Bunk Beds

A lot of customers come into our store looking for bunk beds so we decided to post a few pointers to help them find the right bunk bed.

The first thing you want to consider is whether or not you definitely need a bunk bed. A bunk bed is great for saving space but there are some disadvantages as well.

Advantages:

• space saving since you can have 2 beds, one stacked on top of the other
• on some manufacturers, you can even have a 3rd bed under the bottom bed (trundle bed) to give you 3 beds
• frees up space in the room to allow the child more room to play and also for other furniture
• a lot of models can be separated into 2 beds later on so you will have 2 beds
• sometimes when shopping for 2 beds, it is actually cheaper to buy a bunk bed and assemble them as 2 separate beds
• SAVING SPACE

Disadvantages:

• safety, safety, safety. a lot of children goof around on the bunk bed and can get hurt
• most bunk beds require a special thinner mattress
• making the upper bed is not easy (changing the sheets, arranging the comforter)
• if the child falls asleep and you have to put them in the bed, it is impossible to put the child on the upper bunk
• both children want to be on the upper bed
• if the child has to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, they will need to come down the bunk bed in the dark unless you have a night light on at all times

Bunk Bed Choices:

Now that you have decided that you may still want to consider bunk beds, here are a few tips and pictures of different style.

If you have younger children, please remember that bunk beds are recommended for children over the age of 6 years old. Now, this really applies to the upper bunk and a lot of customers who have two children will say that “well, the 6 year old will be on top and the 3 year old will be on the bottom”. Yes, this is true but when the parents are not watching, how do you know if the 3 year old is not climbing onto the upper bunk. You must make this clear to the children for their safety.

Some bunk beds are much safer than others and if you do have a younger child and an older child, you may consider these for safety.

Shown above is the Berg Utica twin over twin bunk bed with stairs and storage and an optional trundle/storage unit. One of the best features from Berg is their stairs. Instead of a ladder, they use stairs, which also double as drawers (storage).  The stairs make a big difference in safety since it is much easier to go up and most importantly, much easier to come back down. A lot of parents have also told us that with the steps, it is much easier for them to go up onto the bed to change the sheets and make the bed.

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Another option is to go with a bunk bed that has an angle ladder and handrail. Shown above is the Maxtrix full over full bunk bed with the angle ladder and integrated metal handrail. This is a unique bunk bed in that it is a FULL size bed over a FULL size bed. There are a lot of twin over full bunk beds but only a few manufacturers make a full over full bunk bed. The other unique feature of this bunk bed is that it features an angle ladder and most importantly a metal handrail to make going up and down the ladder much easier. In the showroom, our customers can clearly see the difference when their children try to climb a traditional bunk bed and then when they try to climb the Maxtrix bunk bed. The children instinctively grab the metal handrail and climb up much more safely.

Below is another variation of the Maxtrix bunk bed with an angle ladder and metal handrail.

Don’t forget to check out our bunk beds page.

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