Painting wood bed frame that has been stained

We'd like to paint a wooden bed frame. The wood was originally stained, although most of the shine (polyurethane?) appears to have come off.

Any advice on how to best paint the bed frame? Here's what i was planning, but want to check-in with the painting experts here:

• Light sanding -- Hoping i don't have to strip the wood or sand it heavily to the bare wood.
  
• Oil based primer -- Which primer works best on top of stain? Something from Zasser like 1-2-3, CoverStain or BIN? Or perhaps the Ben Moore 024? Kilz?
  
• Oil or latex paint? I'd prefer to use latex, but can do oil too if that works best. I'm thinking a spray paint may give it a better looking finish without brush marks....

Thoughts?

The platform bed frame is going to be for my 2-year old son's bedroom, so i want to make sure I'm not planning anything unsafe either. While we won't encourage biting the furniture, boys will be boys.....

 

Most any oil base primer should do fine after a scuff sanding of the old finish. While BIN might be the best primer to use - it's also the stinkiest Any of Zinnser's solvent based primers will work including the oil base version of the 1-2-3. Even the original Kilz would be ok on the cheaper end of primers.

Oil base enamel dries to a harder film than latex enamel but either one can be used over the solvent based primer. Latex is probably less toxic than oil base but I wouldn't recommend a diet of either A light sanding of the primer and between coats of enamel [if you need more than one] will help to minimize brush marks. Adding a latex thinner like floetrol will also help to minimize brush marks. The paint in rattle cans is drastically thinned so it will come out the nozzle - IMO spray cans aren't a good option.... and it would also be a solvent based paint.