A crib for a newborn is not just a place to rest, because literally everything in a baby's life depends on it: how it will grow and develop, whether it will fall off it, how it will sleep. It is here that most of the baby's life passes, therefore, the choice of a cradle should be approached with special attention to the smallest details. There are many design options for such furniture, but round children's beds have appeared quite recently, but they have already won great respect from many young parents. Pay attention to such a model - suddenly this is exactly what you need.
Pros and cons
Like any other product, the round crib has its own advantages and disadvantages. It is worth starting with why consumers love this particular form so much - with its advantages:
- Today, great attention is paid to the issues of modern and unique design, and a round crib best suits such requests. She is also completely not tied to the walls - she can easily be placed even in the center of the nursery, and then the baby will have an excellent overview of his room.
- Small children, reaching the age when physical activity is already sufficiently developedbut, often they sleep restlessly, spinning in a dream - and so on. The shape of a round bed does not interfere with doing this at all, it improves the quality of sleep. Plus, there are no sharp corners, which means it's safer
- The central location of the round crib in the nursery is not just a designer fad... It's very practical. Babies require a lot of attention to themselves, if necessary, parents can quickly approach the cradle from any side - exactly where it is needed.
This is not to say that such a solution has many disadvantages, but still they are. They are relatively insignificant, but in some cases they can become a real hindrance to purchasing a round crib:
- Due to its shape, such furniture takes up a lot of space, especially if you put it in the middle of the room, so this choice is not applicable in a tightly limited space. As for boxes or other useful additions, they are usually either absent altogether, or additionally increase the dimensions of the product.
- There are round transforming beds, plus which - in the possibility of increasing the berth as the baby grows. will be brought.
This proposal looks great, but many parents do not take into account that only the length can be increased, but not the width, which is usually limited (within 60 cm). As practice shows, this is enough only for the first years of life, but before school, even the transformer will have to be changed to something else.
- Usually round cribs are prestigious furniture, they look beautiful and unique, but at the same time they are quite expensive. There are also models with a favorable price offer, but there are relatively few of them, so you have to look for them for a long time.
- An unusual bed shape requires an unusual mattress shapeand this is also a problem. The comparative novelty and high cost of the bed automatically reduces the demand for it, so it cannot be found far from big cities. If, when buying the furniture itself, you can order delivery from afar, then the mattress is hardly special for you.
This option is worthy of attention, but it should be preferred only after all possible risks have been taken into account.
Kinds
The seeming simplicity of the bed did not prevent the designers from coming up with a number of its varieties. If the classic model simply stands on four legs and differs from other beds only in the shape of the berth, then all other options have other characteristic differences.
For example, a hanging round crib combines the best qualities of a cradle and a swing, however, it is quite expensive, and a child will grow out of it rather quickly. This option is exclusively for the rich. The pendulum bed is somewhat similar in its essence, but it at least allows you to limit the swinging amplitude, which is useful in a safety context. However, over time, its mechanism can begin to creak, making it difficult for the baby to sleep.
The semicircular side-bed does not have a side on its flat side - with this edge it is attached to the parent's bed. It is very convenient to quickly lull an awakened baby to sleep, and from the point of view of psychology it is very useful.
The transformer deserves special attention, which allows you to increase the length of the berth. This increases the service life by several years. Some 5-in-1 and 6-in-1 models allow future use as other pieces of furniture - for example, playpen, sofa, table with armchairs.
Dimensions
Please note that the term "round beds" includes not only those products that have the shape of a perfect circle, but also oval models, and it is the latter that make up the majority. Perfectly round options are impractical due to their relatively small size and too short a useful life.
If financial possibilities allow, you can purchase a crib for a child at first only for the first six months - then its dimensions will be 90 × 45 cm or so. For up to 3 years, you will have to choose something much more spacious, because the typical size of such furniture is 120 × 65 cm.
There are also those models that involve many years of use, right up to the beginning of schooling.
Here, the dimensions are even larger, count somewhere around 140 × 70 cm.Do not be surprised if the declared length seems too large for you for children of this age - the corners are rounded, so the extremities cannot be considered a full-fledged part of the berth.
As for transformers, it all depends on how long the size can be increased - or what other pieces of furniture it will then turn into. A crib combined with a chest of drawers can take up no less space than a full-fledged adult bed, so even 190 × 80 cm is not the limit.
Material and color
In fact, the selection of good round beds is limited to three materials - wood, metal and MDF. There are also models made of plywood or chipboard, but they do not meet the main requirement - safety, because these products can emit harmful fumes.
The optimal choice is, of course, a bed made of solid natural wood. If we talk about specific varieties, then birch, alder and maple are in the lead, and pine is a softer, but also more budgetary material. Pay attention not only to the base material, but also to varnish or paint. They should also be of high quality, and a pungent smell is a reason to think about whether to buy a product.
As for the color, most often the beds are not dyed - they have a natural woody shade. If the color is different, then try not to choose too bright options, because they excite the child, preventing him from sleeping normally.
Manufacturers
As with any product, choosing a model based on the manufacturer's fame can play an important role in making a purchase. As a rule, well-known brands are not in vain on hearing - they are praised for their quality, so you can count on a good deal already at the moment when you see a familiar brand name.
If we talk about specific manufacturers, then so far there are not so many of them. A significant part of consumers prefer products of a domestic manufacturer - the company "My baby"... Due to its Russian origin, such a bed will cost significantly less, and its quality will be at the same time as good foreign analogues.
For those who believe that their child is worthy of only the best examples, there are round cribs from Italian brands. One of the most famous among them is the brand Incanto, characterized by the production of very functional transformers, up to 7 in 1. Italians care about the health of babies, so in the process of making furniture they use exclusively natural materials.
Another Italian brand - Nuovita... This is an undoubted elite class, since the beds are made of beech and cost a lot. This company also pays great attention to the additional functions of the bed, and most importantly, it has an excellent range of products.
Additional equipment and textiles
The set often includes a mattress of a similar shape, but if it is not there, you will have to buy it separately. As for other useful accessories, silicone pads on the sides will be useful, since during the period when teeth appear, children often chew on the railing, which can cause injury and damage the furniture.
If you purchase a mattress separately, pay special attention to the rather high rigidity of the product, as well as to the materials from which it is made. Give preference to completely safe natural materials - for example, coconut fiber, foam rubber or holofiber.
The mattress cover should also ideally be natural - say, made of cotton, while synthetic fabrics are less preferred. As for the size, the mattress should match the shape and size of the bed, while the height is not particularly important.
Bed linen can be anything, the main thing is that it is sufficient in size, as well as that you can fill it correctly. Again, try to choose only a natural product. You can purchase a special sheet with an elastic band, then you can attach it to the sides, and the baby, tossing and turning, will not be able to wrinkle it or pull it off.
Reviews
The overwhelming number of reviews about round cribs from those who decided to buy them are positive. The vast majority of models are equipped with wheels, which is very convenient for cleaning. The possibility of adjusting the bottom level is also called very practical. If one of the sides is removed, turning an ordinary round bed into an extension, this further increases the functionality of the product. It can be noted that parents are usually happy with the purchase.
There are also negative opinions, but there are relatively few of them. Those who chose the smallest cribs are especially unhappy - they often turn out to be quite cramped even for a six-month-old baby. Another point is not a very wide assortment of special bed linen, which, however, can be replaced with the usual one. Criticism also applies to high prices, but those who complain about this factor are usually not convinced of the presence of all the advantages of such products.
For an overview of round baby beds, see the following video.
