Bunk beds - at what age, and where from?

[citymama]

4 yr old DD is still :47:in her crib converted to toddler bed, which she has definitely outgrown. We'll be handing the crib down to the new arrival in a couple of months - well, probably several months down the line. Still, I thought it would be good to get DD her first real bed well in advance of the baby getting her old crib. The question is, what to get? At some point (not sure when that is) the sisters will be sharing a room since we're in a 2 bedroom apt. The room is way too small for 2 beds - well, not unless we get rid of many toys. So I'm wondering about bunk beds, or a double bed, rather than getting an interim bed now and having to make more purchases in a year or two.

At what age did your kid(s) get bunk beds? I assume DD will be in the bottom bunk initially, and then "graduate" to the top bunk around 5 and a half or so. The other plus is there'll be a place for one of us (probably DH) to sleep on the many occasions DD cries and wants us in her room at night, or when one parent is off baby duty for a night. Or is there another solution, or reasons why we wouldn't want bunk beds at this age?

Finally, where did you get your child's bunk bed or big kid bed? The only thought I have is IKEA, but all I see on their site is the bed with the reading area below (which I know some folks have cautioned against getting) and really small toddler beds. Would appreciate any recommendations - thanks!

[bnme]

We have thid bed from ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Twin-Liberty-Loft-Frame-Beautiful-Golden-Oak-Stain-NEW_W0QQitemZ330409299697QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Bed s?hash=item4cededcef1

We stained and assembled it. It is very sturdy and we love it. We have a twin on a regular metal frame underneath.

My youngest was almost 4 when we got it. The oldest 5.5. They take turns sleeping on top. They do fine with the ladder.

eta: we have an additional side ladder, not shown in this pic.

[wolverine2]

I'm wondering about this as well b/c we will move to bunk beds when DS2 grows out of the crib. My parents have this IKEA one at their lake cabin:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20102451

It's fine, but the ladder isn't very comfortable since you're stepping on the side of the slat instead of a flat part (if that makes any sense). I think I want something a little nicer for home. (but not tons of $$) I'm also debating whether to get a full on the bottom- just gives more bedding options for the future/guests/sleepovers, etc.

[jayali]

matthew was 4 when we got his bunk beds. They are from Pottery Barn. They are very sturdy and we are satisfied with them.

[sewarsh]

my DS is only 1.5 YO so i haven't look into this much yet, but was recommended this site:

www.simplybunkbeds.com

LOTS of selection.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I started a thread or two about this a while back. What we ended up ordering was the Young America Twin over Full Bunk (http://www.furniturefind.com/Contentment-Twin-Over-Full-Bunk-Bed-Series-YAS8840.html) that you can make into two twins, twin bunks or twin over full bunks. DD has a similar full bed with a trundle. DS1 has not yet climbed out of his crib, so we haven't taken delivery of it yet. Ours is a different finish to match the boys' furniture. Our plan is to use just one twin first, then another twin, then bunk them when someone (DD or DS1) is old enough to sleep on top, using the full bottom for everyone to gather up and read together. We did not pay anywhere near the msrp. That stuff is expensive.

I'm pretty sure they stopped making this config. last year (which is why I ordered then) but I've googled and found a couple on CL over time. It's prob. not your style, but an option to toss into your thinking.

BTW, Happy Birthday to your DD!!!

[belovedgandp]

We moved our two boys into the same room when DS1 was 5 1/2 and DS2 was almost 2 1/2. DS1 went to the top bunk with no problems. I do not let DS2 up there at all to avoid any issues at night.

As an adult I can't stand trying to get in the bunk. It would probably be easier if the bedrail wasn't there for DS2. He moved straight from a crib to the bed, so I worried about him falling out.

We have one with drawers underneath the bottom bunk. It makes the bottom bed kind of far off the bed, but it's a small room and I didn't have room for another dresser. I like having the drawer space to keep all of DS2's clothes in. For future sleeping arrangements - friends, another adult, whatever - I think a trundle under the bottom bunk bed would have been more useful long term, but this works for us.

[JBaxter]

I think the safe age is about 6yrs. old from everything I have read.

[crl]

DS really, really, really wanted bunk beds so I got them for him when we moved back here. He was 5 1/2 at the time.

I was worried about safety though so I found these that are an L configuration: http://www.bedroomfurniture.com/Berg-Furniture-22-Series-Promo-FX1047.html That means the top bunk isn't very high--not even to my shoulders. This set also does not have any slats on the top bunk; DH was worried about a kid getting an arm or leg caught in a slat and falling with it caught, thus breaking it. DS gets to the top bunk (where he sleeps) by climbing on the bottom bunk and pushing himself up to the top with his arms.

We did not get the stairs on the end to save money and space and because I thought a little one could use them to climb up to the top too early. These bunks aren't the most beautiful piece of furniture around, but they are quite sturdy and have been very functional for us.

Catherine

[billysmommy]

If we decide to do bunk beds when we renovate the upstairs we're going to go with this one.
Bob's also makes one similar but the drawers are the steps themselves and they slide out.
http://www.simplybunkbeds.com/twin-over-full/wood-bunk-beds/stairwaytwinoverfullbunkbed.cfm?source=gbase&gbid=Heartland_Twin_over_Full_Bunk_Bed_with_Stairs&TID=WCM283

[hardysmom]

I LOVE Flexa.

We put DS in a "mid high" bunk with an angled ladder when he was 3.5 and we were moving into a new house. He is now 8.5 and it is fantastic. At the moment, we have a little couch under it, but it is modular so you can raise it, put a bed underneath in all sorts of configurations, keep it as a loft, whatever.

They also have a "low loft" which can be matched with a cute play curtain for extra play space in a small room.

We didn't buy one of their curtains, but a handy friend made a little curtain out of fabric I purchased.

I don't know why one wouldn't want reading space beneath. I suppose that may not be safe with a flimsy bed or something? I find that younger kids like playing on the floor, so having floor space is important.

We're getting a set for our 6yr old twins as well.

For my twins, who share a room, I am getting 2 mid-high lofts and putting dressers and beanbags for reading underneath. They are excited about having their own "rooms" under the beds.

Anyway, they are remarkably sturdy. All 3 of my kids have been REALLY rough on DS bed for 5 yrs. More expensive than some options, but they type of bed you can use for a long, long time.

BTW, my girls were also in toddler beds until 4.5. Now they are sharing a single double bed.

Here is a link to the UK version of the site. I'm shopping for my girls beds as well, but for some reason the USA site doesn't have all the pictures up.

Google FLEXA and you'll find more. Besides buying online, they have 10 (or so) stores around the country and an outlet in Virginia.

In the US, a mid-high loft or a bunk will run $800-$1500, so not super-cheap. There are knock offs (including IKEA) but I don't know if they are as sturdy.

Age 4-6 inspiration:

http://www.flexa.co.uk/ShowInspiration/4_6-years/9

http://www.flexa.co.uk/ShowInspiration/Sleep-and-Play/3

[SnuggleBuggles]

Once ds2 is out of his crib we plan to move ds2 to ds1's twin bed and ds1 to a loft bed. Ds1 should be 7-9yo. 6 was my rule for the top bunk. Now this thread is making me wonder if I should get bunk beds instead. I know ds1 would love to share a room with ds2.

Beth

[egoldber]

I think about moving the kids together at times and using the other bedroom as a play/study room.

But I am short and I worry about being able to change the sheets easily on a loft or bunk bed.

[kijip]

T will be 7 when he starts using the top bunk. We are planning to get ours from Costco.

[mama2g03]

Once ds2 is out of his crib we plan to move ds2 to ds1's twin bed and ds1 to a loft bed. Ds1 should be 7-9yo. 6 was my rule for the top bunk. Now this thread is making me wonder if I should get bunk beds instead. I know ds1 would love to share a room with ds2.

Beth

We got this bed for DS so he could have more room on his floor and we wanted a desk in his room: http://tinyurl.com/yz4aqr7
It is a loft bed but came with the extra pieces to make it bunk beds if we want to in the future. That might be a good option for you if you want him to have a loft bed for now and maybe bunk beds later. It is very nicely made and we got the matching desk to go under it. We do have to tighten up the screws every couple of months because they loosen up. DS loves it. My only issue is getting my 7 mo pregnant self up there to change the sheets. Oh, and I like that they are both full size beds and you have the option of making them into separate beds

[mama2g03]

I think about moving the kids together at times and using the other bedroom as a play/study room.

But I am short and I worry about being able to change the sheets easily on a loft or bunk bed.

I am 6 feet tall and I have to climb onto DS's bed to change the sheets, no way I could do it from the ground. His is a loft bed and is taller than some regular bunk beds. It is a pain but it's not like I do it every day.

[fivi2]

My 4 yo girls share a queen size bed (we already had) turned sideways. So they sleep the wrong way on the bed, only because it fits in the room better that way and gives them a ton of room on the bed. Eventually my ils are insisting we take some bunk beds they have, but we haven't gotten them yet.

[LBW]

We have a Flexa set that we have set up as individual twin beds for our 2 and 3 year olds. Eventually we'll bunk them again - probably when the youngest is 4. He's crazy and I wouldn't trust him in a room with a ladder!

My 7-year old used to share a room with our 3-year old. They used the Flexa beds, bunked. We made it very clear to them that they could not play on the beds and that only my oldest son could climb onto the top bunk. We never had a problem.

My 7-year old now has a lofted This End Up bed. Love it! I found it as a set on craigslist - bunks, 2 dressers, desk, hutch, and chair for $400. It's super sturdy. I like the our Flexa furniture, but it's pricey. If I could go back in time, I'd just look for a second, used This End Up set.

[salsah]

we are in the same situation space wise (2 bedroom and the room isn't big enough for two beds). we bought a twin over full bunk (with trundle) that i love and hate. i love that dh or i can sit in bed with them at night to read books. we have also slept on the full with them and dh has slept on the top before. i love that we have plenty of sleep space for whatever situation (i currently use the trundle for storage). i hate how much space the full takes up in the room, i hate making the beds, changing the sheets, bumping my head, the poor lighting on the bottom bunk when we read, not being able to sit up on the bottom bunk.

currently they both sleep on the full. sometimes they fight a lot ("she is on my side! she took the blanket! she's touching me!") but i think that they actually like to be together. occasionally, dd1 (almost 5) will sleep on top. dd2 (2.5) has slept on the top for a nap before but i won't let her sleep on top at night yet. sometimes i think that we should have got just a full (since i hate bunks) even though ideally, i would prefer two separate beds (if we had the space).

[salsah]

forgot to mention, when you are shopping for a bunk bed, pay attention to the height of the bottom bed and the height of the top bunk. with the one that we have, the bottom is high (for the trundle) so there i less space (height) on the bottom than on the top. my parents have a bunk at their house and both the top and bottom are lower than ours. on theirs, i can sit on the bottom bunk w/o bumping my head (which i can't do on ours). of course since dh is taller, he can't. i do like that with the twin over full, both dh and i can sit on the edge of the full w/o worrying about bumping our heads.
ours looks like this:
http://www.landofnod.com/family.aspx?c=51&f=3738
but the ladder on ours connects to the frame of the bottom bunk and does not go all the way down to the floor. saves some space.

[MaiseyDog]

I think about moving the kids together at times and using the other bedroom as a play/study room.

We did this about a month ago. DD1 just turned 5 and DD2 is 2.5 yo. So far it's worked out very well. Now that we've moved all the toys into the other bedroom they don't hang out in their bedroom and play, so we haven't had a problem with them "playing" on the bunk bed.

We are not planning on this being a permenant situation, so we did not want to pay a lot for the bunk beds. We plan on moving to a bigger house in 2 years or so and will be moving the girls back into their own rooms. I didn't want to pay a lot for beds that would only be used a couple of years. We got these http://www.walmart.com/ip/Kylie-Collection-Twin-Over-Twin-Bunk-Bed/10928473. We got them when bing.com was offering 20% cash back so for about $200 I'm very happy with them. They are very sturdy.

[salsah]

i just thought of something, not sure if it is a possibility for you but, can you fit a twin and toddler bed in the room? is it possible that you might move in 4 years? if so, just buy a twin mattress now (with the spring box and free metal frame or an inexpensive platform bed or headboard). then when dc2 outgrows the crib converted to a toddler bed (in 4 yrs), you can decide what to get then depending on the space you have. if you still live in the same place, you can buy a bunk and use the twin mattress that you buy now on that.

[WatchingThemGrow]

forgot to mention, when you are shopping for a bunk bed, pay attention to the height of the bottom bed and the height of the top bunk. with the one that we have, the bottom is high (for the trundle) so there i less space (height) on the bottom than on the top. my parents have a bunk at their house and both the top and bottom are lower than ours. on theirs, i can sit on the bottom bunk w/o bumping my head (which i can't do on ours). of course since dh is taller, he can't. i do like that with the twin over full, both dh and i can sit on the edge of the full w/o worrying about bumping our heads.
ours looks like this:
http://www.landofnod.com/family.aspx?c=51&f=3738
but the ladder on ours connects to the frame of the bottom bunk and does not go all the way down to the floor. saves some space.
:yeahthat: I recommend sitting on the lower bunk (even if you're not going to use it that way initially) to check the "hit your head" thing. The YA ones have a low-lock or high-lock settings so you can put the frame/slat-roll/mattress in the lower setting for younger kids or for the bunking thing. If you use some of the underbed units like a trundle or captain's drawers (so helpful) you have to have it on the higher setting. We opted to not get any underbed stuff right now and just store things randomly under the bed (maybe boxes, maybe another mattress on the ground, aerobed in a sack, trains, etc. We hit our heads on the higher setting, but not on the low one. Probably all are not adjustable.

[ThreeofUs]

We got DS1 bunk beds just before he was 3. Twin-over-full, so he could have the option on moving up or sleeping with a parent in the bottom bunk.

We looked at the Pottery Barn set, but found almost exactly the same thing at Costco for less than half the price. This is what they both look like:
http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/kendall-twin-over-full-bunk-bed/?pkey=x|4|1||3|bunk%20bed||0&cm_src=SCH

They don't carry our style any more, but they do have
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11268243&search=bunk&Mo=19&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=4001713&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=bunk&Ntt=bunk&No=15&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&s=1&topnav=&Nty=1&s=1

[blisstwins]

We have flexa beds and I have had a really bad experience. One of them fell apart, literally. The company ultimately honored its warranty, but not without a fight. They were bought by an investment company and I think their quality is not hot relative to the price. I wish I had not bought them.

[hellokitty]

We have flexa beds and I have had a really bad experience. One of them fell apart, literally. The company ultimately honored its warranty, but not without a fight. They were bought by an investment company and I think their quality is not hot relative to the price. I wish I had not bought them.

I have heard other ppl online complaining about flexa too, and how the beds fall apart after a very short time of use and that the CS left much to be desired.

[blisstwins]

Interesting. Could you PM me some info. They replaced one bed that literally fell apart TWICE. They swear what I have is safe, but I am afraid to bunk them even though they look OK now because of no seond chances if they collapse. I paid a good amount for these beds because they were all safe and eco. Turns out they bite and I'd be better of with Ikea inexpensive ones. I wish I never heard Flexa or Sigg....Grrrr....