Regret Getting a Bunk Bed or Loft Bed?

I bought a low rise bunk bed for my 3 and 6 year old sons. They shared a room and I did not want the ceiling issue or the risk/danger issue of high ladder bunks. Their bed is like an "L" with the lower bed feet end underneath the upper bed. There are 3 stairs with drawers in them (which is really great) to get to the upper bunk. Low, easy, safer. However longer due to the stairs instead of a ladder.

I really like what we got. The sinlge only time I don't is when the boys rile each other up at night and it isn't the bed that is the issue but the fact that they share a room that makes it a challenge. :)

Good luck.

D.

My sister and I slept in bunk beds until we went off to college!

I now share a 1 bedroom apt with my daughter and we sleep in a bunk bed - full on the bottom and twin on the top. Works great!

Just bought some at slumberland twin bunks for my 6 and 4 year son and daughter- they are doing great

You can get them cheap because people regret buying them. My friend owns a used kids store and she won't accept them on consignment because they are so hard to sell. Plus, the loft took up too much room.

The loft bed was the worst. The desk really was too small for her son and the kids all jumped from the top bunk to the bottom. Bunk beds that can be split into twins would be your best bet if you decide to try it.

We have twins also and an older daughter. Our older daughter has a regular bed with a pretty white head board. We bought very well made wooden bunk beds that can be pulled apart for our boy/girl twins. We put all three children in the same room for sleeping and made the other bedroom into a playroom. I thought for sure one of them would want the top bunk but as it turned out neither of them liked it and so they would sleep on the bottom bunk together. When they got too old to sleep together we ended up splitting them and converting the playroom into our sons room and leaving the our girl twin in the same room with her sister. Well it wasn't long before she started asking for a pretty white bed like her older sister. So we ended up getting her a bed off craigs list that was close to the one her sister has. So now my son sleeps on half a bunk bed with the other half in storage. Also bunk beds come with bunky boards for the box spring and so when getting our daughter a regular bed we had to also get a different box spring and mattress. Also, as others have said making the top bunk is a serious challenge.

I definately regret buying bunk beds. I wanted them well made and so they were expensive and we could have used that money to buy each child a decent bed of their own.

My son has a bunk bed, the t shaped kind with a desk on one side and drawers and shelves on the other side. We recently converted it to a loft bed, so he could have more floor space. Changing the sheets and bedding is a bit of a pain, but it's not too bad. It does take up one side of the room, but that includes plenty of storage and play area underneath. Even with a few draw backs, we have been happy with our choice.

My kids loved loved loved their bunk beds! My only regret was that they weren't in them longer (as a girl and boy they only shared a room for about three years.)

Our 4 year old daughter has a loft bed, about 4 feet off the ground, with stair steps on one end, rather than a ladder (we felt much safer with a little one with steps than a ladder, especially with having to potty in the night, half asleep). We got it for her when she was just 3, it has a 6 drawer dresser that slides under the bed, and a desk that can be rolled in and out from under the bed, (with those two things removed, you could probably put another bed under there the perpendicular way if you wanted to) as well as 3 drawers under the stairs that lead to the bed. She LOVES it! We leave the desk out, since she has no used for it now, but later on, it will be in there - right now, that space, and the space left behind the dresser under the bed is a great "hide-out". I don't regret it, although she does have the smallest bedroom inthe house, so there is really NO re-arranging in her room, everything only fits ONE way. But once/if she gets tired of it, she will move to what is now the gurs bedroom, with accompaning bedroom suite, and little brother will get her set in his room. We paid about $1000 for the whole thing in cluding the new matttress.

It is like this one, but the dresser under the bed has 6 drawers, rather than shelves and drawers: http://www.monstermarketplace.com/living-room-collections... Ours is Dark Mohagany color.

We used to have a set of bunk beds, here for our niece and nephew when they were middle-school aged, that went together in the perpendicular arrangement, with a ladder, and a desk and drawers built into them, and we got rid of them, once we had our own kids. They would be ok for kids between 7-12 or so, but before or after that age, I don't know - questionable on kids fitting in them comfortably when bigger, and safety when younger - and again, with ceiling fans and lots of windows in all our bedrroms, there was only one place those beds could be in each bedroom.

Good Luck deciding!

Jessie

I didn't want to get a bunk bed, but we were given one that ended up being a lifesaver, space-wise. It's not standard. It has a twin on top and a full mattress on the bottom. We have three boys sharing a room right now, and it has been great because the 2 year old can sleep on full (plenty of room for him to "wander" in his sleep, plus it's not high off the ground, so if he takes a tumble, I'm not worried about it). Then our 2nd child is on the top. He's old enough to be cautious, even when he wakes up in the middle of the night. They do learn very quickly not to stand up in bed(on the top AND the bottom). I agree with DVMMOM, though, that changing sheets is a pain. But as far as who sleeps where, it's easy to rotate turns on the top and bottom bunk. We usually do it once a year with our two older boys.

I had gotten a loft bed with a desk for my son and he used it for a little while and then came downstairs and started sleeping in the bottom bunk of his sister's bed.. he was the only 1 upstairs so i guess he was scared? he said he didn't feel like going up all the stairs and the ladder hurt his feet...This was when he was in 9.

I hate the bunk beds at my parents' cabin although it definitely saves space. The kids fight over who gets the top bunk and when they were younger the beds were a jungle gym/launching pad. We also have to be careful because that room has a ceiling fan and the top bunk is dangerously close to it. Maybe girls wouldn't be quite so crazy with a bunk bed. I have boys. (-:

My friends son fell off the top bunk and died. He was not playing rough or jumping, nothing but sitting and he fell off and died.

In my book bunk beds will never be in my house.

We only have one daughter but her room is so small we decided to go with a bunk bed and use the top bunk for toy storage. It gave her a lot more space once we took all her stuffed animals and the bag of giant legos as well as a number of other toys and tossed them all up on the top bunk. She LOVES to go up there and play, rearranging her things to suit her fancy.

We've only had the beds for about six months and the only downside so far is that she drags all her books up there and doesn't bring them back down so her bookshelf is half empty.

She's begged to sleep up there but we told her not until she's six. She still gets up in the night to use the bathroom and I don't want her to fall out and break her neck in the middle of the night.

We got this one from Costco though the only link I could find was from another site.

http://tinyurl.com/3q3akh7

Also, about the trundle. I had one growing up and it's really a pain in the arse to deal with if you were going to be taking it up and putting it away on a daily basis. We only used the trundle part when we had family over or if I had someone spend the night. Once you get sheets and blankets on the thing, you'll be hard pressed to get it to fit back under the bed. You'd have to strip the whole thing down to the fitted sheet only and remake the whole bed every night.

l regret buying my boys bunk beds. Granted, they're boys, and active ones at that, but we bought what I thought were fairly nice ones at Slumberland. They have about 15 boards across the bottom of the bed supporting it; several have broken already, not from jumping but from simply flopping on the bed (the boys are 6 and 3). jWe haven't had the bed for a year yet. Also, my oldest, who has the top bunk, feels very removed from the family. We still snuggle his brother to bed at night, and he feels really left out of things. If I could do it over again, I'd get two twin beds and call it good. Also, the responder who said that the bunks made her room feel smaller? That's us, too. I really think that two beds would have taken up less visual space and therefore felt smaller, than the huge bunk bed (and ours is just beds, not a desk or anything else).

Updated

l regret buying my boys bunk beds. Granted, they're boys, and active ones at that, but we bought what I thought were fairly nice ones at Slumberland. They have about 15 boards across the bottom of the bed supporting it; several have broken already, not from jumping but from simply flopping on the bed (the boys are 6 and 3). jWe haven't had the bed for a year yet. Also, my oldest, who has the top bunk, feels very removed from the family. We still snuggle his brother to bed at night, and he feels really left out of things. If I could do it over again, I'd get two twin beds and call it good. Also, the responder who said that the bunks made her room feel smaller? That's us, too. I really think that two beds would have taken up less visual space and therefore felt smaller, than the huge bunk bed (and ours is just beds, not a desk or anything else).

think about getting a trundle bed for the twins. you can take out the extra bed at night, they are on the same level-so no fighting, and you can put away during the day for more space. you may want one for the older one too....it is an extra bed for sleepovers or guests.

I also have twin girls. I bought them bunk beds when they were nearly 5. I actually bought them used from someone I know. They are solid wood and very sturdy. I would not have bought bunk beds used if they were not obviously sturdy. I only paid $100, but again I know the guy.

I cannot imagine my girls having anything but bunk beds. They are absolute clothes hounds and love all of their pretty things. They simply would not have any space to play if there were 2 beds on the floor. Also, if your girls are like many other twins they will end up sleeping in the bed together. My girls (now 9) still end up in each others beds. They just enjoy the closeness and rarely spend the whole night alone.

The top bunk is difficult to make. Your daughters are old enough to make it on their own, and it is much easier for small people to do it anyways. I put on the mattress cover- still, but my girls have always done the rest of it themselves.

Get beds that can bunk or be two beds apart. That's what we did as kids and were able to split rooms w/o buying new beds when the house had more room. I regret getting my SD a particular bunk (full on bottom, twin on top) after a while b/c we had to buy her a new bed (a loft with a desk - her dad's idea) when she outgrew it. The top bunk was supposed to be for sleepovers, but it ended up just being a junk trap.

With the twins, I would wait on bunk beds. I think minimum age is 6 for top bunk. I did fall off my bunkbed when I was 11, but I was none the worse for wear. Not saying freak accidents can't happen, but I was ok.

Wood beds also seem to be sturdier.

Hi, I got my dauhgter a loft bed and she hates its. every morning it s a struggle to get down and when she needs to pee at night it is also a struggle. she also hates the fact that she cant just go into her room and collapse on her bed she has to climb up to get on. i would not recommend getting your child a loft bed

We have 2 sets, and dh and I both had bunk beds growing up. As did my parents! No regrets!

My Aunt bought my son a bunk bed system with a loft bed, and end caps - one was a desk and on a shelving/drawer unit. The lower bed was free standing and extended perpendicular from the top bed.

It took up his entire room (it was a small room) with 8 foot ceilings, at 5 he was afraid to sleep in the top bunk. By the time he wanted to, he almost hit the ceiling when he sat up.

Now, the beds were full size twin - so the set could be split into two twin beds. In fact they are split into 2 beds, one bed is at his Dad's house and the other is at my Aunt's house. :) Functionality for us was only about three years - after that, I sent one bed to my Aunt's and just set his room with a single twin. Oh, he never used the desk - at first too young, then later, too big. LOL

When he was 11 I bought him a bedroom set - one that he can carry with him into adulthood - and have never looked back.

JMHO

God Bless

Stay away from Rooms To Go! We bought a loft bunk bed for our boys (6 and 4) and it is falling apart. Not durable at all! We only had it a little over a year when the drawers began to break and they weren't even sleeping on the beds at that point!
Also, after we bought the bunk beds we read the manufacturing label which stated the top bunk is only for children 6 and up. My oldest is on the top now and wishes he had a bed on the floor like his younger brother. He also wishes he and his brother could sleep together! But, the bottom bed is a twin and it doesn't work for them to sleep together.
We live in Texas and need the fans plus A/C on in the house almost year round. Well, with the bunk bed we can't have the ceiling fan on in the room because it is too close to the top bunk. So, we had to buy small portable fans to put on bookshelves which seem to be working well so far. They have only been sleeping on the bunk beds for a couple of months. Before that time my oldest was too young and then too afraid to sleep on the top. I thought it would be a disaster when they finally moved into the bunk beds, but it hasn't been so bad.
I was just reading another answer and wished we had bought beds that could be bunked or separate since my oldest already wishes he didn't have to sleep on the top! My husband didn't want to do this though because we bought a loft bed which included dressers on each side and a small desk attached which he thought was neat.

We had bunk beds for my stepsons in our old house, mostly to save space since they had to share a bedroom and it was pretty small. If we had more room, I would not have done it, because 1) changing the sheets on the top bunk is a pain in the butt and 2) they constantly fought over who got which bed. They are only a year apart in age but the younger one was scared to sleep on the top bunk (he was between 9 and 12 during this time) while his older brother complained about having to sleep up there all the time just because the younger brother was being a "sissy" (they are the kind of siblings that if they can argue over anything, they will). I would agree that if you decide to get bunks, get them so you can separate them into individual twin beds if necessary.

We built this one with our 8ft ceilings and it s been GREAT! http://diy4you.me/we-made-a-loft-bed/ Small bedroom, so this opened up all kinds of play space underneath.

We don't have a loft bed, however we do have a set of bunkbeds. Our kids love them. We got wood ones that can be bunkbeds or 2 seperate beds. We figure that way they can grow with the kids as well as be used in seperate bedrooms if need be. We love them for the space they save.

We have a T shaped bunk bed with the desk on one side and drawers and a bookshelf on the other side. I don't regret having it - but my boys play with the screws all time the, they are 6 and 4. So I hate having to check it becuase they won't leave them alone. It's a "fixing" thing for them, so no matter how many times or what punishment we hand out, they still do it.

We have two bunkbeds....

It's a love-hate relationship.

My eldest son has the twin bunk bed on top and the futon couch at the bottom....it's GREAT for his room - he EVENTUALLY wants to get a TV in his room (I told him if he saves his money for it - fine....) and it's great for sleepovers!! We have had this bed for about one year.

My youngest son has the traditional bunk bed - ANY bunk bed is a pain in the rear to make...however, it needs to work for you and your lifestyle. We have had his bunk bed for 5 years.

My friend had the bunk bed that had the desk underneath and a pull out bed - you have to have the right size room for that.

When buying used you need to make sure it's STILL sturdy. The solid wood ones are the best. It should NOT shake easily....and should not "lean"...do NOT use the mattresses if you buy used....that's my personal thing....bed bugs and bed wetters...yuck...

GOOD LUCK!!

We bought our daughter (3 at the time) a Junior loft bed for Christmas, so no desk underneath. She loved it. It came with the wrong tent and so we had one made, after everything it cost us over $700.00. I thought geez, she better have this thing forever!!! Well, within a couple months she started asking for her old bed back (we gave it to her brother 18 months at the time) but told her we got rid of it. So she stuck with it. Then when we moved last year she asked to switch beds with brother, she got her old bed back and didn't even know it. :) fast forward to current time. My little guy jsut turned 4 and he still loves the loft bed and sister ended up getting a hand me town bunk set which she also loves. So, it worked out well for us.

I will add though that currently they are both sleeping in tents on the floor in their rooms. Strange kids! I tell them some kids don't have beds and you both choose to sleep on the floor!

I just my advice would be to get them if they REALLY want them and make sure the 7 year old understands that she will have the bed for a looooong time. Don't buy medal bunk beds or loft. They are not very sturdy and creek a lot when you move.

Some people like them. I HATED them. Changing the sheets is a real pain in the rear. We got one that had a decent amount of head room for the bottom bunk because some of them have so little. There was enough head room for my son that was on the top bunk to sit up (he was 6)- not sure how long that would have lasted. I also used to bump my head on the ceiling when changing the sheets on the top bunk. I'd also bump my head when changing the sheets on the bottom bunk.
For the kids, it was a love/hate thing. They loved it during the day- not so much at night.
While it did allow for more floor space, it visually shrunk the room because it is so tall, it's like a wall.
We wound up separating them.

We have bunk beds. They were given to us. I thank god we didnt pay for them. It is the only bed with have though for our boys. We can afford to replace it. It is full on the bottom twin on top. The only thing that I like about it is the fact it is a full. There is plenty of rumm on the bottom for both my older two.

My youngest would get up on the top and either throw everything else off of it or himself. Ladder or no ladder doesnt matter. He can still get up to the top.

My BF had a loft bed, He lived in a studio apartment. As soon as he moved out of the studio he sold it. He said ''There is nothing stranger then waking up on the ceiling''. He is now back in a studio apartment by himself and sleeps on a futon. He opt not to get another loft bed.

my 7 year old son loves his loft bed with the desk under, but at 5 foot 3 I can not do the sheets on the bed, so hubby has to do sheet changes on that bed for me! That is my only complaint.

I bought my daughter a loft bed and haven't regretted it. She is an only child, and when we have sleep overs, the kids prefer to watch movies in the tent on the bedroom floor any way. I found most of the loft beds on the market to be kind of cheaply made or very expensive and I wagon a limited budget as my husband was initially opposed to the idea, so I found one on Craig's list. I paid about $120 for a beautifully made (no visible hardware) wood painted white bed that actually screws to the wall. It is very sturdy, and a little taller than most which for us works well because my daughter is tall and I've made it a playhouse underneath for her with all of her dress up stuff etc inside. I ordered a memory foam twin mattress from Sam's club for about $150, it was shipped for free and is very very comfortable. Our bed had fixed side rails that are not removable, and she doesn't play around up there so I'm not too worried about her falling out, and at this point have no regrets as it definitely gives her more play room in her bedroom, and she loves it.