The Joy of Storytime with Bensons for Beds
For a young child, is there any greater appeal than a ‘big girl’ bed? A bed with not only a giant comfy mattress and super soft pillow, but also a ladder, a wardrobe, a drawer system or even a under bed den perfect for hiding? I remember the hours we spent deliberating over Erin’s when we purchased her new bed around 12 months ago. We had used a reward chart to encourage her to stay in her own room all night long, and it worked a treat – for a three year old, it appears the prospect of climbing a ladder to get into her bed was quite simply the incentive she needed to elicit positive behaviour, and we headed off to our local bedstore to check out the range of options available. Now we are almost ready for history to repeat itself, with Neve rapidly approaching the point at which we say goodbye to the cot, and hello to either a cot bed or toddler bed. Whilst I think she is perfectly ready for this transition, absolutely loving the prospect of a cosy pillow and duvet, I am not sure I am mentally prepared as a Mum for the idea of a cot free zone!
When Bensons for Beds got in touch to invite us along to the new look store in Wednesbury, the timing was perfect. Not only would it give us the opportunity to have a nosey around their extensive children’s selection, but we could also get involved with an exclusive storytime session with professional storyteller Nikky Smedley – a proper treat for the girls. Nikky is best known for her role as LaLa in the Teletubbies, but is also a writer, choreographer, director and producer, having won a bafta for her involvement in Boobah. I was excited to see how she would bring her stories to life, and she didn’t disappoint.
When we arrived, we were immediately impressed with the scale of Bensons for Bed’s children’s department – this clearly wasn’t an after thought addition to the rest of the store, but a department in it’s own right – with everything from cots and toddler beds to cabin beds and high sleepers. Unlike many other bed stores we have been to, the children’s area isn’t right next to the stairs, but further back at the rear of the upper floor. I cannot tell you how happy this made me, having spent the majority of our last bed shopping experience trying to stop a small child from legging it in the opposite direction!
We were greeted by Nikky – a beautiful mermaid like storyteller with an incredible sequin skirt flowing around her and footstools circled around for the children to sit on. She was wearing an amazing storytelling crown, and told the children about how stories are all around us in the air. She was able to catch them out of the sky, pop them into her head via the crown, where they would then come out of her mouth and be transported straight into our ears.
The girls were completely captivated by her enthusiastic rhyming tales – particularly the story of “The Monster Tree” – a funny tale of a little boy called Charlie with a very vivid imagination – a story that had Erin in stitches and chanting along with Nikky as the tale unfolded. Nikky had a way of making the story far more expressive than I ever could make a bedtime story, with funny voices, exaggerated facial expressions and lots of humour that left even grown ups with a smile on their face.
After 3 delightful stories, and Neve snuggling up to a giant cuddly husky, we decided it was time to explore what the Bensons for Beds Children’s department had to offer.
There was lots to keep the girls entertained and content, meaning plenty of time for us to check out the full range – Mike loved the beds with an intergrated wardrobe, whereas for me, the appeal of a little desk for doing homework was just too adorable to resist.
Erin loved playing with the giant abacus above one of the beds, moving the coloured balls from left to right with another child on the opposite side! 🙂 Neve made an instant beline for the nearest cot, playing with a pom pom mobile before appearing for a second like she was actually contemplating having a nap!
With beds set up in ‘scenes’ that help you envisage a finished and fully furnished bedroom, Bensons for Beds had lots of inspiration on how to create the perfect sleeping space for your little ones. The little finishing touches helped really bring the room settings to life, and with a range of budgets and price points, there really was something for everyone.
We had a fabulous morning at Bensons for Beds, and were really impressed with the variety in their range. I couldn’t resist having a little lie down on a bed of my own before we left, finding my ideal comfort rating (soft mattress) and a super squishy side sleeper pillow – I could’ve quite happily stayed there all day!
A huge thankyou to Bensons for Beds for inviting us to share their storytime. You can expect to see us again in a few months time when we upgrade Neve from her cot! 🙂
*This is a collaborative post. We were invited along to the Bensons for Beds event and compensated for our time, however all thoughts and opinions are my own*
