The SEN Resources Blog

Sleep is the holy grail in parenting circles. Having children who don’t sleep well, not only affects the child but can impact on their whole family.

Whether it be children struggling to get to sleep, waking in the night or getting up too early- it can be incredibly difficult to cope with for any parent. It can be a challenge that all families can experience, but sleep problems are particularly prevalent for children with special educational needs. I was therefore thrilled to discover The Cuddle Bed Company.

Founded by Chrissie Lowery, a mum of five, The Cuddle Bed Company designs and makes Cuddle Beds, Bean Bags and Cushions for all children with a particular focus on helping those with Special Educational Needs. Chrissie’s Cuddle Beds are inspired by her autistic son. She began making Cuddle Beds for her son to help him sleep better; catering for his need for sensory stimulation.
We tried out a Toddler Cuddle bed, which is designed to be a temporary bed for children over the age of 2.

What did we like about them? 

• Relaxing: We think they are a brilliant idea to help children who get overstimulated and need a safe and comfortable place to relax, or for those who need sensory stimulation to settle. In terms of sensory stimulation the Cuddle Beds are appropriately named as you almost sink inside them, it’s like you’re being cuddled by cushions! Focusing on how lying on the Cuddle Bed feels helps children (and adults) to feel safe and less stimulated by other things around them.

• Multiple Uses: The Cuddle Bed range caters for toddlers, children and teenagers. The beds have numerous uses such as for sleepovers, camping, relaxing, reading, watching tv, playing games etc. We found ours to be really handy for our toddler’s nap times and as a lovely place for our children to snuggle with books to relax before bedtime. We are also looking forward to trying it out when we stay with family.

• High quality– They’ve used 100% Cotton or Polycotton top fabrics, the designs are stunning and the beds are beautifully made to a high standard. The care, love and attention to detail that Chrissie Lowery puts into each of the beds is wonderful.

• Options- On The Cuddle Bed Company website there is a very wide range of beautiful fabric pattern and colours to choose from to customise a bed for your child. I loved this feature, as in my experience, children are more likely to use and love a product that they have helped to customise/choose.

• Practical– I adored the practicality of the Cuddle Bed. It folds up easily (unlike sleeping bags!) into its own bag and is secured neatly with a drawstring, helping it to be tidied away/stored or transported; for example to grandparents’ houses. It’s also lightweight and easy to carry. Plus the top cover is washable, so there’s no worries with removing spillages.

Head over to the Cuddle Bed Company’s website here to have a look for yourselves.

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All opinions and words are our own, but please note we were sent a complimentary cuddle bed and budget to review this item.