Last time we talked about how twin-sized kids' beds, trundle beds and bunk beds are fun options for helping your children express their personality and age. In part two of our article, we'll go ahead and touch base on the alternative to the traditional twin-sized youth bed - futon bunks, workstation beds and updating your child's bed into one fit for a teen with the addition of head and footboards.

Give your child the option of maximizing his space by purchasing a futon styled bunk bed. Usually, the bottom part of the bunk easily converts from a sofa into a full-sized bed with a standard twin-sized futon on the top bunk. A unique piece of bedroom furniture, futon bunks are even great for teenagers and college students. The only downside to them is that you have to remember to flip the futon every month or so, otherwise it'll lose its firmness.

Another great alternative to children's bedroom furniture is to find a bed that includes a workspace built on the side of the bed itself. Usually found in bunk beds, workstation beds are a great long-term investment for your child. Instead of purchasing your child's bed and desks separately, everything can be purchased at once with this type of bed. Quite grandiose in size, I wouldn't recommend it for small-scale bedrooms, but if you happen to have the space I say it's a wonderful alternative. If by chance your child has enough space to spare, I suggest looking into workstation beds that also include a small closet and drawers on the side for clothing and shoes.

Once your child becomes a teen, consider making some minor changes to their kid-friendly bed without having to spend a ton of money. By adding a head and footboard to your child's bed, the transition from a kid bed to a teen bed is immediate. Head and footboards do come sold separately for most beds; all that's really required is some light assembly on your part. What you should keep in mind is that boy beds look better with just the headboard, while girl beds can use both the head and footboard, or the headboard alone.

As your child grows older, know that beds are meant to be a long-term investment because once they come home from college, they'll look forward to sleeping in the same bed they've slept in for a good 15 years.