A comfortable, functional chest of drawers is an excellent solution for a nursery. In addition, such furniture makes life much easier for a young mother and her baby.
For older kids, a chest of drawers can be great storage for clothes, pastel items, and even toys. The main thing is to distribute it so that everything fits.
Selection and purchase
Children's chests of drawers can be purchased at almost any furniture store.
If you don’t have the time or desire to go shopping, then you can choose a specific model with the desired functionality and suitable design based on a photo of a children’s chest of drawers in the finished product catalogs of various online stores and on the websites of furniture manufacturers. There you can learn more about the materials from which it is made and get acquainted with the price range.
A chest of drawers is a necessary piece of furniture that will last a long time and will become an indispensable assistant for maintaining order in a child’s room.
Which material should you give preference to?
Experts consider natural wood to be the most environmentally friendly and safe. Even its cheaper varieties will not harm a growing organism. Good wood is hypoallergenic, not susceptible to fungus, and bacteria do not linger on its surface.
However, it is not advisable to make a completely wooden chest of drawers. Manufacturers often use plastic, MDF, chipboard. This greatly simplifies the design. The wicker chest of drawers is very beautiful and functional. It is also safe from an environmental point of view.
When it comes to purchasing a plastic chest of drawers for a child’s room, expert opinions differ. But they are similar in one thing: you need to choose only certified models that are guaranteed not to emit any odors or emit harmful substances.
Phenols and formaldehydes, which many manufacturers of plastic furniture are guilty of, are especially dangerous. And you can only store toys and clothes in such boxes. Plastic models are suitable for older children.
Types of facades
The façade is, first of all, the appearance of a children's chest of drawers, but the lifespan of the furniture largely depends on the type of its design. The closed fronts of the chest of drawers are represented by door leaves and the front part of the drawers. They can be solid or framed.
- Solid structures are made from a solid panel or solid slab of wood. Of course, wooden blind facades are durable, and thanks to the natural structure of wood, they are quite attractive in appearance. Moreover, such products have impressive weight and high cost. More often, solid facades are made from MDF and chipboard. This option is optimal in terms of price-quality ratio. Solid facades have limited possibilities for decoration, and therefore look rather monotonous.
- Frame structures consist of a frame into which a panel is inserted. The frame slats are made from wood boards or cut MDF sheets. The filling and panels are made from various materials: wood, MDF, plastic, bamboo and others. Frame facades are more popular due to their low cost, lightness of construction and a wide selection of finishes and decor.
The facades of children's chests of drawers are painted and varnished, laminated, and finished using other materials, for example, film and plastic. All coatings must be of high quality and safe for children.
Dressers are decorated with UV printing, carving, painting, appliqué, using decoupage techniques or beautiful, original fittings.
Since the chest of drawers will be installed in a children's room, its decor should be appropriate. When choosing plastic models, you should pay attention to the abundance of colors. A pink chest of drawers would be suitable for a girl's room, and a blue one for a boy.
It is important that the facade is not too colorful or, on the contrary, gloomy. The best option is furniture in pastel colors with an interesting pattern or image of cartoon characters. However, if you buy a chest of drawers for years, then you should not choose models with a themed design, because in the future, in a teenager’s bedroom, the façade with Winnie the Pooh, a typewriter or Barbie will look ridiculous.
Classic is always in fashion
In the usual sense, a chest of drawers is a place for storing linen and children's things. In ancient times, our grandmothers used oak chests for these purposes. Over time, the furniture industry and design ideas have improved and people have invented more functional storage items.
Often parents choose a crib for their baby with a built-in chest of drawers for children's things. It's quite convenient. Everything is at hand. This option is good for both newborns and older children.
A convenient chest of drawers has not only drawers, but also open shelves for storing necessary accessories. These are baby powders, rattles, wet wipes.
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Some parents themselves decorate such a piece of furniture by attaching hooks, but often manufacturers come up with the right solution by equipping the products with these functional accessories.
Safe chest of drawers
A children's chest of drawers should not have sharp corners. The mattress on the changing surface simply must be firmly fixed. Otherwise, if it slips, an emergency will occur. You can purchase a model equipped with bumpers or seat belts.
It’s good when the drawers slide out and slide in easily and silently. For this purpose, manufacturers equip them with special closers.
To prevent the baby from getting injured as he begins to walk and even run, the dresser handles should be comfortable, with recesses on the drawers.
The same rule applies to the toy chest. It is desirable that it contains not only shelves or a special niche, but also sectors for storing the child’s linen and clothes. It is optimal to designate the upper part as a laundry storage area, and arrange a play niche at the bottom.
It is important that the chest of drawers is stable. If there are wheels, they should be equipped with locks. So, during periods when there is no need to move this piece of furniture, it will stand securely in the corner.
Additional equipment for children's chests of drawers
For greater functionality, a children's chest of drawers for clothes is complemented with a table, shelving or combined with a closet. This is very convenient for schoolchildren, as it allows you to conveniently place books and other educational supplies, as well as hang clothes on the hangers of the vertical section.
For newborns, the designs are complemented with a changing surface on which you can change or swaddle the baby. The design of such a chest of drawers is quite safe for a child, since its surface is fenced with special sides.
A nice addition to some models are removable baths. In addition to the bath itself, they have a drainage system and additional shelves for storing baby’s bath accessories.
Color solutions
They can be anything and depend on the taste of the parents and the child. It’s also a good idea to take into account the baby’s temperament. Red tones are often chosen for calm children, and more muted ones for restless children.
Blue and green tones have a very good effect on the psyche of adults and children. The choice in favor of a cheerful yellow color is also not prohibited.