Our recent roundup of twin beds elicited many comments from readers convinced that twins don't make much sense because kids might outgrow them. But what about shared rooms and space constraints? My twins share a room and are perilously close to climbing out of their cribs, so we are looking at big kid beds. For our home and needs, it makes sense to buy twin beds that can be converted to bunk beds in a few years. In the course of shopping around we have learned a few things.
Not all bunks fit the bill. Two of my favorite modern bunk beds, the Oeuf Perch Bed and Argington's Uffizi Bunk Bed, convert to a loft and a standalone twin. Both are beautiful but non-starters for siblings too young for a loft.
The magic is in the headboards and footboards. All of the twin to bunk options I have seen work by switching the head and footboards; as standalone beds, each takes a headboard and a footboard. When bunked, the bottom bed takes both headboards and both footboards are switched to the top bed.
Plan long term. A while back we heard from a reader who wanted to buy half of a modular system and add on down the road. Readers were quick to point out the risk of discontinued designs or finishes, or a company going out of business. For a singleton the recommendation was to buy the complete system and store half for future use. In our case, we are thinking long and hard about what our girls will need as they grow. A trundle? Underbed storage? Any options we want for future use will be purchased now.
Some of the separable bunk beds we are contemplating are the New Mix Bunk Bed by Young America (it would be even better if the New Mix Spindle was a bunkable bed), the Riley Bunk Bed from Room & Board, and the Simple Bunk from Land Of Nod.
Have you purchased bunk beds that were used first as standalones?
(Image: Young America)
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Just think of all the room you will have for activities... ;)
We bought good quality, simple design bunk beds for my daughter about eighteen years ago. Made by a Vermont company, they have straight spindles with an arched top - have worked in both traditional and contemporary houses. The head and footboards take different positions as you describe.
We've had them set up as bunk beds, as twin beds, and even used two footboards to set up one bed as a sort of daybed-settee and store the other when she was a teenager. They have been assembled, reassembled, stored and reassembled as we moved fairly often. Now that she is in college they are made up as twins in a guest room. These were her first and only beds after the crib, and I have been very glad we picked a solid quality, simple design that lasted well. (Note though, we did not have twins nor a space issue, so I did not have to put a young child on the top bunk, or have them fight over who got which bunk.) Versatile and worth every cent to us.
My young sons are begging for bunks. I haven't found a set that I love - yet. My brothers had them when I was young and it was so very cool to be the kid on the top bunk. Thanks for this post!
I have never met a child, unless he was very tall, to outgrow a twin bed. Most universities have twins in the dorms (slightly longer twins, I believe). I'm 5'8 and had a twin until I finished grad school (I did not realize how deprived I must have been! ha! ;)
Yeah, this whole growing out of twins thing is ridiculous. I'm 5'10" and sleep just fine on one. My SO is 6' and is also fine. I think that much above 6' is where you start needing an extra long which is 5" more than a standard twin. So if you're entire family is above 6', yeah, you should look into finding longer beds so you don't have to replace them down the road.
I grew up with the bottom half of my brother's old bunk bed (we got an addition on the house that no longer required that they sleep bunked and they got my dad's and uncle's old bed frames) and it worked great - one thing to think about is that many have rods or dowels to keep them bunked and will leave holes behind on the bottom bunk side. While I didn't mind, I'm sure some people would so just figuring out if covering them is an option would also be something to look for.
Two years ago, we bought a twin bed for our son from www.maxtrixkids.com. They have MANY retailers in NYC if you want to see how the system works. We now have a 19 month old and a 5 year old, and will be purchasing an additional twin to bunk on top of it. Plus, they have cute "play tents" that you can place over the bottom bed, and if you need, you can put a trundle under the bottom bunk bed as well (which we will be doing until our almost 2 year old is bigger). Hope this helps...is basically 3 beds in one! Beds are super adorable and come in different finishes.
My daughter sleeps on my old twin bed that I had until I moved out of my parents' home. It was my dad's bed when he was growing up until he moved out. In my family, a twin bed is a great incentive to become an adult and get a life outside of your parents' home, so there's another vote for twin beds for kids.
We just purchased a bunk bed system which converts to two twin beds this past weekend! The difficulty we found in searching for these was the sturdiness factor. We really needed to see them in person, not just browse them on the internet, to see if the system could handle the rambunctiousness of our two boys. A few of the 'value' furniture stores just didn't cut it. Be aware of the quality of workmanship and wood used -- the veneer/particle board beds are not going to keep until they grow up and out of your home.
The Riley bed is really nice in person. Very good quality.
I wasnt understanding the out grow a twin bed either. I had mine into my twenties??!??
We currently have my fil childhood "Ranch Oak" twin bed set. I would like to rig it once the kids are older to both be higher up so they have the play area below for both beds? Ever seen anything like that? Most likely I am over imaginating (not a word!!!!) what can actually be done!
I am the oldest (by 7 years) of three girls. I was lucky enough to always have my own room. My two sisters, however, shared for most of their lives. When my youngest sister was 4 years old and my middle sister was 7, my parents purchased them bunk beds from ThisEndUp. They are simple. Nothing fancy at all. But they have been bunked, not bunked. In the same room, in different rooms -- even different houses at times. Now, more than 15 years later, that my sisters are grown, the beds have made their way to my house. The options at ThisEndUp are not overly stylish - in my opinion - but basic for sure and the quality (at least 15 years ago) is outstanding!
Good luck in your bed quest.
Just now, I was considering this issue myself for my 3 year old and 1.5 year old. I have two more suggestions, since they are both things I'm currently considering: first is the Kura bed from Ikea which can be a twin bed or flipped to be a low bunk (the bottom mattress on the floor). Second is the Popsicle furniture line, which from reviews I've found seem to be sturdy. They are very simple looking and can convert with kits from twin to midsleeper to bunk. Not terribly cheap, but cheaper and less cluttered looking than some other suggestions above. http://www.popsiclefurniture.com/bunk_beds.html
My 3-1/2 year old twins are in bunks. We tried keeping them as separate twin beds but their room was just too small. They do great in them.