Confessions of a Bottom Bunk Parent (and How I Finally Solved the Mess)

Let’s be honest: the bottom bunk has a reputation.

It’s the “catch-all.” The Bermuda Triangle of socks. The place where half-empty water bottles, stuffed animals, and mysterious crumbs go to live out their days. If you’ve ever crouched down to say goodnight to a kid in the bottom bunk, you know exactly what I mean—sometimes it looks less like a cozy sleeping space and more like an archaeological dig site.

Meanwhile, the top bunk is glamorous. Elevated. Untouchable. Kids fight over it like it’s a suite at the Ritz. The bottom bunk? It’s basically the basement apartment with bad lighting and hand-me-down furniture.

I know this because I’ve lived it. My own kids treated the bottom bunk like a second closet-slash-playroom-slash-snack shelf. And every time I bent down to change the sheets (a.k.a. Olympic-level gymnastics), I thought: There has to be a better way.

The “Aha!” Moment

One night, while staring up at the underside of the top bunk (which, let’s be real, looks about as inspiring as a warehouse ceiling), I thought: What if this space could actually be beautiful? What if the bottom bunk wasn’t the forgotten bunk, but the BEST bunk?

And that’s how The Better Bunk was born.

What Is It?

It’s a fabric underlay that attaches beneath the top bunk, transforming the bottom bunk into a cozy, private little nook. Suddenly, instead of staring at wooden slats, kids look up and see a cheerful, inviting design. It’s like giving the bottom bunk its own personality—warm, fun, and totally worth fighting for.

The Transformation

Here’s what happened when we put The Better Bunk to the test in our own home:

• My kids volunteered for the bottom bunk (I nearly fainted).

• The random clutter somehow decreased—because when a space feels special, kids treat it better.

• Bedtime battles about “who gets which bunk” basically disappeared.

It went from being “the messy bunk” to “the cool bunk.” And I went from dreading sheet-changing day to… well, still dreading it, but at least the view is better.

Why I’m Sharing This

Because if you’ve ever sighed at the chaos under the top bunk, or if your campers/students/kids fight over who gets the “good” bed, The Better Bunk can help. You can check it out at www.thebetterbunk.com.

Who knew solving the messy bottom bunk problem would be as simple as making it fun? Turns out, even socks behave better when they’ve got a nice view.