With race cars, tents and princess-style four-poster beds, there’s a temptation for fantasy when it comes to choosing for kids. We all knew someone with an enviable bed when growing up. To get the most for your money, aim for something fun but practical, with added storage or flexibility to change as your family grows. Usually mattresses aren’t included so you’ll have to factor that cost in, as well as choosing the right size: there are different standards for the UK than Europe. 1. Georgia 4-poster Bed: £399, The Children’s Furniture Company A four-poster bed is what every little princess dreams of. This one is classic in style, and allows you to add your choice of hanging fabric – much easier than changing the whole bed when your girl has grown out of loving Frozen. The posts are detachable, there’s the option to add a trundle bed underneath, and the beechwood construction is very durable. 2. Busunge Extendable Bed: £130, Ikea This simple but useful bed can be extended between 138cm and 208cm in length as your child grows.
The slats are solid pine which is good for support, and a high headboard with safe rounded edges gives a feeling of protection for those cosy bedtime story moments. The bed comes in dark blue or baby pink and it suits kids four years and up. 3. Kids Teepee cabin bed: £395, Cuckooland This tent-style bed from Cuckooland is ideal for little ones who love adventure. The pine frame is contrasted with white MDF “awnings” that have look-out holes at either end and a large opening to climb into. Under the bed, there’s space for an extra mattress. This cabin bed takes a continental size mattress (90x200cm). Two people are required for assembly. 4. Oeuf Be Good Toddler Bed: £479, Houseology If you care about materials, this luxurious kid’s bed by Oeuf is an expensive but well considered design. The birch and plywood base has been sustainably sourced, and all the finishes are non-toxic. The guard rail around the bed makes it suitable for toddlers and kids up to the age of six.
It’s easy for one person to assemble, unlike many on the list. 5. Earlswood Bed: £179, Dreams One for kids aged 12 years and up, this single bed in solid ash and ash veneer from Dreams is a simple but sturdy design that can be easily assembled by one person. Rounded edges to the footend minimise the chance of scrapes, and the natural finish suits a more grown-up bedroom scheme. There’s a sprung slat option (£49 extra) for more comfort. 6. Pongo Detachable Bunk Bed: £495, Habitat Habitat’s bunk bed transforms into two single ones – a flexible solution that can grow with your family. The design of the bed is kept simple, with smooth edges finished in white lacquer. A ladder can be fitted on either side of the bed, and there’s space underneath the bottom bunk for storage. The bunk bed requires two continental size mattresses (90x200cm). 7. Kidspace Milo Mid Sleeper bed: from £197.10, Very Great for small bedrooms, the Kidspace Milo bed comes with options to pack a lot into its design.
Instead of a stepladder, the steps up to the bed have integrated drawers; a pull-out desk and extra drawers can be added on. There’s a choice of blue or pink finish and standard or premium mattress. Assembly isn’t the easiest, but Very offers a service for this. The bed isn’t suitable for kids under six. 8. HelloHome StarBright Toddler Bed: £149.99, Mothercare Inspired by the night sky, this toddler bed from Mothercare is designed for transitioning your child from cot to bed. There’s an inbuilt night light that projects stars onto the wall, and a cloud-shaped headboard with guard rails and side table. It takes a toddler size mattress (140 x 69cm) and is suitable for children between 18 months and three years. 9. Oliver Furniture Seaside bed: £547, MOOD The Seaside bed from Oliver Furniture is a full size bed, designed for an older child. It’s made in Denmark from birchwood with a white lacquered finish. There’s options to add a trundle bed or storage drawer underneath and the guard rail is detachable for use as a guest bed.
This bed is made to order and delivery takes three weeks. 10. Ella bed: £199, Next You can’t beat an old-fashioned metal bed for a touch of Bedknobs and Broomsticks magic. This one from Next has an antique style with diamond-style bedknobs and an ivory-coloured metal frame. The Ella bed is suited to older kids and takes a standard single mattress. Like old beds, there’s plenty of space underneath for storage or play. The Georgia bed from The Children’s Furniture Company is a tad expensive but very versatile. It’s made from durable materials with tough finishes and it can easily adapt to your family’s needs as they change. The Earlswood bed from Dreams is a good value, sturdy option for older kids. And its natural style makes it a good guest bed too. IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing
No, you're not dreaming: Air mattress technology and design has advanced to the point where many temporary air beds are now as comfortable as beds costing hundreds or thousands of dollars more. This makes a blow-up mattress a great choice to keep around for overnight guests, family members who may visit regularly but don't need an everyday bed (like grandkids), or as a temporary solution for someone who has moved and has to wait for their regular bed to arrive. The right air mattress or sleeping pad can also make camping trips a lot more comfortable, providing a layer of cushioning between your sleeping bag and the ground. Some outdoor air mattresses are, in effect, outdoor beds, bringing all the comforts of the double bed in your home to the great outdoors. Sleeping pads are lighter and thinner than regular air mattresses, making them suitable for folding and carrying in a pack. However, while sleeping pads are thin and lightweight, these self-inflating wonders still pack a lot of comfort in a small package.
Queen- and twin-sized air mattresses are by far the most common, but some manufacturers make air beds in full or king size as well. It's important to check the actual dimensions on the blow-up mattress you're considering, however; some air mattresses are sized a bit smaller than the true mattress size. Air mattresses also vary in thickness, but in general they can be either single-height or double-height. A single-height air mattress sits anywhere from 7 to 13 inches off the floor, which can make it difficult for some to get in and out of, especially those who may have physical challenges. A raised, or double-height mattress, by contrast, inflates to between 18 and 22 inches high, bringing it much closer to normal bed height. One caveat: that extra thickness might require you to buy deep-pocketed fitted sheet sets, which are less common and more expensive than standard sheets. Head on over to our separate report on bed sheets for our top recommendations. Some air mattresses are very basic, just blow up rectangles, but other air mattresses have extra features, such as raised bumpers or built-in pillows.
Many people like those features because they help keep your bedding -- and your body -- from falling off the air bed if it's not up against a wall. Parents of small children are particularly complimentary of air beds with bumpers as they feel that those bumpers give their child a feeling of security. All blow-up mattresses, regardless of what they are used for, have one thing in common: they‘re inflated with a pump -- although some sleep pads are then topped off by blowing into a valve. The pump that blows up the mattress may be built-in or a separate unit, and it may run on standard household current, battery power or muscle power (like a bicycle pump). Some mattresses do not actually come with a pump, which can be both a plus and a minus: you have to purchase the pump separately, but you can choose the type that's most convenient for you, and if it breaks you don't have to replace the whole mattress. Air mattresses should not be confused with permanent-use air beds such as the Sleep Number bed, which uses air-filled pockets in place of springs.
Inflatable air mattresses like those covered in this report can be quite inexpensive and are intended for occasional or short-term use only. While some owners do report using an inflatable air mattress as their regular bed, manufacturers do not recommend using air beds for long-term or permanent use. Most of the poor reviews we saw related to our top-rated air mattresses were from people who groused that the mattress started to lose air after months of daily use -- something that's to be expected from using what is, essentially, a reinforced, rectangular balloon. Also, since you are sleeping on air, blow-up mattresses, even those with pillow or flocked tops, tend to have poor insulation. Because of that, we recommend putting a blanket under your air bed and topping it off with a good, thick mattress pad before adding the rest of your bedding. Permanent air mattresses, on the other hand, are meant for everyday use and get excellent ratings for longevity and comfort, but they can also cost $1,000 or more -- at least as much as a traditional innerspring mattress.