apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'm curious about the expandable/extenable beds at Ikea. They seem like a good idea in theory, but do they actually work in practice?

Are there any black mod looking cribs? I love the ones that are out now, especially the affordable babymod and babymiro styles but I only find them in white or an espresso color. Any help finding a black similar looking crib would be great. Thanks!

Any ideas for displaying family photos? My 2 year old loves to look at them and identify people, but right now they're just taped to the fridge.

javagrrrl, how about a cheap little photo album that s/he can carry around and "read"? A friend had one for her little guy and he loved to look at it. If you're worried about the photos getting messed up, you could do color scans of them and put the scans in there.

Baby Walkers?
My 10 month old is creeping along furniture just great but has gotten to the stage where she is pushing things around (laundry basket, small chair, etc.) while walking, so I am looking for a good walker that will grow with her into the toddler years. Ideally I would like something "hip" looking (not so baby-ish) that she can use as a cart or similar for pushing things around when she is older and something that isn't too cumbersome to store. I have been looking at the "Haba Walker Wagon," the "Plan Toys Baby Walker," and the "Plan Toys Shopping Cart" but was also wondering what other children prefer and what their parents have to say. Any suggestions?
Thanks.

javagrrrl-
We use the Manhattan Toy company's "Look at Me Photo Book" and I know Sassy makes one as well, which is great because if the book gets trashed, you can just throw it in the washer. Have you thought of using something like the family tree at http://www.famillesummerbelle.com/ and putting it on the wall?

Herz9160, our daughter has a Radio Flyer Push Wagon that she loves. It's a nice weight for beginning walkers -- not so light that it tips over easily. And it's all wood and metal. She also has a cheap doll stroller from BRU, which is a hit as well.

I'm interested in one of the Land of Nod's cribs, one that is on clearance so it's final sale. There's no LoN stores in my area, and I don't know anyone who has bought one of their cribs. Are they considered to be good furniture and worth the price?

I'm collecting photos to print on fabric and make a book of our family for my son.

About printing on fabric:
http://h71036.www7.hp.com/hho/cache/784-0-0-39-121.html
http://www.quiltbus.com/pof.htm

Simplicity pattern for fabric book
http://www.simplicity.com/dv1_v4.cfm?design=3709

Javagrrrl - I have a 21 month old and in a local photo print shop I found something similar to http://www.craftmarketcorner.co.uk/picture-pocket-wall-displayholder-p-6105.html?cPath=221_222_224. I used a 3M removable hook to hang it at a height where he can see all the photos and he takes great delight in pointing out family and friends. It's not super stylish, but he loves it :-D

Hi elsiemarley,

We have the Minnen extendable bed for our daughter (http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/S39827962)

Some of my opinions would apply to any of the extendable beds.

Pros:
*It's very cute.
*It's wide enough that we can crawl in and cuddle and read to her in it - that was what it took to transition her from her crib after she started launching herself over the crib rails (because she could).
*She can get in and out easily, but doesn't fall out.
*She's very tall for four, and we still haven't extended it all the way.
*It's really cute, and it's really cute.
*She likes it as small as possible, and actually didn't want us to extend it, because she likes to be cosy. We now put a row of pillows along the wall so that she can snug into them.
*It's the perfect height for the Basset Hound, who thinks we bought it for her.

(You can see it here: http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/nursery-tours/nursery-tour-josephines-lovely-lost-and-found-031082)

Cons:

*The beds are an odd size, and only Ikea sheets fit them. And they're not great sheets, and so they don't really fit all that well, and they are not soft. I had custom flannel ones made for winter, and we'll probably just keep them on because they work better. However, most "throws" make perfect bedspreads for the two smaller sizes. This means I can change them often. And while I have remedial sewing skills, if I provide the fabric a local seamstress will make the sheet sets for me for $25. It's worth that to have it done.
*As with our own adult-size Ikea bed, the curlicue bars down near the bottom at the sides mean that when making the bed, the comforter either has to be tucked in or flopped over. Neither is a great-looking choice. We go with a "carefully casual" toss with rolled up blanket, but it still bugs me.
*The mattresses are crap. Thin, first and foremost. But when it's extended, there are two smaller ones to add, with two smaller sheets instead of one larger sheet that would fit each extended size increment. If the extended mattress section is near the feet, it shows even through layers of sheets and blankets and looks yucky. If it's near the head, it's not so noticeable and it's around neck-level when she's sleeping so the support there isn't an issue. But, between the discomfort and the difficulty in bed-making and sheet-changing, I'm sick of them. So when we go to the third extension, I'm either going to go get a piece of good foam cut, or see if Ikea makes one mattress that will fit. I'll have another set of pretty sheets made too.
*Josephine always has bruised shins, and I realized long ago it's from the bed. Just in crawling around and in and out, playing on it and stuff - she's always banging into the side things. And one night when she fell asleep in braids, one got caught on a curlicue! I'm only just over the screaming in the morning about that! I couldn't figure out why she'd stayed in her bed all night!
*It's a darling bed, and I know she'll like it for ages - as we do - but I imagine that by 8 or 9 she'll want a more "regular" twin bed. We have a beautiful, beautiful antique one we plan to switch to when it comes time for that.
*I wonder if she would sleep better if I had a high-quality mattress. I know I'm not very comfortable falling asleep on it - but I'm 38 and well, not tiny. Josie's light. But I'm an insomniac (note the timestamp!) and she's not a great sleeper. I worry that our low-end Ikea sleeping surfaces are robbing us of quality sleep.


So, in short? The bed? It suits our needs, but there are more than a few annoyances - most of which could be solved with a better mattress and custom sheets. I would say it depends on the kid more than the decor.

My almost 2 year old son has the VIKARE bed, but I painted it white. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00032586 He loves the bed and so do I. It is very sturdy and I can sit on it without worry. He loves to line up his toy cars and such along the foot of the bed (about 5" deep?). I just use a regular twin size fitted sheet, put it up around the end pieces and then tuck it in around. I plan to replace the mattress with a thicker twin when he is older and, when folded out to twin size, it will be kinda like a normal platform-type bed. I think the only problem is that I am going to have to paint it another color sometime soon as the white is getting dirty from all the car wheels!

thank you marla good and jubgulia!