Bunk Bed Beauty
Guest Post
You may not think that a simple piece of Pine bedroom furniture could be as popular as the latest trending toy but think again. Bunk beds often appear number one on a child’s wish-list! Think back to your own childhood and the excitement that the prospect of having a set of bunk beds would create, and it’s easy to remember what all the fuss is about.
Benefits
Whilst the level-head of a parent may not get whisked up and away in the excitement of bunk beds, there are benefits to be had. One obvious benefit to a set of bunk beds is the space saving element. To go from squeezing two beds in one room, all taking up floor space, to one stacked upon another can have a significant impact on the day to day running of a household.
The floor space saved through buying bunk beds allows for play space to be created, or a productive work area for your children. Additionally if your young children are sharing a room you can perhaps free up another bedroom or living area for use as a guest room, office or stand alone play room.
Drawbacks
Clearly bunk beds are only ever really going to need to be considered if you have more than one child. Be warned though this can lead to problems. Unless one child doesn’t mind which bunk it is they sleep in there will almost certainly be some arguments over who gets which bunk and you can guarantee the fuss will exclusively be about the top bunk. The top bunk is by far the best bunk, but the lower bunk has its merits too, for example hanging a sheet around it makes an instant fort! If arguments do persist it might be best to mediate by either making a final decision based on luck, a toss of a coin for example or alternatively you could enforce a system of rotation where by each child rotates each week.
Buying
Bunk beds and other Pine bedroom furniture can of course be bought brand new. The cost of bunk beds should be a consideration as quite often they can get quite pricey, you are buying two beds after all! Keep an eye out for collect only ads placed in newspapers and online listing or auction sites such as Gumtree or EBay as from time to time a second hand set of bunk beds will appear. As children grow up and out of the idea of sharing a room with their siblings sometimes the beds are split up but in many cases they are sold on as a set so this means that naturally some come on the market from time to time.
Due to bunk beds popularity you can always be safe in the knowledge that you can sell on the set if needs be, as and when your children grow up perhaps. The retail prices for second hand bunk beds are relatively high, whilst not quite retaining their value many sets are sold for between £50-£150 depending on material and quality, with Pine sets reaching a higher value.
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Photograph by Chris Clarke (via Flickr) [CC BY-SA 2.0]
For an excellent range of Pine bedroom furniture head to National Furniture UK’s wonderful online furniture store which boasts high quality furniture at truly great prices.
Dave C says
I reckon they are a lot of fun Shaz and I used to love staying over at a friends house, who had bunk beds, when I was a child! I also like the ones that have a bed on top and a desk or even a fold out double bed below – great space saving idea.
However, with this job of mine, I have to put my Fun Policeman hat on and say that there are a lot of hazards and risks involved and that parents should be aware of. Apart from the obvious ones like falls, I have seen many severe injuries and fatalities involving bunk beds. When bunks were too close to ceiling fans or windows, heads getting stuck in ladders or side rails, even the top bunk collapsing onto the one below!.
Parents should carefully check beds before buying, ask the salesperson about compliance with any relevant standards and make sure they are sturdy and well made. I dont think I would buy one second hand, particularly if it is older than the local standards. I would make it clear to kids about what can happen and that having the top bunk is a privelege that could be lost by doing the wrong thing.
The mandatory standard in Australia came into force in 2005 and can be found here: http://www.productsafety.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/974818
The British Bunk Bed Entrapment Regulation (1987): http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1987/1337/contents/made
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is participating in voluntary standard activities for bunk beds: http://www.cpsc.gov/volstd/bunkbed/bunkbed.html
Having said all that, some of the the worst bunk related incidents I have seen, involved young adults staying in Backpacker Hostels and usually nothing to do with the bed being unsafe………
Shaz says
Thanks Dave that is very good advice…being safe is necessary and it is good we have people like you with an eye for safety!!!