Nowadays, a lot of people have difficulty in find space in their children's rooms for all of their toys. This is the result of our overly materialistic culture, which offers so many things for children to buy that they can quickly build up a huge number of toys. Unfortunately, our storage abilities have not kept pace with toy development, and it can still be difficult to find somewhere to put everything. Despite the fact that families now are smaller, and houses larger, then they have ever been before, we simply can't keep pace. So clearly, the only thing to do is to find a more efficient storage method. It's all very well telling your kids that their room is a mess, but how can they clean it up if they don't have somewhere to put everything? It's our job, as the adults who bought them all the toys in the first place, to find a better way to keep them.

The way to solve this problem is, of course, to find some unusual storage methods. Think outside the box, as it were. Now you may not have considered this, but simply replacing the bed can provide a great deal of relief. If you swap out the standard twin bed for a loft bed, or even a bunk bed, you'll find you immediately have a whole lot more space to play with. It's hardly original, yet bunk beds have become surprisingly uncommon recently and still offer a great way to reduce overcrowding.

If you are at all worried about stacking your children's beds on top of each other, you just need to remember that the newer bunk and loft beds are significantly safer then their predecessors. In most countries, there are standards in place to ensure that bunk beds and loft beds are safe for children. Any beds that are sold in the united states need to pass federal regulations to ensure they are safe, or face serious fees and potentially liability legislation. If all that doesn't convince you, then I can only say that I have six children, and all of them sleep quite happily (and safely) in bunk beds. We've never had a single accident with them.

If I haven't lost your interest, let's get back to the subject of finding storage space. You can find extra storage space beneath your existing bed. Most children's beds have around 20 cubic feet of under utilized space beneath them. That is as much as a small closet or a large chest of drawers. You can make better use of this space by putting boxes under there but accessing them and getting the stuff out regularly is a bit troublesome. If you need a cheap and fast solution, measure the space and go to the local Stuff Mart store and buy as many plastic boxes as will fit in that space (don't forget your tape measure). Try to make them long enough to reach all of the way to the wall so that you can pull them out from the side of the bed without crawling under there. I would recommend that you remove the lids. This space exists under a bunk bed as well. At http://www.bunkbedsunlimited.com/ you will find a variety of plans for utilizing this space including huge storage drawers or a trundle drawer that will allow another child or adult to sleep in the room. (A trundle bed is a great solution for guests or little ones graduating from the crib that you want to stay close to the floor.)

If you are in need of more space then is provided by the standard bed, you may want to put some thought into alternatives, such as a loft bed. A standard loft bed will easily give you enough space to fit a variety of other items, such as a dresser, a table or desk, some other piece of furniture, or just a big chest of drawers. A loft bed is a great helping a crowded room. You'll be amazed at the space you save.

Have a look at the standard children's room. There's a twin bed, or possibly two, a couple of chests, and a whole lot of toys. You may not be able to walk though it without hearing the crunch of Lego underfoot. But with the help of the extra storage space from a bunk or loft bed, you will be able to tidy all this neatly away.

As an added bonus, a bunk bed does double duty as a toy in its own right. Kids love to climb, and the prospect of sleeping high above the ground will turn a usually boring night, into an exciting adventure. This is something to bear in mind, and you can even tell them the upgrade to bunk beds is a reward for good behavior.

If you are considering buying a bunk bed or loft bed, I would recommend that you not buy the very cheapest thing that you can find. The cheap ones often do not hold up long with the rough use kids put them through. If cost is an issue, or you just want to build something nice as a family project, something durable that lasts, consider http://www.bunkbedsunlimited.com/. They have some great designs, easy to follow plans and great prices on hardware kits for the do-it-yourself person. You can also just look for ideas there. They even have a nice triple bunk bed plan that is very easy to build.

In conclusion, when approaching the problem of space in kids' rooms, arm yourself with the knowledge of what is available and then do some patient planning. You might need to just stand there and imagine awhile. Provide children with a place for everything and then you can reasonably expect them to put everything where it goes. Consider bunk beds, loft beds and trundle beds when you are making your plan and don't forget the space under the existing or new beds either. If you provide lots of space for all of their belongings and they still won't fit, you may need to get rid of some stuff. But that's another article.