Dora the Explorer Toddler Bed with Canopy

My daughter stopped wanting to sleep in her crib when we converted it to a toddler bed. She picked this one out and said she would sleep in it if we got it. She loves it! Much easier to get her to go to bed now (she is 4). Poka yoke is a Japanese term meaing fail proofing. In design you make things poka yoke so there is only one way things go together so you can't put thing together wrong. The designers seriously need a refresher on this. I had to undo and redo about 5 times, instructions are poor, and I didn't realize things were on wrong till you get a step further and have to undo.

My best advice is to go through the directions and put the bed together WITHOUT screws, figure out which way the pieces line up best, and then go back to put it together permanently.

My daughter absolutely LOVES this bed. Her birthday was in February, and she still talks about how much she loves her pretty new bed and is so happy to have it.

I cannot complain about the bed itself at all. Assembled it stands about 4' high. I was afraid it was going to be too big for her small space, but it takes up a LOT less room than her previous bed (we found the blue version at a yard sale the frame took up a lot of space Little Tikes Princess Pink Toddler Roadster Bed. The stickers are cute, the plastic is decently sturdy, the canopy is very thin but she doesn't mess with it so it seems okay. The frame is also strong enough that I have occasionally heard her bouncing on it (28 pounds) when we aren't in there.

The directions are not complicated, they are simply not clear ENOUGH.

1) If you get the canopy version, there are 8 brackets in two packs of 4. There are 2 types the upper has a hole on both sides, the ones for the floor have an enclosure. They are not separated by type, so you will have to open both bags first rather than just open one and put all 4 on the bed. Very simple, but annoying if you didn't pay attention and have to pull the headboard off to swap them.

2) The mattress support pad only fits one way. Unfortunately, it looks like it works both ways, so line everything up before you start screwing it together to make sure you don't have to reverse the pad.

3) If you have a rubber mallet, it would be useful to have on hand for tapping some of the metal pieces up and down to get the holes to line up. Not necessary, but helpful.

It's been a month since we put it together, and these are the problems I remember as being the most annoying. I'm sorry I didn't write this sooner, but if I happen to recall any other issues I will add them to the review.

The bed is worth it, though!

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The bed itself seems fine. The installation process was fairly easy, but this item was not crafted with precision so not all of the holes lined up properly. Also, as other people have noted, the frame of the canopy seems a little weak.

FYI: If I could start the assembly process over, I would go to the hardware store and get the proper nuts and bolts to make this sturdier. It came with some screws and what seem like 1/4-20 Thd., 7/16 Lg., Three Prong Tee-Nuts without the teeth to hold them in place. Most of the screws stripped pretty easily and of course the last set I got to cross-threaded when I applied a little force to compensate for a misaligned screw holes. I think some longer, standard machine screws and some washers would be better since you're fastening the hollow plastic pieces to the metal frame. It's very easy for the head of the screw to drive in too deep.

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This bed is really very pretty. And the bottom feels very solid and sturdy and safe. There are only two issues with it.

The first is not a huge deal the side guards leave no space at all b/w themselves and the mattress. I know it should be tight but it is so incredibly tight that it is very difficult to make the bed. The comforter doesn't fit in the spaces at all. This also is uncomfortable for a toddler just getting used to using sheets. My daughter kicks them off, but if they are too tight and she can't pull them out of the sides, she gets frantic. My solution was to remove one side guard and put the bed up against the wall. This gives just enough breathing room for the sheets and comforter and my daughter.

The second problem is that I would have liked the canpoy bars to be mpre solid. My daughter does not hang off things, but if you have a child that likes to grab and play with bars, she will break it instantly and or pull it down and fall. They have to be collapsible to fit in the box, but it would be helpful if they would make the box longer, thicken the canopy supports and make it harder to pull down.

But overall, the bed is lovely.

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I bought this for my 3yr old daughter and she likes the bed. The hardware is your basic set of tubes and screws for the frame, with plastic everything else. It seems sturdy enough for her. Unlike other reviewers I did not find it particularly hard to put together, but I've put together my fair share of IKEA stuff, so maybe that makes a difference.

The canopy arrived torn and after calling Delta their solution was to ask me to return the item to the store, Amazon in this case. All I want is the canopy replaced but Delta can't help and Amazon wants me to ship the whole thing back. Thought everyone considering buying this should know what they're up against if they need something replaced.