It’s been a long three — or four — or, gulp, five — years. There have been tears. There have been tantrums. There’s been an embarrassing amount of screaming at 3 a.m.

Not to mention your kids weren’t happy, either. 

But finally — finally! — you’ve gotten little Mason and Emma to sleep through the night (mostly), in their own room (generally) and without first asking for 15 glasses of water (really, 11 should be enough).

Now they just need a big-kid bed.

One that isn’t yours.

In Shopping Siren’s day, red race car and frilly canopy beds were The Thing to Have. You know, the kiddie equivalent of Prada handbags — status symbols that made your friends completely freak out with jealousy. In a good way. 

(My canopy bed was baby blue, pale pink and white, just FYI. It upped my kindergarten cred substantially until a classmate showed up with the first Strawberry Shortcake doll any of us had ever seen. I wanted to be annoyed, but, well, Strawberry Shortcake.)

Sadly, race car beds and canopies seem to have gone the way of ’80s hair and big shoulder pads, but not to worry! Bunk beds, lofts, platform beds, daybeds, metal beds, wood beds — something out there will magically lull your little one to sleep.

And if not, a king would just about fit in your bedroom.

* New Energy platform twin bed, Bedderrest, $298

With a slatted, slightly curved headboard and natural wood color, this bed is both cute and contemporary. Dress it young with a “Frozen” comforter or sophisticated with something in a stripe, polka dot or chevron print. Fair warning, the chevron print has never inspired anyone to break into a chorus of “Let It Go.”

* Leggett & Platt red twin headboard, Bedderrest, $128

OK, the tag says it’s “Merlot,” but it looked pretty red-red to me. Pair with a plain old twin bed frame and this will be a great bedroom piece for a young Red Sox fan, a lady bug theme or a splash of color in an otherwise all-neutral room. You know, before little Isabella gives it her own splash of color with those rainbow Sharpies you thought you put out of reach but clearly did not.

* Daybed twin, Bedderrest, $338 

White, wood, cottage style. Could easily take your offspring from “Kiddo” to “Slugger” to “No-You-Can’t-Borrow-The-Car.” Your terms of endearment may vary.

* Loft twin with seating area, Furniture Superstore, $1,098

Wood loft with a twin bunk-style bed on top and a booth-style seating area underneath. You’ll plan for the seating area to be used for homework and young Noah will dream about using it to host youth summits on Minecraft strategy. In reality it will become the holding area for your kid’s dirty laundry. Just so you know.     

* Triple twin bunk beds, Furniture Superstore, $598

Three beds on top of each other without looking like you got sick of trying to configure the room and just went and stacked three kids on top of each other. It takes finesse, that. Also a kid willing to sleep very close to the ceiling.

* Full metal headboard, FX Marcotte Furniture, $199

Old-fashioned metal headboard with a swirly design that gives it a fun, modern feel. In full size only, which means your little one will have to grow into her bed, but in the meantime you’ll have plenty of room to stretch out after you fall asleep there reading “Goodnight Moon.” Again. 

* Bunk bed with futon, Big Lots, $249

Black metal bed with room for a twin mattress on top and a place for a futon on the bottom. Bed also came with an attached shelf at the bottom and an attached tray at the top, a sort of in-lieu-of-nightstand. Neither is big enough to hold a bedside lamp, but they’ll accommodate an iPad easily enough. Which, if given the choice, most kids would prefer over a lamp anyway. 

Best find: Log bed, Bedderrest, $398

Thick, varnished logs fashioned into a twin bed by friendly wood sprites or, possibly, singing lumberjacks. Either way, it’s made in Maine, so you can stick to your buy-local philosophy while creating the coolest camping, fairy or forest-theme bedroom ever. Your son or daughter will beg to go to bed if this is the bed they’re going to, guaranteed.*

* Guarantee is not valid between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.  

Think twice: Ameriwood youth storage bed, Big Lots, $119.99

I would like to think that someone just accidentally put a white headboard on a dark brown base when it was built for the floor display, but there’s a part of me that thinks, nope, that’s why this otherwise perfectly nice piece with under-bed storage drawers is less than $120. If you’re into that eclectic look, this bed is for you. If you’re looking for a bed that, you know, matches, try something else. Soon. The kids aren’t getting any smaller.

Shopping Siren’s true identity is protected by a pair of stylish, sweater-wearing Doberman pinschers (who sleep paws in the air like they just don’t care) and the Customer Service counter at the Sun Journal. You can reach her at shoppingsiren@sunjournal.com.

Copy the Story Link