Opinions on Bunk Beds

How about trying a trundle bed? Ya know the kind that has a "hide-away" underneath the main bed? My neighbors little girl has one and loves it. She pulls it out when her little brother wants to have a "sleep over" lol. I myself have bunk beds in my 6 year olds bedroom. He's had them since he was almost 4 and I've never had a problem. But I also didn't allow him to play in his room until recently. (He has a bonus room full of toys) However, my 4 year old gets up there and then is afraid to get down. It all depends on the child. Good luck!

Maybe you could look at bunk beds that separate, then when the girls get older you could stack the beds up. I don't know, but I think that is what my in-laws did when my husband and his sister were younger and it worked out. It's worth looking at.

I have been shopping for new bunk beds for my boys. I have seen the ones that can be separate twin beds or stacked to be bunk beds. You could start out with the separate twins until your girls get a bit older.

Also I like the name "Still Memories" for your business if it is not already taken. I like it because "still" has two meanings.

I have 2 girls also and we have had bunk beds for years.
We did it for more room to play and it has worked out fine,
however I was a nervous wreck after hearing of children hanging themselves on bunk beds. They can be very dangerous, and we actually knew someone that had a child that was playing and jumped off. His cape got caught and he hung himself. I never let my youngest sleep on the top and I monitor them closely when palying, but I am not sure the extra space is worth the worry. When we move twin beds will go up!

There are risks to everything. You know your children and the risks. You'll have to use your best judgment. I've used bunk beds several times over the years for my little guys (5 children ages 8 months to 10 years). I find that the children are surprisingly coordinated at that age, at least mine were. However, I'm hesitant to say that because there is always a risk and I don't want to be liable. My four year old and 7 year old share a bunk bed. The 4 year old is on top because that is the only bed she doesn't fall out of at night. It doesn't have a railing with an open underside. It has an actual wall (about 18 inches high) with no gap under it. I think that is much safer than the railings they can squeeze under. My daughter, even at age 3, could go up and down the ladder in the middle of the night (in the dark) when she had bad dreams. She would just climb down and come tell me. I also had my boys in bunk beds around ages 3 and 4. I'd be very careful of the type of bed, though. Also, they have twin beds that can be made into bunk beds later if you want to go that route. My children climb trees, play forts, etc., so I'm not terribly concerned about them jumping out of a bunk bed. Make sure you ask the children how they feel, though. Some kids won't sleep in a bunk bed. My oldest has always wanted the lower bunk. He won't do the top bunk. Fortunately, my second oldest (boy) loves to climb and be up high, so it worked out. Trampolines and bicycles are far more dangerous than bunk beds.

I got a bunk bed for my 4 year old, and sh'es about to turn 5 and I've already gotten rid of it. Not that it was any sort of awful experience, but not the best either. Think about your little one when they first wake up. Do you really think it'l'l be a good idea for her to climb down those stairs while half asleep? Also, on occassion when my little girl needed to go potty in the middle of the night or when she first woke up, she wouldn't be able to get out of bed quickly enough and would pee on herself. It only happened once or twice, but she's been potty trained since she was two, so it was very upsetting to her. She really liked her bunk bed, but when I sold it she threw a fit for a day and has totally forgotten about it. Another thing to consider, is that most bedrooms have fairly low ceilings, and in our first house, it was summer and the fan was on and she went running up the stairs and hit her head on the fan. So we made the fan so you CAN'T turn it on, then we moved shortly after and the new house had the same problem in all the bedrooms (except the master), so we had to disarm this fan too. I like to be able to run the fan in the summers. If your concern is space, I think a great idea would be two twin beds with drawers underneath on opposite sides of the bedroom and they share a nightstand between them. That way you can put their bedtime books in the drawer of the nightstand, and you can use the drawers under the beds to store smaller toys or clothes, which will eliminate the need for some of the furniture you might otherwise need to fit in the room. Also, consider some shelving in the room so you can put some of their stuffed animals &/or toys on there, as they take up a lot of space, and that way maybe they can share a toy box between the two of them rather than each needing their own. Also, consider what the room has and doesn't. My daughters room doesn't have much wall space but has a big closet, so I moved her storage bins and panty/sock dresser into the closet which freed up some space in the room, and I started hanging more of her clothes than I used to, making some of the drawers in her room available for toys and other stuff.

2 and 3 might be a little young for bunk beds. I've got 2 and 4 year old boys and am looking at the same thing. My worry is that the 2 year old would climb up and fall. I've been looking at twin beds that can be "bunked" later on. That way, they can be used as twin beds until they're older and we can stack them in a couple of years. They make some really pretty ones now.

Hope this helps.

K. M

My girls had a bunk bed but they were older and didn't have any problems. I myself had one when growing up and I tried to fly off the top. You might want to check out trundle beds where you pull it out at night and put it back under the other bed during the day for more space.

My children are 4 and 6 (almost 7). They were in the bunk beds that separate first. Then about 9 months ago, we bunked the beds. My oldest is on the top bunk. I was worried about him climbing up and down the stairs, but my husband made our stairs and made them secure based on our friend's design (he owns his own construction business). I would buy this kind if I were you and start with apart. Bunk them when you feel they are old enough to get up and down the stairs safely at night. Also, we still have one of those guard rails with a huge stuffed bear on the top bunk. This gives our son a feeling of security and helped me adjust to the idea without fear he would fall out. Our youngest is a roller, so I am not sure she will ever get to sleep top unless we buy her bunk bed for her bedroom later. The biggest negative to this arrangement is when they are sick. We have to put him on the couch in our room when he had croup and when he had a stomach bug.

I have 4 children and a 5th on the way, and space is a major issue for us. My 2 girls have been sharing a room for 2 years now and we started out with 2 twin beds and they seemed to have no play area, so we then switched to bunk beds. The bunk beds have been great, although they are hard to make and hard for the children to make. My 4 year old has been on both the top and the bottom, and the ladder has never been an issue. I would certainly put the older child on top. Also my oldest was in a loft bed a little before 3, it depends on the dexterity of the child. We are now considering a bed and trundle for the 2 girls I think this will be much easier for them to help keep cleaned up. Good Luck!

If I were in your shoes, I'd be leary too!! Heck, I'd be leary even with my own 7yr old in a bunk bed cause I know she'd want the top bunk!!! I like the two bed ideas you got so far (bunks that seperate and the trundle style) and I think I really like the trundle one the most. We are military too so I know how much of a pain space in these houses can be!! But with the trundle you can still use later when the girls are in seperate rooms as a space for a friend to sleep over on. Good luck!!

S.

We got our son a bunk bed for when we transition him to a "big boy" bed, but it comes apart as 2 twins until we're ready to put them together as a bunk bed. That may be a good option for you.

I may be a little late on this but I just joined Mamasource. I will through my 2 cents in for what it is worth. Several people and you yourself have mentioned that they are not recommended for children under the age of 6. However, there are bunk beds that are more appropriate for younger children. The ones I have personally seen were at Ikea. They have the bottom bunk on the floor and the upper bunk is only about 3 feet off the floor. Not such a big drop for a little one and the bottom bunk is sort of fort like. You can also get a dome topper for the top bunk as well. My daughter wanted one of these beds. She has since gone past the desire for bunk beds (or ladder beds as she calls them) and now is content with her twin bed with Hannah Montana bedding.

You know your girls better than anyone. My daughter would not jump off the top bed or do anything risky up there. However, she would roll over the side rail as they are not very high on the Ikea beds or your average bunk bed for that matter. If there is a comforter all mushed up against the railing, it would be so easy for a little one to roll right over the top of it.

Oh another thing to consider is a set of bunk beds that separate into twin beds. While they are still little you could use the bunk beds and in three years when the 3 year old is old enough to sleep on the top you can convert them to bunk beds.

Good luck.

I have a four year old boy who got bunk beds right when he turned 4. He loves them. At first his 12 year old brother slept on the top bunk. He crawled to the top and got his leg stuck in the railing. That was very scary, so then he was not allowed up there. After a while I let him go up there supervised. Then we separated the beds into two because the 12 year old got tired of climbing to the top. Now the bunk bed is back together because his 6 year old friend has it like that and he thought it was cool. We got the 12 year old another bed. Now he is almost 5 and I feel comfortable letting him go unsupervised.

I think that it is your judgement if they are ready for the beds to be like that. I would supervise them at first to see how they do. If they are too young, then you could always separate the beds at first and then put them together later when they are ready.

Hi A., My name is J. and I have a 4 yr.old little boy I just recently bought him a bunk bed (full on bottom twin on top). The top bunk has a age and weight limit which is 6 years of age or older. My son loves his bunk bed and tells everyone about it. I do let him get on top but he CAN NOT sleep on top, he doesn't like that I will not let him sleep up there. I tell him he will be able to when he gets older. It is your decision to get them or not but I looked at long term. I a few year he will be have friends to come stay with him and I am going to be have his brother or sister in May. He can't wait to have his friends stay the night with him I just think we need to wait a little a longer before we do that. Best of luck :)

3and 4 is way too young for bunk beds , a 3 or 4 yr old dosn't have the coridnation needed to get down off the top bunk w/o falling. you also have to worry about them falling out of bed at night or playing and jumping off of them.

day beds or a couple of toddler beds is prob your best bet.depending on their size.

If you do decide to get bunks, I would get a trundle, and hide the ladder away until they are older.

We had bunkbeds and I secured those push lights (one for each girl) so when they needed to climb down in the dark they had enough light and could turn it out again from their own bed. But be sure to keep in mind how hard it can be to change bedding on the top bunk and make it look nice when it is tucked in.