Is this bed practical for a 6 year old?

[Whisperlily]

DS is turning 6 in a few weeks and needs a new bed. We have this one (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10123996)tentatively picked out as a "fun" bed, but I'm wondering how practical it is.

I asked DS who is turning 9 if the bed seemed babyish for someone HIS age and he said definitely not... but he tends to be on the younger side for his age, and younger DS tends to be "older" for his age.

We will be moving in 3 years, and could sell it before we move, and purchase a new bed at our new location for him (he'd be 9ish). We also have a younger DD, and IF the bed held up well enough she could move into it eventually.

I like the option of flipping the bed either way, and DS would *love* the canopy, it suits him perfectly right now. If you look on this page (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/rooms/childrens_room/) (click on the 6th thumbnail) it shows this bed with an additional mattress underneath making a bunkbed.

He loves his own little spaces, hideaways and forts. I like the fact that it's not *too high.* He's not old enough for a high loft bed like we bought for older DS.

We don't plan to keep this bed forever, but it does need to hold up well enough for at least the next 3 years.

[j.griff]

I don't know if this helps at all, but 13yod wants a loft bed so that she will have more "room" in her bedroom. She also likes "cozy" little spots to "hide" and read or draw.

[StacyWithFourRugrats]

and my 2 ds's LOVE it. They are 5 and 4 and have had this bed for about 2 years now. As you said, it is not high up, so it was safe at that age. We use it as a bunk bed and the younger one sleeps on the bottom while the older one sleeps on top. We don't use a canopy, so I can't comment on that. Another person on the board has one of these and uses it with the "fort" underneath and her daughter loves it. Perfect for playing.

It is relatively easy to set up. The hardest part is getting the panels to face the way you want (trying to imagine which color should go on the outside for when you have it where you want it...i hope that makes sense).

The biggest thing you need to take note of is that you will need to buy an IKEA mattress that is skinny enough to be used on the top bunk. A regular mattress will not allow the room between the mattress and the top of the wood for safety assurances. I think we paid about $70-80 for one (that may have included shipping as I didn't realize it when I bought the mattress and IKEA is 5 hours away). When you open the mattress, have your kids near you. That was probably the neatest part of the bed since it was vacuum packed. Poof! It "inflated". Sorry, we had fun with that.

[Mrs Mungo]

My 9 year old daughter says she would like it, she particularly likes the canopy. We have the wooden IKEA bunkbeds that are of similar construction. We've had them for 7 years and they've held up extremely well. They have even been moved 3 times (once within Germany, from Germany to NC and from NC to Hawai'i).

[Amy in Orlando]

We saw this bed - the canopy set up - in IKEA a couple of weeks ago. Even my 15 year old thought it was fun.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

DS is turning 6 in a few weeks and needs a new bed. We have this one (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10123996)tentatively picked out as a "fun" bed, but I'm wondering how practical it is.

I asked DS who is turning 9 if the bed seemed babyish for someone HIS age and he said definitely not... but he tends to be on the younger side for his age, and younger DS tends to be "older" for his age.

We will be moving in 3 years, and could sell it before we move, and purchase a new bed at our new location for him (he'd be 9ish). We also have a younger DD, and IF the bed held up well enough she could move into it eventually.

I like the option of flipping the bed either way, and DS would *love* the canopy, it suits him perfectly right now. If you look on this page (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/rooms/childrens_room/) (click on the 6th thumbnail) it shows this bed with an additional mattress underneath making a bunkbed.

He loves his own little spaces, hideaways and forts. I like the fact that it's not *too high.* He's not old enough for a high loft bed like we bought for older DS.

We don't plan to keep this bed forever, but it does need to hold up well enough for at least the next 3 years.

Ooh, my friend's ds got this when he was 6, and he still has it at 10 and loves it. He's probably almost ready to give it up -- I imagine when he has his first early pubertal growth spurt -- but he still loves to build his lego creations, hide out and read, etc.

At the same time, she bought the little chair that makes a closed "cocoon," but he grew out of that one VERY quickly. Just a shade too old for that one.

[Shannon]

We have a very similar bed for our son. He's now 7 and really likes it. We had actually looked at the one you are considering. I can't remember why we decided to go with a different bed...:o I think it is a little higher than the one we ended up getting and it would have been up above the window.

We've had good luck with their other products, though, as far as moving and durability go.
I hope that helps!:)

Shannon

[Whisperlily]

Thanks, gals!

So far, we've been very happy with everything we've bought at IKEA. This one sort-of concerned me though, partly because of the panels. Are they masonite? Particle board? The actual frame looks a little less durable than their other bunkbeds, so I wondered how sturdy it would be.

It does look like the bed that would suit his personality the best. Nice to know the older kids think it's still neat.

I may have to consider what to do about the mattress, however. I'll have to look at the prices on those to see if they'd be worth it. (We're going to have to buy a mattress for younger DD anyway, she's still in a toddler bed, so it wouldn't be a wasted expense. She could use DS's old mattress.

[nestof3]

We were actually going to buy this, but they were out of them, so my husband built one. He put the masonite sides on it, and we put up a curtain around the front and end adhered with velcro.

Our 8 year old sleeps on top and our 6 year old sleeps underneath on a mattress.

My husband made it to fit regular twin mattresses.

[K&Rs Mom]

I love this idea. If we ever have a third child, my girls have already decided they will be sharing K's room with this bed as bunks. They always drool over it when we go to Ikea. I don't think they'd outgrow it until they're teenagers, and Ikea stuff is usually pretty well made so durability shouldn't be an issue.

[Whisperlily]

I don't think they'd outgrow it until they're teenagers...

Is it a regular sized twin bed? For some reason I thought it was shorter than a typical twin. A "junior" size? I'll have to check...

[Plaid Dad]

I had a lot of friends in college and even adults in small apartments who had loft beds. They're very practical, and I don't think the style you've chosen will look at all babyish in a few years. I'd go for it!

[Chris in VA]

Like Nest of 3, I love the idea of putting up a curtain on the bottom to make a little cozy spot for reading.Ikea has clip on lamps, too--you can put some cushions under the bed, put in a small Ikea shelf, and a light, and you've got a perfect spot for ds to read, create, or play.

LOVE this bed! Wish it came in a slightly more feminine style, as dd would like it.

[StacyWithFourRugrats]

It is a regular twin size bed. We use a regular mattress for the bottom "bunk" and the top bunk we use a twin IKEA mattress that is thinner than traditional mattress. Due to this, the fitted sheet is looser than normal, but we have had no problem with that.

[StacyWithFourRugrats]

I don't exactly know what masonite is, but it is a very sturdy board. We have had no issues with it breaking or anything and the girls aren't always gentle with it.

[StacyWithFourRugrats]

You can make the bed have either blue or white panels so it can be girly using the white panels (you will obviously see blue on some sides, but it has not really mattered to my very girly girls). We also put up removable stickers (wall designs and other such things) on the panels to make it more girly.

[HeatherH]

Wow, what a terrific bed!

I'm having a hard time not breaking a commandment here :D - there is not ONE IKEA in Alabama. . . . . I'd best not show that bed to dc - they'd be begging for it for sure!