bed is very sturdy, easy to put together.  it took me 30 minutes.  we got a 10 inch memory foam mattress and the slats are 9 inches apart and most memory foam mattresses recommend 5-6 inches between slats so i went to home depot and had them cut a 38' x 72' piece of Hardboard Tempered Panel ($8) to put on top of the slats.  love that this is solid wood and not particle board.  i expect this to last a while for my 9 year old.