Teens and Bunk/Loft beds

[chager]

My son has a loft and we ended up putting a twin mattress under it so it looks more like a bunkbed now. He prefers the bottom because he hits his head everytime he sits up on the loft, plus the ceiling dust falls on it everytime he bumps the ceiling making him very uncomfortable. We are actually considering just selling it right now.

 

[PaulaSue]

We havea twin with a full/futon underneath and it is a pain to change (oldest DD climbs up tucks the corners and I help get it lined up) but otherwise worth it for us. We had it 3 years now.

 

[maelstrom]

I have a bed where I can add another level to it to make it taller. It's not a loft bed, but it has a network of "cubes" underneath it, and you can make it as high or low as you want. Having to climb into bed *does* get annoying after awhile. However, a loft bed will clear up floor space, unlike my bed, which may be worth it if your daughter has a small room. And the sheets won't be hard to change, honestly.

 

[DisneyMissy318]

We got my DD a loft bed for her 6th birthday - she loved it for awhile... I missed being able to really comfortably lay down with her for a few minutes at night - without causing a minor earthquake getting down. She kept it as a loft for about 3 years - then we just took all the pieces apart and use them separately. Making the bed is HARD. I would actually slide the mattress off the bed - stand it up on the floor and change it that way - it was way too hard to try to get the sheets to go over the corners - while you were kneeling on it!!

DD now wants a daybed with trundle - anyone in VA that needs a loft - let me know!

 

[PatsGirl]

I just recently, Xmas, got DD10, a twin over double futon and its working out real well. She can now sleep three people in there, although all three end up on the double futon, lol, so she actually can sleep four The futon is great when she has a friend over and they are playing with her DS or just "hanging". Making the bed isn't a problem ~~ we dont' use top sheets (anyone in the family actually except as a blanket in the summer) so to throw the comforter into a semi-flat position once a week (or when I check to see if her room is clean) isn't that big a deal! I've always been of the mind that "I'm getting right back in again tonight so what's the big deal"? As I get older, I prefer clean, fresh sheets and a bed made up properly (still no top sheet usually) but if the kids don't care, why should I?

 

[englishteacha]

Another thought about sheets on a top bunk-what about using a bottom sheet, but use a covered comforter (Duvet and cover) for the top? Then it's only 2 pieces. No blankets or sheets to worry about. When I was in the UK, most beds I encountered were made up this way. If you keep it a bit away from the wall, it shouldn't be impossible to change.

When I was in college, we got new furniture in our dorm room. The beds could be bunked or used as twins. The cool part was the beds could be raised to waist height or left at regular height. I could keep my dorm fridge, a small bookshelf, storage tubs, etc. all under the bed at the higher level. You didn't need a ladder to get into the bed at the higher level, but it did give SO much more floor space because so much stuff would fit underneath. There was no box spring (built in bedsprings in the frame) so it was particularly spacious underneath. Could you perhaps raise her current twin bed on blocks and create a storage space underneath?

 

[jama]

Remember to have good smoke/fire alarms if using a bunkbed.. they are more dangerous since smoke rises and they are harder to get out of.

 

[Arielle22]

DD14 has had a loft bed for about 6 years. It has a bureau underneath and a pull out desk. DD isn't a morning person so it is the right level for me to pull her by her feet out of bed. It is accompanied by her scream of "noooooo"

 

[shkeogh]

It's just wood, build your own.

 

[juligrl]

The "friends sleeping over" bit is how the quest for a new bed got started. Her current bed is a twin, and when she was little, she and a friend could fit in there together. Now they can't. And she's at the age where she wants to have a friend sleep over more often. So...she needs a full bed, or something. Her room isn't that big, but there is room for a full sized bed in there.

This does look cool, and would give her a full-sized bed, plus the desk space...

Why does DH have to be so practical?

Have you all considered a daybed?

 

[laurie31]

Thanks for all your replies

Yes, we have considered a day bed or a trundle for her current bed. That's actually what we were browsing for until she saw that bed in a catalog and thought it would be so cool to have her desk under her bed.

But we will give it some more thought before we rush out to buy. The thing is, her current bed is quite nice, and I think a trundle would be the best option, but she wants something different as she's had it for 8 years. Little does she know that I've had MY bedroom suite for almost 30 years, and her sister's bed was mine when I was a child and it was old then. I have no clue how old it is. So I'm having a hard time sympathizing with her need for new. LOL, We have redocorated her room, but new furniture is something else.

However, I might be willing to get just the bed - as I think the space saving bit would be nice, and it would match the rest of her bedroom suite - if I were reasonably sure it would last her more than just a year or two before she got tired of climbing up and down...

The changing sheets thing...I don't make the kids make their beds every day (although they throw the comforter up so it looks halfway presentable) but I'm talking about changing the sheets when they are dirty.

BTW, thanks to the poster who mentioned the smoke/ fire alarm issues. Very excellent point!! We do have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, but I hadn't considered the extra time it would take her to get out. We'll consider that as well...