Bunk Beds or Day Bed with Trundle?

Updated on October 14, 2011
A.G. asks from Houston, TX
21 answers

Hello Moms.

Nesting in my head here for our new arrival. (a baby boy to join my duo of gals)

Ive decided to bunk my youngest girl and baby boy together after hes about 6 months old. They will share a room and i got great ideas on here about how to decorate it. NOW i need to to know your experiences with beds and room sharing. I dont want two separate twin beds. I either want a day bed with a trundle or bunk beds.

1.Do you have either one?
2.Did you grow up using either one?
3. Have you had or used both?
4.separate sexes and the sharing of them?

TIA

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So What Happened?

thank you everyone.......actually to clear the confusion a little my baby boy will sleep with me until well over 1 or 2 years old but i want to buy a bed that will eventually fit both my youngest daughter and my boy. It will be "all hers" until then. Im really thinking bunk beds are the way to go, especially if they separate!, I didnt know that!

Featured Answers

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

Two things wrong with a trundle. Maybe three. First they don't roll out well on carpeting. Two they don't roll out at all if the room isn't clean. Three they will leave it out because it is easier than making the bed to slide it back in.

These were the reasons given to me when I was deciding by a friend.

Just passing it along.

We have the bunk futon. Kids love it.

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L.W.

answers from Houston on

I would go with bunk beds. That way, each child always has their own bed available for use at any time, and each has a space to call his/her own. A trundle bed has to be taken out every night. To me, it's for occasional guests, not a permanent setup to kids sharing a room. I have both bed types in my home, by the way. I have not had to have kids share a room though, so I can't help with those suggestions.

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⊱.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hello,
seems like it will be quite a while before your newborn is ready for a bunk or trundle, at least a couple of years. In general, though, I think I'd go for the bunk beds. Lessens the chance of them goofing off when it's bed time if they are so close in the trundle. Plus it's good for privacy.

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

I grew up with bunks and I recommend them. They were the kind where they could be their own beds later. I shared with my sister. I don't have any brothers. Get a good set of bunks that are sturdy and can be used for many years. This is an investment. Ours were wood.

I'm not a big fan of trundles because either it's out all the time or someone can't have his/her bed during the day to hang out on. Especially in a shared space, it is important to have something of yours.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Trundles are a pain.
My daughter has one under her bed.
It is a pain.
And as Jo W. said below.

Next, how old is your Daughter? And then your baby son will be in the lower bed of bunks?
Sounds, dangerous?

Opposite sex siblings, will NEED their own space and their own room... once they are older. I say about 6 or so. If anything, they need privacy. Their own.

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Please don't get bunk beds. They are dangerous. My BFF from 7th grade on through now lost her elementary age child when he fell off the top bunk and hit his head. He was not roughhousing or doing anything wrong. He just fell off and died. Try some kind of corner unit or other bed situation like the trundle.

This is very similar to what my ex MIL had in her boys room. It was the same as far as how these beds are set up. It was just a square and not so well thought out as the corner unit here.

For the next 2 years the baby will have a baby bed or move to a toddler bed so in that time frame you could start saving to get a larger home or try to come up with ideas of how you could remodel and make the garage into a wonderful Master so the kids could each have their own rooms at some point. Once the baby turns 3-4 your girl will really start wanting her won space.

http://www.thefurniture.com/Store/ASHL-SD-MSTL-TWIN-BDRM-...

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L.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I'm with everyone else, go for the bunk beds... I assume, if you're moving your son into the room with your daughter at around 6 months, he'll still be in a crib, so your daughter could sleep on the bottom bunk (if you're getting the bunk bed right away) until your son is old enough to sleep in a bed, at which point, your daughter would be old enough to safely navigate a top bunk...

I second all the things everyone else said about trundles... can't pull it out if the floor isn't cleared, it puts them close together, so goofing off or just waking each other up might be worse, as they get older, it doesn't allow for privacy, etc.

At least bunk beds give some 'private' space of their own... you could get a tent for the top, and a curtain for the bottom, and they could really have their very own private space...

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C.P.

answers from Columbia on

Bunk beds. If you get a trundle, you also have to worry about your daughter stepping on your son on the way out of bed.

Plus, later on, bunk beds will separate into individual beds for each of them.

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J.S.

answers from Dallas on

my vote is bunkbeds so they both of their own space.

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M.F.

answers from Austin on

We actually have both. Our bunks are a twin on top, with a full-size underneath (yes, they come apart), and we invested in a trundle for underneath the bottom bunk.

I did this so there would be minimal arguing. One gets the cool factor of having the top bunk, the other gets the bigger bed. I also like having the bigger bunk underneath, so when we have more than one kid sleep over, two people can sleep in the lower bunk.

We never actually got around to building the trundle drawer, and just keep the mattress shoved under the bed. It's much easier to slide out - you can slip it sideways and drag it out at an angle, vs. having to move ladder and furniture to pull a big drawer out.

I ESPECIALLY LOVE having the trundle in there with them, so that when one or both are sick (as was the case, last week), I just pull it out and sleep in there, rather than trudging back and forth across the house all night.

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J.T.

answers from Victoria on

my brothers had bunk beds and i had a twin/trundle. i loved the trundle. it was not attached to the bed so it could be moved in the house if my brothers had an extra guest but mostly it stayed in my room. after some one broke it playing superman my friends just slept in the same bed as i did. my head at one end and her head at the other. i would just wait till he out grew his crib before worrying about the bigger bed. i also like those twin beds that the giant drawer pulls out with the trundle attached. low to the ground ... seems cosy (sp)

http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ this site has lots of shared rooms. just do a search for decorating ideas.

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E.B.

answers from Houston on

We have bunk beds. Make sure they are quality ones and check that they can be raised or lowered. Sit on the bottom bunk at the store and make sure you can sit up in bed. Most of them can be separated into twin beds-the two tall bottom pieces (head and foot) switch to become the headboards while the two shorter top pieces (head and foot) become the footboards. My son loved his. Had them as bunks for years and as a teen turned them into twins and then ditched one twin altogether so he could have more room. Those bunk beds are in the attic waiting for a chance to reappear.
Trundles are great only for occasional sleepovers-not for everyday use.

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S.M.

answers from Lansing on

I know everyone has sais this but go for bunk beds! They are not incredibly dangerous unless you have no railing! You will appreciate the look and the kids will really like how neat they are!

Updated

I know everyone has sais this but go for bunk beds! They are not incredibly dangerous unless you have no railing! You will appreciate the look and the kids will really like how neat they are!

Updated

I know everyone has sais this but go for bunk beds! They are not incredibly dangerous unless you have no railing! You will appreciate the look and the kids will really like how neat they are!

1 mom found this helpful
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A.B.

answers from San Antonio on

Yes, I'd go for the bunk beds, and make sure there is a good railing on the top. My almost-7-year-old still falls out of bed every now and then, but she's only in a bunk bed when we're at my in-laws' lake house, and it has a good railing to keep her in.

I grew up with a trundle bed. Perfect if there's one kid in the room and you use it for overnight guests. I would not make it someone's permanent bed, for many of the reasons below, most importantly because that child in the trundle won't have a bed to sit on that is his/her own during the day. It will make that child feel like it's not his/her own room.

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S.D.

answers from Austin on

I just have to add that whoever has the bottom trundle bed is going to feel like they don't really have their own bed or own space. Trundles are good for sleepovers, not for siblings. Another vote for bunkbeds.

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P.B.

answers from Houston on

I had bunk beds put into my son's room so when he had sleepovers, they'd have a bed. He kept coming and crawling in bed with us and everytime I asked why, he'd say his bed hurt him. (he was 2 at the time) and I thought it was just a ploy to get in bed with us. My aunt came to visit us at the same time my parents came and she slept in CW's room and sure enough - NOT enough head room, even for the little guy - when he sat up, he bumped his head!!!!!! Got rid of it ASAP. So LAY in the bottom (and on the top) BEFORE you purchase bunk beds!!!

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D.N.

answers from Chicago on

We have a bunk bed and trundle. My son and 2 older girls share a room. My daughter used to put her folder blankets and pillow on the bottom bunk and then push the trundle underneath the bunk beds. Then we bought new mattresses and they are too thick so it stays out. My brother has the bunk beds that have the top bunk and then the bottom bunk is under the top but at a right angle rather then directly below. he got them when my nephews were about 5 and they have lasted this long. The top can also be used as a loft bed with a desk or dresser under it while the bottom is a totally separate bed. If you go for bunks, I would have the girl on the bottom only or get teh bunks that do separate and put the top away until your daughter is at least 5 or six. Also there are some bunks that are really high up than usual. Something to watch for.

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

bunk beds as the pull out the bottom thing is a pain in the butt each and every time you do it have to clear all area around bed to make that happen. now having said that are you going to have a crib for the first couple years so taht the older one is like 4 before the bunkbed happens?

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J.P.

answers from Lakeland on

I would go with bunk beds. Then they each have their own space for stuffed animals and different bedding. My sister and I had a daybed with the trundle. We were always arguing about the color of the bedspread and who had to sleep on the trundle bed.

You can also use a bedrail on the top bunk, I have one on my daughters bunkbed even though she sleeps in the bottom bunk. It is 20 inches high and fits well.

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M.B.

answers from Beaumont on

We used a day bed with a trundle and popped it out each night and it worked great. Had different sex children rooming and it worked fine.

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J.T.

answers from College Station on

My brother and I shared bunk beds when we were in early elementary. Then we moved into a house where we could both have our own bedrooms. I like the bunk bed option or the 2 twin beds.

The trundle will either never be put away or never be brought out. There will be toys and clothes and other detritus of your children's lives in the way. I say skip it.

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