When I was growing up there were no fancy kids beds. At the most, one could get a bed with a canopy. These days though, there are a lot of fun kids beds – from house beds, race car beds, pirate beds, castle beds (friends have this one and my inner child is jealous!), and kids beds with slide.
Before you run to the store, there are a few things to take into account when buying beds with slides. It simply might not work for every child or pair of siblings, but it could also be a ton of fun. Or, you can also add a slide to a bunk bed if you own one already.
What to Consider Before Buying a Bunk Bed with a Slide for Kids
Falls Will Happen
First and foremost you need to take into consideration the age and clumsiness of your child. If your kid is moving out of the crib, putting him in a bunk bed might not be the best idea – try a floor bed first.
Even with siblings of different ages, you need to consider that the top bunk might be climbed by younger siblings, no matter what the kids will promise you. We had a bunk bed in one of our rental apartments in France and the rule was not to climb to the top bunk unsupervised and not let the youngest (1-year-old) sibling climb up.
It worked for the most part until a friend came over and they both climbed it, but the 3.5-year-old friend fell down from it hitting the ground very hard. That made me realize that falls are inevitable at some point.
We tried bunk beds again when staying at the Legoland Hotel. The older sibling (4 years old) did great on the top bunk, but during the day the younger sibling (2 years old) climbed up to sit with his brother and while did well for the most part he did fall out of the ladder once.
Type of Ladder Matters
Another thing to consider is ladders vs stairs. Most bunk beds, whether with a slide or without, have very simple ladders. The ladder usually connects directly to the bed. There’s also an angled ladder that sticks out into the room and should be sold with a safety rail.
I’ll always say to swap the typical ladders for stairs. Stairs are presumed to be less space-saving, but many actually have drawers in them so you gain storage. If you don’t want to build them yourself, there’s a great IKEA hack for this – using Trofast which is also great for storage.
A straight ladder bed is usually the most space-saving option, and a staircase can take up the most space, but if you use my hack for storage then you’ll actually gain space and safety.
Especially if your child occasionally goes to the bathroom at night stairs are important. It sucks having to climb a ladder when you’re half asleep wanting to pee as an adult, so now imagine a child having to do so!
Bedroom as a Playroom
A lot of American households have a playroom and use bedrooms for sleeping and studying. With younger kids, especially if parents follow Montessori, bed should be a place to sleep and not play as it can interrupt a bedtime routine.
Adding a slide to a bed will make kid’s bed a place to play, it’s inevitable. It might not be a good thing to combine if your child is struggling to go to bed. But, if a child is mature enough it could work just fine.
Space Under the Bunk Bed
Bunk beds are not just for siblings. We can find beds of this type with only one place upstairs and a desk or reading nook underneath.
Best Slides for Kids Beds
Now, if you considered all these above let’s talk about the slides for kids beds as there are various types of slides.
Wood slide beds have always been considered to be the more traditional choice, but most manufacturers are slowly changing to metal slides. Metal slides will make more noise when used, but there’s less chance of screws falling off them and having to tighten them all the time (speaking from experience here).
The angle of the slide matters. I’ve seen plenty of kids beds with slides so steep (like this one for example) that I don’t even want to think about bum injuries.
Best Kids Bed with Slides
Max & Lily
By far the most popular choice that can be easily turned from single to double bunk bed and the slide is already built in.
While it’s a good starter bed, I think that it can sacrifice a bit more space for stairs and a less steep slide you should go for their “upgraded” version of this bed.
MERITLINE Twin Bed with Slide
My personal favorite as we had this one in our previous house but slightly modified it to make a ladder angled and turned it into a playhouse instead of a bed. It’s affordable for what it offers and beautifully made.
The slide is perfectly angled and the top bed is a fun house. I do recommend making the bottom something “house-like” as well if it’s for two kids to avoid sibling fights about who gets the house.
Zoomie Kids Twin Solid Wood Bed with Slide
Zoomie is a great started slide bed for younger children or those who just want to add a little bit and keep it within a reasonable budget. Things can be stored underneath the bed which makes it perfect space saver.
One tip: I’m not entirely sure why their own marketing photos show the thickest mattress possible. Get a thin mattress to make the rails functional and safe. Speaking from a personal experience here when I had a very similar bed as a kid and my parents didn’t think railing is necessary 😉
Slide Add-On
You don’t have to buy a whole new bed if you already have one. In fact, you can even hack IKEA Kura bed and add a slide.
Avoid plastic slides as they’re not great looking and might feel “scratchy” for the bedroom. We love Donco Kids personally as it’s a quality slide.
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