droolicious : toddler beds

You're in the Army (Bed) Now

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:04:00 GMT

Sure, you may have your hangups about surrounding your brood with the trappings of war, but the plain fact is that kids like to play Army, and this all-wood toddler bed (which, incidentally, also comes in pink -- if you're really feeling transgressive, buy that one for your son) would make a great centerpiece to any bedroom's camo motif.

If you're ready to cave in to your inner Sgt. Hartman, the Military Toddler Bed is $300 at Just Kids Stuff.

7 Days of Cribs: Babybett Suiko by Sirch

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:03:00 GMT

Not only can it be costly to buy a new bed for each stage of your wee one's growth; it can also be a lot of work to build, move, transport, store, and ultimately sell or hand down said beds. Obviously, a lot of all-in-one sleeping solutions have emerged to tackle just these problems (we've even covered a few particularly awesome ones here), but none with quite the design of Sirch's Babybett Suiko.

Depending on how early in Baby's life you buy it, the Babybett can be transformed with minimal effort to last you three growing stages (Ikea Allen wrenches, we hardly knew you):

1. Take off the wheels, and it's a bassinet.

2. Pop them back in, and it's a crib. (Also see main image above.)

3. Lift the side panel, and voila! Instant toddler bed.

Admittedly, it's not perfect -- that solid wall could make for some awfully isolated alone time -- but it's a step in the right direction.

Available for 779 Euros, or around $1,188 U.S., at Design 3000.

14 Days of Nursery: Growing Crib for Changing Spaces

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:01:00 GMT

I'll be the first to admit there's something off-putting about this Stokke Sleepi Crib (pictured here in its "Mini" version), and that's not just the $1,150 price tag. But if you're strapped for space and also need a bed that's going to grow with your baby through the big-kid years, maybe you wouldn't mind sacrificing warm-fuzzy design for functional minimalism. Plus, you know, the thing does come with a drapery rod, so you can hang a piece of fabric over it and re-enact your own final scene in Rosemary's Baby, only with Ray and Charles Eames in place of Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes, or, you know, whatever.

As your little one grows, so does the Sleepi: The adjustable mattress position (four heights in total), expandable frame and removable center railing accommodate sizes ranging from baby to toddler to junior kiddo, and it even has a life beyond that, as you can separate it into chairs when it's officially time to invest in a bigger bed. All of which kind of puts that price tag into better perspective, as you're looking at roughly $287.50 per growth stage -- probably not far from what you'd spend at IKEA when you factor in all the stage-by-stage purchases and inevitable breakage. (Or maybe it's just my kids who snap IKEA furniture like so many Bruce Lee practice boards.)

Stage two: bigger baby:

Stage three -- toddler:

Stage four -- one chair to seat them all:

Cozy Cabin Twin Bed Would Look Great in a People House

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:03:00 GMT

As much as we love Haba's toys here at Babble, we've gone just as gaga over the German company's fantastic line of beds. Looking at this Cozy Cabin Twin Bed ($1,800 from Oompa Toys), it's easy to see why. The exaggerated, asymmetrical design brings to mind a house straight out of Seussville, and as with Haba's other beds, this one encourages play as much as it does sleep: The bed separates from the set in order to create a life-size, sturdy play fort.

A few minor quibbles: One, it's expensive; two, there's no mattress included; and three, it'll cost an extra $200 to have it delivered. But if money's not an object, this could be the ultimate addition to any imaginative kid's room.

As with all things Haba, the Cozy Cabin is made in Germany, and the construction is natural wood with non-toxic finishes.

Sleep Well: Nume Bed With English Wool Mattress

Aaron Burgess — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:55:00 GMT

Besides the price (£575.50, or roughly $1,150 in U.S. currency), there's very little about this minimalist-chic bed by Nume that I'd like to change. OK, so the corners aren't exactly toddler-friendly, but those can be covered until you're out of the walking-hazard years.

The bed itself is fashioned from lightly grooved multilayer birch and finished with a water-based sealant, and the design (which, to me, looks a bit like a desktop inbox) is meant to conjure feelings of helming your own little ship -- one with sides that prevent you from slipping overboard. I have no idea what it feels like to sleep on a pure-English-wool mattress, as the bed also features, but it sounds good enough to make me want to hit the hay right now.

Available from Little Fashion Gallery, which ships worldwide; break out the currency converter to determine delivery costs for your region.