We have two twin beds. That way, they have their own space when they want it, but there are still plenty of nights we go in and find they've climbed into one bed together. :)

If you have space, I'd consider a double bed or futon for your 9-year-old and a twin for your two-year-old. That way they can have their own beds when they want them, but one big bed when they feel like sharing.

If you don't have space, the twin-plus-trundle is a good idea. We use this system at our cabin for our two little boys, and it lets them be close (in fact, they're practically on top of each other) but still separate.

When I was younger, I used to nanny for two twin girls who shared a full-sized bed all the way until middle school. They loved it and found it very comforting. When they got older, however, they needed their own space and moved to two twin beds. Because there is a significant age difference between your girls, your older child might want her own space in just a couple of years.

I still think bunk beds are a great option if you don't have lots of floor space. My sister and I (2 years apart) shared a room for most of our younger years and the bunk beds were the perfect option for us.

We have 5 year old twin girls and since they were 3 they've had two IKEA Malm twin beds pushed together with night stands on the outsides. They each have their own bed, with their own linens, but because the beds are together, we often find the girls together or at least touching in the night. Plus, the "platform" that is formed by pushing the two beds together provides an excellent place for a grown-up to sit and read a book to the girls.

My sister and I had two twins that each had a trundle. The space under the bed, when the trundle is out is a perfect hiding/reading space!

My sister and I had a bed shaped like an L, where one pushed partly in under the other one. I wish I could describe it better. We set it up in the corner of our bedroom, and it had drawers under the top bed.

We spent so many hours pulling the lower bed out and then making and playing in a fort we'd made.

One of the reasons I'm still so close to my sister today is because of all of the nights we talked after lights out. Sometimes the best heart-to-hearts happen in the dark!

Your girls are going to love this, regardless of how you set it up. Good luck!

My sister and I are 8 years apart and we had to share a room. We had bunk beds and that worked great. If you don't have the height, then I would do 2 twins.

My girls are 2.5 and almost 5 and have shared a room since the youngest was 6 months old. We will be moving into a larger space soon, but plan to keep them in a shared room. We have twin beds, which is especially good if someone is sick or tossing and turning a lot. Also, as someone mentioned above, your 9 year old is really going to want her own space soon. Just being in the room together is a big comfort to both my girls, and I love that they are so close already.

2 twin beds. As they get older, they will want their own space and if you eventually separate them, you'll be able to keep their beds.

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My brother and I shared bedbunks till I was about 6-8 and I have fond memories of chatting after nights out... BUT - if your older child stays awake late bear in mind it will affect your younger child's sleep patterns.

We have bunk beds that are a double bed on the bottom and a twin on top. That might be a solution for you. When your 9-year old wants her own space, she could retreat to the top bunk.

Our kids shared a room with two twin beds up until recently, when we got them a bunk bed. Both situations have pluses. With the twin beds it was easier for me to lay down with them to read or whatever, but you definitely give up a lot of floor space. With the bunk beds you gain a ton of room, but its difficult to snuggle and its been a bit of a fight to keep my youngest off the top bunk (she's four). I would say with your youngest being so young, two twins would be the way to go. Then if they want to snuggle, they can hop in each other's beds, but they still have a space to call their own.

First of all...how sweet! If space allows for it, you could always combine two twin beds together to make a big comfy king and as they get older you could separate them. For some reason I am not a fan of bunk beds, unless they are super low. Good luck!

My boys (2 and 5) share a room. We live in a cape cod, so there are some crazy angles in their room. We went with a Kura Ikea reversible bed. Ohdeedoh has featured these. The top bunk is <4 feet high. Much lower than traditional bunks. The bottom has a approx. 2inch high frame for a twin mattress, but we cut a bunch of 2x4's and laid them on the floor to support a pillow-top full mattress. This was great as our 2 year old was transitioning from a crib. We can always flip the Kura and use it as a twin bed. We often find them sharing the bottom bunk, and there's plenty of room to stretch out. Don't know if this makes sense, but I can send to a photo if you need clarification. We paid $200 for the bed, and bought a thin twin mattress for <$100.

We have a 4 and 6 year old, one girl, one boy, and we use the ikea Kura bed as well- they both sleep on the bottom bunk, the beds are pushed together in a corner so they overlap in an "L" formation. We have twin size futons as mattresses in there. It's a little kid cave that they both requested, totally not my idea. The kids sleep with their heads together, and sometimes end up snuggled together, sometimes just holding hands, sometimes rolled out onto the floor!
They are very active sleepers, and very close to each other, so this gives the best option for thrashing/rolling around space or closeness.
They use the top of the bed for a reading lounge.