Baby #3 Coming - Time to Buy Bunk Beds for the Older Two???

We got the bunk beds that separate. They are made of sturdy wood and are from IKEA. We've had them for about 9 years. My 12 year old who weighs 122 pounds sleeps in one of them.

Things to think about with the bunk beds

Will there be a fight over who gets to sleep in the top?
Who will be making the bed?
Is there any chance of someone jumping off the top bunk?

Maybe all my concerns are boy-related and you don't have anything to think about!

M.

We have the same issue with space, though 3 in the same room. We have a bunk bed that does separate into 2 with a trundle underneath for the 3rd bed. You can find some nice bunk beds. I would opt for a good wood-oak or pine that is thick and make sure it has long bolts. I saw an ad for Darvin Furniture from Sunday's paper. It had a bunk bed and looked pretty good. When you check out bunks, shake the bed, HARD. This will tell you if it will hold up. You may also want to consider getting a full size bed and have the girls sleep together. I friend of mine has her girls in a full size bed and they have no problems. For storage, you can put underbed drawers. When we were looking for a new bunkbed, I would have loved drawers underneath but they looked really flimsy and I didn't think they would hold up at all.
Measure the room from floor to ceiling and deduct 4 feet. Then you will know how high you can go with a bunk bed max. Some are higher than others.

I looked at bunk beds extensively about a year ago and asked for lots of recommendations. I would stay away from the inexpensive beds at kmart and ikea. I think all sets can be separated into two beds.

I looked for weeks on Craigslist, just in case, and eventually a beautiful, practically unused set came up - it was from a good furniture store and had all the paperwork, etc. Friends of ours used an online furniture store and were happy - I have a bunch of stuff I bookmarked, but I think the site might have been csnbunkbeds.com.

Also, check the consumer products safety commission recommendations. They might make recommendations, but from what I can tell, manufacturers don't necessarily have to follow them. http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/regsumbunkbed.pdf

Oh, I also meant to mention that our bunk beds are simple. They are so heavy and the room is small - we didn't want to add any more weight to the furniture than we had to by adding storage shelves or whatever.

Make darn sure they're okay with the idea of bunk beds before you spend the money on them. A few of my friends bought bunk beds for their kids, only to learn that they hated them, were scared to sleep in the top bunk, and now one sleeps in the bed and the other kid sleeps on his toddler mattress on the floor. Another alternative might be to get a day bed with a trundle?