Totally over thinking this...please help!

[light-castle]

I have a 3 year old and an 8 year old boy. The 3.5 year old needs to move out of his crib, the 8 year old has a single bed. They both have their own room.

They both want a loft bed. The 3.5 year old would have to have a very low loft bed.

I'd like something that they won't outgrow in just a couple of years. What are the advantages/disadvantages of loft beds? Which ones to get? We live in the middle of nowhere so looking at them really is not an option, I'll have to order online. I'm looking at collegebedlofts.com they aren't that beautiful, but seem pretty functional. I could make a low loft bed for now & raise it up later.

Does anyone have loft beds? Pros, cons? How high to make it etc?

I'm totally over thinking this, but need help deciding what to do...

[Blue Hydrangea]

I don't think I'd move a 3 year old from a crib to a loft, even a low one. There's just too much chance for a fall if the 3 year old is not used to sleeping in a bed yet.

As for lofts, the last time I've dealt with one is when I slept in one in college. I also live in the middle of nowhere, but I know Ikea has a bed that can be flipped from a bed to a loft? Let me see if I can find a link.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10123996/

They have a couple other loft options as well:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/bedroom/19049/

But that won't do you much good if you can't get to an Ikea, although our closest store is 6 hours away and we did make the trek out of desperation once, and it was worth it!

Other options I found in a search:
http://www.maxtrixkids.com/en/mid-loft.html

I also found a rec for Thuka loft beds, found this one on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Thuka-Trendy-Series-Angle-Ladder/dp/B00AB5Y1PO

One thing to keep in mind if you go with a lower-height loft is that besides being a fun play house for little kids, it becomes pretty useless space as the child grows. Unless you were to get a dresser that could fit under the low loft to use the space wisely, a low loft doesn't increase the useable space in the room like a high loft that you could put a desk under would.

[maestramommy]

Someone the other day was asking about this website:
http://www.collegebedlofts.com/index.html

I looked out of curiosity (we have 3 kids in one room, so bunking is in the future), and saw these:
http://www.collegebedlofts.com/order_platform_bed.html

There are also kits you can design yourself, so I imagine you could request fencing on the platform bed.

[lfp2n]

I don't have a loft bed but a lot of friends who have loft beds and bunk beds seem to complain about them because changing the bedding on the top is a pain.

[LBW]

Though it's not the prettiest furniture in the world, This End Up is indestructible, and I love it for my boys. I've had great luck finding sets on craigslist. The stuff lasts forever, so I wouldn't hesitate to buy new if I couldn't find what I wanted used. As far as I know, all of the beds can be set up as regular, loft, or bunk styles.

http://www.thisendup.com/rooms/2/Kids.htm

[AngelaS]

My girls love their loft beds. It frees up so much room in their bedrooms. They didn't get them until they could make their own beds because it's a pita to change sheets on them!

[jerseygirl07067]

Yes! Love our loft beds! Got them from www.sendmetomyroom.com and put it together ourselves. Very good quality, and very good customer service. I think they are now called bedsbunksandlofts.com or something like that.

We got the high loft bed with the slanted ladder and a regular bed to put underneath it, forming an L shape. They can be separated or put together as regular bunks. You may need to get a shorter ladder if they're bunked, I can't remember. Love the versatility, but the loft configuration works best for us. The brand we got is Maxtrix kids. A bit pricier than what I normally pay for kids furniture but so worth it! Both are twin size.

Good luck! We love our beds!

[ABO Mama]

We have University Loft Beds. Love them! They are set up at a lower level currently, but can be raised as DC get older. They are solid. I really like having them not so high right now, because I can easily help DC in the middle of the night w/o having to climb up. Even with the beds at a lower hight, there is still plenty of space for DC to play underneath.

The quality is way better than ikea, and are designed to be set up w/o using any tools (no screws or anything).

[light-castle]

Thank you all for your help! Now I will go look at all these links.

Jennifer

[light-castle]

I was looking at the Univwrsity loft beds...you can put them at any height?

[ABO Mama]

I was looking at the Univwrsity loft beds...you can put them at any height?

Yes! That's what sold me on the beds. They are low now, but can easily be adjusted higher later. There are adjustment bars every 3". Currently, the top of the mattress is 40" off of the floor, which is a good hight for me to easily help DC in the night. Our beds have safety rails on both sides. The frame is made for an extra long twin mattress, but we already had regular twin mattress, so that's what we're using, with extra pillows/stuffed animals at the foot of the bed.

[light-castle]

Did you buy the extra ladder for these? Are they really Saturday, do any wiggling, creaking, etc?

[light-castle]

Really sturdy I meant. Spell check can be a curse & a blessing.