Kids Furniture

Kids Furniture

As your baby grows out of infanthood, you have to start thinking about turning their room into a kids room rather than a nursery. When children can stand up and begin to show signs of climbing, it’s time to start thinking about it. They may soon be able to crawl out of the crib, and that could lead to injuries. I almost learned that the hard way. My little girl climbed up and over, and luckily I was there to catch her. At that moment I decided it was definitely time for some kids furniture that she could grow into.

The first thing to think about with kids furniture is the bed. Toddler beds are smaller than twin sized beds, and are often build with a small child in mind. I got a good bed from my mother in law, though I had no idea why she had it. I bought a new mattress for it, and my dad built something to go around the outside. This was designed to look like the Wiggles Big Red Car, and the sides were just high enough to stop her from rolling out. You may not find this when you look for kids furniture, but you should find something with no spaces for heads or limbs to get caught, just like with a crib, and you want something that they cannot easily roll out of but can access easily.

Keep safety in mind when you buy kids furniture like shelves or toy boxes. If you have book shelves and dressers in their room, make sure they are bolted down or secured in some way so that they wont’ fall over on them if they try to climb. Many children get hurt on this type of kids furniture because it’s not something everyone thinks about when they are setting up their room. If you buy or reuse something old, make sure you sand it down and give it fresh lead-free paint.

You can buy kids furniture in a set, or you can buy separate pieces like I did. We’ve luckily had no safety issues with anything she has, and I think she is now old enough so that I don’t have to worry about it too much. If you buy a set of kids furniture from a furniture store, make sure you look it over well, and make sure you check every piece for safety. Use furniture can be great as long as it is safe, and you may even find older pieces to be more beautiful than some of the stuff you can find now.

Barbie Books

I always let my daughter have dress up Barbies, but I drew the line at Barbie books. You see, literature is at the center of my life. I love sharing stories with my kids. I love mythology, fantasy, science fiction, and all of the other stuff that they put into kids books. There are so many great books for children. Why does she want to read a Barbie book?

When she first asked me for Barbie books, I couldn't believe it. You might think that I am overreacting, but you don't understand my values. I was raised up by hippies. I definitely consider myself anti-consumerist, anti-capitalist, and most of all, anti-Barbie. I understand why she wants to have Barbie dolls to play with. I know that little girls like to fit in with each other, and I know that it helps her with her games of imagination. But reading Barbie books is just crass.

Finally, after months of nagging, I gave in and bought her her first Barbie book. I think it was called Barbie in the 12 dancing princesses, or something like that. It was awful. I had expected it to be awful. But you know what, it wasn't as bad as I thought. And she was so excited about it! I thought perhaps that reading Barbie books meant that she had no taste in literature, but I was wrong. She still liked the other books for children that I read her. She enjoyed E. Nesbit. She enjoyed fairytales. Soon, my fears were assuaged. I realized that it would just be a faze.

I think that the episode of the Barbie books has taught me something about being a parent. Really, it does not matter what they read. They will develop their own tastes, and their own tastes will change. I know my tastes have changed thousands of times. If my daughter wants to read Barbie books, it is fine as long as she reads. No books are bad enough to kill a love of reading. Whether they are Barbie books or the greatest works of fiction, it is crucial to get your children to read every night. If reading Barbie books makes her happy, I am all for it. I think that is what being a good parent demands. You have to be willing to support your kids, even when they develop poor tastes. As long as they are learning, and having fun, that is all that matters.