I Tested Every IKEA Kids’ Bunk Bed IRL — Here Are the Best Ones for Every Space and Need

As a kid growing up in the suburbs, I never had to share a room with my sister, so bunk beds were always a treat — the stuff of vacations, slumber parties, and sleepaway camp. When it came time to buy my own son a big-kid bed, we opted for a bunk for less exciting reasons: We needed the extra bed (plus a trundle) for ourselves when our parents came to visit our tiny Brooklyn apartment. IKEA bunk beds were the first  and only beds I looked at for this important purchase on a moderate budget.

For this installment of Personal Shopper, I’m here to help you decide which of the brand’s bunk beds might be best for your child’s room. I also looked at loft beds, since there are some very cool space-saving options there for older kids who don’t need to share a room. (Keep in mind that the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend the top bunk for kids younger than 6.) I gathered all the information you’ll need to help make this decision from the comfort of your home.

While IKEA’s bunk bed and loft bed selection isn’t as extensive as that of its regular kids’ beds, there is a lot of variation between the four beds I reviewed, so they’re suited for many different needs and tastes. The brand’s flat-pack method of selling furniture in pieces also makes it one of the best options for purchasing online. Another reason I love IKEA bunk beds is the fact that the designers clearly keep kids in mind, with looks that are playful and designs that are practical.

Over the course of several hours in the IKEA showroom, I carefully evaluated these beds based on the following factors:

• Design: IKEA bunks all lean toward contemporary style, but I looked at how they would each fit into a kids’ room, suiting both the decor and the family’s space-saving needs.
• Height: Is the lower bunk the right height for a young child? Will a grown-up hit their head every time they tuck a child in? Is the top bunk a dangerous height for an older child? Can a parent check in on a child sleeping up there?
• Stability and Safety: I tried really hard to wiggle these beds from various angles and then pored through reviews to see whether customers reported instability after using them for a while. I also looked at how high the sides were on the top bunk to prevent falls. (For added security, the AAP recommends placing bunk beds in a corner, with walls on two sides.)
• Assembly Difficulty: I spoke to sales associates, read through each instruction manual (OK, they don’t have words, but you get it), and took into account customer reviews to see how difficult the assembly of these beds will be for the average parent.

Note: The beds reviewed here are all meant for kids, with a weight limit of 220 pounds per bed. If you’re considering bunk beds or lofts for adults, keep that weight limit in mind. And always make sure to cross-check the recommended mattress thickness in the bed’s Measurements section.

If you got rid of all the clothing on his floor, my son’s room would very much resemble an IKEA showroom. Over the years, my husband and I have shopped for and assembled more furniture from the brand than I can accurately count, including the now-discontinued NORDDAL bunk bed that nearly broke our brains. Our struggle paid off: Nearly nine years later, that bed is still going strong.

This experience alone makes me feel qualified to help you figure out which bunk bed will be right for your family. But I’ve also spent the past five years of my career testing, evaluating, and writing about products for kids and babies. I know what makes them safe, appealing to kids and adults, and worth the money. I spent several hours at IKEA’s Brooklyn showroom sitting on these bunk beds, crawling under the lofts, looking at every potential scratch or too-sharp corner, and trying to shake them into showing me their flaws.

What impressed us: This is a bunk bed that could just as easily fit into someone’s Vermont ski house as their ultra-modern New York City apartment. As a longtime owner of the now-discontinued wooden NORDDAL bunk bed, I immediately gravitated to this all-wooden bed that almost looks like someone (very competent) could have crafted it all by hand.

Unlike the NORDDAL, this one can’t be split into two single beds, but it does feel built to last. Safety-minded parents will appreciate that the top bunk has very high railings that I could also peek through to check on a child (though at 5’4″, I’m too short to reach over to comfort a kid unless I stood on the bottom bunk). 

• Styles: Natural pine or white pine
• Materials: Solid pine, stain, clear acrylic lacquer; pine base slats (for natural pine option) or layer-glued wood veneer (for white option)
• Dimensions: 77 1/8″ (L) x 41″ (W) x 61 3/4″ (H); recommended mattress: 74 3/8″ (L) x 38 1/4″ (H) x 8 1/4″ (maximum thickness); distance between beds: 35 7/8″
• Underbed clearance: 7 7/8 inches

What impressed us: With its white steel and gray fabric with yellow accents, this bunk bed manages to look soft and playful. It’s a great size for kids of elementary school age and up, with high sides on the top bunk to reassure parents about its safety. I appreciated that I could sit up straight on the bottom bunk without hitting my head.

The wall side of the bottom bunk is higher than most, so grown-ups can relax on it to read stories with their kids. I could see over the top bunk’s sides on my tiptoes, though I wouldn’t be able to reach over and comfort a child up there. It also has a considerable amount of underbed clearance (9 inches), which you can use for storage or for a VITVAL trundle bed. This style is also available as a separate loft option.

• Style(s): Bunk bed, bunk bed with trundle, loft, loft with desk
• Materials: Steel, epoxy/polyester powder coating, polyester fabric, wood base slates
• Dimensions: Bunk: 77 1/2″ (L) x 40 1/2″ (W) x 63 3/4″ (H); distance between beds: 35 7/8″; loft: 77 1/2″ (L) x 40 1/2″ (W) x 76 3/4″ (H); height under loft bed: 59 1/2″; recommended mattress size: 74 3/8″ (L) x 38 1/4″ (W) x 5 1/8″ (maximum thickness) 
• Underbed clearance: 9 inches

What impressed us: The TUFFING bunk bed’s low profile makes it a great, budget-friendly choice if you’re not blessed with high ceilings or if you have a small child who could benefit from having the bottom bunk low to the ground. The ladder’s location in the middle of the bunks allows it to serve as a railing for young kids in the lower bed too. Short parents like me will also appreciate that even the top bunk is reachable for checking on or comforting a child.

Meanwhile, even tall adults can sit up straight in the bottom bunk while tucking kids in or reading them a story. This bed looks very cool and modern, but there’s hidden softness to it, with its mesh cloth sides and rounded edges.

• Styles: Bunk bed or loft bed
• Materials: Steel, epoxy/polyester powder coating, polyester fabric
• Dimensions: Bunk bed: 77 1/2″ (L) x 40 1/2″ (W) x 51 3/8″ (H); distance between beds: 33 1/8″; loft bed: 77 1/2″ (L) x 38 1/4″ (W) x 70 1/2″ (H); height under loft bed: 57 1/8″; recommended mattress size: 74 3/8″ (L) x 38 1/4″ (W) x 5 1/8″ (maximum thickness)
• Underbed clearance: 5 1/8 inches

What impressed us: This sleek, space-saving loft bed looks like something from a European boutique hotel room, or possibly a space station from the future, though it’s sized just right for an older kid. While there’s no bunk bed option, this is a practical choice for one child with a small bedroom. There are a few different ways you can arrange the desk and the wardrobe doors, depending on how much room you have: It can all face inward, fitting under the bed; or the desk can come out perpendicular to the bed, and the wardrobe doors can open outward.

There are also options for blue or green drawers and wardrobe doors, as well as colorful drawer pulls. The bed itself has nice solid sides, and the ladder has deep steps and a handhold for extra safety. The whole thing feels incredibly sturdy too. If I didn’t have a husband and a needy dog, I’d want this bed for myself.

• Styles: Three– or four-drawer options with white, blue, or green doors and drawers
• Materials: Fiberboard, particleboard, honeycomb structure paper filling, plastic edging, acrylic paint, paper foil, ABS plastic, laminate
• Dimensions: Loft bed: 77 1/2″ (L) x 44 7/8″ (W) x 71 5/8″ (H); desk: 54 3/8″ (L) x 23 5/8″ (W) x 28 3/4″ (H) 
• Underbed clearance: 55 7/8 inches