It’s important for everyone to get a good night’s rest but even more important for children. Rachel Dawkins, M.D., with Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital talks about the importance of sleep for kids.
-from Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
Furthermore, the bed plays significant role in sleeping and a comfortable bed will improve the sleeping quality and experience. Thus, selecting a good bed for kids is the must-do homework for parents. Moreover, buying a bunk bed is much more complex but vital problem, which will directly influence children’s growth. This post is here to help effectively select the best bunk beds for kids, rather than the rickety beds in the dormitory in school.
Six Aspects You Should Consider to Buy A Bunk Bed for Kids
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Room Space:
Every piece of home furniture must be suitable for the room space, including the bunk beds. Get the bed based on your measurement of the bedroom and consider the playing or reading space for the children. Thus, take some time to measure your room and decide the layout. Especially if you tend to put a bunk bed, a desk, a nightstand and a closet in the bedroom, please draw a structure of the layout after measurement, which is significant to take advantage of every space, including the dead space.
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Children’s Age and Height:
The ages of your children should be taken into account of selecting a bunk bed. Generally, the ages can be divide into different stages to choose a right bed. See more here.
It is advised to opt for a low bed with protective grating for those children at the age of 1.5 to 4 years old who are infantile and ready to transition from crib to a single bed. As for the primary school children, select a low loft or a low bunk bed with about 45 inches high from the floor to the bed-plate of the top bunk. And the medium bunk for 8 – 10 years old is generally measured 50’’ to the top bunk slat roll. For over ten years old, the high bunk with about 55 inches to the top bunk slate roll should be thought of.
No matter which one you choose, 5 inches of the mattress and 8’’ or more space from the kid’s head when sitting on the top bunk to the ceiling are the must-consider elements. Those suggested inches depends on the average standard height of the children in that stage.
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Size of the Bed:
The bed size always depends on the room space and the kids’ weight and height. The bunk beds are made in the standard size, unless you customize it. There are usually-seen bunk bed sizes.
–The twin over twin bunk bed: the lower bed and top bunk are in the same size.
–The twin over full bunk bed: the lower bed is larger than the higher one, which can well prevent people getting bumped. It is right for the older child and a younger kid or the elderly and a kid.
–The full over full bunk bed: the two beds are in the same size but larger than the twin over twin bunk bed. It can be used for a longer time even though the children grow up.
–The twin loft: the desk or sofa under the top twin bed. Even though it just brings one bed but it is also perfect for a small bedroom for two kids if you place two in the bedroom. Both of the children can enjoy sleeping and reading in the twin loft.
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Material:
Solid wood is better than the particleboard or the MDF due to the greater durability, stability and the weighing. Or you can also opt for metal frame which is more stable. For less formaldehyde emission, turn to the beds with solid wood with premium wax and resin, and metal frame.
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Storage:
Whether to purchase a bunk bed with storage is up to your need. Some bunk beds are equipped with drawers under the underbed or the stairs comes with some drawers or cabinets. Those clever ideas can perfectly combine aesthetic and function together. Besides, the loft bed without underbed is also the great way for storage and it can provide more space for storing if equipped with a desk or a dresser under the bed.
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Design:
The bunk bed can be designed for matching your home style. Paint the bed or drawers in different colors and draw some patterns on the bedplate in order to make it energetic. Moreover, stairs or ladders are the great options according to the space or style. For more fun, some bunk beds even take slides as stairs or ladders, which creates a wonderful space for sleeping and amusement to make full of the room space.
Last but not least, budget should also be the essential element to select the bunk bed for kids but for the kids’ growth, those 6 aspects above are more important than it. Here suggest you to increase your budget reasonably if the ideal one with premium material is more expensive but provides great experience for kids.
There is a clever alternative to bunk beds:
Double decker bed for kids with trundle: If the kids’ bedroom is too small or you just want to prepare a infrequently-used bed for the guest, this double-decked bed with trundle is a great option. You can hide the bed underneath and pull it out at ease. Both of the bed are in the same size and with the same bed frame and base.
Two small single beds for children: It is also possible to place two small single beds in a two-kid room so they don’t need to climb up to the higher bed via the stairs or ladders, which is rather safer but takes more floor space in the room. Thus, if you prefer this idea, please select the single bed with storage for the children to keep the toys, pillows, books and more.
No matter the bunk bed or the double decker bed for kids, please make sure the safety of installation and usage. Now, you can start to order the right single bed or the best bunk beds for your kids.