Here are some considerations that went into picking the big girl beds for the twins:
The Beds:
I chose to go with a twin bunks that could be detached into 2 twin beds. This option gives us the most flexibility in terms of room size and arrangement. Detachable bunks is a pretty common concept and I saw several options of those types of bunks available in our local furniture store as well as the websites of Walmart, Wayfair and Costco at anywhere from $400 to $1200. I ended up buying the girls' bunk from the Costco website as it was a style and color that I liked. Note: We put the beds together not as 2 identical twin beds but as the top and bottom parts of a bunk for 2 reasons. One, if we do decide to change to a bunk configuration, there's no need to swap the headboards and footboards. Just mount and tighten. Second reason is this way we can use the bedrails that came in the package for our more gymnastics-prone sleeper.
Twin Mom Tip: Measure the bedroom and play around with several bed configurations before buying beds online. A room that looks sizeable with two cribs shrinks considerably with 2 twin beds.
The Beddings:
After driving myself crazy looking for the perfect quilt and sheet combo to go with the dreary green walls and carpets in the girls' room, I stumbled across the perfect idea of using white (bleachable) bedding for kids. Super! Easy to keep clean and easy to coordinate with any color. Finding 100% cotton bedding for twin mattresses that won't break the bank wasn't so easy however. I eventually bought 2 sets of bedsheets each from Winners and Target Canada. The girls still sleep on satin pillowcases to prevent hair breakage
The quilts have reversible sides and were also from Winners. I prefer quilts to duvets because I can throw the whole thing in the washing machine
Twin Mom Tip: The best deals and biggest selection of twin-sized beddings are available in stores around August/September when kids are getting ready to start college and furnish dorm rooms.
The Mattress:
Before kids, buying a mattress for me involved going to the store and picking the "one I liked" that cost the least. Now however, before buying mattresses for my kids, I turned to Mr Google; the in-house expert. I was immediately bombarded with TMI (too much information) and scared out of my mind. I eventually settled for buying an organic latex mattress from a local mattress store. This and this are just two of the articles that prompted my decision.
Twin Mom Tip: Unless you have other plans, the kids (and the occasional overnight guest) are going to spend almost everyday of the next 14 years on this mattress. Buy the best-rated mattress you can afford!
Twin Mom Tip: Also, if you buy bunk beds, look for mattresses that do not require boxsprings and are between 6-8 inches deep (or as specified by the bunk manufacturer)
 |
| She's supposed to be the less athletic sleeper! |
Move girls to big girl beds. CHECK!
Next up? Slowly decorating their room and turning it into a bonafide big girl room.
