Children''s beds must be carefully selected
29/11/2011
There will come a time when kids need to move into their first children's bed - a move that can fill some parents with dread. With so many different products on the market, knowing where to start can be a tough task, but one expert believes it is a necessary one.
The first thing to bear in mind is that a children's bed needs to be new, explained a spokesperson for the Sleep Council. She emphasised that any old bed will not do its job properly and could even create health problems for the child.
For example, a mattress that has been handed down is likely to contain dust mites and other allergens that could exacerbate medical conditions such as asthma. Other nasties that may be found in a mattress include hair and dead skin, which are unlikely to be conducive to a great night's sleep.
A mattress should offer support to the child's body as they rest and will not do this effectively if it has been used by someone else. The Sleep Council spokeswoman noted that a hand-me-down mattress will have shaped itself to the other person's body, therefore making it uncomfortable for the youngster.
"Most kids will need at least two or three beds as they grow up – and at each stage they will have different requirements, as they grow," highlighted the expert. A child's first bed after they leave their cot should be big enough for their needs, but scaled in relation to their size.
After that, the spokeswoman recommended buying a new children's bed around the age of ten, which should then last them through their teenage years. "Your ten-year-old might be under five-foot tall – but by the age of 15 or 16 he or she could be over six-foot!" added the expert.
Posted by Michael Ewing
