From: mj7633@ireland.medtronic.com (Mark Jacoby)
Subject: Summary: Waterbeds for Kids
Organization: Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 14:12:31 GMT

In article <1992Dec29.143735.29154@medtron.medtronic.com> on
29 Dec 92 14:37:35 GMT I wrote:

>
>We are about ready to move our 21 month old daughter to a real bed,
>probably for her 2nd birthday.
>
In article <1992Dec29.143735.29154@medtron.medtronic.com> on
29 Dec 92 14:37:35 GMT you write:

>
>We are about ready to move our 21 month old daughter to a real bed,
>probably for her 2nd birthday.
>
>We have a waterbed ourselves and had heard some positive things
>about using them for children. We would like to get some info
>on personal experiences and opinions. My biggest concern is
>getting the temperature right, I know how tough it is to get
>ours just right and she probably won't be able to let us know
>if it's uncomfortable.
>
>Email replies and I'll post a summary.


And Here It Is!


stortek!Teresa_Creech@csn.org (Teresa Creech) wrote:

Get a soft-side waterbed.  Looks like a regular bed.  Has a quilted cover
over the bladder.  Make temperature less of an issue.  Also, it is much
more difficult for a toddler to put holes in the bladder than with a
conventional waterbed.  (But, it is not impossible - we've had to patch
several holes.)
All of our kids have waterbeds and I think that they sleep better on them
than in a regular bed.

-------------

latwood@oodis01.hill.af.mil (Lynette Atwood) wrote:

I bought a waterbed for my daughter's second birthday too.  She LOVES
it!!!  She has never had a complaint (except for that one time she
turned the heater up too high  -  I would recommend mounting it
underneath the headboard where the child can't get to it easily.)

Benefits:  she doesn't roll out (we have padded rails on it and don't
fill it completely full), we didn't need to buy tons of extra bedroom
furniture (bought her a pedestal, fits all of her clothes just fine),
she has a headboard for her "stuff", it is easy for her to make (pull
the blankets smooth and tuck into the sides), she can have a friend
sleep in with her easily (it is a single size too), it is "snuggly  and
warm" (she doesn't need her room real warm in the winter, the bed is
80 degrees).

She has been sleeping on it for almost 4 years now and *hates*
"regular" beds.  I would definitely recommend it.  Besides, it is a
lot cheaper than buying a new bed frame, mattress, box springs, etc.!

-------------

slg@cb.att.com (Sean Gilley) wrote:

I don't think I'd use a waterbed for such a small child.  One problem is
that they can actually get caught and not be able to free themselves.
For example, an arm can catch between the bladder and the frame of the
bed.

You might, however, take this with a grain of salt.  Most (all) of the things
I've heard about assume that a child is sleeping with a parent, and the
parent's weight allows the child to get caught.  With out someone heavier
in the bed, it might not be a problem.


(I replied that we plan to get a softside)
		
		and

slg@cb.att.com (Sean Gilley) wrote:

I didn't know they made softside waterbeds for kids.  In that case,  I don't
think you have any worries at all.  My wife and I use a softsided waterbed;
you were concerned about getting the heater the right temperature.. we don't
use a heater at all.  The padding from the top of the mattress is
plenty to
sheild us from the coldness of the water, and it simply feels like a normal
bed when we get into it.. as cold as a normal mattress, but warms up like
one as well.

(We did have one saleman tell us we still needed a heater.. so I guess
that it is possible that some softsided waterbeds still need a heater.
But if you can get one that doesn't, it solves a lot of problems.)

I would suggest getting tubes rather than a bladder.  (But now that I've
said that, I'm not sure why.  I've had both, and certainly prefer the tubes
for ease of filling and emptying, but then I may prefer tubes because that's
what we have in out softside, which I prefer to several degrees over the
hardsided bladder bed we had.)


--------------

We have decided to get a twin-size softsided waterbed for Bryn. I did
some shopping around and found that there are basically two types of
softsiders available: the type with tubes of water and and extra thick
foam pad which requires no heater ($299+$40 for the metal frame) and
the more conventional type with a single bladder, a thinner pad, and
a standard heater ($399 w/metal frame). The prices were pretty 
consistant and some places didn't carry a standard heated softside
in twin size. We did finally locate one place which will sell us a
standard softside, twin with a little heavier pad, heater, and frame
for $250. 


Well, thanks for the replies,

-- 
mark jacoby

mj7633@medtronic.com		612-574-8548
Newsgroups: misc.kids