Cute 'n' Cuddly may look nice in a kid's room, but safety and child-friendly features should take precedence when you are buying furniture for your kid's bedroom. Carved kids furniture looks stunning in the showroom, but is neither practical nor safe in a kid's bedroom. It is typically bulky and the carved surfaces can cause many a painful moment for you and the kids.

Safety Features to Look For in Kids Furniture
Whether you buy furniture for the 'now' stage or the later stage it is important to look for furniture that is well-made, safe, sturdy, durable and versatile. Kid's furniture should be built to withstand years of roughhousing.

• Look carefully at the construction of the furniture; especially at places where the furniture fits into one another. Make sure all the joints are well-made and fit firmly into each other. Having strong, firmly fitting joints is critical to good quality furniture. Even a slight play in the joints will get magnified and render the furniture useless in a few years. Make sure weight-bearing joints are reinforced with corner blocks for extra support. If any piece looks flimsy or feels wobbly, do not buy it.
• Check out the drawers. They should slide in and out easily. Tongue and groove joints or dovetail joints; where the four sides of the drawer are joined with notches, are a sign of well-built drawers. If the drawers are held together with nails or staples, avoid buying that piece altogether. Make sure all drawers have sturdy stops that prevent the drawer from coming right out and crushing tiny toes.
• Run your hands across the sides and edges of the furniture. They should feel smooth to touch and not rough or splintery. If the furniture has rough edges, there is a very real danger of splinters getting into your child's skin.
• Edges and corners of all furniture should be rounded. Sharp corners and edges are an open invitation to disaster.
• The hardware on the furniture, including knobs and handles should be easy for tiny hands to grasp and manipulate. Handles that are large and awkward to grapple with can cause a lot of frustration.
• Look for furniture that is maintenance free and has easy-to-clean surfaces. Furniture with lacquered or highly-polished surfaces are high-maintenance and not appropriate for children's rooms. They smudge easily and will be full of tiny finger-prints in no time at all.
• If the furniture has long shelves, check that the shelves are adequately supported to avoid sagging; centre supports are a must.
• Beds should have cross beams to endure years of being treated as a trampoline.
• All lids, doors or covers of any furniture should be manageable and light. Doors and covers that are stiff and heavy are difficult to maneuver and can slam down hard.

Versatility in Kids Furniture
When buying furniture for a kid's room it's always a good idea to look for multi-purpose pieces that can be used for sleeping, studying and storage. Look for beds with drawers on wheels that slide out and can be used for storing clothing. Bunk-beds are great for accommodating occasional sleep-over friends without compromising on floor space. A writing table with drawers can be used for studying as well as for storage.

Colorful racks mounted on the wall can be used for displaying favorite Lego creations or precious Barbie collections. Racks mounted behind doors can be used for keeping bulky sporting equipment out of sight. There is a wide assortment of racks available for bats, balls, racquets and even golf clubs.