This IKEA Toddler Bed Is Totally Worth the Hype

I remember reading ALL the registry guides when I was pregnant with my first, many of which said to buy a crib that would last for years. So, we went for a crib that could be converted to a toddler bed, then to a daybed for the ‘little kid’ years, and then to full-size kid’s bed after that. The only problem? As soon as our little boy saw his cousin’s “big kid bed,” he wanted one of his own. Preferably one that didn’t just have the bed rails removed.  

Enter: the IKEA KURA bed, the perfect bunk/lofted look for toddlers, preschoolers, and little kids, alike.

One of my best friends who lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters let me know that she was [anxiously] awaiting a “back in stock” notification from IKEA for this super-cool kids KURA bed. So, when I checked the website and it said we could pick it up from the IKEA store just a couple towns over from us that day, I added it to my cart ASAP.

Here’s my honest review of the IKEA KURA, which is also oh-so-loved by parents on Pinterest.

The real beauty of the IKEA KURA bed is its flippable format. According to IKEA, “It’s a low bed perfect for younger children, but also grows with them. You can turn it upside down when your child gets older – creating a play corner in no time with space for play and cozy times.” And that’s a pretty great explanation, because that’s precisely what we did.

The low bed: My husband assembled the bed with the frame and mattress on the floor first. This is ideal for littles who roll out of bed on the reg. 

The lofted hideaway: Once we flipped it, we dressed the empty bed frame/floor with an old and exceptionally fluffy IKEA duvet and throw pillows, and added a strand of string lights to amp up the ‘chill’ vibes. Needless to say, whenever my kids go to hang out or relax, they’ve got a soft and cozy nook to retire to. 

• It creates space. For my bestie in Brooklyn, the KURA was clutch because the lofted configuration helped maximize space and give each of her girls a fun place to sleep. We didn’t necessarily need to stretch our space, but it did give my son more room for activities. His Paw Patrol towers (both the OG pup headquarters and the one from the movie), his trampoline, and all of his Hot Wheels tracks take up residence without looking completely cluttered on his floor. 
• The railing is really confidence-instilling. I still worry that my now 5-year-old son will roll over in his sleep and topple out of bed, but the sturdy parallel railing prevents that from happening. Phew.
• The bed height is great for bedtime chats. In its highest position — the bed is the perfect height for pre-snooze, face-to-face chats with my guy.   
• The ladder is built in. This makes for an easy climb for my son, even when it’s dark. Those pee trips in the middle of the night are no joke! 
• It’s spacious enough for parents. My son was sick this past summer with adenovirus (it was horrific), so my husband bunked in his room, under the bed, for a few nights. It was nice and spacious, plus with the addition of a camping mattress beneath the duvet, it was super comfy.
• It’s great for sleepovers. IKEA actually sells these colorful folding mats and they fit perfectly underneath the bed. Not only are they cute for adding a bright splash of color to the neutral white and pine scheme on a daily basis, they’re also great for sleepovers. 
• It’s a blank slate. The simple wooden framework lends itself to infinite accessorizing, from lantern stringing to curtain hanging. The stark white panels offer a brilliant blank canvas for a paint or stencil job, wallpaper, decals, washi tape, bunting banners, etc. You can pop out the paneling if you want to lean into what’s appealing about stripped-down Scandinavian design or you can add more accoutrements, texture, or coverage options to devise an entirely-new and impossibly-unique look.

• It was a beast to assemble. We’ve purchased plenty of IKEA furniture over the years and my husband has always assembled things himself. But he confessed that putting this one together was “a BEAST and took much longer than most IKEA pieces have in the past.”
• It was missing a piece. The bed includes a bed frame and bed base slats constructed from solid pine and (for the frame) clear acrylic lacquer, and white paneling, made of fiberboard with acrylic paint and paper foil. We were missing one shorter piece of white paneling. It wasn’t too much of a problem given it wasn’t visible anyway, but it was still a defect in its delivery and what we were promised.  
• The mattress and the bed linens are sold separately. In other words, if you do decide to buy the $250 bed, you’ll need to add those accessories (I’d estimate another $100-$150 or so) to the cart to complete the purchase.  

Survey says: yes! Despite the longer-than-average assembly time (which you can easily outsource to an IKEA-aligned TaskRabbit to install if it’s in your budget) the bed went above and beyond our expectations. And not just because the coordinating dinosaur duvet matched amazingly with our prehistoric appliques from The Lovely Wall. 

Pass-down potential? Thumbs up. A solution for siblings sharing rooms? You bet. Genius thing to hack from IKEA? Absolutely!

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