Loft Beds & Bunk Beds
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March 2012
I would like to purchase the Stora loft bed from IKEA for my
10 year old daughter. It looks great and has lot's of
storage underneath plus it's also great for sleep overs. The
only concern I have is, if it's sturdy enough ? I hear mixed
reviews about the other loft beds from IKEA. People saying
that they are shaky and not sturdy enough. I don't hear
anything about the Stora Loft bed. At Ikea it's not possible
to climb up there to try it out if it's shaky. I have a lot
of IKEA furniture in my house and for the most part I am
pretty satisfied. I am a single parent and can't really
afford the most expensive loft bed out there. Am I making a
mistake buying this IKEA loft bed or should I keep saving
for a more expensive one ? anon
I would not buy a loft bed from Ikea, as much as I love Ikea
for other things. They just don't seem sturdy enough,
especially in earthquake country. I just bought 2 loft beds
for my kids (10 & 12), and they are SOLID. Here's where I
got them...
http://www.collegebedlofts.com/order_loft_bed.html It's a
family-owned company in NY state. I put it all together
myself, with my kids holding up pieces at a couple points.
These beds will last through their college years. They love
having a dresser & desk underneath. heidileeross@yahoo.com
We bought an ugly metal Ikea loft bed off the BPN five years
ago and it was the most effective $100 we've spent as
parents. It's ugly and it felt kind of wobbly at first, but
we bolted it to the wall studs to handle the wiggliness, and
it has been a fort, a puppet theater, a jungle-gym, you name
it. Our girls have to share a room, and this loft bed's been
a blessing. Loft beds, Ikea and other, show up for sale
pretty often in the BPN Marketplace newsletter, so if you
keep your eyes peeled you might be able to pick up a
snazzier one used for the price of Ikea new. Cory
Oct 2011
We're considering getting a loft bed for my 3.5 year old so
that we can put move his younger brother (1.5) from the crib
onto a mattress on the floor underneath.
Has anyone had experience with their children this age and
being in a loft or top bunk? Obviously we would use a bed
rail for him, but he seems ready for it. The bed we're
looking at isn't that tall - just 2 ladder rungs up. Have
you used a taller loft or bunk bed with a child this young?
Should I worry about my younger child trying to get up
there?
Does anyone have experience, either positive or negative,
with the Ikea ''reversible'' bed? I like that it's not too
tall now, but I'm worried in a few years it will be too
short for the second child to be underneath as he grows.
Thanks for your advice,
Trying to reclaim space
Our children - 2 & 5 yrs old - went into the Ikea Kura bed
this spring. The little one is on a mattress on the floor
and the older one is above. I like how the overall height is
low and my little one is on the floor.
I can share my experience. I believe my younger daughter
was 2 or 2.5 when we moved her from her crib to the big
girl bunk bed. My older daughter was already sleeping in
the bottom bunk. We tried to move the older girl to the
top bunk, but she did not want to move at all. So, we
ended up with the younger girl in the top bunk, at about 2
or 2.5. We also have a guard on the side of the bed so she
doesn't roll out.
She did great! Never once has she fallen out of bed, been
scared of the top bunk, had trouble with the ladder. It's
worked out very well for us - she is now 4 and will climb
down her ladder in the middle of the night to go to the
bathroom. I worried about her but she's been fine.
I hope this helps with your situation!
Heather
We use the Ikea reversible bed: our five-year-old sleeps on
top, and our three-year-old sleeps on the bottom. We didn't
get it until they were already these ages, but I think it
would be okay with younger kids--I could imagine my
three-year-old sleeping on top just fine. My kids will soon
be four and six, and we have several friends using this bunk
bed style (with ages six/four and seven/three). I think
it'll serve my two for as long as they both care to sleep in
the same room. (I imagine someday my son will want to move
out of his sister's room and back to his own, at which time
my daughter can move to the upper bunk, and the space
underneath can become a play area.) If you are worried about
the younger one trying to climb to the upper bunk before he
is ready, you can find a way to block the ladder during the
day. Our rules for the upper bunk: no standing, jumping, or
wrestling.
--
I would not put a high bunk or loft bed into your home with
kids as young as yours. When my two older kids were about 5
and 7 we got them bunk beds, and within a month, our
youngest, age 2+, went into their room (early morning--dad
was in kitchen with older kids, mom was still asleep),
climbed up to explore, leaned over the railing, and fell.
He sat on the couch for several hours, crying, and not
wanting to move at all. It was the most terrifying day of
my life. We immediately dismantled the bunk beds and put
them side by side. Little kids just don't have the self
restraint; bunk beds are very exciting and enticing. A
lower bunk bed may be an option; I haven't seen the Ikea one...
Berkeley mom of 3
Our boys use the Ikea Kura reversible bed. Our boys started sleeping in it at
almost 2 and 4. They share a small room and it works perfect. The kids love it
and we haven't had any problems with safety. Just one rule of no standing on the
top. Having a bunk also cuts down on the talking since they can't see each other.
Be sure to put slats under the bottom mattress so you avoid moisture/mold
build up. It also requires a thinner mattress on the top (all available at Ikea).
Boys with small room
we moved both of our kids to loft beds at 3-3.5 years old.
One bed was 3' off the ground, with other was 5'. no issues
with either - no problems with the yonger climbing the ladder.
For us it was great.
lofted family
We put our kids into a loft bunkbed at about 2.5 and 5.5
years old. The older one on top, the younger on a mattress
on the floor beneath. We got our setup at the Berkeley Kids
Room on College Avenue and it's been great. (we also got the
slide attachment, which has been a big hit..) They have been
very happy there and it's saved a lot of space in their
room-- alas, now they are 6 and 9, and we are negotiating a
new arrangement! It might have lasted longer except the
older one doesn't want to take a turn on the bottom-- and
the younger one wants a regular bed off the floor (though
till now she's loved her cozy little cave-- made cozier by
getting hanging curtains from the top bunk). We did not have
any safety issues, altho our kids are pretty risk-averse and
we did have the safety rail on the top.
another space saving mom
We bought the IKEA loft bed you mentioned for our son when
he was almost 5. He likes it, but in hindsight there are a
few things that I did not consider:
1. I found I was nervous about him getting up and down the
bed on his own late at night. Sure, he was capable when he
was awake, but for a kid who stumbles out of bed in the
middle of the night barely awake, I really worried about
him. It took until he was about 5 1/2 before I felt okay
about it. My daughter is 3, and she is unstable going down
the stairs even when she is awake. They don't recommend the
beds until kids are 6, and I now understand why.
2. In our case, I assumed that the under area would be a
play area. I tried rugs, little couches, everything! My kids
NEVER played under there, so I turned it into storage. Now
my son is almost 6, and he is too tall to be under there
comfortably. While it could be a sleeping area for a small
child, I think my 3 year old is already too tall to stand up
underneath it, and I don't think she would sleep there.
3. Because the loft is mid-height, there is enough room that
the kids can stand up on it! They want to jump on it, stand
on it, climb around it. It becomes a play structure in the
bedroom, for good or ill. I feel especially uncomfortable
during play dates. If you do buy it, I recommend the nylon
''tunnel'' that goes over the top. It discourages standing and
jumping on the loft during the day.
not entirely regretting it, but close...
Oct 2011
We are leaning towards loft beds for our two girls (nearly 10 & nearly
12), who will probably share a small room until they go to college.
We'd have to add on, or move, to get more space, and that's unlikely.
There is room for 2 twin beds & 2 desks, but not much else. One girl
is messy and one is not. We plan to get sturdy, wooden loft beds made
for dorm rooms. Do or did your teens have loft beds? Do/did they like
them? Do/did they really create more usable space? Any feedback
greatly appreciated!
My 13 year old twin boys share an average size bedroom and have loft beds.
The beds definitely free up floor space. We have a couch under one loft
and two dressers under the other. Only 2 downsides: the beds are very
close to the ceiling, so they can't really sit up completely on their beds
(they don't seem to mind), and the sheets are a real bear to put on and
take off. Overall I think they are the best plan and I don't know how we
would fit everything in their room if we didn't have the lofts or a bunk
bed.
anon
Loft beds have a fairly short life span. My kids both tired of having to
get up and in and down and out of bed by the time they were 17. They
didn't really use the space underneath as work space; it was more storage
(bookshelves, etc.) I think it would be better to carve out work space in
another room (dining room table? desk in the living room? and open up space
in their room by not having desks.
No perfect solution
Jan 2008
We are seriously considering buying our daughters (age 5 and almost 2)
a loft bed of some sort. It will have to be a ''low'' or ''middlehigh''
loft bed as we live in an A-framed farm cottage. Besides - I don't want
the kids up so high! I'm interested if anyone has experience with
specific brands - Matrix beds, in particular - or others. I read
archives & learned to go to Berkeley Kids Room on College. Does anyone
know of other bed ''systems'' (meant to grow with the child) such as
Matrix - they are costly, but worth it?? If others have chosen loft
beds, have you been pleased overall? Thanks - any suggestions much
appreciated!
Nina
We like the Flexa (www.flexa.dk) system -- they have them at Berkeley Kids
Room. It's modular, so you can convert from loft to bunk to twin, etc.
They have a low loft and a mid-height loft. Pricey, but well-made.
Mom of Two, Too
April 2004
My husband, 4 month old and I live in a small one bedroom
appartment and I am worried about what we will do for space when
my son starts crawling. We are students, and can't afford
anything much bigger unless we move far away from campus, which
is also undesirable. (We have applied for UC housing, but
that's not so cheap either) Recently I had the thought of
replacing our bed with a loft bed. We have pretty high ceilings
(8'8'') in our appartment so it seems like a good way to create
more space... but I worry that it's not safe, esp. given the
earthquake issue. Does anyone out there have experience with
loft beds? How safe are they? Are they sturdy enough that I
could safely make the area under the loft baby's play area?
Does anyone have a reccommendation of a good place to get a
sturdy loft?
Feel free to respond here or email me in person.
Thanks for any advice you might have,
Agnes
Our family had the same problem when my husband was at school at
Berkeley. We lived in the tiniest little one bedroom apartment
(everything was mini -- mini fridge, mini stove, mini shower)
but it was walking distance to campus. The apartment was only
two rooms (living room/kitchen and bedroom) and an itsy-bitsy
bathroom..
When our daughter was about 1 1/2, we knew we needed to get her
into her own bed so we looked at lofts and bunk beds. Not being
from around here, we were especially scared of earthquakes so we
wanted a really sturdy bed. We wanted something where we could
have a double bed on top for my husband and I to sleep in, and a
twin or a toddler bed underneath. Most of the lofts we looked
at seemed *really* flimsy (especially the ones at Ikea) ..
We finally found what we were looking for at the Berkeley Kids
room. They had a lot of beds on display, and it turned out that
they would also custom build lofts to meet the height and
mattress size that we needed (you could even get a kingsize bed
lofted... crazy!).
We bought the lowest loft (I think its 6 ft, but i'm not sure),
and its low enough that we can fit a box spring and full
mattress and still have room to (almost) sit up without hitting
the ceiling :) . The loft is VERY sturdy. We thought about
putting a toddler bed under it but instead, my husband built a
twin bed frame into the bottom so our little girl would be able
to sleep in it for many years... and even with the twin bed
built in we still had room to put our dresser under there. I
know its probably hard to visualize but email me and I can send
you a photo.. :)
The lofts at berkeley kids room are a little expensive, but we
figured that we were actually saving a lot of money by not
moving into a place that had two bedrooms or to a place where we
couldn't walk to campus anymore.
Anyways, now we've graduated and moved into a two bedroom, but
the bunkbeds are up in our daughters room. Whenever we have
visitors, we always have a bed for them to sleep on! And people
are always amused when we tell them about the ''dorm room'' set up
we had in Berkeley -- my husband and I on the top bunk and our
kid on the bottom bunk :)
Well, thats our story.
March 2003
We have a small house & one shared bedroom for our 4 & 6 year old
daughters. We have been trying to come up with a way to give
them some floor play space and some private space (in an 8 X 10
room with 8'' ceilings). Loft beds seem like they would work but
they all seem too high or too low - ie the kids hitting the
ceiling or the underside of the beds. We have looked at Ikea,
the Kids Room, and other miscellaneous stores including on the
web. We have also read past recommmendations on this website.
So here are our questions -
a) I'd love to hear how others have handled this shortage of
space and privacy
b) Are there other stores or solutions you would suggest?
Thanks for your help,
Lynn
I know just what you are talking about...so this is what we have
just recently come up with, and it seems to be working out ok, tho
it may not work for you depending on placement of doors, windows,
closets. We put twin beds on directly opposite walls. Down the
middle of the room we put the row of dressers, to create a low
wall to divide the room in half. They are each very happy to have
their own defined space.
eve
We have the same situation, except sons. We have Lo beds from
Ikea, and have their desks underneath. Dressers at the foot of
the beds. With so much in the room you need to keep on top of
the clutter
I have two loft beds from Ikea in a bedroom for my kids ages 12,
10 and 6. I've found that the loft beds are great for space
saving. The kids usually really like being up there because they
have some privacy. Although my youngest decided he prefered the
floor. The down side is that the space beneath the loft beds is
only really useful as long as the kids can stand under the loft
bed without hitting their heads on the underside. We've also used
the loft beds to delineate privacy for the kids. The loft bed is
considered off limits to siblings. The space under a child's loft
bed is that child's space used for a dresser and small desk. But
the rest of the floorspace is c
Wilma
June 2003
My seven year old and her three year old sister want bunkbeds.
Are the ones from Ikea reasonably safe? Are there other good ones
in the 300-500 $ range. The Pottery Barn Kids ones are gorgeous
but way, way, out of our price range.
Thanks.
We looked around at a number of places including IKEA and ended
up getting bunk beds at a place called Berkeley Kids Room, on
Shattuck Ave. They have a huge range, some quite expensive, but
some at the lower end (look upstairs). The ones we bought were
pretty inexpensive but we've been happy with them -- they seem
very sturdy. We saved some money by buying the mattresses
elsewhere.
Hannah
We don't have a bunkbed from Ikea, but a contractor friend
of mine made a very good point that I'm passing on. Be
careful of the amount of particle board in the bed (Ikea's
furniture has a lot of it) as particle board contains a lot of
chemicals that you wouldn't want your children exposed to
for 8+ hours at a time while they are sleeping. Good point I
thought. A friend of mine got a great bunk bed in excellent
shape on Craigslist. Good luck.
Amy
We just bought a really cute bunk bed from Berkeley Kid's Room
on Shattuck. They are more expensive than Ikea, but the one we
wanted from Ikea was out of stock and they said they didn't know
when they'd have it. The one we bought at Berkeley Kid's Room
was about $500.
katrina
I saw some reasonably priced bunkbeds at Gorman and Sun, 2599
Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley, that seemed more solid than the Ikea
bunk beds. Give them a call 510-848-6094 to see what the price
range is, as I can't recall.
Sima
We bought the cheapest bunkbeds IKEA had -- in 1994
while living in Europe We were very happy with them. I
preferred solid construction (not the ones that come apart
into twin beds) due to my own earthquake fears. We also
bought the cheap foam mattresses, which held up well. I
liked knowing I could just replace them if something really
disgusting happened to them. The IKEA twin fitted sheets
we got fitted the bunkbeds perfectly -- but seem a little small
for regular twin beds.
We will be putting the beds back up for the next kid in
another year or so, and expect them to last until he doesn't
fit anymore.
The only thing I would have done differently would be to have
oiled or painted them before assembly -- we couldn't wait,
and there are some grubby spots to get rid of ...
BTW -- we have always used duvets with covers for the kids.
They are super comfy and much easier to keep made up
than regular bedclothes. I don't know how quickly tucking
covers in every day on a bunkbed would become odious.
Heather
Our neighbor bought their bunkbeds at Costco. They have
pictures of them online on their website. They are actually
using them seperately as two twin beds, but will use them as
bunkbeds when the kids are a little older. They are very please
with them.
Ali
1999
Has anyone tried out the loft bed advertised by Scandanavian Design? It's
not as high as a true bunk bed, has a barrier except where the ladder comes
up, and is usually shown with a slide (which will not fit in our small
room). Any comments would be appreciated; but if anyone loved it and has
now "outgrown" it & is prepared to sell, I may be interested.
Or -- if you've seen this type of thing from another vendor... I don't want
bunk beds, though, or anything that is high enough and/or without bars such
that age 6 is the minimum age for safety.
Letitia
About the Scandinavian Designs loft bed:
We purchased one 2 years ago for our 2 daughters who were 2 and 3 at the
time. They have loved it. The younger one sleeps on a mattress underneath
the loft bed. Our girls are fairly cautious, so we haven't had any bumps or
falls. We recommend getting one if you have limited bedroom space. However,
be sure to set aside an afternoon to assemble it.
John & Panda
I bought 2 of the beds two years ago, when my twin boys had just turned
four. They have worked out very well. I've found them to be sturdy (my
kids jump on them sometimes) and safe (my kids have fallen once or twice
when they have been fooling around, not in the course of getting in and out
of bed. The result has been a bruise or scrape but nothing serious.) The
only drawback is that the sides make it difficult to make the bed. However,
given my kids young age when we bought the beds, the safety advantages
outweighed the inconvenience.
We didn't get the slides either, just the stairs.
By the way, we didn't buy the mattresses that come with the bed. Instead,
we bought high grade foam mattresses at one of the foam shops in Berkeley,
which have also held up well.
Kim
The Kids' Room, Berkeley, has a loft-type bed without the tent and slide. The
side barrier is extra but well worth it. Their model does not require a
ladder, although it is available. The salesperson, in fact, advised against
the ladder because kids are more careful climbing up the end of the bed. My
son loves having the space under the bed for make-believe forts, spaceships,
etc. Nori
We got a loft bed at Gorman & Sons on Telegraph (just past Dwight). They have
all kids of bunk and loft beds, and are really helpful. We paid around $240
for ours, I think - it was a couple of years ago.
Molly
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