We did it. We tested out bunk beds for a year (well, not quite a full year because I just couldn’t stand it anymore…foreshadowing anyone?!) and have come to a conclusion. I hate bunk beds, loft beds included. They’re just not the right fit for our family. I wanted to love bunk beds, so desperately wanted to love them. Hence, today’s pro-con list for whether or not bunk beds are a good idea. I just couldn’t get on board.
This post is also a little update on the girls’ shared bedroom. When we last left off, we had a design plan (including bunk beds), picked wallpaper (which the girls didn’t like when it came time to order), and we were testing bunk beds. Thankfully, Colby’s sister gave us an old bunk bed that her children had long outgrown. The beds weren’t quite the style I was looking for, but it was a great opportunity to give bunk beds a whirl. Who knows if we’ll even like them?! Spoiler, we didn’t.
The bunk beds we have are beefy and quite tall, with a twin upper bunk and a lower full bunk bed. It also came with a roll-out trundle bed for sleepovers. Here they are in all their glory.
To preface this post, a little disclaimer. We gave the beds the ol’ college try and are sharing our experiences. Every family is different. So just because my kids have nightly meltdowns over who sleeps where, doesn’t mean yours will. For us, the cons have far outweighed the pros, with many cons about safety concerns. We have since bought the kids a set of vintage twin beds to replace the bunks. Update coming soon, but onto our reviews on bunk beds.
Pros Of Bunk Beds
There are several pros, hence the popularity of bunk beds in a child’s room. Let’s dive deeper.
Pro: Bunk Beds Save Floor Space
This is the number one pro in my book and the reason why so many people go the bunk beds route. Bunks free up valuable floor space and are a practical solution in a small bedroom shared by multiple children.
Stack the beds on top of each other, and you have just freed up open space on the floor. Optimizing vertical space is great for a home short on space. For us, it’s not a deal breaker since the kids have a separate playroom and we keep most toys and games there.
Pro: At Least There Is No Bed Jumping
Our kids were chronic bed jumpers during the single beds stage. Not so much with the bunk beds. There just isn’t enough room to get a good bounce.
Pro: The Double Lower Bunk Is So Sweet For Snuggling
The amount of snuggles and book reading that has happened in the bottom bunk is so so sweet. It was like our own little snuggle cave. I will miss that when we replace the bunks. We can easily fit all three of us (two girls and me) into the bottom full bunk for bedtime reading, which we just couldn’t do in the twin.
Pro: Endless Entertainment
The bunks have been a source of entertainment for younger children and older children alike. The girls’ friends come over often. Their ages range from three to nine. The older kids get creative, turning the bunks into hideaways or pirate ships with easy climbing to the top deck. The little kids like making slides or homes with curtains for them and their babies (stuffies). The wooden bunk beds have been a source of so much creativity during playdates.
Pro: Some Beds Can Separate Into Individual Beds
The versatility of being able to separate beds is a big pro. I have friends with beds like these, and they’ve separated and reassembled the bunks as their personal space needs have changed. Unfortunately, built-in bunk beds don’t have this flexibility.
Cons Of Bunk Beds
There are quite a few disadvantages of bunk beds in kids’ bedrooms. Let’s explore a few of the ones we experienced.
Con: The Top Bunk Is The Devil For Bedmaking
In retrospect, it may not have been a good idea to transition a potty-training toddler to sharing a room with her big sister and let her sleep in the top bunk. Lesson learned. Making a top bunk in the middle of the night when everyone is a zombie is a fresh hell. Adults do not fit, small children cannot do it, the bunk bed is too tall for making the bed from the floor, and it is just miserable.
Con: Are Bunk Beds Safe?
In theory, the bunk bed should be safe with its safety rails, sturdy construction, and other safety features. But no matter how safe they are built, without constant supervision, kids can turn them unsafe. Like swinging from the ladder because they’re playing pirates. Or filling the top bunk with so many stuffed animals, pillows, and blankets that the top rail contains the fluff but not the kid. Or just straight up jumping from the top.
I know kids will be kids no matter what, but the bunks worried me more than twins. Safety is one of the most important factors for choosing products for our young children, and bunk beds do not give me peace of mind.
Con: Bunk Beds Can Feel Heavy Visually
Not all bunk beds feel this way, but many do. From a design perspective, bunk beds can take up a lot of visual space and can make a room feel out of balance. That was my first thought, the second the beds went up. The room felt heavy. It’s a huge piece of furniture and feels somewhat out of sorts in a small room. Bunks come in a range of styles, including metal bunk beds, which may be the right choice for your room’s style.
Con: Who Sleeps Where
Some nights were dreamy. The eldest off to the top bunk, which we designated as hers, and the youngest to the bottom. But most nights, we went 47 rounds of who gets the top bunk, complete with tears and the occasional fist or swift kick to the shins. They’ve negotiated and bribed (sometimes we bribed), and the fighting never ceased. I’m exhausted. Mama needs to sleep at night, not referee.
At first, I thought it was because the beds were new and it would wear off, but it didn’t. Nine months later, and the fighting continues. Our nights end with us forcing one kid to the top and the other to the bottom. Only to wake up and find them snuggling with each other in the bottom bunk like sweet baby angels who didn’t just fight tooth and nail over the top bunk hours earlier.
Con: The Trundle And Ladder Conundrum
So many bunk beds have trundle beds under the bottom bunk. I thought I would love the trundle bed in the girls’ room for sleepovers. Not the case. To pull out the trundle, there cannot be any furniture around the bed. Which is unfortunate because we eventually brought a dresser into the room for clothes storage, and the only spot it fits is beside the bed like a nightstand.
The other issue is that you also have to move the ladder to pull out the trundle. And with it pulled out, how do you put the ladder back without it in someone’s bed?! It’s a strange design flaw. Hence, the trundle went to the attic so we could store extra bedding in the available space under the bed.
Con: Ladder Instability
Also, the ladder was unable to stay connected to the top bunk. The ladder is supposed to hook onto the bottom rail of the top bunk in the opening from the side rail. It hooks, kind of. But a light breeze manages to knock it off. AND kids move it. The ladder is not light. We ended up clamping the ladder onto the bunk with C-clamps, which kind of worked temporarily until the kids learned how to unclamp them and turn them into stuffed animal collars. Sturdy ladders are a must, and ours fell short.
Con: The Height
Because bunk beds are so tall, it’s not uncommon for an older child to bonk their head on the ceiling. Unfortunately for our bookworm of a daughter, who likes to cozy up in a reclined position to read at night, she cannot read in her bed. There isn’t enough height between the bed and the ceiling.
Double con with the height, have you ever caught a child trying to jump from the top bunk onto the floor?! Terrifying. We have rules about these things, but when has a rule ever stopped a kid from “experimenting”?!
Are Bunk Beds A Good Idea?
While bunk beds are a popular choice, especially in smaller homes with multiple children in a shared room, I personally don’t think they are a good idea. If I could avoid it, I would. But sometimes they are a necessity in a small space.
We even asked the girls if they wanted to keep the bunk beds or replace them with two twin beds. It was unanimous. They wanted twin beds. The bunks were fun for a while, but even they didn’t like them.
My best advice with bunk beds is to do your research and make an informed decision specific to you and your family’s needs. If you need the extra space, find a bunk bed design that you love and that checks all the safety boxes for you.
You can also find products, like zip-on bedding, that make middle-of-the-night bed changes a little bit easier. AND spares you the bloody knuckles that are inevitable when adult-sized hands holding a fitted sheet are shoved into mattress corners sporting exposed screw heads. Every time.
Now, does anyone want a bunk bed? We have one for sale…cheap. And by cheap, I may mean free.
Pssst…Tell me, do you have experience with bunk beds? Love them or hate them? I’m curious to know.
