Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Great Fun At Bed Time |
| Disadvantages: |
Also Great Fun At Bed Time lol |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
Being a family with five children can be hard but with a four bedroom house it is made a little easier with my two girls sharing one room, two baby boys sharing another and my teen son. We did have bunk beds but when the rooms were moved around we decided to get my 2 year old at the time a flash new bed and settled on the Step2 Fireman Bed which set us back a fairly reasonable £199 including the chest that matches for a side wall. We decided on this bed as it seemed fun and my now 3 year old is a huge Fireman Sam fan.
We waited a week for delivery but it was very much worth the wait as it was fantastic. It arrived and of course the first thing I did was set about setting it up. The parts were very easy to slot together with minimal setting up needed and very good instructions to help you along they way, it only took me about 15 minutes to set up and pop the mattress on. We then covered his duvet with his new Fireman Sam covers set and let him in to see it. He went absolutely mad running and jumping straight on. He loved the added feature of steering controls and night light and started playing fireman straight away. We had found the perfect bed only problem is both boys squeeze in now as they both want the same bed lol.
The one problem I did have when he first started to use the bed was that at night he would not settle because he wanted to play fireman but this died down after about a month and he only plays on it as a toy during the day time now. It has been really pounded with both boys using it as a trampoline and has stood up to the bounce test so no concerns there at all.
THE BED
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Made from very solid and sturdy plastic it is weighty enough not to move easily and my one came with mattress. The measurements are 34"" H x 68"" L x 41"" W for those concerned about the sizes. The red night light takes 4 AA batteries but these die very quickly so best to use the mains supply that is supplied and tape it to the side out of the little ones way. The nightlight turns off on its own after a short while just enough time for sleepy eyes to drop off. The mattress I got with mine from a local toys store but I believe they are not usually supplied however the sizes are in the review so you can choose a mattress that suits your needs most. The adhesive stickers you need to stick on yourself but these are very easy and straightforward you just need a good eye to line them up.
SAFETY AND CLEANING
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This bed is very easy to clean just a damp cloth will do the job along with some soapy water. The bed is very safe as it is plastic and all edges are rounded however if you have the night light plugged into the mains be sure it is out of babies way and you unplug it before you go to bed yourself.
MATCHING STAND UP CHEST
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A great addition to the bed is the storage chest which is ideal for toy storage my boys keep everything in there it has a nice sized 5 and a half cubic feet of storage space and room for 11" books to be stored on the top shelf. Dimensions are in Inches 39.1/2Hx29Wx22D so not to big as to take up the whole bedroom.
SAFETY AND CLEANING (CHEST)
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Safety is again not an issue as it is entirely plastic and all corners are rounded. The lid lifts and slides back avoiding it slamming down back onto little fingers. Cleaning is simple and the same directions as the bed are advised a damp soapy cloth, be aware I have found that the boys like to store bits of food in the bottom so worth a regular clear out to avoid nasty growths.
OVERALL
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My overall opinion on the Step2 Fire Engine Bed is fantastic value for money and well worth considering if you are looking for a themed bed for your little ones. The bed helps to encourage little ones to go to bed with no trouble however be prepared for a month of wanting to play before sleep lol. I have found that it also keeps him occupied in the mornings giving me that further hour in bed that makes all the difference. If you are looking at this bed in particular then I must say you can't go far wrong but shop around as most places sell the chest and bed separately and without the mattress I was fortunate but the store in question closed down about 3 months ago now. The set is however available from Toys R Us.
Barry
