Do I buy a bunk bed or not?

[mollymay]

I am in the midst of decorating my dd's first room (finally we get our bedroom back!!). I can't decide whether to invest in a bunk bed (bearing in mind that I hope to have another child and only have a two bedroomed house)or whether to get a good quality single bed. If/when we move to a 3-bed house in the future I am thinking they will have a room each and bunk beds will be no good...any suggestions...the single bed I've seen is £375!!! (by silent night) Do you need to buy a child's first bed or will a normal single bed do?

You can get bunk beds that separate into 2 singles (usually in pine).
BTW we bought a single pine bed recently for around £150 for ds2. I don't think it's worth spending a lot as they jump on them and generally trash them. Then there's always accidents of the vomit/wee kind to consider.

i bought my dd's bed from Mothercare for 70 qiud i think but the matress was more....

Normal single beds are usually fine - just make sure it is not too high. Argos do one that is slightly shorter than standard if space is an issue.

Mollymay, most bunk beds separate into single beds anyway, so if you do buy them, you can keep one stored away for any potential use in the future. I have never bothered with a child size bed, always used normal single size.

Remember that the top bunk is not suitable for children under the age of 6 - you'd need to find a way of stopping younger children from climbing up there (yeah, right! Other than removing the top bunk completely, nothing would stop DS2!)

I wouldn't bother with a child's first bed and would go straight to single. I also wouldn't bother with a very expensive mattress either for the reasons Iota gives! I'll get DS1 a better mattress when he's a bit older.

so the silentnight first bed for £375 with pretty headrest and feet at Debenhams isn't a good idea then.!!!!!!!!

Difficult to say - it is gorgeous! (although why aren't boys allowed to have letters too??)

I was going to say what lou did about keeping the other bunk packed away for later - and then if dd and/or her friends trash the first one by bouncing on it you can dump it and use the second one! Bunk beds are usually quite cheap - depending on quality of course - we have had some VERY cheap single beds and one of those broke (side bar) when someone just sat on it (nasty big knotty thing in the wood) - worth paying a bit more for stronger ones!

The thing about bunks is that they generally have wooden slats under the mattress and those can break quite easily. A cheap divan with a pretty headboard might be a better bet?

PS When you get your 3-bedroom house you can buy another set of bunks! (Sleepovers...)

My dd fell out of bed a few times when she moved from cot to full size bed - I left the cot mattress on the floor next to the bed for a bit!!!
No need to spend more cash on a junior bed (needs special sized bed linen too!) - the only real advantage is it takes up less floor space, if this is a big issue.
IME kids love bunks!

Oops I've nearly made a mistake then. I was going to buy bunks soon too and as dd will be 4 just after xmas thought she would be fine.................is 6 really the min age suitability ????

Angelmother - depends on your children. Strict H&S says from age 6. I put ds1 in top bunk when he was 3.5, and he was fine, but then he wasn't the type to jump off it, or try and get down himself in the middle of the night. DS2 used to climb up there too, but we've had no problems at all safety-wise.

I also got bunk beds for my 2 when elder ds was about 3.5. Younger ds loves climbing up, but hasn't slept in it yet. had no probs. Got ours from Ikea & they seperate into 2 singles. I find them comfy enough.

My DS's have bunk beds, but at the moment we have them as twin beds. They are nearly 5 and would love them as bunk beds, but they are always still half asleep when they get up at night, so we have not put them into bunks yet.
They share a room as our other room isn't as big, but if one wants to move into there in future, he can always take his bed with him.

my advice is buy a junior bed, they are much cheaper and last till the child is 7. They are much closer to the floor and so when they do fall out of bed it doesnt hurt so much! They can also get themselves in and out when needing a wee - its a bit scary seeing your ds sleepwalking down a vertical ladder!

After discovering ds1 on the floor with a broken arm this summer (he had climbed up on the forbidden top bunk and dd2 had pulled him off), I would love to separate the bunks, but we don't have the room. I agree that kids do love these beds, but as an adult I would rather not have them.

Angelmother, I think bunk beds are safety tested for 6year olds, hence the age recommendation. As KMG says, it really depends on the child (and the nerves of the mother)

DS1 has had a mid height bed (about 4 feet high I guess) since 2y 8m and has been completely safe in it (it has a slide for easy descent!).

I bought bunk beds for my two boys when they finished with their cots but didn't put the legs on until they went to school.

A bunk bed makes a great first bed because it has sides so the little guy can't fall out of bed.

Just don't raise it until you're sure they can handle climbing up and down etc.

My friends have just got rid of their bunk beds having decided their 5yr old was just to heavy to lift sleeping into the top bunk.

Why on earth are they lifting a sleeping 5 yr old into a bunk? & presumably if it's a problem it's not a 1-off? We've had bunk for several months, ds (4) is on top, and we've never had to do any lifting, up or down. asleep or awake. Just curious.

my dd1 has had bunkbeds for a few months now. i have an average size 2 bed flat, and 2 kids, there is no way i could fit 2 beds into either bedroom comfortably. dd1 is now 3.5, doesnt jump on the top bunk, in fact rarely goes on it, tends to sleep on the bottom bunk atm. dd2 will hopefully be joining her in that room in 6-9months, so will have to try and stop dd2 climbing onto top bunk. my nerves will be frazzled lol.

If space is an issue I would get a junior bed. We are for 18mo DD next month so that she has more playing space in her room. The Mothercare junior bed is only £60 but should last her for another 4-5 years. Luckily we have a mattress that we can use already with it. We will get her a normal single bed later on - we may even have moved again by then anyway and she would have more room for it.

not sure of the ins and outs Monkey - but i think their dd was often waking, walking and then falling asleep in their room ... think theyve not only got shot of bunks but swapped bedrooms with the kids and all is now well.

Can anyone tell me where I could buy a lamp that I could attach to bunk beds for reading in bed at night. A lamp on a low table is too far away from top bunk and not much use for bottom bunk either. I thought B&Q and places like that would have something but they don't.

I got a clip-on lamp at ikea a few years ago that I used for a reading lamp for the top bunk. I'm sure they still do them.