The plastic beds on the market are numerous but these do not carry the classic style that I as a consumer want from a bed. Handmade children's beds are beautiful alternative that offer style and elegance, and will still be childish enough to suit your children's needs.

The variety is endless; having both a boy and a girl I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and fork out for both beds at once. I found pictures on which children's handmade beds were in my price range and showed them to the kids. As my daughter is the eldest I gave her the choice first.

The handmade beds oozed quality, were made of sturdy wood and clearly would last years without suffering too much damage. I showed my daughter a fairy bed first, this had fairies built into the sides and she loved it instantly. The fairies were large enough for her to admire while I was happy as they guarded the bed's sides and would stop her from rolling out of bed in the night.

I gave the other pictures of the handmade beds to my daughter and all of a sudden a look of confusion dawned upon her face. Their was a pretty children's flower bed; again the flowers were built into the sides as a safety measure but she was more impressed with the shades of lilac and pink that made up the decoration.

It was the quality of the handmade beds that impressed me most, not being a great craftsman I knew if I had tried to make one of these beds it would not have looked as professional; there would have been sharp edges all over and it would have lasted a year, if that. These beds were sturdy enough to cope with the children's jumping; although I wouldn't be encouraging them to do this it was good to know they could handle the rigours.

As my son was a little younger I thought I would make the choice for him. I had believed this would be easier but I found myself getting excited about variety of handmade beds on offer. Firstly I found a bed in the shape of a car, unlike the plastic beds that did not have the safety features I required the wooden handmade beds had the side skirts that ensured I wouldn't hear the bump in the night I dreaded.

There was also a bed in the shape of a train that has a smiley face on the front. This was a nice touch and the baby blue colour was ideal for my son who had professed that blue was this week's colour of choice. The best design I felt however was the boat shaped bed, it looked as if it was sea worthy and surely would cause my son to have fun nautical dreams.

I had not realised that there was such a variety in the different types of children's beds. It is easy to find yourself at a loss as to which one to pick, I found myself reverting to childhood and getting excited over the different designs.

A child's bed is of paramount importance; ensuring they have safe sound sleep means they are better behaved the next day. Most importantly however is buying a bed that your child will love, making the bedtime struggle easier is definitely advisable for all parents.