Novelty beds- are they worth it???

So DF and I have decided to make DS a Fire Engine bed to go into straight from his cot. We have taken the side off his cot to get him used to not being trapped in as he was climbing the rails and getting his legs stuck sleeping sideways in the cot.

I'm just wanting to know if anyone has had one of these novelty beds and if you thought it was worth it. Obviously we are going to have to spend around $200 for the materials, but I have looked on the net and they seem to be up around the $300-$600 mark so it's definitely cheaper.

I don't know I'm just feeling unsure about it so advice would be appreciated.

dunno about them being worth it, but have a look on the better homes & gardens website for a plan ...

Got a plan on the net a while ago, so cute!

Anything that encourages a baby or toddler to go to bed and sleep is a good thing LOL

We haven't thought about what bed to get for our DS when the time comes, but our best friends transitioned their little boy into a "Cars" toddler bed from the cot when he was having sleep issues and was ready to for a bed - he loved it, and sleeps HEAPS better now

What about if you make it removable so that eventually you can take the car bits off and still have a single bed. That way it will last for years and years and can be modified as his interests and tastes change. But only a couple of hundred isnt to bad anyway.

We just stuck with buying a really good quality plain white bed for DD and DH will be adding a canopy to it so I can put 'seaweed' and underwater creatures up around it to match the theme of her room.

I personally think it's a waste of money. We just bought DS a doona cover with cars on it and he totally loved it and that made the bed special. Stuck some Thomas the Tank Engine removable wall decals up on the walls and put up a couple of mobiles and posters and a nice stripey mat on the floor. Voila! Big boy's room!

We deliberately bought plain dark-stained furniture that will suit him till he is a teenager/moves out of home and then he can take it with him or leave it behind. He has a king single bed - he's a very tall boy now and all the men on both sides of our families are over 6 feet tall, so we thought ahead and got him the king single now...so when he is 14 or 15 his feet won't be hanging off the end of the bed.

And the decorations can easily be updated as he gets older and too cool for that kind of stuff...a new doona cover is no big deal (the one we bought was quite cheap because we know he'll outgrow it) and the stickers, posters and mobiles can come down. We didn't get "little boy" sheets though, bought him high quality colourful but relatively neutral sheets (eg royal blue with white and green pinstripes) that will last a long time wouldn't be embarrassing for him as a teenager.

A couple of years down the track the fire engine bed will be this white elephant you have to get rid of.

But DH and I are horribly practical...this approach may not suit you!

we were given a single bed for DS so havent bought one yet, but Id probably just get a normal one, and if anything make the ends side for it like you are.
I wouldnt buy one though.

No I definitely wouldn't buy one, they are arounf $600 to buy. But I Curly I have looked on the net and even second hand they sell for around $200 so we would be getting our money back when he's too old for it and would be able to go buy him a new bed with the money!

I don't know we still have to finish refurbishing our 8 seater dining table and chairs before we start so I've got some time to think I guess...

i would not buy one i would just buy new doona cover... but with that being said anything that encourages a child to progress and works is worth it :)

This may make me the most boring parent ever but I have avoided novelty beds because I think they send mixed messages about what I want my kids to do at sleep time. Don't get me wrong, I think they look fantastically fun, but to me, that can cause a few issues. I am trying to keep bedtimes and naptimes calm, relaxed and not terribly stimulating so that we are sending clear sleep messages and I think some of those beds look a bit more like play equipment than somewhere to sleep. That is just my opinion though. Aside from all that, I think novelty beds look supremely cool :)

Just me- lol I can see your point, I guess I was looking at it from the view that I would have loved to have felt like I was goign to sleep in an adventure as a little one... I don't know, why does there have to be so many decisions as a parent???

We bought my son a car bed.. its single size. Bought brand new on ebay inc matress for $270. I loved the fact that it had the side built in. My nephew has the same and still loves it at age 8. We never had a problem with the bed being novelty affecting DS going to sleep.. Its just a bed in the shape of a car.. theres no added features to make it like play equipment.. lol unless we got a dodgy one :lol:.. I dont see the difference between that and having a doona with cars on it, in terms of giving mixed messages.. infact he was more inclined to stay in it than come out once we converted him from his cot as it was his "race car" bed. Ive never ever had a problem with him going to bed, or not wanting to go to bed or coming out in the night other than to go to the toilet. He's now 3.5 years.. lol maybe im just lucky.

These types of beds definately hold their value. So my opinion, i dont see why not. Let the kid have some fun. Maybe make it the size of a single bed, rather than a toddler bed.. least then he will get alot more years out of it and when hes ready to get an older bed, you wont need to buy another matress.

Yeah we were planning on doing a single as I can't see the point in Toddler beds, he's already too big for his cot mattress when he wriggles!

From someone who went through months of hell with sleep issues, the car bed was my saving grace!
I went from having a 2 year old who was still waking 3-4 times a night in his cot, to an all night sleeper!

I really do think it's because of his love for his "race car bed", he loves it so much and all I have to say is "sleep time now" and he races down to his bed, grabs his book, we read a story and then it's lights out and off to sleep he goes~

Honestly, I used to dread bed time / night time and now I love it!

We bought Aiden a Thomas bed and he loves it! It is actually shaped liked the actual engine and has Thomas' big face at the front -so its like he is sleeping in the drivers cab!! Yes it was expensive BUT he loves it!! He has a spot for putting his 'steamies' and his train magazines (he loves to look at them at bedtime) ..... I think its cute :p

Good point Julia, I never thought about the paint!