When you're buying furniture for your child's bedroom, you're probably thinking about what colours to choose and where everything will fit. Whether the same furniture will still be useful in ten years might not be so high on your list, but it's worth considering if you'd rather not replace the wardrobe every time you redecorate. At Children's Bed Shop, we stock solid oak furniture. It costs a little more than some alternatives, so what are you getting for the extra money?

The furniture needs to stand up to being used

Think how often your child opens their drawers looking for something, or how many times you knock the bed while changing the sheets. Bedroom furniture gets plenty of use, and not all of it's gentle. Oak is a hardwood, so it's a good choice for the bed or wardrobe. You still need well made joints and decent fittings, though. A badly assembled piece of solid oak furniture won't last just because it's made of oak.

You can still dent the surface if you drop something heavy on it, and scratches are possible too. With solid wood, though, you don't have a thin decorative layer that can peel away and expose a different material underneath. You may also be able to repair minor damage, depending on the finish.

You won't have to match every new colour scheme

Perhaps your child loves yellow walls at the moment. In a couple of years, they'll want something different. If you've chosen a themed bed, you might find yourself wondering whether the furniture needs changing too. The natural colour of oak is much easier to work around. You can put patterned bedding on the bed, change the curtains or repaint the walls without the wood looking out of place. The same oak wardrobe that looks right in a younger child's bedroom can look perfectly at home in a teenager's room.

We also like that the grain isn't identical from one piece to the next. You'll see changes in colour and pattern and sometimes knots in the timber. It's real wood, so you'll get some variation between pieces, but we think this gives your furniture character.

Some designs give you more than one option

It's difficult to know what your child will want as they get older. A house bed might be the one they beg for now, but they might want to replace it in a few years. That's why we particularly like the Vipack Forrest solid oak house bed. You can remove the roof posts and use the frame as an ordinary single bed or day bed. There's no need to replace the whole thing just because the house shape has lost its appeal.

Our Vipack Forrest solid oak range includes lots of other beds and matching bedroom furniture, so you don't have to buy the entire room at once. You might need the bed now but decide to add a chest of drawers when your child's clothes start taking over the wardrobe.

Don't forget what needs putting away

The amount of stuff in a child's bedroom rarely stays the same. The toys get bigger, school things start appearing and there's bedding to put away. You can have a large room and still find the floor disappearing under everything.

It's worth looking at the storage before you settle on a bed. Some of the Forrest beds offer an underbed drawer or trundle, giving you a place for spare bedding or an extra mattress for visitors. There are also wardrobes and chests of drawers in the range. We wouldn't suggest buying the biggest wardrobe just because you can, though. The doors need space to open, and you still want enough floor room for your child to play or sit with friends. Remember to measure the gaps between the furniture, too. It's easy to forget how far a drawer pulls out until you're standing in front of it.

What about looking after the oak?

You won't need to do much beyond the usual cleaning. Dust the surfaces with a soft cloth, wipe away spills and use products suitable for the finish. Don't leave a damp cloth sitting on the top of the chest of drawers, and try to keep the furniture away from direct heat. Solid wood can move slightly as the temperature and humidity change.

One thing we'd mention before you order is the weight. Solid oak furniture can be heavy, especially the wardrobes. Check the route upstairs and the measurements of the doorway, not just the space where the furniture will eventually stand. Tall storage units should also be secured to the wall with suitable fixings.

Is it worth spending more on solid oak?

That depends on what you're buying and how long you expect to keep it. You may not want to spend a lot on every bedside table or shelf, and there's no reason you should. But if you're choosing the main bed or wardrobe, it's worth looking at something you won't be itching to replace in a few years. Have a look through our Forrest solid oak furniture to see what fits your child's room. You can always come back for matching storage later.