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.

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.

Furniture buying can be confusing with so many manufacturers and retail showrooms. Please keep in mind that the key to successful furniture buying is to be realistic about the final use of the product. We have listed some key points to remember when going to shop for furniture.

Cribs:

When purchasing cribs, first and foremost is safety of the child. You want to make sure that you are buying a crib from a reputable manufacturer that does consistent testing on their products. Most major brands these days test their products for safety and do not put dangerous products on the market. It is always a good idea to check with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to check if any product you have may have been recalled. Their website is: http://www.cpsc.gov/.

One thing to remember is that the baby sleeps on the crib mattress and not on the crib. Yes, the crib is designed to keep the child in and safe but what the baby actually sleeps on is the mattress. This is common sense and for most parents, they sometimes overlook this fact and shop for the best looking or the most expensive crib available. The best recommendation is to set a budget so that you can buy the best mattress that you can afford and then work around that to buy the crib. From years of experience, what we’ve seen is that most parents only focus on the crib and always ask for the best crib or the most expensive crib. In all reality, a crib that retails for $150 is just as safe as a crib that retails for $800. The key difference is the finishing quality, type of wood, design, style and the country of manufacture.

Nursery Furniture:

After deciding on the crib, the next thing you want to look for is nursery furniture. The basic nursery is a crib, a dresser and a changer. These days most customers have been using what is known as a combo unit or chifferobe and using that as a changing table. This is a very good economical alternative. Another way to setup the nursery will be to purchase a dresser, either a double dresser or a 5-dr and then purchase a separate changing table. Although these days the stand alone changing table is not as popular, they can’t be beat when it comes to practicality and comfort. The changing tables have a nice comfortable working height and usually have shelves underneath to store all the wipes and diapers. When you use a combo unit or a chifferobe, you will lose 1 drawer where you will have to place all the diapers, cremes, wipes, etc…

Toddler Bed Shown Above

Once the child outgrows the crib, they are ready for the next stage. Some customs opt to place the child into a toddler bed before purchasing a twin bed or a full bed just to make the transition from the crib to youth furniture a lot smoother. Toddler beds have the advantage that they are very low to the ground, they usually have guard rails built in and they use the same crib mattress and bedding. Some customers have said that the toddler bed is a waste of money but other customer’s have