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Buying furniture for children is a much more intimidating task than it was for our parents; furniture stores have entire sections devoted to children, and licensing and branding make it almost certain that your child's favorite cartoon character of the month will appear on all kinds of bedroom accessories. In addition, as with anything involving children, purchasing furniture has the potential to cause tension between you and your child, as well as becoming expensive! Keep these tips in mind as you shop to ensure that you're getting a furniture set that will make both you and your child happy, and will also weather the years as your child grows.

Don't buy themed or trendy furniture:
It seems as if furniture manufacturers are out to turn children's bedrooms into amusement parks. Beds come with racecar wheels attached, and dressers sport flower-shaped vanity mirrors. However, this is one issue on which you will want to remain firm. Remember, your five-year-old may be obsessed with unicorns or dinosaurs, but your future ten-year-old may not feel the same way. Buy basic furniture in neutral tones; a finished wood looks more classic than a painted piece, and will age better. Tailor the room to suit your child's interests by personalizing less expensive pieces. Themed bed linens and throw pillows add personality to a room, as do a novelty lamp or wall hanging. Find an area rug with a racecourse printed on it for hours of toy-car fun, or install a princess canopy over the bed (you can find one that hangs from the ceiling from a single sturdy hook).

Make sure the furniture can grow with the child:
While that kid-sized furniture set may look adorable, what's going to happen in three years when your child's feet are hanging off the edge of the bed? Buying more grown-up pieces now can save you money later, and you can make small adjustments to make full-sized pieces child-friendly. Install a safety rail on the side of a twin-sized bed, and provide your child with a sturdy stool to help him easily climb in and out. While children are younger, they don't really need access to all of their dresser drawers, so there's no real advantage to a child-sized dresser. If you like your child to have a say in his or her daily wear, store everyday pieces in the lower drawers, and keep dressier outfits in the higher drawers.

Safety:
Of course, the most important factor in choosing a child's furniture is safety. Avoid sharp corners, especially at eye level. Check pieces before buying to make sure that drawers and cabinet doors close securely, but not so tightly that a child will have to yank to open them. Give pieces a little shake in the showroom to check for sturdiness, especially in taller pieces. Bed frames shouldn't have exposed metal pieces, and watch for a gap between the bed and wall that may be big enough for a child to fall into.

In addition to keeping these tips in mind, take some time to talk to your child, and peruse catalogs to get a sense of your price range before you go. Going into this endeavor with an idea of what you want for your child will make the process easier, and you will both be happier with the final product.

Learn more about this author, Heather Russell.
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