the accent pieces. Accent pieces can be changed down the road and are fairly inexpensive.

Wall stickers are also a great way to decorate. They peel off very easily and are inexpensive as well.

Finally, multi-stage pieces will also help when planning for the longevity of the room. For instance, cribs that convert into toddler beds will last for years and serve a multi-purpose.  As will a six-drawer dresser with a changer on top instead of just a changing table.

When designing your child’s room for longevity, visit your local PMD Furniture Direct ™ franchisee and shop their enormous selection of furniture from the Royal Heritage Home Furnishings Collection so you know your child’s furniture will last a lifetime!

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Bunk Bed Safety

Bunk Bed SafetyA parent’s most important job in life is to protect their children. From the day they are born, it is our constant mission to ensure their surroundings are free from danger. We baby proof the house, buy organic food and check the lead levels on their age-appropriate toys.

But how can we watch over and protect them when everyone is asleep, with many children snuggly tucked into bed several feet off the ground? Bunk Beds are one of the most popular beds for youth bedroom furniture. Besides being a real space saver, there is something appealing to kids that makes sleeping high off the ground awesome!

Here are a few precautions you can follow that will help make your child’s bunk bed more secure.

  1. Make sure your child is old enough to sleep in a bunk bed. Check the age recommendations when shopping for a bed, and have your child test out the bed before you buy it. They should be able to easily climb into and out of the bed by themselves.
  2. The top bunk should always have a guardrail on all four sides, even if it will be placed against a wall. There should be no more than 9 centimeters (3.54 inches) between the bottom of the rail and the frame of the bed to prevent the child from becoming trapped between the rail and the frame.
  3. It’s essential to use the proper size mattress on your bunk bed. Make sure the mattress you buy fits snugly against all edges of the bed frame. If you buy an extra long bunk bed, make sure the mattress is extra long as well.

Visit your PMD Furniture Direct ™ franchisee for fun and functional youth bedroom furniture, where you’ll also find the Royal Heritage Home Furnishings® Bedding Collection with a wide assortment of mattresses to safely fit your bunk beds (and grown up beds!) for a safe and sound night’s sleep.