Sofa bed for children

The task of choosing a bed for a child is one of the most difficult for young parents, because it is necessary to provide optimal conditions for sleeping together with an attractive appearance and complete environmental safety, as well as health benefits.

The cost, the occupied space and additional functionality of the purchased furniture also play an important role. In pursuit of solving all the tasks, parents often prefer a sofa bed with bumpers for children, and it should be admitted that the choice of this option is indeed largely justified.

Features, pros and cons

When creating the sofa bed, the developers and designers set a goal to combine the best characteristics of two pieces of furniture in one. The bed is generally much more comfortable to sleep in, softer and more tailored in size. In addition, if we are talking about a really small child, then quite normal bumpers for the bed, which do not allow him to fall out during sleep or active games, would be very useful for him.

As for the sofas, they are good for the ability to fold and unfold, when at night this is a large space for sleeping, and during the day it can be reduced several times, making room for the play area right in the room.

The sofa also has quite a lot of rigidity, which is good for posture, and also guarantees a certain strength that can withstand the active entertainment of children.

It can be noted that the design of the intermediate type has the following advantages:

Combination of strength and softness (in the best traditions of both "ancestors") allows you to sleep comfortably and play no less comfortably.
With the addition of a good orthopedic mattress there is no need to be afraid that the child will develop any of the spinal deformities.
The sofa bed also allows the presence of sides, which allows the baby not to fall.
Collapsible design allows resizing, so the designers have thought about how to make the sleeping place possible to increase as the baby grows. This is not only convenient, but also significantly increases the life of the product.

The very possibility of assembly makes such a solution an excellent solution. in a situation where there is not so much space in the nursery, because a rather large sofa bed at night decreases to a very modest size during the day.
The sofa bed is available in a variety of colors and designs, among which there are suitable for both boys and girls. You can easily find a model that fits into your interior.
Creating a sleeping place especially for babies, manufacturers always take care of the absence of sharp corners and other dangerous structural elements.
Most often, a sofa bed is also equipped with built-in storage boxes., which allows you to additionally save space and parents' money, because you do not have to buy an additional bedside table or wardrobe.

This kind of furniture is almost perfect, but even it has several disadvantages. They are not very important, but it is better to know about them before making a purchase:

The sides that protect the child from falling are soft - so that there are no injuries. They pick up dust that is harmful to your baby very quickly, so be prepared to wash or vacuum them frequently. This will need to be done regularly.
The protective collar is usually made solid and high enoughso that the child cannot fall over or roll over. This means that air access is actually only open from above, which is also not always good.
If the roll-out bed is "hidden" inside the sofa body, then this imposes clear restrictions on its size. It cannot be too high, otherwise the baby will not be able to climb onto the sofa himself, and a sleeping place that is too low will not be comfortable even for a small child.

In addition, a very thin mattress is also required for normal placement inside the case, which can adversely affect the health of the baby. Moreover, if you need to buy a mattress separately, it can be a big problem.

Models

Over the years of the existence of the concept of a children's sofa bed, designers have managed to create several varieties of this type of furniture, each of which has its own characteristics:

Transformer with removable sides. One of the most popular solutions, because with a large berth in the unfolded form, this piece of furniture can be reduced to the size of an ordinary chair. This is a great space saver. In addition, it will be possible to use such furniture in the form of an armchair for many years - even after the child is out of childhood.
Bunk bed with sofa. This is not quite a sofa bed in the classical sense of the word, but it is a very profitable solution in a situation when there are two children in the family at once, who live in a relatively small room.

There is no combination of two types of furniture in one, just the second tier is a typical couch, and instead of the first one, a sofa of an appropriate size is installed. The set is traditionally complemented by storage boxes (or even a small closet).

Sofa with a bed on a roll-out mechanism. It is to this category that the very popular children's models "Vinnie" and "Exotic" belong. The bottom line is that at first glance there is an ordinary sofa in front of us, but inside it there is practically a separate bed. Disassembled, you get a bed, but not instead of a sofa, but in addition to it.
Non-folding sofa bed. The peculiarity of this option is in a stable size, since it cannot be folded and unfolded. The sleeping place here maximally combines the best qualities of both a sofa and a bed. However, it is worth noting that due to the limited sleeping space and the inability to expand the bed, the use of such furniture is limited to several years - approximately until the first trip to school.

A sofa-book - or any other folding sofa. They are laid out according to the patterns typical for simple sofas - for example, the "book" is laid out by lifting and turning the upper part. They are good with a large sleeping space, but in some folding models, the sides are fixed around the perimeter when folded - or they are simply not enough to cover the increased berth.

Design

If we talk about the visual aspect, design, then we can distinguish separate models for girls and for boys, decorated with your favorite characters - princesses for the first and heroes for the second. There are also models that do not have a specific reference to the sex of the child - they are either decorated with neutral characters and pictures, or have an attractive appearance without specific images.

However, design plays not only a decorating role, but also a practical one. Take at least the same bumpers - they can look completely different, thanks to which the whole structure acquires certain advantages. Often, the choice of a specific model should be made in relation to the shape of the sides, and here's why:

The stationary sides are securely fixed around the perimeter of the sofa and cannot be removed. Usually, these are installed on those models that, in principle, do not unfold, otherwise the convenience of transforming furniture will be severely limited. The advantage of such a solution is that the side will not come off or break, it is extremely reliable.

At the same time, there is nothing to think about how to remove and wash it if necessary - all that remains is to vacuum.

Half sides are also attached to the base, but not around the entire perimeter, but usually only on the sides, in the upper part of the berth. With high security guarantees, this allows the structure to be extended in length, but also limits the possibility of cleaning the side.
Full four-sided bumpers are removable, they are easy to wash and wash, the main thing here is that the child, while resting, was not able to knock them down. The question remains open as to what size they are designed for - folded or unfolded. In the first case, they will not be enough for the entire perimeter, in the second case, the "extra" sides will take up additional space in the storage box for the folded sofa.
Detachable sides are probably the best of all possible solutions. They are removable, allowing you to clean the surface, when folded, they look like full four-sided options, and when unfolded, they turn into half.

Location

Since children's sofa beds are available in a variety of options, the location in the nursery should be determined based on how much empty space there is. It is quite obvious that a sofa bed should adjoin the wall at least on one side. You can also admit the option of location in the corner. In this case, the model must be chosen in such a way that it unfolds in the direction of free space - and so that this space really was there. Do not be afraid of overlapping the play area with the unfolded sleeping place - the child will still not be able to sleep and play at the same time.

If the space is relatively small, give preference to small models. Some transformers when folded can be transformed to the size of a simple chair, so they can fit almost anywhere.

This is a good solution in situations where the free section of the wall is too narrow, but then be prepared for the fact that in the coming years, when the baby grows up a little, the sleeping place may turn out to be too narrow for him. If the space near the wall allows, it is better to buy a typical sofa, which in one way or another unfolds towards the center of the room.

Tips for choosing

When planning to choose a specific model, decide on the place where you plan to put it. Only in this way will you know the sizes that suit you and can immediately discard those models that will not fit because of the too wide or incorrectly positioned back.

It is best to draw up for yourself a certain image of a suitable sofa in advance, including the color scheme that fits optimally into the interior. Arriving at the store, you can simply give preference to the option that most resembles the ideal. As for specific tips for choosing, they can be formulated as follows:

Great attention is paid to the material of manufacture. It must be not only safe and non-toxic, but also carefully processed to avoid injury. Avoid buying furniture made of chipboard - it is cheap, but saving money will affect your baby's health.

Keep in mind that, ideally, the sleeping place should not be much larger than the child himself, but he is constantly growing. If you want to purchase furniture for many years to come, pay attention to the transformer-type sofa beds, which allow you to increase the sleeping space, as well as remove the sides that are no longer needed.
Choose a stable structure with a resilient surface - it will withstand even the jumps so beloved by children, while it will not contribute to deformation of posture during sleep. Try to select furniture that does not have unnecessary sharp protrusions that can cause serious injury.

Think about your child's aesthetic needs. If possible, buy a beautiful sofa that your baby will definitely like. In addition to models decorated with colorful images, there are even more sophisticated designs with light and sound effects.

You will learn more about choosing the right sofa bed for your child in this video.