1. Age

For safety, children under 6 should not be using top bunks. A mid-sleeper or cabin bed is a great way to give young ones the feeling of sleeping up high but in a safe, secure environment. Older children who have homework or spend a lot of time in their room may benefit from a high sleeper where there is room for a desk or hobbies underneath.

2. Storage Options

Do you want a bed with extra storage? If so consider that drawers and trundles have to be pulled out and cupboard doors opened, when doing your measurements take into account the space that the extra storage will occupy when it is being accessed.

3. Stairs or Ladders?

Stairs are safer for younger children, but typically take up more space than ladders, which will be more popular with older kids.

4. Think about the space in as well as around the bed.

It’s not all about footprint, think about who will be using the different features a bed may have. Not all bunks are made equal and the height between upper and lower will vary, consider who will be in the bottom bunk and make sure that they will have plenty of room to sit up and comfortably move about in bed. Does it have a desk? How big is your child’s chair of laptop, is there room for them to work comfortably under the raised bed with all their gear?

5. Placement

Where will the bed sit within the room? Being adjacent to walls can provide extra safety, while placing beds where the top bunk is above a window is not a good idea. Consider the distance between the top bunk and the ceiling – is there adequate room to sit up? Is the bed well away from ceiling fans, vents or air conditioning units? It may be a good idea to mark out the footprint using tape – don’t forget to take radiators into account!

6. Bedtime Behaviour

Some children sleep soundly at night while others are more active. If your child tosses and turns a lot or makes frequent nocturnal visits to the loo, you may want to put the on the lower bunk rather than the top.

7. Price

Better materials and extra design features may cost more, but the bed might also last longer. Think about how long each bed might last your child and factor it into your budgeting.