Bunk Beds & little ones?

[ellairiesmom]

DD1 will be 4 in September & DD2 will be 18 mos in August, when we move into a new home (fingers crossed-dealing with inspections this week on our current home & new home).  We are discussing sleeping arrangements in the new house because co sleeping hasn't gone as well this time around, I always wanted them to eventually share a room & it seems like moving into a new house could be a good time for a change. 

DD1 is currently in a full size platform bed that is unfinished wood.  I am thinking of moving her to a twin loft/bunk, & then putting the full size bed underneath for DD2.  Then I can still lay down & nurse her at bedtime & during the night. 

I was contemplating this from This End Up, in unfinished wood.  We grew up with their furniture & my 3 brothers & I each still have pieces 20 years later that look perfect.  

My thoughts are that if it doesn't work out now, DD1 can have a play space under the twin loft/bunk, we can move the full size bed into the 3rd bedroom for when DD2 is ready to sleep alone & she can come back into our bed.  And we can try it again when they are older.  But is the climbing factor going to be trouble either way?

Is 4 too young to be on a top bunk?  Will DD2 be obsessed with climbing up there?  Is it too much of a danger for other kids like my nieces & nephews?  Two of my brothers had the twin over twin bunks when they were super young & never had an issue.   

Thoughts, feedback, experiences??? 

[JudiAU]

It sounds great but I wouldn't risk it. The ladder + soft landing place will be an invitation to trouble. I really think 4 is too young although  I would love this same set up for my 4+2 for the same reasons. 4 is just too impulsive.

[DahliaRW]

Why not put the two kiddos both in the full sized bed for now?  That's what we've done (we actually have 3 in one at this point and they love it!).  Then baby cosleeps with big sister, which at least for us helped the younger siblings sleep, and you would still have some room to lay down and nurse if you need to.  Then in a couple years switch to bunk bed.

[ellairiesmom]

Originally Posted by DahliaRW 

Why not put the two kiddos both in the full sized bed for now?  That's what we've done (we actually have 3 in one at this point and they love it!).  Then baby cosleeps with big sister, which at least for us helped the younger siblings sleep, and you would still have some room to lay down and nurse if you need to.  Then in a couple years switch to bunk bed.

This was my exact vision & how I dreamed it would be, but DD2 is being a real stinker.  She is not showing any signs (as of right now) of being able to settle down at night in her sisters bed.  When I do the bedtime story for DD1, DD2 climbs all over us, throws herself all around & is a "big troublemaker"...(quoting DD1 from tonight-lol)  16 mos is still young though-maybe she will calm down soon. 

We are having some major sleeping issues with her, which is more for other areas of the forum, but we are leaning toward thinking she might need her own space or might need to be night-weaned.  

I think to be safe, I will have to wait till they are older to try the loft or bunk thing.  In the meantime, no one wants DD2 in their bed!! lol  But I feel like she is too young to be on her own completely. 

[DahliaRW]

Does it work to rock/nurse her to sleep and then go lay her down in the bed?

[Llyra]

I would be nervous about a bunk bed, with them so young. The problem with the top bunk, in my experience, is when a half-asleep and bewildered child tries to get up at night. Even the sturdiest ladder can be a problem, in those circumstances. My six year old fell recently, coming down from her top bunk in the middle of the night-- and she's got no problems using it safely during the day. (And remind me to tell you about the time she needed to throw up, late at night, and got halfway down the ladder and couldn't hold it any longer... that was lovely.)

I also would be concerned about the toddler trying to climb the ladder, and falling.

My safe margin, I think would be for the top-bunk child to be at least six, and the bottom-bunk kid to have demonstrated some impulse control, and the ability to remember safety instructions when not directly supervised. Which can take awhile, for many kids.

If you do decide to go with that arrangement, after all, I would suggest putting a line of grip-tape on each step of the ladder, for traction. Wooden ladders and sock feet make for some tricky footing.

[dogretro]

These reasons, times a million!!!!!!  Oh, man, I never even thought about throwing up, aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

In all seriousness, we just purchased new bedroom furniture for our dds.  One friend kept suggesting different bunk beds over and over.  Hello, my kids are 3 and one!  Fortunately, their room is plenty big enough for two twin beds, so that was easy to get around.  DD2 is only 13 mos & not ready to sleep alone at night, but the three of us need more room (we have a full-sized bed).  Once we buy her mattress & box spring, the plan is to push her bed up next to ours.  The other option is to push both girls' beds together.  It would be v hard to get them both to sleep at the same time, so we would not try it.  DD2 would continue to lay down w/ dh and go to sleep & dd1 would continue to stay up w/ me and fall asleep on the couch.  Then, we could move them both into their bed :)  Also, dd2 is night weaned & I could see that being a problem if yours were to share a bed right now.  Do you have the room to push a twin up next to your bed?
 

Originally Posted by Llyra 

I would be nervous about a bunk bed, with them so young. The problem with the top bunk, in my experience, is when a half-asleep and bewildered child tries to get up at night. Even the sturdiest ladder can be a problem, in those circumstances. My six year old fell recently, coming down from her top bunk in the middle of the night-- and she's got no problems using it safely during the day. (And remind me to tell you about the time she needed to throw up, late at night, and got halfway down the ladder and couldn't hold it any longer... that was lovely.)

I also would be concerned about the toddler trying to climb the ladder, and falling.
 

[ellairiesmom]

Yeah-in reading all this & other threads about it, we realize that while DD1 is def ready (she talks about it all the time) the middle of the night waking & coming down the ladder is too scary.  And DD2 is too much of a risk taker still.  It would be a great solution since it would free up the other bedroom (neither room is big enough for 2 twin beds) to be a playroom which would help with my plans to continue watching other little ones for $.  But it will have to wait till they are older.  My Dad was into the idea of buying them the bunks so we will ask him to put it toward something else for them this year & maybe revisit the bunks in another year or 2. 

Thx!

[melijack1]

Well, DS has had his loft since he was about 3 1/2, and no incidents, but we didn't have a younger child to be concerned about. It is actually a junior loft so not the height of a bunkbed. The platform is about 4 feet off the ground.  It has a double rail that goes all the way around. 

When we moved last month I actually contemplated just getting a regular bed for him, but he LOVES his loft, so he still has it, even though he is too tall to stand up all the way under it now.  The extra toy storage underneath is fantastic!

I don't know that I'd feel comfortable with it with a 1-year old though, to be honest.