Choosing furniture for the little ones

Recommendation points

• Selection features
• Bed and cradle
• Arena
• Changing table or board
• Chest of drawers
• Feeding chair

Among all pieces of furniture, there is a special category that evokes tenderness and awe in all parents, without exception. Of course, this is furniture for newborns. It is easy to understand such a gentle and even enthusiastic attitude – firstly, all these playpens, cradles and chairs look incredibly cute, and secondly, because this is the first place for feeding, resting and playing the baby, you need to provide him with maximum comfort and safety!

Buying a dowry for a newborn becomes an exciting experience for future parents. In addition to traditional sliders, hats and undershirts, this set also includes furniture that will allow not only to provide the baby with a comfortable living environment, but also to help the mother cope with pleasant, long-awaited, but, what should be hidden, heavy and never-ending responsibilities for baby care.

Today’s range of furniture for the smallest is able to satisfy the needs of even the most demanding and demanding parents. But the prices for accessories for babies nowadays usually “bite” and you will have to fork out to provide comfort for mommy and newborn.

Let’s try to figure out what pieces of furniture the smallest family members need, what you need to pay attention to when choosing a playpen or cradle, changing table or feeding chair. How much does it cost to furnish a nursery for a baby?

In any case, even if the newborn does not yet have his own room, even if he sleeps with his mother for the first time, he still needs his own furniture. A playpen where you can leave it during the day while your mother prepares lunch, a changing table for morning and night hygiene procedures, a chest of drawers where you can separately fold diapers and sliders so that they are at hand, and so on

Selection features

What do all parents pay attention to when choosing a playpen or a chair for their baby? For comfort, safety, environmental friendliness and, of course, cost. Let’s try to figure out each of these most important selection criteria.

Comfort.Furniture should be comfortable not only for crumbs, but also for parents. For example, if you are choosing a arena, then its base should rise and fall several levels. While the baby still does not know how to sit and roll over, the sleeping place will be raised to the maximum level so that the mother does not have to bend over, reaching for the baby, and then gradually descends, protecting the fidget from falling. One of the walls should go down, again, so that it is more convenient for the mother to reach the baby. In addition, in the future, such a playpen may well turn into a crib for a grown crumbs, who will already learn how to get out of it on their own. It is convenient if there is a box for bedding under the playpen, and it itself can swing to lull the baby to sleep, but at the same time it can be fixed when this function becomes unnecessary. The cradle wheels should be rubberized to ensure silent movement around the room. The changing table should be of an optimal or adjustable height, with secure sides and a soft mattress. Combined models are also convenient: a chest of drawers with a diaper, a bed with a folding table, and so on. Think about which option will be the most convenient for you.

Safety.High sides, reliable fasteners, stable legs – your baby will very soon begin to roll over, and then sit and climb on the legs, so the playpen and changing area should ensure its safety, preventing it from falling out of the crib or chair.

Sustainability.Today, safety means not only the reliability of the furniture itself and the maximum possible protection of the child, but also the use of environmentally friendly materials that will definitely not cause allergies or cause more serious diseases. The undisputed leader in the production of furniture for babies remains natural wood, coated only with water-based varnish. There is children’s furniture made of both chipboard and MDF, but in this case it is worth asking for a quality certificate to make sure that this material is really intended specifically for the manufacture of furniture and is safe. The ecological purity of materials for creating children’s furniture is usually confirmed by a certificate of conformity and a hygienic certificate, and the reliability of the manufacturer is certified by ISO 9001: 2000. To ensure a healthy sleep for the child and prevent the occurrence of allergic reactions, doctors-somnologists advise to purchase beds made of pine, birch, maple, cherry and beech, and mattresses filled with algae and coconut. The only pity is that such products are much more expensive than ordinary ones made of not so “green” materials.

The cost.The price of a complete set of furniture for a newborn, which, in addition to the traditional chest of drawers, changing table, playpen or cradle, includes a mirror with a shelf, a chest for your favorite toys, a hanger, a wall pocket for small things, a height gauge lamp and a chandelier can reach 100 thousand rubles. Experts emphasize that it is usually cheaper to buy not a complete set for a nursery, but individual pieces of furniture, independently collecting the entire set of everything you need. Of course, foreign-made furniture is more expensive. Among the most famous manufacturers of furniture for newborns, we should note Chicco, Brevi, Julia, Pali, Peg-Perego, Marina Dal Santo, Picci, BabyExpert, Foppapedretti, Erbesi, Mibb (all – Italy), Piccolino (Poland), Webe Confort (France ), Haba (Germany), Kolcraft, Simplicity (both US companies), Leanderform and BabyDan (both Denmark), Trama (Portugal), Mothercare (UK), Stokke (Norway) and HPA (Greece). Among domestic manufacturers, whose products often do not differ in quality and attractiveness from foreign furniture for babies, Mozhginsky Lesokombinat and Kubanlesstroy have a good reputation. The cost of a crib from the Russian factory “Mozhginsky Lesokombinat” is on average 6-13 thousand rubles, while a bed for a crumbs of Italian or French production usually costs at least 15 thousand rubles, and can reach 60 thousand. We can confidently state that the range of prices for furniture items for newborns is very large and depends on the quality of the materials used, design, as well as the popularity of the brand itself..

A playpen on wheels, easily moves around the room, allows you to rock the baby, and a removable wall turns it into a full bed, where the child can sleep up to five to seven years

Unique cradle from the Danish company Leander. The cradle itself is made of cotton, there is a mattress inside, attached to a special support. The price of the entire set with fasteners – from 23 thousand rubles

Set – changing table with chest of drawers and wall shelf. In the future, the bumpers at the top can be removed and used as a regular storage place for children’s things

Designer cradle from wicker vine, manufacturer Marina Dal Santo (Italy), price – about 60 thousand rubles

Children’s nursery from the Italian company Picci, with a cradle for motion sickness and a playpen for night sleep. Price with mattresses, chandelier and other accessories – from 100 thousand rubles

Bed and cradle

Of course, the most necessary piece of furniture for every baby just brought from the hospital is a sleeping place. It should be noted that all cots can be divided into three types:

1. Cradles.
2. Classic cots.
3. Models that combine cradle and bed or playpen and cradle.

It is often difficult for newly minted dad and mom to choose between a cradle and a crib. It is believed that newborns, having spent the last months in their mother’s now cramped belly, do not like large open spaces and feel more comfortable in small cradles, cradles that can swing pleasantly, soothing the baby. Other advantages of the cradle include its compactness – it takes up less space than a standard playpen crib, as well as the ease with which it can move around the room or “move” to the dacha.

But such a cradle will last only six months – leaving a grown up and already able to sit down baby in such a cradle will no longer work, he outgrows his first berth rather quickly and can simply swing and turn over his light cradle. The playpen bed will last much longer, at least two years, and in the case of a removable side wall – all five years.

If finances permit, then, of course, you can purchase a cradle for the first few months, and a bed, and a playpen. However, you can save money – modern manufacturers, for example, the Japanese companies Aprica and Combi, offer cradles with an auto-swing mode, which can then be easily transformed into a feeding chair. In this case, the purchase will last much longer, being used as a permanent, reliable and cozy “dining room” for the crumbs.

Amazing cradle with electronic motion sickness system. Will sing a song to the child or play the sound of waves and birdsong, it turns on automatically from the crying of the baby, with a carousel made of soft toys. The basket with a berth can be removed, you can take it with you on the road. Controlled by the remote control, includes vibration and music mode. Offered by manufacturers such as American companies Kolcraft and Simplicity, it costs about eight thousand rubles

Manege bed from the Vedruss company. It costs about seven thousand rubles, looks quite attractive and has a capacious laundry box. The berth is lowered, and the wood is covered with a safe water-based varnish, there are runners for swinging. Designed for children under three years old

Another model from “Kubanlesstroy”, without sharp corners, the barriers in the side walls are covered with silicone pads, the baby can easily gnaw them. Costs from eight thousand rubles

Transforming bed Zoom trasformabile from the Italian company Pali, originally equipped with a changing table, storage box and side walls. When the baby grows up, all this can be removed and you get just a beautiful crib with wheels – ideal for a boy. This model costs 46 thousand rubles

Another convertible bed from the Norwegian company Stokke is designed to last from seven to ten years. Made of beech, it grows with the baby, so this option can be called economical, despite the rather high cost – about 50 thousand rubles

The most convenient option can be called cradle beds – they operate on the “two in one” principle, providing maximum comfort for the baby in the first months of life, and allowing parents to save money without buying another bed.

Inside such a crib, a cradle-basket is suspended on belts securely attached to the side. When the baby grows up, the basket is simply removed and the crib will serve for several more years. In addition, such removable baskets allow you to travel with comfort – you can take it to the dacha or visit your grandmother and the child will sleep in the usual place..

For example, multifunctional beds for the smallest of the Tly series (Geoby, Poland) are made of metal, equipped with a removable basket, and increase in length from 1100 to 1600 millimeters, which allows sleeping in them from birth to first class. At the same time, they cost from eight to twelve thousand rubles, depending on the configuration and model.

Geoby TLY metal cribs

Arena

So, we figured out the crib or cradle. Now let’s think about what else you need to buy for a newborn.

A special playpen, of course, does not hurt – such structures are usually very light, they can be transferred to the kitchen, and while the mother is preparing food, the child will play nearby. Although, who said that the baby wants to stay in the arena for more than five minutes and will not ask for pens?

A good option for a playpen-bed, which can turn into a play area during the day and into a sleeping place at night.

A folding portable playpen is useful for those who often travel with a baby. Such models easily fold, fit into the trunk of any car, often they come with a special bag on wheels, where you can quickly pack a playpen.

Foldable playpen on wheels, with a bag to pack it and a carousel of Chicco toys. Such models of Italian production cost from 15 thousand rubles

Changing table or board

Many mothers can easily do without a special changing table, changing their baby on a regular table covered with a diaper, or a large parental bed. If this way of changing your baby’s clothes is convenient for you, why spend extra money? But since the baby has to change clothes many times a day, and the mother’s back is not iron, it is better to think about buying a changing table.

A good choice that does not take up much space is a crib or playpen with a folding changing table, as well as a chest of drawers or a bookcase with bumpers at the top and a removable mattress. The most economical option is a changing board – it is easy to clean, as it is covered with latex, and can be installed on any surface. There is such an option with a light mattress from 700 rubles.

Another convenient and versatile piece of furniture for the little ones from Stokke. If you remove the mattress from the top shelf, the structure will become a regular bookcase with spacious shelves

Chest of drawers

To store children’s things, you still have to purchase a separate chest of drawers – every time it is not very convenient to look for sliders and diapers in a large wardrobe or dressing room, and from the point of view of hygiene, it is better to store children’s things separately. Although, of course, a separate shelf in the common family closet will come in handy for the future.

You can choose the most ordinary dresser – such pieces of furniture will never be superfluous, over time it will be possible to put toys here, adapt it to the place where the whole family’s bedding is stored. Models with a removable or folding changing table are also very popular, as mentioned above..

On average, a chest of drawers with a changing case costs from 10 thousand rubles (models from “Kubanlesstroy”) to 20-60 thousand rubles from Italian manufacturers. There are also designer chests of drawers, for example, from De Baggis (Italy), which can cost up to 180 thousand rubles..

A luxury changing chest of drawers from the Italian factory De Baggis. Made of natural wood, it is ideal for a girl’s bedroom in a classic style

Feeding chair

Once your baby has learned to sit confidently, a feeding chair will also come in handy. Such items of children’s furniture are also offered by many manufacturers, so you can choose any option – from simple wooden chairs that are attached to a large table, to free-standing models with music, toys, a special table for games, bright buttons, and so on..

If it is not possible to buy a full-fledged feeding chair, you can get by with such a travel option, sewn from dense wear-resistant fabric. It easily fits on a regular chair of any size, with any backrest, weighs only 360 grams and fits into a handbag or even a grandmother’s pocket. There is such a Totseat model, developed in England and offered by several manufacturers, from two thousand rubles

A surprisingly comfortable chair from the American company Bloom. It also serves as a cradle for the little ones, has several positions, the height of the leg is adjustable. Designed for children weighing up to 36 kilograms, so it may well serve a schoolchild, it is worth removing only the folding table. This model costs about 30 thousand rubles

Whatever furniture you choose – simple economical models from domestic manufacturers or cute but expensive designer items – the main thing is that this option is convenient for both the mother and the baby himself. New-fashioned transforming beds or automatic cradles, of course, look very attractive, but if your finances do not allow you to spend the entire family budget on the purchase of one playpen, do not worry – a crib inherited from an older brother or a child of friends will also become an excellent sleeping place. , provided that there are loving parents nearby.