Do gadgets keep your children up at night?

A new survey has found that many 12 - 16 year olds are missing out on their optimum 9 hours sleep at night because of gadgets and technology in their bedrooms.

Many children are up a later than their parents realise, playing on computers or watching DVDs.

Sleep is an important part of any childs day - this is the time when they digest all the information they have taken in over the course of a day and commit information to their long term memory (ie sleep is essential for learning)!

The rise of the family music festival - Camp Bestival

Glastonbury - goodbye

Leeds - Losers

Reading - Really?

Bestival - been there done that!

The cool kids are all at the kids festivals this year. It was Camp Bestival that won the 'Best New Festival' of 2008 and has already got people talking in the blogging community about next year. This might not be particularly surprising when you consider that it is being run by Radio 1 DJ Rob Da Bank and co (of Bestival fame), but what might make you take a second look is that the most popular act of Camp Bestival 2009 was Mr Tumble.

Angelina Ballerina made an appearance with the English National Ballet and even Spongebob Squarepants had set up his own little tent.

With cleaner toilets than ever before, no loud music after 1am (for the adults there is a silent disco until 3am), River Cottage food stalls, surrounded by castle grounds on the Dorset coast and a fancy dress theme of 'animal magic' the face of the music festival has changed, and we have to say - changed for the better.

For more information on what made Camp Bestival so tremendously family friendly as well as a treat for groups without kids, check out their website http://www.campbestival.net/ - or do a google search where you can find thousands of photos, reviews and stories.

Freshen up with a Daisy Den!

srbWorld have now launched a new range of themed bedroom furniture for girls, including a wardrobe, drawers, bed, bedside table and a mirror (perfect for transforming the drawers into a dressing table).

Bunk bed or cabin bed?

When decided on a new childrens bed, often the most difficult decision is whether to go with a bunk bed or a cabin bed. There are so many varieties of either type, that it is easy to get swamped with information. Bunk beds generally have room to sleep two people, some come with study equipment like a desk, some with storage furniture such as bokocases or drawers. New designs in childrens cabin beds now mean they they can offer these benefits too...making a decision even more difficult.

We have come up with 5 points that should make the process a little easier for you.

1 - How long do you want your new childrens bed to last?
For younger children, a cabin bed is ideal (especially as we wouldn't recommend a bunk bed for anyone under the age of 6), whereas a 10 year old will probably grow out of a cabin bed within a few years and so it will need replacing again. Think about the materials that the bed is made of too, as well as what the design might look like in a few years - a pink bed might seem like a good idea for a little girls bedroom, a teenage girl might disapprove.

2 - How much space do you have?
Bunk beds with desks, sofas or even double beds on the bottom may offer storage space, but they will also take up a lot of room. A cabin bed with storage furniture built into the bed (so that nothing sticks out) is much better for smaller childrens bedrooms, however a cabin bed with a slide probably won't be right for you.

3 - How many beds do you need?
This sounds obvious, but is worth thinking about. While it's always nice to have a spare bed for the inevitable last minute sleepover or party, if it's only being used a few times a year then you might be better getting a cabin bed over a bunk bed and adding a much cheaper (and easy to store) camping bed. Families with step-brothers or sisters that come to stay regularly would obviously see more use out of a bunk bed.

4 - What does your child want?
So they might not get the hover craft bed with built in stereo and starshow that they always dreamt of, but it is important that they like the furniture for their room. It's easy to get lost in the design of a kids bedroom, but they must feel involved so that they get a sense of personal pride in their new space (hopefully tidying up will be less of a chore).

5 - How much do you want to spend?
If you have a total budget for the room, then it makes sense to get as much of their bedroom furniture as you can in one go. Cabin beds with built in drawers, bookcase and desk offer more value for money than a simple bunk bed if your budget is tight.

Shiny new looking srbWorld!

srbWorld has had a face-lift...and what a face lift it is! Gone are the bright summery orange and yellows that have seen us through the last couple of years, now to purple and with it a new focus.

When it comes to home and leisure - srbWorld are here for you.

New way to think about lighting.

Always on the look out for new lighting ideas for childrens bedrooms and playrooms, we have come across this fantastically novel way of lighting any room. You can hang any item of clothing over the light (just as long as it's dry) to illuminate your bedroom.

What a wonderful way to show off your new favourite football shirt in your bedroom, without spoiling the decor of the room!

How to reinvent your child's bedroom - fast and economically!

Any children's bedroom has a few core pieces of furniture that will last for a number of years - a bed, drawers and wardrobe are the most popular, yet you might want to reinvent your childs bedroom when their tastes or their maturity changes. Pretty pink fairies or racing car cartoons might have been fun for a 6 year old, but a 12 year old might find them embarassing at a sleepover!

We have used our eperience dealing with children's bedrooms as well as feedback from our customers to make this 'top 5' list of small changes you can make to your child's room to reinvent it, without breaking the bank (or replacing that good quality furniture you invested in)!

1 - Fabrics and material - especially useful in girl's bedrooms, a change of curtains or a new rug can really change the feel of a room. Replacing cartoon bedding with a more delicate appliqued duvet set is perhaps the easiest way to treat your child's bedroom to a makeover - and will also have a longer lifetime as they won't want to change it as soon as the cartoon is no longer 'cool'!

2 - Out with the old - Minimise the content of the room to not only create space but also give a more mature feeling to a room. If there is nothing to throw out, organising toys or art supplies into storage boxes with pretty labels can make a room much tidier.

3 - Shine a light - As children start to have a little more pressure at school, a desk is now becoming almost mandatory to any child's bedroom. To make revision a little easier try investing in fun and interesting bedroom lighting options, such as a lamp. Normally the matching ceiling light is also available.

4 - Messy bedroom - messy mind! - A good spring clean will do wonders for any room in the house, not just a child's bedroom but they are even more important here. Not only will they help you reach that last little bit of dust that has been bugging you but it will also help you work through all your child's old toys and books. It's amazing how large your child's bedroom will look afterwards!

5 - A little lick of paint - Ok so this isn't as easy as some of our other top tips but it is amazing what a new paint job can do for your childrens bedroom. As children get older they might start to lose interest in that fuschia pink or pastel blue that seemed like such a good idea when they were younger. A quick coat of white can really open up a bedroom, and when combined with themed bedroom furniture or a racing car bed the bedroom will really transform.

Alternative birthday cake ideas

It can be pretty stressful getting a childrens birthday party organised, before you have even thought about the cake. There is never enough cake to go around at the end of the event, or worse your choice of design gets criticised.

We came across this great American website and have already used it for 2 kids birthday parties in 2 different ways! With one of the parties we decided to make the cupcake decorating a part of the party - we simply baked 36 cupcakes and got plenty of decorative pieces for the children to use. The second party we baked and decorated the cupcakes all by our selves (ok with a little help from some smaller fingers). Not only did this make life a little easier when it came to getting the party organised, but it also made the children much more involved in a core part of any birthday celebration!

Bored of cbeebies?

Sometimes the tinkling of cbeebies is the very last thing that any parent needs to hear, and the very one thing that a little girl or boy needs to hear. We found this free colouring pages website and it really has worked a treat.

It's not like a normal colouring book as children are still interecting with a computer and the web, so hunting down the perfect picture is still teaching as well as entertaining and then when printed the 'old school' fun begins!

Cabin bed or bunk bed?

That is the question, especially when there are so many different types of cabin bed and bunk bed available today, gone are the days of a simple one up and one down bed!

Cabin beds are especially invaluable in smaller childrens bedrooms as they lift the childs bed off the floor creating more space for activities underneath. Play curtains are widely available, transforming your childrens bed into a playhouse or mechanic's workshop. The benefit of these is that they can be easily untied to be washed, or when your child outgrows them.

Consider a cabin bed with bedroom furniture tidily tucked away underneath the bed to make even more of the space in your childs bedroom, some cabin beds have everything you could ever wish for cleverly tucked in underneath.

For smaller children, cabin beds are not ideal - it is a long way down and it's understandable why some parents feel uncomfortable putting toddlers up there especially. Childrens bunk beds are versatile in a very different way. They are ideal for families that might have other children coming to stay, or for children that are particularly fond of sleep overs! Bunk beds are also available with a double bed on the bottom, or even a sofa - making this an ideal bed for children closer to their teen years.

Something different for your childs wall

Of course we are always interested in new trends and ideas in not only childrens bedroom furniture but also childrens bedroom decoration. Choosing a theme for a childs bedroom is not as easy as picking whatever their favourite cartoon character might be at the time - this changes too often and may mean you have to redecorate a few months down the line.

Picking a theme that is a little more neutral and that can grow with your child, will not only save you the redecorating time but will also save you money!

We came across these great wall stickers that a customer was using with our Adventurer boys bedroom furniture to make a funky jungle themed room.

When your child naturally outgrows the theme of the stickers, you can just peel them off and choose something else (or even leave the walls blank).

What colour for your childrens bed?

The market for childrens beds today is vast, offering beds in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colours. A child's dreams for their bedroom can be realised whether they long for a thunderbirds bed or an ultimate sports car childrens bed with working headlights. As with all furniture, quality as well as price must be considered - but with a childrens bed, the colour is more important than normal.

White bedroom furniture is an obvious choice, and allows for a greater stretch for a more creative decorator. Matching accessories and other pieces of kids bedroom furniture is also a lot easier when it comes to white. But this is childrens bedroom furniture that we're talking about, and so a little bit of fun and colour can never be underestimated. A themed childs bedroom can make bedtime seem more exciting (and maybe even a little easier for parents of more nocturnal children). Consider adding just one piece of themed/coloured bedroom furniture into your childs bedroom for a touch of fun - something that works especially well in smaller childrens bedrooms.

Make your childs bedroom their own!

A child spend a lot of time in their bedroom - whether that be sleeping or playing, especially in a larger family their bedroom can be the only place that they really feel is their own. If this is the case for your child then why not make it something really special, and really personalised to them. Here's some quick and easy (and cheap) ways to make your child feel that their bedroom is their space to grow, develop and be themselves (without eye sore posters of their latest favourite pop star)!

1 - Fabrics! Not exclusive to a girls bedroom, fabrics can also be used in boys bedrooms with fantastic effects. Other then the obvious curtains and carpets, consider adding a bed canopy over your childs bed, it doubles as a play tent and comforter if they are having trouble sleeping too. A rug can really change the feel of a space - especially when the rug is larger than normal (this also makes the effect stronger when you need to redesign later on).

2 - Storage. Any childs bedroom could always benefit from additional storage, in many cases simply adding an extra chest of drawers or slotting in a slim line bookcase into an otherwise unused space can really help clear some play space. By letting your child choose the one that they like best, they will feel more in control and confident in their decision making. Along with the classic white options there are also some funky themed bookcases that could fit into almost any childs bedroom. Like this one here

Easter spring clean!

The extra couple of days this weekend really make it the ideal time to have a spring clean through your childs bedroom. It's amazing what you might find under your childs bed - maybe even a lost easter egg or two from last year!

A fresh childrens bedroom can really get a fresh feeling of spring back into your home. White bedroom furniture is ideal for a childs bedroom especially during a spring freshen as it really adds a sense of light, fresh and clean. Themed kids bedroom furniture can be combined with white bedroom furniture to add a touch of personality to what can sometimes be a very light and non-descript room.

Freshen up your childrens bedroom for spring!

A childs bedroom can start to look a little rough around the edges relatively quickly, when compared to an adult bedroom. This is understandable as a childs bedroom is also a playroom, a study and a den for their little inhabitant.

The easy way to brighten up a childs room is to add rather than take away...a bed canopy here, or a pretty new table lamp there. Some funky bedroom accessories can really breathe new life to a childs bedroom. It's important to get the base right first though - solid high quality bedroom furniture will take much longer to look tired and used. By finding scratch resistant bedroom furniture for your children, you add an extra couple of years to the life of your furniture at the very least.

No place in the home will store as much as a childs bedroom (other than the attic maybe), they come with so many accessories and add-ons all by themselves. Childrens bedroom storage will help keep all their little bits and bobs out of side and out of mind, helping their bedroom look spic and span. This will also help keep your children in the habit of keeping things tidy and organised - a skill that will stay with them for life.

In summary, a few little changes and a few larger considerations can really have an impact on your childrens bedroom and on how often you have to renew it!

Safety Rails for Childrens Beds

The move from cot to first bed can be as nervous a time for a parent than it can for a child. While pillows at the side of a childrens bed will help ease the blow of a tumble out of bed, there really is only one way to prevent it completely - a safety rail.

Quite simply a safety rail is a piece of wood, or metal bar that attaches to the side of a childrens bed in order to keep a child within the sleeping area on the bed. Some furniture manufacturers add these as optional extras to childrens beds, but some build the safety rail into the bed - something that is especially useful when the aesthetic design of the bed lends itself to smaller children (racing car beds for example).

Most childrens beds within the UK have a set width on the side panel, enabling the parent a much wider variety of safety rail to choose from rather than being restricted to the safety rail made by the same company as the bed.

Pretty nursery bedding

We've com across some lovely girls and boys bedding from the guys over at Izziwotnot. Specialising in nursery furniture and nursery bedding - they are reaching rather successfully into the childrens bedding and furniture realm. We like the Tutti Frutti bedding especially!

Childrens Things!

Whether it's a childrens bedroom, playroom, school bag or closet - it will be filled to the brim with all kind of wonderful things for children. This blog takes a closer look at a few of those things in a little more detail.