For many families, shopping for a bed for a child is no big deal. But when the child has special needs, this very ordinary activity offers some challenges. With some forethought and research, these challenges can be easily overcome. Thanks to the blog Autism Daddy, much of the research has already been done!

Why the Right Bed is Extra Important for Kids with Special Needs

The post begins with an explanation of why sleep is so important to kids. “It’s while they’re asleep,” the article states, “that their bodies grow and develop, the brain makes sense of the day’s activities and gets their emotions in check.” Can you imagine being around a child with other special needs who doesn’t have their basic physical needs met on a regular basis? Scary!

What to Consider When Choosing a Bed for Kids with Special Needs

The article provides information on these things to consider when choosing a bed for a child with special needs”

• Types of children’s beds.
• Mattresses. Think about comfort, durability, and water-resistance.
• Weight. Look for a bed heavy enough to remain in place.
• Positioning. Away from the wall, against the wall, attached to the wall, etc.
• Color. Avoid colors your child doesn’t like.

The original post, Choosing a bed for children with special needs: top tips, contains many more details, and it has links to vendors, too. The post comes from across the pond in the UK, so the vendor links may not be practical. Even so, parents can still get some good ideas about how to start bed shopping for their kids with special needs.

Your Recommendations?

Have you shopped for a bed for your child? What did you do to make the process easier? What resources did you find? Which ones do you recommend? Which ones didn’t work? Leave a comment!

Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for the first in the pop up box and the second at the bottom of this page.

Photo source: www.freedigitalphotos.net