Advice on kids' beds

Hi, theres not much on kids beds here when I did a search so here goes.....

Our 4 year old needs to be upgraded from her toddler bed which will soon be occupied by her younger sister if we can pry her away from her cot to make way for our "in production" springtime baby.

Eventually two of them may share a room so for space reasons I like the idea of having two of those mid high beds that have a chest of drawers tucked underneath and a swivel out desk etc e.g. [broken link removed]

However, I don't want beds that high up just yet and have seen modular systems that you can just get a single bed from now and in the future buy the pieces to convert it to a "mid sleeper" as above.

Just wondering what input people have on kids beds though, do these midsleepers work out okay, is there any better type of bed to get - am also tempted by the beds that have a pull out spare bed under them for friends or parents to sleep on occasionally.

Would appreciate advice before we spend! Thanks

The most important thing to consider when buying a bed is the mattress. You will need something which will give good support and last a few years - I would highly recommend a Dunlopillo mattress from experience - it keeps its shape, comes with a 10 year guarantee, great for allergy sufferers.

Once you've bought your mattress, make sure that, if you put it on a slatted base, the slats are no more than 6cm wide or more than 4cm apart. This ensures sufficient ventilation, but prevents the mattress sagging through the slats.

Contact Richard on www.furniture.ie to see what advice he can give you.

If you were to put two of those beds in one room they would take up quite a bit of space.

I'm not keen on raised beds for kids because my nephews were regularly in Casualty Depts because of the messing that took place on bunk beds - dislocated shoulders, broken arms etc.

Hi Toby
My advice on a change from toddler beds for storage and comfort would be a Mid sleeper bed that you were thinking about. The same thing happened to me last year with my two boys and gave them a go. I glad I did and think you shold give it a go. By the way good luck with the baby

Santa just got my eight year old a mid sleeper with small wardrobe, press, three drawers and pull out desk from Littlewoods. Had wanted 180cm high but they sent 150cm. Much better as high would have been way too high. Flat pack beech effect, excellent quality for price "Durban" make. Price €349 minus €15 first time discount with code and then minus €35 for mistake for unit and mattress.

We bought Thuka ones and they have a variety of heights and options. Good matresses that are designed for children.