My sons got a set of twin-over-full bunk beds about a couple weeks ago, which we love, but I am struggling to make their beds! In the past, they have made their own beds every day which I hope they can continue, but I realize I will have to replace the bedding myself when we take it off to wash it. I'm fine with that, but it's like a major acrobatic adventure every time! I can barely wrestle the fitted sheets on properly! I've never had bunk beds before, and I am hoping you can suggest a few tricks to make it easier. There's got to be a better strategy than hefting and cursing. . . right?
I personally take the mattress off the top bunk, put on the fitted sheet. The flat sheet can easily tuck in ponce the mattress is back on, unless one side backs to a wall, in that case, i just tuck the end in really well. :) Good luck.
I have two solutions for you: 1) Don't bother making the bed, 2)Unbunk them! LOL!! I never figured out how to do it without breaking my back or busting my head! :) We unbunked ours and now the girls have twins instead of bunks. Good luck!
Flip the matteress every time you make the bed. Pull the side of the matteress that is closet to the edge out over the gard rail(on to the floor for bottom bunk), hook on the new sheet up side down then push that side back and up so that the matteress is starting to flip. Let it slide the rest of the way over and then attach the other two cornners, make sure you keep a hold of the side of the sheet that's not attached yet.
My mom has an awkwardly placed bunk bed that my kids sleep on when we're there. When we change sheets, I just pull the entire mattress down onto the floor, change them, and attempt to tuck the bottom in a bit when we put the 'made' bed back up. In Europe they sell some really handy all-in-one top & bottom sheets sewn together. Maybe if you sew the bottom edge of the flat sheet to the bottom edge of the fitted sheet (or Velcro if you don't want to have to dry them together) it might stay assembled when you and your 7-yr-old throw the mattress back on top.
We used a thin polyfil comforter with a comforter cover. It is easier to make (just shake it), and the whole thing comes off so that the cover can be washed-- voila, no top sheet!
The bottom sheet is tougher, if your 7 year old is on the top bunk and doesn't have accidents, I would pull the mattress down and put three sets of bottom sheets on it, then peel one off at a time. Safety pin the bottom one to the mattress if you want if you can't climb up easily to remove the first two sets, otherwise they will tend to all pop off if you tug.
we just use sleeping bags on top, when its wash day the kids just throw them down to have them washed. then you just stick them back up there. making bunk beds is the only thing i dont like about them.
hope this helps
Hefting & cursing is how I've been doing bunk beds for 3 years now. I'll be waiting to see if you get better ideas than that. I have them pull off their sheets at wash time & I only require them to pull the covers up in the morning-I don't want to make them perfectly so how can I expect them to?I have twin-futon beds in both rooms-I stand as close to the wall as I can do do the far corners.
To pull up covers: hold sheets & blanket in both hands. Fluff covers 3 times (I made up a number) & pull toward the top of the bed at the same time. Or just grab & pull to get them up to the top of the bed. A well-placed throw blanket does wonders for making them look better made too.
Hi S.,
Some years ago I remember you could purchase twin bedding from a catalog that has the top sheet sewn to the bottom fitted sheet, so it makes it a little easier. It seems like it was Land's End, but I couldn't find them there. But one thing I did was I cut off the elastic from one end of a fitted sheet and hemmed it, so that the sheet didn't have to be tucked in. You could do that and also sew the top and bottom together, to make sheets like the ones I saw in the catalog.
Another idea is to go European: just put a fitted sheet on the bed and then a cotton duvet (slip) cover on top of the comforter. Then you wash the duvet cover like sheets. The cover can be made easily by sewing two flat sheets together. I've done this a number of cars. The child can make the bed simply by pulling the comforter up and plopping the pillow on top.
I remember a family I babysat for as a young woman who used polyester filled comforters as both sheet and blanket. Then they rolled up the blanket in the morning and put the pillow in front. The sheets were a fun Merrimekko (sp?) design and actually looked very cute. The mom just washed the comforters, but probably not every week.
Best wishes!
L.
Your kids can probably still unmake the bed. And if they already know how to make a bed, they can learn that too. I have bunk beds for my 6 and 8 year old, and they've both made the top bunk (replaced sheets) in the last year, at first with my help. Usually they are on the bed and i'm on the ladder or the rail of the bottom bed. They tuck as far as they can, then I finish it up, just a little lift of the ccrner of the matress and a qucik tuck for the fitted sheet. Lately my 6 year old has been wanting to do it himself, and has been fairly successful.
We only tuck the top sheet and blankets at the bottom, square corners are pretty much impossible. And to make the bed in the morning, they just pull the blakets up and make it look tidy.
