Why is exposed hardware ok for children's furniture?!?!?

[katydid1971]

DS is going to need to move into a big boy bed in a few months so DH and have started looking for a bed for him. We started at a local children's furniture store. All the furniture for little boys had exposed screws and these weren't super cheap pieces, around $600-$700. When I mentioned to the store clerk he said if we orderd the expensive furniture it wouldn't be like that so he pulled out the catalog. Sure enought the $1000 bed had exposed screws. I went home and looked in an Ethan Allen catalog that I had and the $1400 bunk bed had exposed screws. I went through all the adult furniture in the same catalor and no exposed screws. My son is now two and I hope the have him use this funiture until he heads off to college, why should it be such less quality furniture than the furniture for adults? I have some things around the house that I bought at Ikea and sure they have exposed screws but I paid less than $100 and put them together myself. Why should kid's furniture be such less quality than adult furniture?
Sarah

[C99]

I suspect the reason for the exposed screws is that it's a heck of a lot easier to put up and take down, change around, etc. when the hardware is exposed. And presumably manufacturers think that parents will move kid furniture around more -- I know that has been true in our case. One of our cribs has been assembled three times -- it is an IKEA crib and the screws are flat against the wood when assembled. The Sorelle crib we have that has been moved once was a total PITB to take apart and move the mattress height -- because the hardware is not exposed. My son sleeps in an IKEA twin bed. It has exposed hardware. Honestly, it has never been a problem.