Lofted Luxury: The 7 Best Bunk Bed Mattresses

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Whether you have two kids, want to create the ultimate sleepover environment or are trying to save on space in your kid’s room, a bunk or loft bed (or a trundle bed) can be an easy way to take things to the next level (literally). The standard bunk bed is a twin over full, though there are different types of bunk beds out there. Whichever option you choose, you’ll need the right mattress to go along with it, which is why we’ve rounded up the best bunk bed mattresses. Our top picks include beds with plenty of cushioning support, low-profile beds that are suited for the top bunk, beds designed for growing kids and mattresses for hot sleepers. Whatever type of sleeper you’re shopping for, we have them covered. Read on to learn more about what makes a mattress well-suited for bunk beds, and which mattresses we think are the best options. 

• Best Overall Bunk Bed Mattress – Helix Kids
• Best Memory Foam Bunk Bed Mattress – Nectar Original
• Best Luxury Bunk Bed Mattress – Saatva Youth
• Best Eco-Friendly Bunk Bed Mattress – Avocado Eco Kids
• Best Hybrid Bunk Bed Mattress – Brooklyn Bedding Bowery
• Best Bunk Bed Mattress for Side Sleepers – Tuft & Needle Original 
• Best Cooling Bunk Bed Mattress – Cocoon Chill

The Helix Kid’s mattress is made to cater to growing bodies and smaller builds, making it perfectly suited to a bunk bed in a child’s bedroom. This flippable mattress has two firmnesses: A softer side and a medium-firm side, with the firmer option being best for younger sleepers (between the ages of three and eight) and the softer side intended for kids ages eight to 12. A superb pressure relief score of nine (out of a possible 10) ensures your child will receive plenty of cushioning comfort while they rest. Lots of bouncy responsiveness (nine out of 10) comes from the layer of coils at the center, which makes it easier for children to move around and shift positions during sleep. 

The Helix Kid’s Construction

• Cover: Made with Tencel fabric, this cover is both antimicrobial and water-repellant for a safe and easily cleanable sleep surface. 
• Fire-Resistant Layer: A layer of fire retardant protects sleepers safe from any potential flammability.
• Firmer Layer: High-grade polyfoam makes up the firmer support layer, keeping spines aligned during sleep. This layer is designed for kids ages three to seven. 
• Coils: Hundreds of coils at the center of the mattress help provide proper support and ensure the edges are sturdy. 
• Softer Layer: Cooling gel memory foam keeps this side softer and more pressure-relieving for kids ages eight to 12. 
• Fire-Resistant Layer: Another layer of fire retardant provides additional protection against any fires.

Memory foam mattresses are a stellar pick for those who love to sink into their beds at night and luxuriate in the sensation of being hugged by the mattress. The Nectar Original Mattress is our favorite memory foam mattress for a host of reasons: Customers get a lifetime warranty and full-year sleep trial, it’s good for all sleep positions and it received top marks in multiple categories during lab testing. Testers found the Nectar Original to excel in pressure relief, responsiveness and edge support, ensuring maximum comfort for sleepers whether they’re on a top or bottom bunk. The medium-firm build of this mattress ensures comfort for most sleep positions, whether sleepers prefer to rest on their sides, backs or stomachs. One downside to memory foam mattresses is their tendency to trap heat, meaning some hot sleepers may prefer a bed with better cooling capabilities. 

The Nectar Original’s Construction

• Quilted Cover: Plush, cushioning and soft, this cover helps sleepers experience immediate comfort when getting into bed. 
• Gel-Infused Memory Foam: This foam layer contours to the body’s pressure points and helps to keep the bed a bit cooler. 
• Responsive Layer: Four inches of foam divided into two, two-inch segments (for improved breathability) adds bounce to the bed, allowing sleepers to feel cradled without feeling stuck by limiting motion transfer. 
• Base Layer: A thick mattress foundation of dense foam serves at the base, adding stability to the mattress.

If your first thought when you think of bunk beds are the unyielding slabs from summer camp, think again. The Saatva Youth mattress is a luxurious high-quality mattress that will give your kids restful sleep during their formative years, ensuring they’re well-rested for any activity, whether that’s playing, learning or growing. The dual-firmness provides a softer side and a firmer side, so the mattress can change with your child’s growing body. Saatva’s five-zoned support system delivers optimal spinal alignment for a healthy back and neck. The spinal zone active wire in this support system also ensures excellent responsiveness from the bed, so kids can toss and turn easily to find a comfy sleeping position. All Saatva mattresses include a lifetime warranty, a full-year sleep trial and white glove delivery, meaning they’ll set your new mattress up and dispose of the old one at no extra cost. A soft, hypoallergenic cover made of cotton boasts a water-resistant finish, outlasting any accidents or spills and keeping the bed sanitary. 

The Saatva Youth’s Construction

• Organic Cotton Cover: Breathable, hypoallergenic and with a water-resistant finish, this cover was designed to keep kids healthy and comfortable. 
• Support Layer: Zoned support means the foam is firmer near the center of the bed and softer by the head and feet, ensuring proper alignment and support. 
• Dual-Sided Coil System: Strong coils provide plenty of stability, support and responsiveness to the mattress. 
• High-Density Foam: This luxury foam is the same used in Saatva’s other mattresses, delivering cushioning comfort. 

Parents naturally want what’s best for their kids, and that includes having a mattress crafted with organic materials that are good for the planet and for growing bodies. The Greenguard certified Avocado Eco Kids Mattress is one of the best eco-friendly kids mattresses on the market, and comes in at a surprisingly affordable price considering its superior build and top-notch materials. The mattress is designed to support kids of various ages and sizes, with the maximum recommended weight being 115 pounds. Hypoallergenic latex and breathable steel coils ensure your kids stay cool as cucumbers all night long and don’t overheat while they rest. This bed is hypoallergenic and resists dust mites and other bacteria thanks to latex’s naturally allergen-resistant properties combined with an organic cotton cover and wool fire retardant layer.

The Avocado Eco Kid’s Construction

• Cover: Avocado uses 100% GOTS certified organic cotton for their mattress ticking and cover, for a soft and comfortable surface. 
• Fire Retardant Layer: Natural, organic wool serves as a temperature regulator and a natural alternative to chemical fire retardants. 
• Latex: A layer of organic Dunlop latex offers pressure relief and responsiveness. This natural latex is GOLS certified and naturally antimicrobial. 
• Steel Coils: Made in their LA facility, Avocado uses recycled steel to make their own lightweight and supportive innersprings. 

Hybrid mattresses blend elements from other mattress types together, often allowing for a mattress that is both supportive and soft. The Brooklyn Bowery uses both pocketed coils and plush foams in its construction, providing sleepers with the firm lift and support that innersprings are known for plus the soft cushioning that memory foam offers. As far as hybrid mattresses go, the Bowery is much more affordable than many other hybrid mattresses on the market, offering a price tag that’s far lower than many other options. A breathable construction keeps kids and teens cool while they sleep, and the bounce from the innersprings makes moving around easy for those sleepers who toss and turn. While this mattress isn’t a great pick for heavy sleepers, it should offer superb pressure relief for younger sleepers regardless of their preferred sleep position. 

The Brooklyn Bowery’s Construction

• Quilted Top Layer: A cooling cover and gel memory foam make up this plush top layer. 
• Comfort Foam: A polyfoam layer offers additional pressure relief and serves as a transition layer before the coil system. 
• Pocketed Coils: Individually wrapped springs help to isolate motion and provide necessary support for sleepers. 
• Base Foam: Another layer of polyfoam acts as the base layer, reinforcing the coils and adding stability to the bed. 

The bunk beds of old may have had little to offer in the way of contouring pressure relief, but that’s not the case with the Tuft & Needle Original mattress. Ample pressure relief is a must-have for people who sleep on their sides, and this bed does not disappoint in this category: This all-foam mattress gently cradles the body and gives the hips and shoulders plenty of cushioning to keep them from becoming sore or painful during sleep. A medium-firm feel (six out of 10 on the firmness scale) ensures sleepers of all positions can find comfort on the Tuft & Needle, and offers plenty of support in the spine to keep the back aligned. This mattress is suitable for both kids and adults, with enough soft contouring for adults or teens who prefer to sleep on their sides, but ample support for lighter weight or growing bodies. A layer of adaptive foam adds a good amount of responsiveness to the bed, giving combination sleepers plenty of bounce to alternate positions at night. The Tuft & Needle is a great all-around bed that comes in at a reasonable price point. 

The Tuft & Needle Original’s Construction

• Cover: Lightweight, breathable fabric makes up the outer layer. 
• Adaptive Foam: A top layer of responsive foam adapts to your body’s movements as you sleep. 
• Base Layer: Sturdy foam on the bottom adds to the pressure relief and durability of the bed. 

If your child or teen is regularly overheating in the night, getting them a mattress that aids in cooling can dramatically improve the quality of their rest. The Cocoon Chill by Sealy is a memory foam mattress with a breathable cover to aid in dissipating body heat, making it a great pick for anyone who loves the emollient properties of memory foam mattresses but could do without the heat trapping they tend to cause. The Cocoon Chill is good for more than just keeping cool, too; this mattress received top marks in responsiveness, spine alignment, and motion isolation, so you can rely on the Cocoon Chill for a healthy and comfortable night’s sleep. 

The Cocoon Chill’s Construction

• Cover: A breathable stretch-knit fabric that’s infused with phase-change material to effectively absorb heat works to keep sleepers cool. 
• Top Layer: Memory foam contours to the body and relieves tension in pressure points. 
• Middle Layer: Adaptive polyfoam gives the mattress its high score in responsiveness, reacting to movement. 
• Base Layer: Durable and supportive foam serves as the foundation for improved structure and stability. 

How Mattress Advisor Found the Best Mattresses for Bunk Beds

The team at Mattress Advisor has spent countless hours testing and reviewing mattresses in order to provide people with all the information they need when looking for a new mattress. When looking for the best mattresses for bunk beds, the team took into consideration the type of sleeper (traditionally kids and teens), the loft of the mattress, whether or not the mattress would be well-suited for a bunk bed frame and the various pros and cons of each bed.

The Mattress Advisor Testing Process

The Mattress Advisor testing facility is a sleep lab with devices that are used to measure all sorts of criteria that’s useful to know when looking for a new mattress. These include the bed’s firmness, how well it can relieve pressure, whether or not it can isolate motion and a host of other factors that we’ve outlined below. The team then scores how well the mattress performed on a scale of 1-10 and gives the bed a score to help shoppers understand what a mattress does well and what type of sleeper it would be best for. 

Key Performance Factors that the Sleep Lab Tests

Things to Consider When Buying a Bunk Bed Mattress

There are a few things to keep in mind when looking into a bunk bed mattress. We’ve covered some of the most important factors below.

Size of Mattress: Typically, bunk beds are designed for twin, twin XL or full size mattresses. Before buying a mattress, we recommend checking your bunk bed frame to ensure you buy the correct size so you don’t accidentally buy a twin mattress when you need a twin XL. 

Weight Capacity: If you plan on getting a mattress designed specifically for children, be aware of the weight capacity. Many mattresses for kids are great for growing bodies, but not suitable for teens or adults, and likely won’t offer enough support for larger, heavier bodies.

Noise: If you’ve ever slept on a bunk bed, you know it can be difficult to ignore the other person on the top or bottom bunk. Mattresses with innersprings are more likely to make noise when a sleeper moves on them, which could be distracting for others in the room. Beds with all-foam or hybrid constructions will be quieter. 

Profile/Loft: Bunk beds usually require beds with a lower loft (also referred to as the profile or thickness) in order to fit properly. When writing this roundup, we included beds with lower lofts, but it’s worth checking the depth of the bed frame to note if you need a bed with a certain height. 

Price: If you’re trying to equip your guest room or kid’s room with a budget-friendly bed option, opting for an affordable mattress can save you thousands. Some mattresses cost less than $1,000 for a queen, while others can cost upwards of $2,500. Thankfully, twin-size mattresses are the cheapest, so you won’t have to shell out too much cash for outfitting a bunk bed. Plus, you can save money by skipping a box spring, as the bunk bed frame is all you’ll need. 

Firmness Level: Different people will prefer different firmnesses in their mattresses. Children tend to need something that’s supportive enough to promote proper spinal alignment, but still soft enough to relieve pressure points. A medium-firm mattress is usually a good bet for all types of sleepers and sleep positions.

How to Pick The Best Mattress Type for Bunk Beds

Innerspring: Innerspring mattresses are the traditional build, with the center of the mattress being a system of metal coils that support the body. These beds are very breathable and sleep cool, but tend to make the most noise and aren’t the best when it comes to offering pressure relief. An innerspring coil mattress is best for back or stomach sleepers who like plenty of bounce and airflow. The noise may not be great for bunk beds. 

Memory Foam: These cushioning beds are great for anyone seeking ample pressure relief, particularly side sleepers or those with joint pain. Memory foam mattresses tend to trap heat and are usually not very responsive, which might not be good for hot or combination sleepers. These soft beds are good for bunk beds, especially for sleepers who like to sleep on their sides or backs. Stomach sleepers may want for more support.

Latex: Latex is on the pricier end but offers a host of benefits. These beds are very bouncy and responsive without the noise that innersprings make. Plus, latex is naturally hypoallergenic, resistant to dust mites and very breathable. A latex mattress would be a good fit for a bunk bed if cost isn’t an issue.

Hybrid: Hybrid mattresses come in a variety of firmnesses and are very versatile, making it a great option for bunk beds and all sleep positions. They combine foams and/or latex and coils for a soft and supportive sleep experience. 

Sleep Positions and Why They Matter, Even on Bunk Beds

Sleep position may not come to mind as an important consideration when you’re outfitting a bunk bed, but it’s still important! Sleeping on a mattress that isn’t well-suited to your sleep style can lead to soreness in the shoulders, back and hips, which is why it’s so important to buy a bed that is designed to give you comfortable sleep. We’ve covered the different positions and what type of bed is best for them below. 

Side Sleepers: The hips and shoulders can quickly become pain points for side sleepers if they aren’t properly cushioned during sleep, which is why side sleepers need a mattress with good pressure relief. This usually comes from layers of contouring foam present in memory foam or hybrid mattresses. Beds with a softer feel (usually a six or lower on the firmness scale) are the best option. 

Back Sleepers: It’s important that back sleepers maintain healthy posture while they rest, so beds with good scores in spinal alignment are usually good indicators of being a good fit for a back sleeper. The ideal firmness for these sleepers can vary, depending on their preferences, but most back sleepers tend to prefer medium-firm beds that fall in the five to seven range on the firmness scale. 

Stomach Sleepers: Stomach sleepers need a firm bed with plenty of support to ensure their hips don’t sink and cause tightness in the lower back or neck. Sleepers of this position tend to prefer beds with a supportive coil core, such as an innerspring or hybrid. 

Combination Sleepers: Combination sleepers don’t commit to a single position, but prefer to move around a bit and change positions throughout the night. These sleepers do best on a bed that offers plenty of bounce, such as a latex or innerspring mattress, or a hybrid or memory foam bed with a good score in responsiveness.