Children's mini-sofa: features, varieties and choices

Children's mini-sofas in modern small-sized apartments are an essential detail of the interior of a children's room. Let's take a look at the features of such sofas for children, consider their varieties and the points that you need to pay attention to in order to make the right choice.

Not every family can afford to put a bed and a sofa in the children's room at the same time, and for a small apartment, the latter is a win-win option. Giving preference to a mini-sofa, you need to try to make this piece of furniture as comfortable and safe as possible.

The main distinguishing features of children's sofas are:

• small size;
• cute childish design;
• the upholstery is made of soft, bright material.

Compact sofas for children have several advantages:

• due to their small size, they help free up space for children's games, because a child cannot sit in one place for a long time;
• this versatile piece of furniture gives the room a cozy and well-groomed look;
• compared to beds, children's sofas are small: when folded, their width is only 90-100 cm, while the width of a children's bed is usually about 110 cm;
• also, unlike beds, children's upholstered furniture does not have sharp corners and iron parts that can cause injury;
• convenience also lies in the fact that the sofa is often equipped with drawers for storing bed linen.

Let's now talk about the disadvantages of such furniture for the nursery.

• Its mechanical parts can break.
• Upholstery wears out over time.
• Since the child's skeleton is not yet fully formed, there are sanitary requirements for his sleeping place.

Depending on the shape, sofa beds for children are divided into three groups:

• island;
• corner;
• classic.

Corner sofas are comfortable in that they are ergonomic, form, as it were, an additional seating area in a small room, you can sit on them with all kinds of comfort. When folded up, the angular structure is often more compact, and when unfolded, on the contrary, it forms a wider berth.

Classic model is considered the most reliable and easy to use.

Ostrovnaya requires more space, so when buying, you need to be well aware of how well a sofa of this design will fit into your children's room.

Depending on the design, sofas are also divided into groups.

• "Book". This is a good old model of folding sofas, its advantage is in its simplicity of construction. However, such a sofa unfolds with difficulty; a retainer is not provided here, which may be unsafe for small children. In addition, the fold-out sofa has a seam between the backrest and the seat.

• "Tango"... By its design, it is the same sofa-book, but with a retainer, which increases its functionality and safety.

• "Eurobook". It has a more complex mechanism: the seat rolls out, the backrest goes into the resulting free space, and a wider berth is obtained.

• Puma. The design is more convenient than that of the "Eurobook": in order to unfold this sofa, you don't have to make much effort. The mechanism works by itself, even a child can cope with the layout.

• "Dolphin". The most popular model, easy to operate. The disadvantage is that with active use, the mechanism fails.

• "French clamshell"... Very easy to unfold. When folded, the sofa is compact, no joints are visible. However, with active use, it quickly breaks down.

• Roll-out sofa bed. When unfolded, it is low, it is easy for a small child to climb on it. Unfolds effortlessly.

• "Accordion". Easily unfolds: the backrest is lowered, the armrests remain. When rolled up, it is very compact.

• "Spartacus". An improved version of the "clamshell". A special mesh is provided, which, when unfolded, unfolds and forms a smoother surface.

• "Elf"... A very popular model, the seat does not fold out, the armrests are lowered at an angle that can be adjusted. No strength is required, the berth is quite wide.

There are also special types of sofas for children. for kindergarten.

The design of any sofa assumes the presence of a frame, covered with filler and covered with upholstery fabric.

• Chipboard frame. The only positive thing about this material is its cheapness. A sofa made of chipboard quickly breaks down, the material is not environmentally friendly.
• Wooden frame... The advantage of this material is its naturalness and hypoallergenicity. The downside is the high cost.
• Metal carcass. The difference between this material is in its strength and durability, but such a sofa is quite heavy.

Fillers are spring (blocks of dependent and independent springs), from synthetic and natural materials.

Synthetic fillers:

• polyurethane foam - not very comfortable from an orthopedic point of view;
• struttofiber - orthopedically comfortable, hypoallergenic, does not absorb moisture and odors;
• polystyrene balls - the filler is too soft;
• holofiber is the most commonly used modern filler for sofas.

Natural fillers:

• latex - characterized by the highest orthopedic properties;
• coconut fleece is too tough, hypoallergenic material;
• horsehair - medium softness, the most expensive of all fillers.

The upholstery is very diverse:

• velor - natural velvety material, pleasant to the touch;
• flock - soft, durable, however, absorbs odors;
• tapestry - easy to clean, lasts a long time, but is expensive;
• microfiber - high-quality synthetic material;
• ekovelor - made on the basis of natural raw materials, soft and pleasant to the touch.

Modern mini sofas for children come in a wide variety of shapes and colors. For the little ones, they are produced in the form of castles, cars, heroes of popular cartoons, and so on. For older children, there is a wide selection of sofas with and without a pattern, combining the function of a berth and a desk.

Sofas with drawing perfect for younger students.

Monochromatic - you can easily choose a product of delicate pastel shades to match the color of the wallpaper or curtains.

Sofa table - a great solution for a small apartment.

The safety of this piece of upholstered furniture plays an important role. In no case should the baby be injured due to your miscalculation.

• A children's sofa should not have sharp corners; all metal parts should be well hidden under the upholstery.
• It should not be too narrow to prevent the baby from falling, or it should be equipped with special soft bumpers.
• The folding mechanism must be in good working order to prevent it from snapping in and injuring the child.
• Boxes for linen should be as safe as possible so that a playful child does not get stuck inside such a box.
• You should not buy a sofa with padding polyester or foam rubber - these materials are too low-quality and short-lived.
• Before buying, you should consult an orthopedic doctor and choose a sofa in accordance with the condition of the child's spine.
• Do not buy sofas with leather or leatherette upholstery. Their upholstery is too slippery, the sheet will always slide off it.
• And one final tip: invite your child to discuss the choice of a sofa for his room. After all, it is very important that he likes the color and shape, and then the purchased item will bring only pleasant emotions.

You can see how to choose a sofa for a children's room in the video below.