Woodly Baby Cradles & Toddler Beds

As many of you will know by now, my husband and I became parents for the first time back in December and since then life has been completely different in the most wonderful (and exhausting) way. One of the consequences of this is that I have obviously started to take far more notice of furniture, interiors and general equipment for babies and children. I’ve never really paid much attention to it before but now that we’re parents it is something that is very much on my radar. I can’t say though, that in my limited experience with baby products, I have come across many that I would describe as “design-led”. That is until I came across Woodly, an Italian company that produces green furniture, wooden toys and furnishing accessories in a zero impact, sustainable way. As part of its baby furniture range, Woodly produces a couple of stunning baby cradles and a magnificent floor bed for toddlers.

The Pluma Cradle is a soft nest made out of pure, non-treated, wool felt. It is sewn by hand “saddler” style and is supported by a light but strong and solid wooden stand. It comes with a cotton and biological spelt husk mattress that is not only comfortable but apparently prevents suffocation in small babies. I just absolutely love the look of this cradle, it is utterly gorgeous and the fact that it is made of natural materials makes it all the more appealing. It certainly looks a whole lot better than any moses basket I’ve come across.

If, however, a hanging cradle is more your style, then the Roll suspended cradle is probably more up your street. The same wool felt cradle, suspended in a birch shell, hangs from four chunky cotton ropes joined together in a central wood ring that is connected to a hook on the ceiling or it can be suspended from the Happy Feet tripod. By hanging up the cradle, the swing and bounce action of the Roll mimics the soft and random movements that a child would feel inside its mother’s tummy and so rocks the baby to sleep. Now this is where it gets really cool!! Once your baby has outgrown the cradle you can remove it from its birch case and use it as a magazine rack or storage basket and the birch shell can be flipped upside down and used as a handy little table for your child’s bedroom.

Then for older children who have outgrown the cradle, there is the wonderful Montessori style floor bed. The low-level playful bed in the shape of a car is easy for small children to climb in and out of but the raised sides also prevent children from tumbling out of the bed at night. It is handmade from FSC certified, solid beech wood, with comb joints, and is finished with hand-applied traditional shellac and beeswax.

So what do you guys reckon? Are these not some of the best children’s cribs you have ever seen?