Thinking about getting a bunk bed for your child? There are some great reasons to do so: Bunk beds for kids not only take up less floor space than two equally sized beds would, they are also more fun and exciting for young kids than a regular bed could ever hope to be.  That little change in elevation gives them something to climb, and let’s face it; we all loved to climb things at some point during our childhood!  Going up that ladder gives a little sense of adventure, because when else is a kid going to get to go up a ladder?  Of course, this might only apply to the person who is lucky enough to get the top bunk; the one on the bottom must rely on the mercy of the top bunker to embark on visits to this higher vantage point.  Take this into consideration and take care that there’s no bitter jealousy between who gets the top bunk.  In kid criteria, the top bunk has all advantages and no disadvantages; it’s higher and therefore rates better on the scale of ‘cool’. You need a ladder to get up there, making it relatively inaccessible to clumsy, heavy adults. As an added and very valuable bonus, you can rain down various objects on the suckers below you: Life is good for the juvenile top bunker. They might not even be concerned about falling out of the bed. However, a guard rail to prevent this should be standard as you never know if and when that will happen.  For bunks with guard rails, visit this site.

Bottom Bunk is Not so Bad

To the more realistic or more mature, however; the bottom bunk confers a wealth of convenience. You don’t have to climb up that scary old ladder; you can just plop into bed whenever you feel like it, with no strenuous elevation change to negotiate. If you hear something fun going on somewhere else in the house, like a call of “cookies are done” from mother, for example; you have a built-in head start on the top bunker, who even if he is fast must recover from leaping off his higher, slower perch. Going to the bathroom in the middle of the night is a cinch, and if the person in the bed above you pesters you by throwing down pillows or stuffed animals or some such, you can poke him/her through the mattress if the slats will allow it. The person in the bottom bunk is deceptively capable of self-protection in this way. Anyway it’s warmer at the top of the bunk bed, good in winter, but not so nice on hot summer nights, plus the lower bunker can pretend to be in a cave, tent, or castle, by covering the front opening of the bed.

Narrow your Choices

The issue of height and physical dominance are only a small part of what children’s bunk beds offer: With the huge varieties of bunk bed models on the market, you can get virtually any configuration to match your child’s needs; budget allowing.  A lot of bunk beds are made to appeal to kids and parents alike, through interesting bed and desk arrangements.  These will usually feature a bed that is high enough off the floor to accommodate a built-in desk underneath: Actually, because the bottom space is used for a purpose other than sleeping, these beds are usually made for only one child and are more accurately called loft beds. You can also find bunk beds that have a desk on wheels which pulls out of the bottom of the bed, then can be pushed back when not in use.  These types of desk, which can be as simple as just a writing surface, sometimes also allow access to the bottom of the bed.  People in great need of storage can utilise this space, or allow it to remain for kids to use as a hiding or play space.

If you are looking for storage space and don’t need or want the bed to double as a desk, you can get beds which are chock full of drawers and cabinets.  These are excellent in helping children keep their rooms nice and tidy, as the many individual cubby holes and shelves encourage them to find a proper place for all their toys and books. In this way, the bed becomes a tool for helping children learn to be organised. Such beds can come in colours and styles to suit children of all shapes, sizes, and genders. When choosing, do your best to stay away from really cheaply made beds: Poor construction can be downright dangerous.

A good guide might be to just check out how solid the bed feels; really cheaply made kids bunk beds might be noticeably unstable. Joints must be strong enough to withstand all the abuse the bed is likely to take from rambunctious kids: For this reason, metal bunk beds tend to be okay in terms of safety. Still, wood is a nicer material and a well-made oak or pine bunk bed will be both sturdy and pleasant to look at.

A futon bunk bed may seem to be a good idea, as it can be used both for sitting and for sleeping: Since the futon will normally be about the size of a full bed, it can also make regular bunk beds sleep the same number of kids as triple bunk beds. However, you will need to take care if you go this route because these futons are often not well made, and it can be a real pain to go back and forth between a futon couch and a futon bed. Often the mechanism is of poor quality or poor design, with the result that it will not work well and can be prospectively dangerous. Make sure to thoroughly test a futon bunk bed before purchasing it, to make sure it will not become a big headache.

For Safety-Minded Parents

If you are just looking for a bed that allows for more sleeping space, but are worried about the potential for injury from falling off a high bunk, you might want to consider beds that serve the same purpose as a bunk bed but are only about half as tall.  These are the normal-sized beds with a pull-out mattress or trundle bed underneath.  This way, floor space that would be occupied by a regular bed can be utilised during the day, when the bed is pushed back under the top bed. You also don’t have to worry about the child sleeping in the top bed falling from great heights in the middle of the night. Although it may seem like bunk beds pose no great danger, people have experienced bad injuries from falling out of the top bunk. This is extremely rare and unlikely though, especially with the proper precautions, so don’t let this be a big deterrent if you think a bunk bed will be good for your kids.