When it comes to the bed your kid’s sleep in, you may be wondering if you should replace their bed with a bunk bed. There are a few main reasons why you’d do this. The first reason is typically related to the space to kids ratio in that room. If you have multiple kids per room, you may be interested in the space saved. If you have one child in the room but there is limited space, you may also want to use the bunk bud to create vertical space in the room. In this article, we consider this reason as well as a few other reasons to explain the pros and cons of getting a bunk bed for your kids.
Pro: Space Saving
One major benefit of bunk beds is that this unit saves space. Instead of having two beds taking up so much of the bedroom, the bunk bed basically takes up the same space as one bed. A bunk bed is a reasonable solution when your kids can’t have their own bedrooms. This is especially important when your kids have a lot of stuff or if they spend a lot of time in their room and want to do things in space other than on their bed. Playing with legos, for example, is very challenging if you only have space on top of your sheets instead of on top of firm ground.
Also, you could look into a bunk bed that comes with storage underneath the bottom level. This is a typical consideration if the room of one child is relatively small and thus they need the extra vertical space, or if you have two kids in one room that don’t want to sleep under the other sibling. Then, your kids can keep clothes, toys, or books underneath the bed. It would be a similar space to having no bed in the room at all.
Pro: Sibling Relationships
When your kids have their own rooms or even just their own beds, it is easier for them to separate from their siblings. In fact, they might retreat to their rooms immediately after school and stay there for the majority of the day. Even if they are in the same room as each other, the physical separation between each bed can create distance between siblings. A bunk bed, on the other hand, invites a closeness between siblings. Though the bed is completely safe and can hold a lot of weight, there is trust grown between siblings sharing a bunk bed. Since it’s impossible for your kids to avoid close proximity in a bunk bed, your kids have to trust that the other isn’t going to poke them or spit on them in the middle of the night, which is something they likely wouldn’t have to consider when sleeping in separate beds.
With the close proximity, it’s also more likely that your kids will help each other open up to each other and possibly even help them fall asleep. Your kids might stay up for hours chatting with each other about their days. This not only builds their relationships, but it can also build their skills of expressing themselves and becoming more comfortable with themselves, their thoughts, and processing their experiences.
Pro: Help Kids Fall Asleep
You might also start to hear your older child reading the younger sibling’s bedtime stories each night. Reading to siblings isn’t just beneficial to the children trying to fall asleep. The child who is reading is developing both their reading skills and their presentation skills, which will be beneficial for the rest of their lives. Additionally, it is common for siblings to build relationships through reading and helping each other fall asleep. Even kids who are the same age can take turns night after night with who will read the story. Though this is common, that doesn’t mean that is what will happen with your kids. There is also the possibility that they would start to feel like they’re spending too much time together and thus may become agitated with each other more often. That being said, it will still likely push their relationship beyond what would happen in separate beds.
Con: Safety Hazards
A bunk bed can come with a variety of safety problems. You must ensure that the top bunk is entirely secure so that it doesn’t crash down on the child sleeping on the bottom level. Though beds are made specifically to prevent that, you still have to follow instructions and check it before having them spend their first night in a bunk bed. Also, the child sleeping on the top level will need to climb a ladder, which could lead to slips and falls. Another problem is that a child on the top could roll out of the bed and experience serious or fatal injuries.
Con: Long-term Usage
Another con is that your kids might quickly outgrow the bunk bed. One of your kids could physically become too big for the bunk bed, which means you would need to purchase another bed for that child. Furthermore, bunk beds might simply be a phase for your children. When kids are young, they might love how a bunk bed reminds them of a fun camp experience. As these little ones grow older, however, they may crave more privacy.
Many kids want to have a bunk bed. As the parent, you need to make the ultimate decision. Before doing so, taking a close look at both the downfalls and the benefits of bunk beds is pivotal.