Loaf Bed in a Bun review: a smart sleep solution for children’s bedrooms

RRP at time of testing: from £895 | Check price at Loaf

My verdict

Like plenty of families, I recently found myself with a familiar problem: where do you put an extra child when sleepovers become a regular fixture? In my case, the sleepovers weren’t even with friends. My two boys had been pestering me to let them share a room.

Enter Loaf’s Bed in a Bun, an oversized upholstered footstool that folds out into a single bed with its own mattress. My youngest son slept on it for 38 nights while sharing his brother’s room. It stayed level, supportive and free from sagging, and he liked it so much that persuading him back to his own bed became my bigger problem. Closed up, it also worked hard as a reading seat, LEGO station and makeshift table.

It’s not flawless. The single version has a bigger folded footprint than I expected, the bed is shorter and narrower than a standard single and the mechanism needs clearance from the wall. At £1,295 for the tested fabric and colour, it’s firmly a luxury purchase (though prices start at £895 and vary depending on the design you pick). Still, I think it’s a smart, sturdy bit of furniture for children’s bedrooms and regular sleepovers, rather than a flimsy emergency bed.

How I tested Loaf’s Bed in a Bun 

I tested Loaf’s new Bed in a Bun in my eldest son’s bedroom for six weeks over the summer holidays. My four-year-old son, a 1.1m back sleeper who sleeps still throughout the night, used it as his bed for 38 nights while sharing a room with his brother.

During testing, I opened and closed the mechanism, moved the footstool on carpet, cleaned the upholstery and assessed how well it worked for daytime sitting and play. 

I also had several brief lie-downs to check whether I could feel the frame (thanks to a few games of playing doctors with the kids). I should admit though, no adult has actually slept on it overnight, so my bed-comfort findings are based primarily on my young son’s long-term use.

Loaf Bed in a Bun: what’s in the box? 

The upholstered footstool arrives fully assembled, with a folding metal bed frame and foam-core mattress with a 100% cotton cover tucked inside.

The delivery team carried it to the bedroom, but I removed the packaging myself. Everything arrived securely protected and in excellent condition, with no noticeable smell. Once unwrapped, it was ready to use, with no assembly required.

The footstool sofa bed is delivered in one piece, so no assembly is required

Delivery and unpacking Loaf’s footstool sofa bed

My order was confirmed on 27 May and arrived on 15 July, so the wait was roughly seven weeks. Communication was clear and I found booking the delivery date straightforward thanks to a few email prompts from Loaf. 

Two delivery staff carried the footstool through the house and into the bedroom without any trouble. It arrived well protected, in excellent condition and without a noticeable smell. Loaf’s current delivery information says its team will remove the packaging, but I cleared it myself - mainly because it was delivered quite early in the morning and I was still half asleep in my pyjamas. There was no assembly to tackle, though: once unwrapped, the Bed in a Bun was ready to use.

The only bit that took a little figuring out was the fold-out mechanism. The picture-only instructions could have been clearer, and I initially tried pulling it in the wrong direction. Once I’d worked it out, it was straightforward.

The delivery box for the single was quite large - a double would obviously be twice the size!

What’s the Loaf Bed in a Bun like to use during the day?

Closed up, the Bed in a Bun looks smart and feels stable enough for everyday sitting. My eldest son used it for reading and playing with LEGO, while both boys treated it as extra seating. Even my husband found it comfortable.

It’s useful, but it isn’t a sofa. There’s no backrest, and the single is already larger than a standard footstool. Its best trick is covering several small jobs in a child’s room without permanently taking up the full footprint of a larger sofa or day bed.

How easy is it to turn Loaf’s Bed in a Bun to a bed?

The opening motion is smooth and the metal frame feels sturdy. It’s a little heavy, but one adult can open and close it without help. I could complete the full conversion and add bedding in under 10 minutes, with no squeaking or clattering from the mechanism.

There is a knack to it. The footstool needs to be pulled away from the wall before the lid can swing back, and the picture-only instructions didn’t make the direction immediately obvious. I tried to open it the wrong way at first. After a few attempts - and a light bulb moment - it became straightforward.

The bedroom is carpeted, so I couldn’t assess whether moving or opening it marks hard flooring. On carpet, it needs a decent shove to reposition.

A view of the underneath of the footstool sofa bed after unwrapping

Is the Loaf Bed in a Bun comfortable to sleep on?

My four-year-old son slept on the Bed in a Bun for 38 nights. He’s 1.1m tall and like his father, sleeps on his back and barely moves once he’s asleep. The narrower, shorter sleeping surface suited him, and he was in no hurry to return to his own room when the summer holidays ended.

The mattress is fairly shallow and not especially firm, but it stayed level and supportive throughout testing. There was no sagging or dipping, the frame couldn’t be felt through the mattress and the bed remained stable - at least, my youngest hasn’t fallen out of it yet. The bed’s temperature was neutral, with no obvious heat build-up, although this wasn’t a targeted hot-sleeper test. Plus, my youngest DC likes to sleep with a fan on in the room, which probably helped.

Neither I nor my husband have slept on it overnight, so I can’t make grand claims about how it would feel after eight hours for a taller guest. I did have several sneaky lie-downs when the boys wanted to play doctor and I was the patient. I couldn’t feel the frame beneath me, and it’s probably one of the most comfortable temporary sleeping setups I’ve tried.

One tug of the pull handle and you're able to open unfold the bed

The large headrest pulls up as so, which you then push back to to the top of the bed

How practical is Loaf’s footstool sofa bed in a child’s bedroom?

There’s no denying that the single Bed in a Bun is a substantial footstool - and I’d imagine the double version is even bigger. At 113cm wide and 76cm deep, it needs more floor space than its name suggests, and once open it needs the length of its 178cm sleeping surface plus room to unfold. Its large lid swings back to become an equally large headboard, so it can’t sit flush against a wall when you convert it.

In the boys’ bedroom, the open bed reduced the play area but didn’t stop them from using the room. When closed, it worked as a seat, a LEGO surface and an occasional table. Ordinary single bedding fitted without fuss. The duvet and pillow couldn’t stay inside the folded bed, but tucked neatly beside the mechanism once it was closed.

The Slubby upholstery has coped well with children, spills and six weeks of general chaos. I wiped it down for everyday marks and used an HMC5 mattress cleaner for a deeper clean. Thankfully, there’s been no visible change in the colour or texture.

Please excuse the lumpy duvet... I quickly made the bed for this picture, I won't lie

Loaf Bed in a Bun: single vs double 

The single and double Bed in a Bun use the same folding design, foam-core mattress and 100% cotton mattress cover. 

The main difference is width: the double gives sleepers another 40cm, but also takes up another 40cm of floor space when closed. Both sleeping surfaces are 178cm long.

Final verdict: is this worth adding to your child’s bedroom?

I can’t deny it, the Bed in a Bun earned its keep during the school holidays. It gave my youngest son a comfortable bed for 38 nights, stood up to daily play and doubled as useful seating in his brother’s room. It still looks and feels reassuringly well made, too.

The catch is that £1,295 (for the design we received) is a lot for an occasional bed, and the single is neither especially compact when folded nor generous once open. I’d choose it for a child’s bedroom where sleepovers are regular and floor space needs to work hard. For frequent adult guests, I’d spend the money on a full sofa bed or day bed instead - like Loaf’s Squishmeister Sofa bed.

When unfolded, the single size does need a fair bit of space in our DC's bedroom

For me, the Bed in a Bun is a smart sleep solution for children’s and teenagers’ bedrooms. It provides a proper extra bed for siblings or friends without permanently taking up the space of a day bed or sofa bed. 

Now, wish me luck getting my youngest off the thing when school begins. 

About the editor

Rebecca Roberts is a Senior Content Editor hailing from Leeds. Here at Mumsnet, she aims to bring parents content that’s designed to make life easier. As a mum of two herself, she knows all too well just how much things can cost these days. From mattresses and bedding to kitchen gadgets and beauty tech - she's on a mission to find and test the products that are designed to make life that little bit easier for parents (and won't break the bank).

Beyond her role as an editor here at Mumsnet, Rebecca can be found balancing life as a working mum of two young kids and when she’s not at her desk, you’ll likely find her at a school PTA meeting, in a nearby coffee shop, or walking her two dogs up and down country lanes.

About Mumsnet reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after extensive research and testing. We work hard to provide honest, independent advice you can trust. We sometimes earn revenue through affiliate links, but this never influences our coverage.

Prices are correct at the time of publication.

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