Boys Will Be Bedroom Designers

You're a guy. Sure you like to read (Harry Potter) and sew (Boy Scout survival stuff). But there's no way you're picking boy bedding with cows and sheep on it, even if your mom likes it. You want a NFL bedding ensemble. Your sister never has any problem wih her girl bedding. While your mom's the one who makes the decision on how late you can stay up, you have wriggle room on your bedding comforter.

A denim NFL bedding set just expresses your interests--tell your mom you learned to mend it yourself in Boy Scouts. You're a do-it-yourselfer who's earned the right to choose your own boy bedding. Here's some tips to make sure Mom softens when you're psyched about that Raiders denim bedding comforter:

1. Keep your room clean. If she doesn't have to go in there and make the bed, she'll be happier.
2. Don't hit your brothers and sisters and Mom won't get pressure from Aunt Louise about "too much violence in sports."
3. Do the dishes without too much grumbling, or offer to do them even when it's not your turn.
4. Do your homework on time and Mom won't come in there to remind you and groan about your bedding.

You're a cool guy--your Mom will swear to it, even after you ask her not to tuck you in. You like your boy bedding the way it is!

Teenage Boy Bedding

You're in high school now--time to ditch the kids' wallpaper and kids' bedding. You don't need a fluffy down bedding comforter either. You're almost a man now. Here are some ideas for the up-and-coming grown-up guy:

• Transform your room of gloom with updated boy bedding. A warm plaid duvet with poly fill isn't nerdy--it reminds you of your aunt and uncle's mountain cabin.
• If your mom wants to redecorate on the cheap but you want a sports-themed bedroom, take your old sweat shirts and T-shirts of your favorite teams and have your mom turn them into pillow shams. That's what HGTV showed you. What? You can watch HGTV and sports too!
• A denim bedding comforter's always in. It works for Mom and Dad too!
• Get some reading pillows so you can crash on your bed while you read A TALE OF TWO CITIES for English Lit.
• Made the rowing team? Try nautical-striped sheets in your bedding ensemble. Hang a couple of oars above your bed.
• Whatever bedding you pick, make sure you've got an extra firm mattress--you're a strong guy and you need a strong bed. But it has to be comfortable too after a day of navigating the high school jungle.

Maybe that fluffy down bedding comforter is a good idea after all. Now that your room's grown up, you're ready to start shaving. No hair? Too bad. You can dream about it when you're snoozing in your grown-up totally cool boy bedding.

Children and Comforters

Kids. They want to watch programs that are too old for them, stay up too late...and now, your little darling wants to use a bedding comforter. That's one wish you don't have to say "no" to. You can buy an inexpensive great-quality kid comforter with a cradle set, or when your child graduates to that big-boy or big-girl bed.

Preschoolers will like a bed spread and comforter in a sports theme, Disney theme, or animal theme. Make sure to choose a comforter that can grow with the child, or at least one that you won't mind tossing when your child screams, "Mommy, this bed comforter is babyish." You don't have to get your child an ultra-luxurious down bed comforter. Plush natural wool or cotton will do.

Pick one that is:

• Hypoallergenic
• Soft and durable but easily washable
• Not complicated so kids can keep their bedrooms neat
• Not overly fussy--you don't need baby bling for a bed spread and comforter

A soft comforter will help your child get the sleep she needs, so she'll have energy to run, jump, play and learn. After a day of saying "no," you feel better having a request you can say "yes" to.

Kid Bedding Safety

We gripe that "experts" are telling us how to raise our children. You have to have the most natural, most expensive kid bedding set because your child might be allergic to air. Even a discount kid bedding ensemble will usually protect against dust mites and allergens. We worry that our kids will slip and fall when they're jumping on the bed because the child bedding is too slippery. Just secure the comforter with clasps! Sometimes child safety can go overboard.

Discount child bedding doesn't mean it's unsafe--as long as it doesn't unravel or tear when your child uses a sheet to scare her older brother, you've bought quality kid bedding. And as long as it's a fitted sheet, it won't slip off during the night. As long as you've bought high thread count (200 to 600) child bedding, you don't need to worry about extra blankets suffocating your child--although an extra pillow placed on the side of the bed will prevent that restless wrestling champ from falling off the bed.

That said, if your child gets a rash after sleeping in that thick snuggly wool kid bedding, you might have the problem (wool child bedding can shrink, so be especially careful if you select that discount kid bedding wool ensemble). You don't have to have a laissez-faire attitude towards your kids' toys, friends, or even bedding, but don't go overboard!

Choosing a Kid Bedding Theme

Kids--today they're into Dora the Explorer, tomorrow sailboats and rocketships or famous scientists. While you might want them to be into Albert Einstein, decorating their bedrooms with E=mc2 and Albert's wild hair may inspire a rash of redecorating. Not everything in your kids' bedrooms has to match. After all, those rooms will be littered with art projects, crayon masterpieces, and yes, pictures of Einstein.

If you want a kid-pleasing kid bedding set that will last even though your child may like Blue's Clues today but prefer dinosaurs the next, try child bedding in a nature design with nature-inspired colors. Kids love bringing leaves home. Stencil leaf designs or use leaf wallpaper to coordinate with your discount child bedding. A discount kid bedding ensemble in a sailboat theme or car theme can be offset by a plain bed skirt and white walls--you can always try a mural or photos of boats and cars.

If you're set on an Einstein theme, try a funky black-and-white design a la your kids' drawings. Kid bedding doesn't have to be ultra-expensive. You want your child bedding, above all, to be comfortable and to give your kids the good nights's sleep they need to go out and dig dinosaur bones in the backyard or perform quantum physics experiments in the kitchen.

Applique "Room In A Bag" Bedding

Homemade patchwork--can it inspire oohs and aahs with your kids when they're surrounded by so many high-tech toys and computers in schools? Kids will gravitate towards flashing lights, but when they have night terrors, the only light they're interested in is the night-light. A patchwork applique duvet and curtains will comfort your child. You can buy a child bedding "room in a bag" set with:

• Quilted bedspread or duvet
• Window curtains and valances
• Bedroom curtains
• Bed skirts
• Applique pillow shams
• Applique throw pillows
• Fabric bed pillow shams
• Fabric throw pillows

Your "room in a bag" kid bedding set may or may not include sheets. Solid color sheets are your best bet to complete that "room in a bag" kid bedding. Make no mistake, an applique "room in a bag" isn't a discount kid bedding option. But since you refused to install a computer or TV in your child's bedroom, you've saved some money. The computer or TV won't help your child go back to sleep--a homey kid bedding set will. Especially if you're there to tuck your child back in.

Canopy Beds for Teenage Girls

Your friends say canopy beds are for babies, but you know you need your privacy. You bought your bed without a canopy, but now you want one. What does the smart girl do? She makes a canopy!

Your brother gets to put oars and skis above his bed to match his sports-themed boy bedding, right? So you can customize your girl bedding with a homemade canopy. Say you have a dreamy pink-and-purple bedding comforter as part of a pink and purple bedding ensemble. Luckily, you also have tons of scarves, because pink and purple are your favorite colors. Your mom has chiffon swatches of fabric, or you can get some from the sewing store your best friend's mom owns. You don't even need a four-poster bed to create a canopy.

Better Homes and Gardens suggests using a fishing line. You sew the scarves and fabric pieces to the fishing line and string it across the ceiling. Make the line a foot longer than the bed. Use two lines for the head and foot of the bed. Voila--instant canopy! The best part is, it doesn't look like one. It looks exotic and funky. Maybe the scarves will serve as a signal to your dad and mom to stay out when you're discusing how cool it is to make your own bedding pillow shams from the leftover fabric. Oh, and your friends all want canopy beds now too. You always were a trend-setter!

Kids' Down Comforters

Kids don't need expensive athletic shoes unless they're going in the NBA. They don't need the latest computer game. But they do need a good night's sleep. But, when you're buying a child bedding ensemble, do you buy one that comes with a down comforter? A cuddly down comforter is a good investment in keeping kids warm and comfortable. You don't have to buy the most expensive, highest fill power down comforter. But if you have your heart set on helping your child sleep better, bear in mind that your average kid bedding set usually includes a cotton and poly fill comforter.

If your child needs extra winter warmth, buy a discount bedding ensemble with a kid comforter that you won't mind laying aside--who knows, that younger sibling might want it, and you can always find discount child bedding sheets to match. Kids don't need the latest designer fashions or every cereal that's oart of a movie tie-in, but your kid does need a soft bed to dream about playing in the NBA or becoming a computer science genius.

Choosing Kids' Pillows

Sew child bedding? You? Not a chance. Your hubby made new shams for the throw pillows you thought you'd have to toss when you bought that dinosaur-themed discount kid bedding. Since your hubby doesn't want all his friends to know he's a male Martha Stewart with the needle, he asked you to find out about the best pillows for the dinosaur kid bedding set while he stencils a tyrannosaurus on the slipcover from the discount child bedding.

What size pillow do you need for kid bedding? Tell your hubby that the pillow is usually 54" x 75" for a kid standard pillow. Everyone will believe that you created that fantastic discount child bedding, while your hubby can just smile and know he's earned himself a free pass on taking out the trash.

Girl Bedding Without Flowers

You'll wear a dress, but you don't like a lot of ruffles and flowers. Your mom has gven you less trouble than she gave your brother when he picked boy bdding for his room. But she still thinks you should think pink. You want bedding in a jungle or geometric artistic design. Surprise--girl bedding doesn't have to be frou-frou and fussy.

In fact, it can be fun and forest-themed. Show your mom the Trading Spaces Boys vs. Girls episode that taught your brother how to pick out a jungle bedding ensemble for you. Boys designed a jungle-themed room ncknamed "Camp Lauren," while girls created a golf scheme for the boys' bedroom. See, boys and girls can work together!

Hint: Convince your mom that NFL boy bedding is good for your brother. It's what Mom calls "compromise." You can look for a jungle bedding comforter cover even if your mom wants a fluffy duvet--actually, soft duvets do remind you of a warm rainforest. Just put on the duvet cover to complete your jungle paradise. You already have the sheets and pillowcases with orchids--okay, so you never said you hated flowers. Your bedroom needs to reflect your personality, so let it be a jungle out there in your room!