1. Make a plan

Draw a floor plan for the bedroom. Make sure to include where doors, windows, electrical outlets and vents are located. Measure the largest pieces of furniture, such as a bunkbed, and sketch out on a drawing where you intend to position them.

2. Reason for the room

Think about the purpose of the room. Is it a bedroom or a playroom? Also, consider how many children will be using it.

3. Begin with biggies

First, position the biggest pieces of furniture in the room, such as a safe and fun bunkbed. Usually, these pieces should face the focal point of the room.

4. Avoid furniture wallflowers

Do not push all of the furniture so that the pieces are flush with the walls.

5. Small and tall

Mix up the arrangement of the furniture, based on height and size. Avoid placing two small or two tall items beside each other. Instead, position the pair of furniture pieces across from each other.

6. Linear and angular

Create a balance of furniture with straight and curved lines. For example, use a table with curvy legs, and a chair with straight edges.

7. Seats with reach

Tables should always be within easy reach of every seat in the bedroom. Both pieces should also have a comparable scale.

8. Avoid traffic jams

Consider the flow of human traffic in the room, when arranging the furniture. Usually, this flow is located between doorways in the room. Place furniture to allow for a width of 30-48 inches for traffic routes that are major. Likewise, there should be a width of at least 24 inches for minor traffic routes.

9. All clear

Make sure that there is always enough clearance for furniture. There should be at least two feet between the side of the bed, and a wall. Also, there should be a minimum of three feet between the bed and a door that swings.

10. Formal or casual?

If your child is serious, it is advisable to use miniature versions of grownup furniture, and to place them in a balanced manner. However, most furniture and themes in a children’s bedroom will be lighter, which requires a more casual arrangements of the furniture.

Whether or not you use Feng Shui in designing your child’s bedroom, energy and balance are important considerations when positioning furniture, such as bunkbeds. By considering several factors before moving the first piece of furniture, your child will consider you as the furniture Master.

Here is some information, to acquaint you with the basic types of bunk beds that are available on the market:

1. Loft: a lofty idea.

A loft bunk bed provides some of the most options for your child’s bedroom. A twin or full mattress is used on the upper bunk. But that is not all! You can use several options underneath the bed frame. That includes cabinets, drawers, a desk, or a general area for storage. You can even include a trundle bed encased in a sliding drawer. This allows you to roll out the bed when your need it, and then roll it back in when you are finished using the bed. Voila! This is yet another way that bunk beds can save space.

One special type of loft bed includes a tent or slide. A twin mattress is positioned in the upper bunk. Meanwhile, a tent covers the play area below, or a slide allows the child to descend the upper bunk in a fast, fun way.

2: Detachable: one becomes two.

This bunk bed allows the two beds of the bunk bed to be divided. One bed remains in place, while the other bed can be moved to another area of the room, or even to another room. This type of bunk bed is perfect when siblings grow out of bunk beds, or one of them is ready to move to his or her own room.

3. Futons: tons of fun.

The futon bunk bed provides another multi-purpose function of the versatile bunk bed. The futon in Japan is a mattress constructed with a type of cotton. It is used to sleep directly on the floor, or on an elevated frame. A Western futon has evolved from this version. The Western futon functions as a bed, but can be transformed into a couch when the futon is propped up. A futon bunk bed includes a twin mattress on the upper bunk, and a Western futon on the lower bunk.

4. L-shaped: more with less.

From an overhead view, the L-shaped bunk bed looks like a letter “L.” It combines other types of furniture, to create extra space where the child can study, work on a computer, or watch TV.

When choosing a bunk bed, keep in mind that all bunk beds are not the same. While they never lose their benefits over other types of beds, you can find the perfect type of bunk bed for your child’s particular bedding needs.

Oh, and of course:

5. Standard: an oldie but goodie.

Usually a standard bunk bed includes a twin mattress on each of the two levels of the bunk bed. This creates an overall basic and balanced appearance for the bunk bed. In another variation of the standard bunk bed, a full mattress is included on the lower level, and twin mattress is placed on the top level of the bunk bed. This is a full on bottom bunk bed with a cascading appearance, with the lower bunk bed being slightly longer than the upper bunk.

Measure Your Bed

Check to make sure that you are purchasing the right kind of bed sheets for your bunkbeds. This should be fairly easy, as the majority of bunkbeds are twin over twin models. However, if you have twin over full model, you will have to buy two kinds of bed sheets: one for the twin bed and one for the full.

Check The Thread Count

If you are purchasing a bunk bed for your college dorm room have a taste for the finer things, make certain to check on the tread count. Thread count simply refers to the number of threads in a single square inch of fabric. It can be as high as 700 or as low as 80, though most stores sell sheets that are in the 150 to 350 range. A higher thread count usually (but not always) indicates that the material is very soft to the touch. While a fabric with a thread count of fewer than 200 can have all the durability and comfort that you are looking for, some people prefer the feel of a sheet that has a thread count of 300 or more.

Choose Your Material

You should also settle on exactly what you want your bed sheets to be made of. Cotton is the most common material because it is simultaneously comfortable, durable and easy to clean. This makes it the widely used bunkbed bed sheets for small children. For a little extra, you can purchase wrinkle resistant cotton, which can help your bed sheets looking good for longer periods of time.

If you are a college student who is hoping to have something a bit finer on your bed, you might consider silk bed sheets. These materials and very soft and fine to the touch, but they can be very delicate and expensive to clean.

If you happen to live a particularly cold part of the country, you may consider putting flannel bed sheets on your bunkbeds. Their material is especially designed to provide comfort and warmth.

Buy Extra Bed Sheets

Having a spare set of bed sheets for your bunkbeds can come in handy for a number of reasons. If your bed sheets get stained, and you won’t have the opportunity to wash them for a couple days, you can simply switch them out. They are also particularly useful if you have small children who are still being potty trained.

Extra bed sheets are also convenient to have in case any of your bed sheets wear out. Instead of having to sleep on your bunk bed with ripped sheets, you can just promptly replace them.

Check Washing Directions

If you really want the bed sheets for your bunkbeds to last, you have to make sure that you follow the washing directions precisely. For common white cotton bed sheets, you should only wash them with other white clothes. Since white sheets don’t have any dyes that can bleed, it is usually safe to get them extra clean with bleach detergents. With heavier fabrics, such as flannel, it’s a good idea to go easy on the detergent. The thickness of the sheets means that it will be hard to get all of the soap out during the rinse cycle. With more delicate fabrics such as silk, you generally have to take them to a dry cleaners in order to get them sufficiently clean.

1. Saves Space

If you don’t have a lot of space in your children’s room, kids bunk beds are a must have. They are based on the same space saving principles as skyscrapers: when you don’t have enough space on the ground, you can create more space by building up. By stacking two beds one on top of another, you make more efficient use out of valuable square footage. This leaves much more room for walking, toys, games, or whatever else you want to keep in your children’s room.

2. Saves Money

Parents of multiple children usually have one eye on their yearly budget when making any sort of purchase. This is why choosing a bunk bed over buying a couple beds separately should appeal to every money-minded family. Purchasing a single kids bunk bed is much more cost efficient than purchasing two single beds. And they typically require about the same amount of assembly time as a more conventional bed. With the money you save, you can purchase high quality sheets to go on the mattress on those beds.

3. Kids Love Them

Kids have always seemed to enjoy kids bunk beds a lot more than traditional single beds. There is always something much cooler about sleeping at the altitude of the top bunk rather than closer to the ground in a regular bed. In fact, many parents who only have one child choose to purchase a kids bunk bed because they know that their son or daughter will especially prefer sleeping in the top bunk. Purchasing a bunk bed for one child also makes sleepovers much easier. Rather than having to roll out a sleeping bag to sleep on, you child’s guest can simply sleep on the on the bed on the bunk bed.

4- Come in a Variety of Styles

Modern bunk beds are much more than the simple designs that might have come straight out of “The Great Escape.” Today, manufacturers make kids bunk beds that can suit any décor of any room easily and effortlessly. Whether you are looking for a kid’s bunk that has a modern design of metal supports, something more classical that is constructed of fine stained woods, you can easily find a bunkbed that suits your needs. You can even find bunk beds that come in a variety of colors to match your children’s wallpaper or paint scheme.

5. Completely Safe

Modern kids bunk beds have a whole host of safety features that should make any parent feel at ease. Obviously, they all have guard rails that help prevent kids form accidentally rolling off of the top bunk. But they also engineer those guard rails to that limbs can’t get stuck in them. All of the railings and bolts are usually designed for ultimate durability. And the slats that keep the top bunk in place are typically very rigid and designed to weather years of use and abuse. Sometimes even the ladders are very carefully designed to be slip resistant and extra rugged, so getting on and off the bed is both extremely safe and very easy.

Here is a rundown of the most common bunkbed designs that you might find at any given bunkbed store.

Standard

This kind is also referred to the “twin over twin” bunkbed. This is the simple, standard style of bunkbed that has one twin bed over another. It is very popular with families because it is very equal. There is no “larger bed,” so no one has to fight over getting the better position (though there still might be some risk of fighting over who gets the “top bunk.”) Since this is the simplest design, they are usually the most affordable, which should make them appealing to any family who needs to pinch pennies. Their simple design also makes them extremely easy to assemble, so you don’t necessarily have to be the handiest person on your block in order to put them together.

Loft

The loft bed functions a bit different from a traditional bunkbed. Rather than simply having two beds, one on top of another, a loft bed consists of simple a top bunk, which leaves you with several choices of what to do underneath. If it is popular is college dorm rooms, which students can use the area under the loft bed to place their computer or workspace, thus maximizing the floor space of their room. You can also place another bed underneath the loft bed to make it more like a traditional bunkbed. If your child’s room is a bit short on space, a loft bed is a fantastic choice.

L-Shaped Bunkbed

L Shaped bunkbeds also function a little bit different from your standard bunkbed. Rather than both beds facing the same direction, the two beds of an L shaped bunkbed run perpendicular to each, creating an “L” shape. Sometimes, the bottom bed can be detached, and wheeled away, turning it into a loft bed. This can also create a very convenient spare bed if your child ever has anyone over for the night.

Futon Bunkbed

These have a traditional twin bunkbed for the top bunk, plus a futon, which is simply a couch that folds into a bed, on the bottom bunk. It is great because you get two pieces of furniture for the price of one. You also have a spare bottom bunk whenever you need it.

Full on Bottom Bunk Bed

Just like this sounds, this kind has a smaller twin bed over a larger full bed. This is generally useful if you have two kids that have a significant difference in their age sharing the same room. Be careful, though. If you have children that are too close in age, purchasing a twin over full bunkbed might cause some jalopy over who gets the larger bed. It can also be used for case of sleepovers. This way, you child can sleep in the full bed every night, and if they ever have anyone over, they can sleep in the “spare bed” on the top bunk.

Many of us grew up sleeping on bunk beds. They brought us closer to our siblings, or visiting relatives and friends. A battle usually took place to determine who would get to sleep on the top bunk. But all of that was a long time ago. Are bunk beds still beneficial for kids? Let us take a closer look:

1. Bunk beds are a ball.

Standard beds can provide a child with a good night’s sleep. But they are not as fun as sleeping on a bunk bed! It allows two sleepers to remain closer together, but retain their own private space. Many of us have fond memories chatting with our relative or friend above or below the bunk we were on. Also, climbing up and down the ladder, and sleeping on the top bunk provide an excitement that other types of beds cannot offer.

Bunk beds can also allow a child’s imagination to go wild. Pirate and castle-themed bunk beds make it easier for a child to envision he is a pirate at sea, or a princess in a castle’s tower. But even standard bunk beds can also allow your little ones to dream before dreaming.

2. Bunk beds are space-savers.

Bunk beds’ use of vertical space makes them more efficient than other beds. Placing two beds side-by-side can waste a lot of room in a bedroom. This frees up space in the room for other furniture. Bunk beds are particularly helpful when the available space in your child’s bedroom is limited, such as in lofts.

3. Bunk beds are eye-catching.

Various types of bunk beds provide an attractive alternative to other humdrum types of beds. Most bunk beds are constructed from different wood varieties. This can make it easier to match up the bed with the bedroom’s décor. In particular, if you are using a certain theme in your child’s bedroom, a bunk bed can create a perfect fit for the theme. You can either keep the natural wood or paint it, to match it up with the room’s paint, wallpaper, other furniture, etc.

You can also choose bunk beds with metal frames. These beds are lighter than wooden bunk beds, which makes them easier to move. This makes them ideal if you rearrange your child’s bedroom furniture more often.

Besides the materials used for bunk beds, they can also vary in their form and functions. Some bunk beds resemble houses, castles, boats, etc., making them ideal for certain bedroom themes. Also, some multi-purpose bunk beds are more than just beds. There are bunk beds with shelves and drawers. There are bunk beds where the bottom bed rolls out. And there are even bunk beds that include a slide attached to the top bunk!

Putting the “bed” in a “bedroom” is one of the most important steps when designing or improving your little one’s living space. Though several options are available, you should certainly consider a bunk bed. They are attractive, space-efficient, and most importantly—fun! Who knows? Your child may even look forward to bedtime!

Child development experts have long believed that children should have exposure to household pet companions. Having a pet has many advantages:

- Pets teach children about the existence of other living creatures first-hand rather than on television.

- Pets help children understand nature’s ways and the authentic natural world rather than animated cartoons where all the animals, predators and prey, get along famously. Nice, but it teaches a false perception of the ways of the animal kingdom. Perhaps your toddler is not ready to watch the National Geographic channel where predators mercilessly run down their prey and eat them alive. But the misconceptions of movies such as “The Lion King” don’t prepare your child for the real cycle of life.

- Owning and caring for a pet teaches your child responsibility and accountability. Fish die when they aren’t fed. Hamsters squeal in pain if they’re squeezed. Puppies have housebreaking accidents that need to be cleaned up. Animals aren’t like stuffed Teddy bears; they need food, water, veterinary care, and a clean environment.

- Pets die. Children often have their first brush with death and grief when a beloved pet dies or must be euthanized. Understanding a pet’s death is a dress rehearsal for the death of Grandmother or Uncle Bob. Coping with death is an important part of a child’s socialization.

- Having a pet teaches toddlers the essential skill of empathy with other people and with animals. At this age, children should be developing a sense of compassion and emotional intimacy with others. This is how they learn to make friends and to avoid doing things that hurt others. Caring for a pet is the perfect opportunity for toddlers to learn kindness and tolerance.

- Pets are a lot of fun! Toddlers are endlessly fascinated watching hamsters run on their wheel, the crazy antics of ferrets, the playfulness of puppies and kittens, the graceful movements of goldfish, and the chattering of birds. Having a pet is not only great fun, but pets also provide valuable knowledge about the way real-life animals function in the world. With puppies, they find the only unconditional source of love in their lives.

If you think your toddler is ready to care for a pet, first consider what kind of pet is appropriate for your child’s age, degree of understanding how to care for the pet, and the child’s comprehension that these are living creatures that need daily care. For example, it would not be appropriate for a toddler to care for a large hookbill parrot such as a Macaw or African Grey. These talkative birds live a human lifespan, require special care, and have unpredictable natures; they can snap off a curious child’s finger in seconds! These birds are pets for adults, not children. If you feel your child is ready for a puppy, remember that the puppy will grow into a full-sized dog. Dogs known for aggressive temperaments such as American Pit Bull Terriers, Rotweilers, Chows, and Akitas aren’t good choices for a toddler. Good-natured dogs like Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Dachshunds, Poodles, and spaniels are a much better choice.

Not ready for puppies and kittens? Fish, guinea pigs and hamsters make outstanding first pets. Children learn to feed them, clean their environments, interact with them carefully and gently, and they provide hours of fun. Parakeets are also good choices; their bright colors and cheerful chattering are interesting and entertaining for a small child.

Pets can do wonders to enrich your child’s life. Working with animals can be a very rewarding experience and teach your kids many valuable lessons. If you feel your child is ready and responsible enough for a pet, choose wisely and teach your child how to care for another living creature.

Today, there are small engineering units that boys can make out of small pieces. There are some children toys, targeted at boys, which contain small pieces that they can join together to make anything from a horse buggy to a rocket. And the amazing thing is, they can actually function these things. A very elaborate set has several dozens of pieces that can be joined together and made into a whole factory unit! Boys really like to keep themselves busy with such toys.

The aerodynamic and motorized toys are also very popular with young boys. Children toys designed like airplanes hold every boy’s attention. These contain several pieces that must be joined together to make the airplane. And the marvel is that, the airplane can actually be set into flight. There are battery and remote operated versions of such children toys too, but the popular ones are those which boys can assemble themselves and fly them! The same concept works in making several children toys in the form of vehicles that can be made to move. Some of these are quite realistic too ? check the train units to understand what I mean.

For the boys who are more artistically minded, activity toys are always the best choices. Of course, the toys described above are activity toys too, but here I am talking about the activity toys that have a bit of educational and informative appeal to them. Boys like to play with Uno cards and jigsaw puzzles. Speaking of jigsaw puzzles, try to get the more complicated ones for the boys. Young boys will like to spend hours trying to fit the pieces in the right places.

Lastly, we must not forget what is perhaps the most common of all the children toys targeted at boys. I am speaking of the figurines and the miniature cars here. All boys love to have figurines of action heroes and they will always want to build a collection of them. There is no education value to these toys, but it is more about collecting. Some of the figurines in the market today are quite elaborate with their movements and the kinds of accessories they are provided with. Some of them also have automobiles and castles and other memorabilia to fit their themes. Boys drool over them, without exception.

And what’s a growing up boy without a few dozen of miniature cars? Autos, racing cars, trucks, ambulances, buses, engines, bikes? boys want them all. Most boys will cherish these collections even when they grow older. It is very correct to say that you never go wrong with a miniature car toy for a boy.