You have no items in your shopping cart.
Checkout using your account
Checkout as a new customer
Creating an account has many benefits:
Or use
Create a Petite Amélie account
This form is protected by reCAPTCHA - the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
A toddler house bed is a low-profile, solid timber bed with a pitched roof frame, designed for children from 4 years old.
A timber frame catching the last of the evening light. A small figure tucked beneath it, one hand resting on a favourite book. The bedroom feels different now: not quite nursery, not yet a big-kid room, but something in between. If your child has outgrown their cot and you're weighing up what comes next, a toddler house bed is one of the most thoughtful options around. This guide covers what a house bed actually is, which size suits your child, how storage and accessories work, what to look for on the safety side, and how it sits alongside other children's beds.
A house bed is a low-profile children's bed with a pitched, house-shaped roof frame. It sits close to the floor, built from solid timber with a slatted base, and often comes with a removable side rail. The open roof structure can be dressed with a canopy or left bare.
The low height is the starting point. Children can climb in and out on their own, without a step stool and without help. That small act of independence matters at this age. It gives a child ownership of their bedtime routine and, gradually, confidence in their own space.
The roof frame does something quietly clever. It creates a sense of enclosure without closing the room off. Children often treat the space beneath it as a den or a hideaway: somewhere that feels personal and calm. That sheltered feeling tends to support settling at bedtime, turning the bed into a place a child actively wants to be.
The appeal of house beds sits at the overlap of several things parents care about. Montessori-influenced thinking places children at floor level, encouraging autonomy and free movement. The natural-material, Scandinavian-inspired aesthetic many families are drawn to fits a solid pine frame with clean lines. And then there's the practical side: the 90×200 cm size takes a standard single mattress and can carry a child well into later childhood, while the 80×160 cm version suits children aged 4 to 6.
A house bed is often one of the first spaces a child can genuinely call their own. That's why parents come back to it.
The transition from cot to bed is prompted by different things in different families. Sometimes a child starts climbing out of the cot. Sometimes a new sibling is on the way. Often, it's simply a growing sense that your child is ready for something more independent.
Petite Amélie house beds are designed for children from 4 years old. The low profile removes the drop risk of a standard raised bed, and the frame gives a child their own defined sleeping space. The 80×160 cm size suits children from 4 to 6, while the 90×200 cm frame is designed to grow with a child up to around 12 years old.
Not sure whether your child is quite ready? Everyday signals can help: are they climbing out of the cot confidently, showing interest in doing things on their own, and able to understand a simple bedtime boundary? Those small signs tend to tell you more than a number on a calendar.
Two sizes cover most families. Here's how they compare side by side.
Feature
80×160 cm
90×200 cm
Mattress type
Junior (80×160 cm), max 10 cm high
Single (90×200 cm), max 12 cm high
Age range
4 to 6 years
4 to 12 years
Room suitability
Smaller or shared rooms
Rooms with more floor space
Longevity
Junior years
Long-term, grows with the child
Best for
Compact spaces, younger children
Families planning ahead, older starters
Both sizes use standard mattress dimensions, so finding a replacement further down the line is straightforward. Allow enough floor space around the bed for play and movement. Position the frame away from windows, and ensure there's no gap between the bed and the wall where a child could become wedged.
A simple way to decide: if the room is compact and your child is closer to 4, the junior size offers a snug, age-appropriate fit. If floor space allows and you'd prefer a piece that lasts through primary school and beyond, the 90×200 cm is the natural choice.
The open roof frame of a house bed is designed to be dressed. A fitted canopy transforms the frame from a piece of furniture into a child's own retreat. The enclosed feeling it creates can make a real difference to how willingly a child settles at bedtime.
Keep it simple. One textile, soft bedding, and a few carefully chosen touches are enough. Petite Amélie canopies for the MAISON house bed are made from double-layer organic muslin cotton, GOTS- and OEKO-TEX Standard 100-certified, and attach to the frame using fabric ribbon ties. They're available in the 80×160 cm and 90×200 cm sizes to match the bed.
One firm rule: only use curtains or canopies designed specifically for the house bed frame. Loose fabric draped over the roof structure, or anything with cords near the sleeping area, should never be used.
The space beneath a house bed is one of its most practical features. The low frame keeps the room feeling open, but the under-bed area can work hard.
Under-bed storage drawers slide beneath the frame and hold extra bedding, seasonal clothing, or toys. They roll on wheels and sit flush when closed, keeping the room uncluttered without adding extra furniture. The Petite Amélie under-bed drawers for the 90×200 cm bed come as a set of two in solid pine, each holding up to around 20 kg.
A trundle bed is a different proposition. It's a secondary sleeping surface on wheels that rolls under the main bed when not in use: useful for siblings sharing a room, or for the occasional sleepover. The MAISON trundle bed for the 80×160 cm frame holds a junior mattress and supports up to 100 kg, with cut-out handles for easy sliding.
For smaller rooms, under-bed storage can replace a separate toy chest or blanket box. Labelling drawers or baskets simply helps children learn to keep their own space tidy, a small step toward independence that matters at this age.
One thing worth keeping in mind: avoid overfilling the under-bed space until it becomes hard to reach, or storing anything a child might pull out and use unsafely without supervision.
The sheltered shape of a house bed makes it a natural reading spot. A child can settle inside with a book and feel genuinely cocooned. Add a small cushion on the floor nearby and a book rack within arm's reach, and the bed becomes a place children choose to go during the day, not only at bedtime. For detailed ideas on creating the perfect setup, explore our guide on how to create a reading nook with a house bed.
The enclosed feel reduces distraction and supports quiet, focused time. As children approach school age, having a familiar space where they sit with a book on their own builds a habit that carries forward.
Parents at the cot-to-bed stage typically weigh up several options. Here's how a house bed sits among them.
House bed
Toddler bed
Montessori floor bed
Cabin bed
Bunk bed
Minimum age
From around 4 years
From around 18 months
From around 2 years
From 6 years
From 6 years (upper bunk)
Height
Low, close to floor
Low
Floor level
Raised
Raised (upper) / Low (lower)
Defined sleeping space
Yes, roof frame
No
Yes, enclosed sides
Yes
Storage options
Under-bed drawers, trundle
Limited
None
Integrated
Limited for lower bunk
Through childhood (90×200 cm)
18 months to 5 years
Toddler years
6 years to teen
A standard toddler bed is functional and familiar, but offers less character. The house frame adds a sense of enclosure that many children find settling, and the imaginative element is real, not decorative.
A Montessori floor bed shares the low-to-the-ground philosophy. The difference is the frame: a floor bed is a mattress without a superstructure, while a house bed adds a defined boundary that many children find comforting. Both support autonomy. It comes down to whether you want the room to feel more open or more defined.
Cabin beds and mid-sleepers raise the sleeping surface to create storage beneath, and are better suited to children aged 6 and up. For younger children, the lower height of a house bed is the more appropriate fit. Bunk beds work well for older siblings sharing a room, but at the ages a house bed serves, a trundle bed is often the more practical solution.
Four things shape the decision: your child's age, the room's size, whether siblings will share, and how long you want the piece to last. A house bed stands out because it gives a young child their own defined world at floor level, without sacrificing practicality or longevity.
A well-made house bed from a trusted manufacturer is something parents can feel genuinely confident about. Knowing what to look for makes that confidence easier to come by.
Frame and construction. Solid timber with smooth, rounded edges. No sharp corners, no protruding fixings. Joints should be robust and easy to check from time to time. FSC-certified pine is a reliable marker of both quality and responsible sourcing.
Side rail. A removable side rail on one side gives younger children a little reassurance during the transition, without making the bed feel closed in. Petite Amélie house beds include a flexible side rail that can be mounted on either side.
Slatted base. A well-designed slatted base supports the mattress evenly and allows airflow beneath it. Check that slat spacing meets current safety guidance to prevent a child's limbs from becoming trapped.
Mattress fit. The mattress should fit the frame snugly, with no gap at the sides or ends. For the 80×160 cm bed, the maximum mattress height is 10 cm; for the 90×200 cm, it's 12 cm. A correctly fitted mattress is one of the simplest and most important safety details.
Room positioning. Place the bed with one side against a wall where possible, and well away from windows. Ensure there's no gap between the frame and the wall. Keep the area around the bed clear of objects a child might climb on.
Certification. Look for a house bed certified to BS 8509, the British Standard for children's domestic furniture. Both Petite Amélie collections are certified to this standard.
Accessories. Only attach textiles designed specifically for the bed frame. Keep all loose fabric away from the sleeping area.
Periodic checks. Timber furniture benefits from a simple check every few months. Tighten any fixings that have worked loose, and inspect the frame for wear.
Petite Amélie offers two house bed collections, each with its own character. Both are built from FSC-certified solid pine and share the same low, safe profile with a flexible removable side rail and slatted base. The differences lie in detailing and the feel they bring to a room.
The MAISON has clean, architectural lines. It's a house frame that sits quietly in the room and works with almost any interior. Available in both the 80×160 cm and 90×200 cm sizes, it's also the collection that pairs with Petite Amélie's organic muslin cotton canopies for a more enclosed, cosy feel. The MAISON house bed in white, for example, suits children from 4 to 12 years and supports up to 100 kg.
The Rêve has a softer, more considered quality. The natural-finish 80×160 cm Rêve is a lovely starting point for a younger child's room, and is compatible with matching under-bed drawers for families who need the extra storage.
Explore the full range of house beds for children to see both collections side by side.
A house bed offers something genuinely valuable at this stage of childhood: independence, imagination, and a space that feels like their own. Getting the practical details right, size, storage, safety, mattress fit, is what turns a considered piece of furniture into one that lasts and works every day.
Every Petite Amélie house bed is built from FSC-certified solid pine and designed with the same care you'd bring to the decision yourself. Each one meets BS 8509, the British Standard for children's domestic furniture, so you can choose with a settled mind. When you're ready to explore, the collection is there.
Featured in this article
A house bed is a low-profile children's bed with a pitched, house-shaped roof frame, designed to sit close to the floor. The frame gives children a defined sleeping space that feels personal and cosy, while the low height supports independence. Most are built from solid timber with a slatted base, and the open roof structure can be dressed with a canopy designed for the frame.
Petite Amélie house beds are suitable from 4 years old. The low height makes them a natural next step after a cot. The 80×160 cm size suits children from 4 to 6, while the 90×200 cm version is designed to grow with a child up to around 12 years old.
A well-made house bed from a trusted manufacturer is a safe sleeping option for young children. Solid timber construction with rounded edges, a snug-fitting mattress with no side gaps, and a removable side rail are all good signs. Choose a bed certified to BS 8509 and position it away from windows, with one side against a wall.
The 80×160 cm uses a junior mattress and suits children from 4 to 6, fitting well in smaller rooms. The 90×200 cm takes a standard single mattress and can last through childhood, making it the stronger long-term choice where room space allows. Both share the same house-shaped frame.
Both keep children close to the floor and support independence. A Montessori floor bed is simply a mattress without a frame, while a house bed adds a timber roof frame that gives a child a defined, sheltered sleeping space. Many parents find the frame helps younger children feel more settled at bedtime.
Yes. Many house bed frames are compatible with under-bed storage drawers or a pull-out trundle bed. Drawers keep extra bedding or clothing out of sight without adding furniture to the room, while a trundle is useful for siblings sharing a space or for the occasional sleepover.
A well-made house bed is built to last. The low profile supports independence from the early years, and the frame gives children a sense of their own space that grows with them. The 90×200 cm size in particular carries a child from 4 years through to later childhood on a standard single mattress, making it a considered choice for families thinking ahead.
Key markers include certification to BS 8509, FSC-certified solid timber, smooth rounded edges, a sturdy slatted base, and a snug mattress fit with no gaps. A removable side rail and a frame designed to receive a fitted canopy are useful details that add flexibility as your child grows.
The Petite Amélie team is made up of parents, creatives, and specialists who share a passion for creating beautiful, practical spaces for families. From product design to customer experience, we work closely together to bring thoughtful ideas to life and support everyday family moments.
