Overview of furniture for newborns, important nuances, selection tips
The appearance in the baby's house is a joyful, exciting event, for which they most often prepare in advance. An important stage of preparation is the creation of an environment appropriate to infancy. Parents care what kind of furniture for newborns should be, what products should be preferred, how to decorate the interior, what are the rules for caring for furniture? After reading the material below, many will find answers to these and other relevant questions.
Requirements and Features
The first step in preparing for the appearance of the baby will be the right choice of room. It should be conveniently located, warm, comfortable, with good ventilation. Also, the children's room should have enough space for unhindered movement of all family members.
The main requirements for children's furniture will be:
- Environmental friendliness;
- Security;
- Sustainability;
- Durability.
Environmental friendliness is to use natural materials (wood, glue, paintwork) for furniture production. The most safe are wood products. That is why furniture for babies is often made from oak, pine, beech, birch.
Safety implies rounded protrusions and corners. The presence of metal elements in furniture that are highly traumatic is unacceptable. They need to be minimized.
Sustainability is an important quality that enhances the safe use of children's furniture. Most interior items are often designed for use up to 2-3 years. At this age, the child becomes especially mobile, actively masters the objects surrounding him. Durability - a property that provides a long and comfortable period of operation of products. For items of children's furniture, this is especially important. Only in this case, parents can be sure of their complete safety.
Important features of furniture for newborns are multifunctionality and attractive design. The so-called transformer products allow you to save space and conveniently arrange children's things. Attractive design - a must for furniture for newborns. Growing up, the baby is sure to be interested in colorful elements and love his room.
Types of furniture
In preparation for an early meeting with a new family member, you need to know what kind of furniture the baby needs. It is represented by the following varieties:
- Cradles (with swing mechanism, backlight, musical accompaniment);
- Cribs (on wheels, pendulums, transformers, classic models);
- For swaddling (solid, stationary, portable, with shelves designed for swaddling in the bathroom);
- Lockers and chests of drawers for storing children's things (with compartments for children's clothes, shoes, toys);
- Little tables and high chairs (mobile, hanging, boosters);
- Playpens (round, hexagonal, folding).
If possible, up to 4-5 months of age, you can wait with a full bed, replacing it with a cradle. Psychologists say that in the first months of life, the child only breaks the habit of staying in his mother’s stomach, so he will need a little space.
A bed, a changing table, a cabinet for storing things (built-in in a bed or a separate one) are products traditionally included in the set of furniture for a baby’s room. A crib is the main piece of furniture necessary for a child in infancy. This is where the baby will spend most of the time. Without his own berth, he will not be provided with full rest and sleep.
A changing table will be needed during the first half of the baby’s life. Such a product can be an independent piece of furniture or included in its other types (chest of drawers, bed). Based on the features of the appearance and constituent parts, changing tables are divided into:
- Transformable;
- Dresser tables;
- With integrated compartments;
- Designed for swaddling in the bathroom.
Children grow up quickly, often get dirty. From birth, the baby’s room should have a cabinet for storing a large set of diapers, vests, sliders, t-shirts. The best option would be compact models with numerous compartments.
A table, highchair and playpen can be added to the set of furniture for newborns if there is enough space. These pieces of furniture will be needed a little later, as the child develops. At the table, the baby will be able to play, engage in early creativity (drawing, modeling). The highchair can be used when the child begins to sit confidently (from 6 months of age). Playpens were previously used for children no younger than 8 months old. Today, pediatricians recommend placing babies in them from 5-6 months.
CabinetsCradleCribBaby changing tableChair for babiesManegeIn addition to traditional objects, the interior can be complemented by a compact armchair or sofa. They can comfortably accommodate mom and baby during feeding.
Materials of manufacture
For the manufacture of furniture for babies, traditionally used natural materials, combinations of wood with MDF or chipboard, high-quality plastic. Widely in demand are various tree species - deciduous and coniferous:
- Alder;
- Oak;
- Ash;
- Cherry;
- Aspen.
For practicality and aesthetics, some experts recommend choosing furniture for a newborn’s room made of hardwood (birch, beech, walnut). This is not associated with any harmful properties of coniferous trees. When the first teeth appear, children begin to taste everything. Products made of pine or spruce are quite soft, so there are noticeable dents and scratches on them. When choosing furniture, it is important to pay attention to the finish. Ideally, it should be uncoated. If varnishes and paints were used during its manufacture, they should have a water base.
Children's tables and chairs are often made of high quality plastic. Many furniture manufacturers claim that there is no more harm from them than from bottles for baby food, and they do not contain any substances harmful to the health of babies.
AspenAlderOakAshCherryCare Rules
The best way to care for children's furniture is to wipe it with soft, damp flannel cloths. If there are contaminants that cannot be removed so easily, you can use ordinary household soap, an aqueous solution of soda, or special gels to care for children's goods. They are hypoallergenic and completely safe. Popular products are such as Our Mother, BabyLine, Sanosan AQA baby.
Care of transformer furniture should be especially thorough. Most manufacturers of such products recommend timely lubrication of the hinges, control the reliability of the sliding elements and cabinets. This is due to the fact that active mechanisms wear out quickly during prolonged use.
Cleaning in the baby’s room is recommended every 2-3 days. To avoid the accumulation of dust on children's furniture, “extra” items should be removed from the room. These will be carpets, large soft toys, decorative pillows.
Lighting and decoration
Pediatricians have traditionally recommended avoiding bright lighting in a newborn’s room. To maintain eye health and calm the baby up to three months of age should protect it from bright electric light and the blinding sun. The crib must be placed in an area with moderate lighting.
There must be fluorescent lamps in the chandelier or fixtures, you can use a floor lamp, sconce, table lamp. Windows will need to be covered with light curtains of calm shades. Preference should be given to products made from natural fabric (linen, linen). You should also take care of mosquito nets for windows in the warm season.
Some designers of furniture for newborns offer additional elements for room decoration. These may be:
- Mirrors
- Bright interior details;
- Shelves;
- Stadiometers.
A mirror will be needed as the child grows older. Gradually, the baby will begin to more actively learn the world around him. The accessory will allow him to learn to identify himself, to become accustomed to neatness from an early age. Infants from 3 months of age follow bright moving objects, see red, orange and yellow colors, feel the difference between the absence and presence of color. Multi-colored stripes, zigzags, circles are sure to attract the attention of a newborn baby, but do not get too carried away with bright details. Other accessories against the background of such an environment should remain more relaxed.
Shelves are conveniently placed above the changing table. In the design of these pieces of furniture you can also show imagination by making them curly, in the form of a wooden house, hanging. The best basis for their manufacture will be wood. A bright, attractive stadiometer will decorate the baby's room, bring variety to it. It can easily be made independently. A model will be memorable, in which photos of a child at different ages are inserted opposite the growth indicator.
Child psychologists say: for training the baby’s brain and its normal development, the presence of bright elements in the interior is especially important. They must be proportionately combined with light, pastel colors.
Selection criteria
When choosing various pieces of furniture for a newborn’s room, it is necessary to focus not on their high cost, but on comfort for the baby and his mother. You will also need to consider the gender of the baby. Furniture for a newborn boy is often more restrained than for girls. Parents of future men are advised to do during the arrangement of the room without elegant decoration and gentle tones. When choosing a cradle, you should pay attention to its size. It is recommended to give preference to compact products. In a small cradle, newborns feel much more comfortable and fall asleep faster.
When choosing a bed, the following important points should be considered:
- The presence of the sides, including removable;
- Presence of bed height adjustment function;
- Design features of the bottom.
In the first months, parents often have to bend over a lying child in order to pick it up. Therefore, when purchasing a crib, it is worth paying attention to the fact that one of its sides must be lowered. When choosing a mattress, it is better to stay on an orthopedic model.
If the kit does not include soft sides, you can purchase them separately. In addition to them, plastic pads will be required to prevent damage to the bed from the baby’s teeth and dangerous small elements in his mouth. The height of the bed of the crib should be adjusted so that, standing on the legs, the child could not fall out. It should also provide for the presence of a rack bottom necessary for proper air circulation.
The cabinet must be chosen roomy, with a convenient arrangement of shelves and compartments. It is necessary to focus on mother's growth, since she will have to use it most often.
An important element of changing tables are also the sides that ensure the safety of the baby. When buying this type of furniture you need to pay attention to its size. For children up to six months, products suitable for at least 67 cm in length are suitable. For babies 7-12 months, models reaching 97 cm are needed.
Choosing furniture for twins, you need to select the most spacious room for its location. Pediatricians recommend the parents of two babies:
- Duplicate the main interior items;
- Get separate cots;
- Position them at a distance from each other.
It is known that twin babies do not always have the same daily routine. That is why for each of them should purchase an individual crib. It will also become more hygienic during the illness of one of the babies. It is not recommended to place furniture made of chipboard in the room of babies. During the first year of operation, formaldehyde is released from them. This substance can cause headaches and an increased risk of cancer in some babies.