While it may seem like plastic bags, food waste, and other everyday garbage are the main things that end up in landfills, some surprising items make up a significant portion of our collective trash. According to the EPA, an estimated 9 million tons of furniture end up in landfills every year.
Instead of purchasing low-quality furniture for your child’s bedroom that only lasts a few years at most, consider opting for sustainably sourced and made furniture that will grow with your little one and help lower your carbon footprint.
Read on to discover our favorite ways to source sustainable kids' bedroom furniture.
1. Opt For Thrifted & Vintage Pieces
One of the most sustainable approaches to interior design is to purchase pre-loved furniture and decor and give it a second life. Thrift stores and vintage stores offer a wide range of children’s bedroom furniture, from large pieces like dressers to side tables to smaller, decorative items like paintings, books, and knick-knacks.
If you don’t have time to visit these stores in person, there are also many online marketplaces where you can source and curate used furniture available in your area. Facebook Marketplace is a popular option that allows you to search by furniture type, style, color, and location. Other second-hand marketplaces like AptDeco, Kaiyo, and Mercari also empower you to outfit your child’s room with sustainable pieces—without sacrificing any style.
2. Use Wood- and Bamboo-Based Designed
If you prefer to purchase new furniture instead of sourcing used designs, carefully consider the material of the pieces you choose. Certain materials, like wood and bamboo, are significantly more sustainable than their synthetic counterparts.
All wood—and especially bamboo—regenerates quickly, guaranteeing that any depleted resources are quickly replenished. Bamboo grows so quickly, in fact, that it has been known to sprout up to 1.5 inches per hour (and up to 35 inches in a single day!) making it one of the most sustainable plants on the planet.
Choosing bamboo or wood that has been ethically and responsibly sourced from certified forests also helps increase sustainability, ensuring you are not contributing to deforestation. Wood that is Forest Stewardship Council, of FSC, certified denotes high ethical production and confirms that the wood has been responsibly harvested. Prioritizing these two materials and strategic sourcing when selecting sustainable kids' bedroom furniture helps you make a more eco-conscious choice.
3. Consider Convertible Cribs
It’s no surprise that children grow quickly—and as they do, their furniture needs change quickly, too. From bassinets to cribs to twin beds, some parents replace their child’s bed frame every few years as they grow and their development requires different sleeping arrangements.
Some crib designs, however, are created to be convertible, allowing them to shift from a crib into a toddler-sized bed with just a few ingenious steps. Some of these cribs even go a step further, offering three-in-one designs that also convert into day beds or full-size twin beds. Thinking ahead and furnishing your space with one of these convertible designs allows you to avoid cycling through several different bed frames in as many years. Instead, it grows with your child—and you can even use it multiple times for younger siblings—to help you get as much life out of the piece as possible.
4. Prioritize Recycled and Recyclable Pieces
If you want to expand your furniture choices beyond wooden styles, you can also opt for furniture that is crafted from less conventional materials. Some brands leverage upcycled or recycled wood, glass, metal, and even plastic when designing their furniture, preventing the materials from ending up in landfills and offering a more sustainable way to furnish your home.
These innovative brands transform everyday trash like milk jugs, plastic bottles, and glass jars into practical and functional pieces. Some brands, like ecoBirdy, even offer specially designed, child-sized sets to help educate your little ones about recycling from an early age.
5. Discover SoftFrame® Designs Bed Frames
For children who are ready for their first big kid bed, there are bed frame designs that are equal parts stylish, functional, and eco-friendly. SoftFrame® bed frames are ultra-plush, upholstered styles crafted from CertiPUR-US certified foam, ensuring that they are manufactured without heavy metals, ozone depleters, or prohibited phthalates. Not only does this create a safer, healthier place for your little one to sleep, it also lowers the bed’s overall carbon footprint for a win-win approach.
In addition to their eco-conscious materials and manufacturing, these cozy frames are free of sharp corners, making them perfect for children of all ages—and especially young children who may still be a bit unsteady on their feet—to help prevent accidental injury. They also come in a range of bright colors perfect for complementing a playful bedroom. The sleek silhouettes are equally modern and timeless, so they grow with your child; a SoftFrame® bed frame is just as on-trend for 5-year-olds as it is for teenagers, so you can feel confident that your child’s bed frame will never go out of style.