I have three young children—one boy and two girls—and right now, they all want to share a bedroom.

I know the day will come (probably soon even) when my oldest decides that he is ready for his own room. But for now, every time I ask, he says that he wants to stay together with his sisters.

And honestly, I love that.

I hope that they grow up sharing a close bond that stays with them throughout the years - no matter where life may lead them. So, for these early years, if they want to share a room together, I'm all in on making that work as best as I can.

That's what led us to try a bunk bed sleeping arrangement. Which, in hindsight, was not as simple as I thought.

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I Thought a Bunk Bed Was the Perfect Solution

When we set up a shared bedroom for our kids, a bunk bed felt like the obvious choice. Our youngest was still in a crib at the time and the room could easily accommodate a twin sized bunk bed and crib with play space to spare.

More space. More fun. Problem solved.

I even chose one that looked like a little house—with roof slats, a door, and two windows with flower boxes. I had this whole vision of fairy lights strung from the roof, cozy corners, and the kids playing "house" together.

As you can see below, the house bunk bed that we chose looked beautiful.

Further, I thought the enclosed house design would offer an additional level of safety. Are bunk beds safe for kids? Especially young kids? If I am being honest, I really wasn't sure.

The upper level of this house bunk bed was mostly closed in though. And the house design provided a fully enclosed front wall, door panels to close at the ladder opening, a partial roof to discourage standing on the top bunk, lower overall height with the bottom bunk mattress being on the floor – it seemed like a good choice with respect to bunk bed safety.

But in real life - for our family - it didn't work.

The Night That Changed Everything

Things actually started out really well.

The kids were so excited when we told them we had ordered a house bunk bed—and honestly, I was too. When it arrived, we spent the weekend putting it together as a family. Everyone wanted to help, and the kids were already playing in their new "house" before we had even finished building it.

Our oldest was a little nervous about the change at first, but it didn't take long before he was ready to try sleeping in the top bunk.

For a moment, it felt like we had found the perfect solution.

Until one night, he had a bad dream.

He tried to climb down the ladder quickly in the dark, missed the rungs—and fell.

Thankfully, he wasn't seriously hurt. But it scared him enough that he refused to sleep on the top bunk again.

And honestly, that was the moment I realized:

Bunk beds aren't just about being cute and saving space—they have to work safely at 2:00 AM and in a panic (or emergency).

What No One Tells You About Bunk Beds

1. Ladders Are Not Night-Friendly

During the day? Mostly fine – I was honestly always a little nervous that they may fall when playing, but for the most part they were comfortable climbing up or down.

Half asleep in the dark; however? Not so much.

Kids don't climb carefully at night—they climb quickly, groggily, maybe fearfully after a bad dream, and without thinking.

The ladder design was a huge failure for us.

2. Changing the Sheets Is WAY Harder Than You Expect

This one surprised me.

Getting a fitted sheet onto a raised mattress, hunched under my oh-so-cute roof slats after climbing the ladder to enter through the teeny-tiny door … not fun.

It's awkward, frustrating, and something you will deal with more often than you think.

If you have enough space in your room, you may be able to lift the top mattress, pull it out the end of the bed, put the sheet on more comfortably, and replace it back into the frame – but that is still quite the hassle and good quality twin size mattresses weigh more than you might expect.

3. Not Every Child Will Use the Top Bunk

After the fall, my oldest didn't want to sleep in the top bunk any longer. We brought his old truck bed back into the room and the upper bunk remained empty for some time.

Eventually, my middle daughter was willing to try. She slept up there a few nights but also was not a fan. No scary falls for her, she just did not like being raised above her siblings and losing that sight-line comfort of seeing them easily.

So now, two out of our three kids refused to sleep in the upper bunk - and the youngest was still too young to try.

Our space-saving solution wasn't saving space at all.

Nobody wanted to sleep in the bunk bed, so we actually ended up cutting the legs down to turn it into a standard-height bed and make it usable again.

Our middle daughter does use this bed now – but the design is still not parent practical.

4. Cute Designs Don't Always Work in Real Life

I loved the "house bed" look. It felt creative and unique (and yes—very on-brand for me).

But here's what I didn't think about:

Adults don't fit inside these designs very easily.

That meant:

• I couldn't comfortably lay with my child at bedtime
• Middle-of-the-night wakeups were harder to manage
• Basic tasks like changing sheets became more difficult

What looked like a dream design ended up being impractical for everyday life.

Even now, after cutting the legs down to a standard bed height, it is still a pain to climb in and out of the house design when my daughter wants a parent to lay with her.

5. The "Middle-of-the-Night Sick Kid" Scenario

This is one I'm honestly grateful that we never had to deal with—but it crossed my mind later.

What happens if the child in the top bunk wakes up with a stomach bug in the middle of the night?

It's not just about them getting down safely and in time—it's everything below them too.

The bed. The floor. The multi-level clean up. The sibling underneath.

It's one of those real-life situations you don't think about when you're choosing a cute children's bunk bed—but it's worth considering.

What I Would Do Instead

✔ Avoid Bunk Beds Altogether

If your room can fit two separate beds, I would go that route.

A standard twin bed will grow with your child for years, and when the time comes that they no longer want to share a room, each child can simply take their bed and move into their own space. There are many single level twin bed options that have been designed for more than one child.

It's a much more flexible, long-term solution.

The best twin bed that we found was a truck bed for kids—it ended up being a much more practical option and better suits our day to day life routines. Ironically, our son's truck bed was our first children's twin bed purchase. 

Followed by failed attempts with the house bunk bed, and plain bed frame (that we attached the cut off headboard and footboard sections from the house bunk bed to), for our daughters. 

In hindsight, we should have stuck with what was working – despite the style of the truck bed requiring more floor space.

If you are still considering a bunk bed, here's what I would recommend after going through this experience:

✔ Choose stairs instead of a ladder

Much safer. Easier to use. Better for younger kids.

I realized after-the-fact that we could have purchased a very similar style of house bunk bed that offered stairs vs ladder (plus a slide!).

The other challenges listed above would still be present - but perhaps our outcome would have been a little bit different if we hadn't selected a ladder style bunk bed.

✔ Consider Lower-Height Options

You still save space—but reduce risk and make access a little bit easier.

That said, if you can avoid bunk beds altogether, I still would. But if space is limited and stacking beds feels like the only option, look for lower-height bunk beds designed for younger kids.

These can be a good middle ground—but there are still a couple of things to think through:

• Longevity
  The lowest options are great for small children, but they may be outgrown fairly quickly.
• How low is too low?
  Some designs place the bottom mattress directly on the floor. While floor beds are popular for young children, I personally had concerns about:
• Moisture/Humidity building up underneath the mattress
• The potential for dust or insects underneath the mattress

It's one of those decisions where safety, practicality, and long-term use all need to be weighed together.

✔ Think about your role as a parent

Can you:

• Reach the bed easily?
• Sit or lay with your child if needed?
• Change sheets without a struggle?

If not, it's going to become frustrating fast.

The Biggest Bunk Bed Lesson

Designing a kids' room isn't just about how it looks.

It's about how it functions every single day—especially at night, when everyone is tired and things aren't calm, quiet, or ideal.

If I could go back, I wouldn't just ask:

"Does this look good?"

"Can they play together with it?"

I would ask:

"Will this actually work for real life?"

For our family – that honest answer is "No".

Final Thoughts

Bunk beds can work for some families—but they're not the automatic win that they may initially seem to be.

If space is limited, and you must use a bunk bed for your children's shared bedroom, a few small decisions (like stairs vs ladder, or bunk height) can make a huge difference in the real life safety, usability, and overall success of the bunk bed.

If you're in the middle of planning a shared kids' room, learn from our experience—and choose something that works beyond the daytime play time.

When planning a successful shared kids' room, the bed is just one piece of the puzzle.

Storage is what will truly make or break how the space functions every day.

Fortunately, we were much more successful in our shared storage spaces than we were with our bed selections. I found the best way to organize one closet for three kids by using this exact closet organizer.

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