# loft bed for 3yr old?



## sora

Hi,

I would like to buy a loft bed for my 3yr old. She is still sleeping with me in our bed and my husband is sleeping in her mattress but we would like to switch her to her own room and loft bed seems like a good solution for it as it gives her play space underneath. IKEA says loft beds are for 7yrs or up. But I don't see how a kid can fall out of the bed when there is a safety rail. Is it a real concern? Should I wait until my kid is older? Thanks.


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## sebandg'smama

My extremely coordinated ds fell out of his loft bed and required stitches at age 6. I think he was just waking up when he started to climb down.

So I would say wait 4 more years.


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## TheGirls

My brother fell out of the top bunk of a bunk bed at age 5. It had a rail. He didn't wake up, incidentally, but the thud woke mom.


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## HeatherB

We avoided bunk beds until our oldest was nearly 7 for this reason. No one has fallen off of ours, but I have heard 5 years as a minimum for a bunk bed. Most of the time, my 7yo and 4.5yo are sleeping together on the bottom bunk, anyway. Occasionally they sleep together on the top, with the 4.5yo close to the wall.

I would not be comfortable putting a 3yo on a loft, and would look for other options. Perhaps a bunkbed set that can later convert to just a loft would work? Ours is like that. Also, consider if someone will be sleeping with her at times, will a loft bed be safe for YOU?

Hope you find the perfect solution!


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## RunnerDuck

My son got the Ikea slide bed (discontinued but similar I think to the one they currently sell) when he was just past 4 (like maybe 2 months past his bday if that). He fell from it once, when he was running back and forth along the top and went head long over the end. By some fluke I was right there when it happened, sitting on the rocker in his bedroom talking on the phone.

He wasn't hurt... any more than he would have been falling headlong off a normal bed... the top of the guard rail is just under my boobs and I am only 5'3 so it's really not that tall of a bed. I felt OK putting a young child in this bed. But a really high loft like the kind you can have a desk and stuff under, I would not be OK with.

I think the one you mean is short like this, isn't it? Yes a kid could fall from it but it's not that big a fall, esp. if you have carpet it's not a big deal. We had carpet when we got the bed, we have hardwood now.

eta - ours has a sticker on it that says for ages 6 and up but realistically if you wait till 6 you're not gonna get much use out of the slide!!! Maybe that is why they dc'ed it. It's an awesome bed, every kid we have ever had over loves it. We got it on CL - they get snatched up fast!


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## queenjane

I think the loft beds ikea makes for toddlers would be ok for a three yr old. Is this what you mean?

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10123996

That bed can be turned over and the mattress placed on the ground, if you find that the loft isnt working for you.

But a taller loft bed, made for older children or adults, i would think is not safe for a three yr old.


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## Thisbirdwillfly

That IKEA bed looks great. Start low and then flip it over in a few years.

I think three is young for a loft bed. Kids don't just roll out of them, then also lean over the rails during a dream or when waking. I'm too groggy when I wake up to be comfortable sleep that far off the ground and I'm nearly 40!


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## ashleyhaugh

that one posted is one we were considering for ds. im 5'5" and its like mid chest on me. and like the pp's said, you can flip it over to have the mattress on the ground too


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## lovingmommyhood

My son has been sleeping on the top bunk since he was 2. He's three now and has never fallen out. I guess it depends on your comfort level.


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## the_lissa

My dd has been in a top bunk since 3.5. My son is almost 3 and he almost fell out 2 minutes after we put him in the top bunk one night, so I think it depends on the child.


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## pumpkinhead

I would make sure it's legal in your state to put a 3 year old in it first before purchasing it. In Canada, it's illegal to put a child younger than 6 more than x feet (I can't remember the exact #) off off the ground for sleeping. This rules out loft beds until at least 6.

ETA: I just read your location and realized that you're in Canada. Yeah, it's actually illegal to put a 3 year old in a loft bed here.


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## Ironica

I rolled out of a bunk bed in my sleep at a slumber party when I was 5. I was fine, as were the three girls I landed on ;-) and none of us even woke up! But small children have less boundary sense in their sleep, so this is more likely to happen.

There's also the issue of having a ladder and something tall to jump on in their bedroom. ;-)

I wouldn't shift straight from her co-sleeping to sleeping in a loft bed in any event. I'd like to see how she does in a bed more similar to where she's at now, sleeping on her own, before changing the situation.

Also, what are the weight limits of the bed? At 3.5, you're still going to have a lot of nights where bad dreams, crazy days, or illness means you need to lie down with her at least a little while to help her go to sleep, probably. Make sure the bed you choose allows for that!


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## queenjane

Quote:


Originally Posted by *pumpkinhead* 
I would make sure it's legal in your state to put a 3 year old in it first before purchasing it. In Canada, it's illegal to put a child younger than 6 more than x feet (I can't remember the exact #) off off the ground for sleeping. This rules out loft beds until at least 6.

ETA: I just read your location and realized that you're in Canada. Yeah, it's actually illegal to put a 3 year old in a loft bed here.

Can you provide a link to info about this? I've been searching but havent found anything about a law telling parents where they can actually have their kids sleep. I am finding lots of safety website for Canadians recommending not allowing kids under 6 on top bunks (and presumably, loft beds), which is probably the recommendation here in the US as well (i imagine most bunk beds have a sticker or something stating they arent for young kids)...but nothing about an actual law, where a parent could get in trouble for letting their five yr old sleep on the top bunk.

If the OP is getting the IKEA toddler loftbed, though...its really not that high.


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## Astrogirl

I think that bed is fine and I know several people that have it for their toddlers. It's really up to you and your comfort level. DH fell out of a bunk bed when he was a kid (onto a concrete floor, no less) and was in the hospital for a week with severe head injuries - so he is careful about these things. That said though, we know our 4 yr old and she does fine with it. She is NOT a wild sleeper and seems to always be aware that she is in the bunk, even when she's having a nightmare. I've actually seen her climb down the ladder, fully asleep. That said though, i slept in that room with her for a while to make sure she got acclimatized.


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## Justmee

I was also goign to suggest the reversible one. Start low now and flip it in a couple of years. We have a bunk bed and Rena does sleep on the top now. We haven't had any issues, but she is over 5.


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## the_lissa

Quote:


Originally Posted by *queenjane* 
Can you provide a link to info about this? I've been searching but havent found anything about a law telling parents where they can actually have their kids sleep. I am finding lots of safety website for Canadians recommending not allowing kids under 6 on top bunks (and presumably, loft beds), which is probably the recommendation here in the US as well (i imagine most bunk beds have a sticker or something stating they arent for young kids)...but nothing about an actual law, where a parent could get in trouble for letting their five yr old sleep on the top bunk.

If the OP is getting the IKEA toddler loftbed, though...its really not that high.

Yeah I've never heard that it is a law. I doubt they could enforce it anyways. About a quarter of my daughter's classmates sleep in loft and bunk beds. I was in class when the kids were talking about it. If it were illegal, the teacher would have had to report it as a mandated reporter.


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## RunnerDuck

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Ironica* 

Also, what are the weight limits of the bed? At 3.5, you're still going to have a lot of nights where bad dreams, crazy days, or illness means you need to lie down with her at least a little while to help her go to sleep, probably. Make sure the bed you choose allows for that!

I slept with my son in his when I was pregnant with my girls and the bed held up fine. It's VERY sturdy.







(I really think it's just about the same bed, just no slide)


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## Manessa

Quote:


Originally Posted by *queenjane* 
I think the loft beds ikea makes for toddlers would be ok for a three yr old. Is this what you mean?

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10123996

That bed can be turned over and the mattress placed on the ground, if you find that the loft isnt working for you.

But a taller loft bed, made for older children or adults, i would think is not safe for a three yr old.

We just bought this bed for my son and love it! I would probably have had it on the floor when he was 3 though. I think it depends on the child, and how daring/active they are. In my opinion it's the perfect loft bed for kids. Not too high, and storage underneath.


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## mamadelbosque

IDK, but I'm planning on getting bunkbeds for my DS's in another year or two - DS1 will be 3.5-4ish and DS2 will be 1-2ish, when we start attempting to transfer him into a 'big boy bed'. We have a small house and theres just nowhere to put 2 normal size beds.


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## pumpkinhead

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/child...ed-lit-eng.php

I can't fidn any information on a specific law so it's possible I've misunderstood. I originally got the information from a friend of mine who works as an inspector for Health Canada.

In a country where baby walkers are illegal, it doesn't seem like too far of a stretch









http://www.toronto.ca/health/injuryp...by_walkers.htm


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## pixiepunk

we have the Ikea loft bed that a pp posted, we got it for DD1 when she turned 3, though she didn't really sleep in it until she was 4. of course we still maintain a family bedroom, so her bed is *right* next to ours. but she has never fallen out, i don't really know how she could because there's only a tiny space to crawl out, everything else is raised all the way around - not just a 'rail'.

as a pp said, you could always start with it in the lower position and flip it the loft later. we've had it both ways because DD1 sometimes likes to switch it, and i actually find the loft setting to be safer because when it's a regular bed there's no raised edges (because that's what is on the ground holding up the bed).


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## Oonah

we have the Ikea loft bed...well the earlier version with the slide. We don't have a mattress on it, we put a section of plywood, carpet padding and carpet on it. Ours is in the playroom though and the kids usually use it when they want to play with something they don't want our youngest to interfere with.

Anyway I don't think I'd have a problem with my 3 yo sleeping on it but maybe I wouldn't put a standard mattress on it but rather the plywood and a thick memoryfoam mattress pad...that way the rail is super high and no way is the LO falling off in their sleep. The bigger concern for me is what if the LO wants to come down in the middle of the night for something...in the dark...there's the risk of falling down the ladder....I'd leave a nightlight or a closet light on just in case.


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