Choosing furniture for a child is not so simple, because the range of products is huge. Products differ in styles, models, manufacturers. A sofa for a child will be a practical thing at home. It is important to choose a comfortable and reliable berth. This is described in the article.
Benefits
Many children's rooms are small, so you need appropriate furniture. Often, sofa beds are chosen for this, which are famous for their convenience and versatility:
- Suitable for sleeping, games, receiving guests.
- Most models include laundry drawers.
- Safe, as they do not have sharp corners.
- Folded compact.
- Thanks to a soft back provides convenience.
When choosing, you need to focus on convenience, design and functionality. If the design is comfortable, then it can replace a berth.
Purchase planning
Not all folding structures can be used daily. A sofa for a child is not only a sleeping place, but also furniture, to which special requirements are made. Conscientious manufacturers fulfill them, constantly improve the quality of their products, produce a variety of models.
Before buying a sofa for a child, you need to determine the location in the room, decide in which direction the berth will be laid out. It is necessary to take into account the color scheme of the purchase, which should fit perfectly into the interior of the room.
It is necessary to determine the size of furniture by age. The stores have children's sofas from a year. If the child is 2-5 years old, then a design of 1.5 meters is required, which can be as a chair. For an older age, a product of 2 meters is needed.
Frame
The basis of furniture is the frame. It is wooden, from pressed plywood, particleboard, MDF, from mixed materials. Eco-friendly material is wood, it is preferable to choose beech or birch.
The tree must be checked for cracks. If they are present, then the base is made of raw wood, so the product can not last long. The rack base on the basis of wooden spring lat is located on a metal structure. Before purchasing goods, it is necessary to check the place of welding.
Mattress
When choosing a sofa for a child, you need to pay attention to the filling. If the furniture is a guest type, then polyurethane foam (furniture foam) is suitable. But when the design will serve for daily sleep, then you need to choose an orthopedic spring mattress. It should be of medium rigidity, as it will ensure the correct position of the spine.
Spring mattresses can be of 2 types:
- With conventional spring unit.
- Block with independent springs.
The latter option distributes the body weight of the child in a dream, but it is more expensive. It is advisable to choose a natural spring sofa filler. If you choose a springless mattress, then it is suitable for children under 7 years old. The main thing is that the product has a polyurethane foam of medium or high stiffness. The check is performed by pressure. If a dent in the surface instantly disappears, then the packing is hard.
Material
As you can see from the photo, children's sofas have beautiful upholstery. But they still have to be practical and safe. For adult furniture, velor and flock are used. These are delicate materials that can quickly wear out during children's games.
As the upholstery of children's furniture, you need to use natural or mixed fabrics that ensure proper heat transfer. Therefore, tapestry and chenille are an excellent choice. The materials are durable, do not rub for a long time and are pleasant to the touch.
Dimensions
When choosing a folding children's sofa or conventional design, you need to consider that the berth should correspond to the height of the child:
- The length of the furniture is determined as follows: the height of the child + 50 cm.
- The minimum width is 80 cm.
- The size of the berth is 190x90.
To buy furniture, it is advisable to take the child with you. This will more accurately determine the appropriate size. In addition, the child will be able to choose the color and shape.
There are many colors of furniture. Children's sofas for girls are created in pink and lilac colors, with bears, dolls, hearts, pillows. Cartoon characters may be depicted. Children's sofas with sides are made in the shape of a house. Such furniture is very popular with children. Children's sofas for boys are also different in shape and color. This can be furniture in the form of cars, ships, steam locomotives, as well as original folding options.
The mechanisms
Furniture design must be safe. Therefore should be absent:
- sharp corners;
- hard surfaces;
- sharp and hard protruding parts.
These requirements must be considered when choosing any sofa, including a sofa bed. The mechanism is designed to easily and quickly transform into a place to sleep. There are several sliding types:
- Roll-out. It is an optimal and reliable look. The product is very easy to transform - you need to pull the seat on yourself, and the back will move out on its own. Such designs are strong and durable. After folding, such sofas become smaller, which is even more convenient for the child.
- Accordion. This sofa can be laid out independently even by a seven-year-old child, you just need to pull the loop on the back to get a berth. This type of sliding furniture is compact.
- Dolphin. This mechanism is used in corner sofas. Such furniture has a large berth. The same product is easy to transform. But you need to check the design, because due to the poor-quality mechanism, the drawer fails.
- Click-gag. Such a mechanism is ideal for older children. During unfolding, it can take 3 positions: for sitting, reclining and lying down. Up to 8 years, such furniture is inconvenient for self-folding. In such sofas, the filler is usually made of soft polyurethane foam.
According to the reliability of the mechanisms, the best options are roll-outs and an accordion. Such furniture can be laid out by the child independently. For children 3-5 years old it is safer to choose a sofa bed with sides. There are options with sides that enclose half the bed, and there are models fenced from 4 sides. The sides are removable and stationary.
From the age of 7 you can choose universal sofas. They fit perfectly into the room and will serve as a bed and an armchair. A compact option is a children's bunk sofa, which perfectly saves space.
Colors
Parents need to pay attention to the color of the furniture. If the child is in his room a lot of time, then it needs to be decorated in those colors that positively affect the psyche. For boys, they usually choose calm tones:
- Gray;
- the black;
- blue;
- green;
- brown.
Especially these colors are suitable for teenagers. It was at this time that the male character, life rules and habits began to form in the boys. Therefore, interior design is of great importance. The room should be within the middle ground. If the room is in neutral colors, then the sofa can be dark. And if the rest of the surface is in dark colors, then the furniture is better to choose light gray or beige.
For girls, pastel, bright, saturated colors are relevant:
- pink;
- olive;
- lilac;
- turquoise;
- blue.
The older the girl, the calmer it is necessary to choose colors. Bright pink sofas are chosen for babies, and powdery for girls. Women's bedroom will be more original with furniture that is upholstered with a material with floral or geometric print. Sofas with roses, daisies or lavender are perfect for different children's rooms.
The form
The form of furniture must be selected based on the age of the child. For the smallest fit products in the form of sailboats, animals, cars. In shape, sleeping places are like toys. Such designs will serve not only for sleep, but also as a fascinating place for games. For small children, sofas with a rounded shape and smooth lines are suitable.
For older children it is better to choose symmetrical designs. They look mature and stylish. Rounded corners are important as this reduces the risk of injury.
Check
Furniture should be purchased after determining the location, shape, size, color, mechanism. Also, do not forget about checking the goods. What you need to do in the store:
- It is important to feel the furniture. The seat, armrests and backrest should be chosen soft.
- It is necessary to decompose and fold the structure, check the mechanism.
- You need to sit on the couch, put a child on it, to feel comfortable.
- Learn about filler and upholstery material.
- If there are drawers, then you need to check the smoothness and ease of extension.
Care
During the operation of furniture, it is important to follow the rules of care, which will extend the life of the product:
- Follow the instructions and care recommendations provided by the manufacturer.
- It is important to regularly clean upholstered furniture with a vacuum cleaner from dust. It is necessary to remember about inaccessible areas. It is necessary to raise sofa cushions, armrests and mattresses more often, and also to remove the collected dust.
- Immediately remove impurities.
- Do not use several chemicals and stain removers at the same time.
- If the furniture has removable coatings, then to eliminate pollution you need to use the services of dry cleaners.
- Decorative wooden parts should be regularly cleaned with a dry sponge.
Suitable temperature is 15-28 degrees, relative humidity is 30-80%. To preserve the color of the upholstery, furniture should be placed at a distance of 25-30 cm from the battery, radiators and other heating appliances.
It is useful to steam the sofa with a steam generator that destroys the microbes. The procedures will serve to prevent dust allergies and sofa mites. But before steaming, you need to check that there are no spots on it from food and other contaminants. In addition to regular furniture cleaning, a general cleaning is needed. When several years of operation have passed, a correction of the upholstery and pillow fillers is needed. Corrective action may be required. Thanks to constant care, it will be possible to preserve the appearance of the furniture.
Only in the absence of defects can you purchase a sofa. In this case, it will last a long time. And at home it remains only to handle the product with care, which will also extend the life of the product.