Canwood Whistler Junior Bed-White Loft, Single

We purchased this bed for our 5yr old daughter who REALLY wanted a bunk bed but due to the ceiling height & ceiling fan location in the room a true bunk was not possible.Bed arrived in one large, long package which was manageable by myself but would've been much easier getting in off the porch and upstairs with someone else helping.Unpacking was simple. Not too many pieces and each piece was stickered with a letter which corresponded to the instructions.Assembly was relatively simple. If you've ever assembled anything from IKEA then this will be a cake walk. Instructions are only 2 pages. Enough detail to get the job done. Had it together in about 1.5hrs with the assistance of a 5yr old and 2.5yr old.Overall it is solid. I like to add glue to dowels & pegs for added strength but it is unnecessary in the construction of this bed. Plus if you glue it, you might never get it out of the room you build it in.My only complaints are:- a few of the dowel holes were filled with paint. Had to clear them out before pounding the dowels in. I'd guess this is not an issue on the natural wood finish, ours is white painted.- one of the holes on the underside was partially covered by another piece of wood. Easily rectified with my pocket knife cutting away the overlapping wood so I could insert the nut.- slats which support the mattress are very rough plywood with sharp edges. I got a few splinters handling them. Smooth slats would be nice.- finish could be better for a $231 bed. Would like to have plugs to cover the bolt heads at least.- a bit stinky. Can definitely smell it even after a few days of being assembled.We ended up using an 8" Serta Memory Foam mattress from Overstock.com. There is still plenty of side exposed to keep her from rolling out of bed. Could probably even get away with a 10" as long as your kid doesn't roll around a lot.In the end, my daughter loves it and that's what matters most. Rules had to be set regarding no jumping on the bed, no hanging on the sides, use the ladder only. Not sure the bed could take jumping or climbing.

I'm a researcher when it comes to buying things, especially things for my kids. My husband and I were torn with what kind of bed frame to buy our 3 yr old daughter. Our bedrooms are small and I loved the low loft beds but my fear was her falling while climbing or sleeping. We almost bought one with stairs, which are way cool and about ten times the price of this bed. Ultimately we decided on this bed because of the reviews, purpose, and price. Afterall, it's for a 3yr old and if it lasts a few years, it will be a success in my book. We just put the bed together so I can't comment on longevity yet. However, I am impressed with the quality of the bed and my husband agrees that it's sturdy. Our shipment was not damaged and I the white is a true white. I know some people commented about the smell but I don't find it overwhelming at all. My husband put it together by himself in 2 hours and his only complaint was what a lot of others have mentioned about things not lining up perfectly. We had all of the parts but two dowels on one side of rail are drilled incorrectly.The mattress we purchased is a 8in foam mattress (which I would totally recommend for this bed as 8in is the max height recommended) and there is (in my opinion) not enough room for me to feel safe that she won't fall off. We ordered a safety rail at the same time we ordered the bed and it is working great to hold her in. I recommend a safety rail if the bed is for a young child, especially if they're a roller like mine who fell off her mattress when it was on the floor. Underneath has plenty of room for a twin mattress like others reported. We have a princess tent under ours with pillows and a night light. I'm only 5'3 and I can easily stand and kiss my girl good night and reach around the bed. One other note is that the stairs are a little slippery for young feet so right now she has a step stool to help her up the first step and I'm going to buy grippy stuff for the steps. My daughter is only 3 but she is roughly the size of a five year old and she is quickly navigating the up and down easily and the even though others have commented that the opening was a little small (it would be for teenager) it's perfect for her. I feel that this bed was a good purchase and we our very happy with it. I would recommend it and am glad we chose this one over the other contenders.