# How old for a bunk bed?



## Linzie2 (Sep 14, 2006)

We'll be moving into our new home in early spring and my kids will be sharing a room. I was hoping to get a bunk bed for them but have had some nay-sayers. DD will be nearly 5, and the particular bed I was looking at buying has a rail all the way down one side and most of the way down the other side except for the last 12 inches or so where the ladder connects. I really don't see any issue with her flinging herself out of bed in the night, and she's been climbing like a monkey ever since she was able. I let her climb trees, she has a rope ladder that she uses independently.....I just can't get over all the comments of, "Oh, the child has to be at least 6 years old!" The only problem I could think of is maybe difficulty getting out of the bed in the night? DD rarely gets up to pee, but a lot of times gets up in the early AM once DH is getting ready for work and she'll come in bed with me.

So at what age would use put a kid on the top bunk and why??? Thanks mamas!


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## bmhpke96 (Sep 30, 2004)

My DDs have been in a bunk bed for a year - so my older DD was in the top bunk at 4. The only one who has fallen out is my younger DD out of the bottom and it was no big deal.

I say go for it!


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## ollyoxenfree (Jun 11, 2009)

My DD was about 6 or 7 when we got her a loft bed. She was fine in it.

Honestly though, I would never get a bunk bed or a loft bed again unless we had very tight space limitations. They are a pain to make up, even for adults. It makes it much more difficult for a child to become independent with bed-making skills.


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

Go for it. I have plans to get my boys bunk beds within the year - ds1 is 3.5ish, ds2 is 15 months... I full expect to have bunk beds within a 6-12 months. We were going to do them for xmas this year, but I'm thinking maybe ds1's birthday in march now. Largely because DS1 fell off a top bunk at a friends house and broke his leg 2 months ago... and we just want that to be totally 100% healed first


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## pbjmama (Sep 20, 2007)

My 4.5 yo has been in a top bunk for at least 6 months. It is one of the lower beds but still, a bunk. No problems.


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

Personally, I wouldn't put my kids in a bunk bed at any age. I've never been a big fan and a horrible story of a child I know cemented that for me.


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## beanma (Jan 6, 2002)

We got ours when our youngest was just turned 6. They've loved them and we've had no injuries to speak of (meaning, if we had one I don't remember it!). We got a full on the bottom and a single on the top so they can sleep together if they want to or they can be separate if they want to. Plus the full on the bottom gives Mama and Daddy enough room to snuggle for reading stories at bedtime. They do mostly sleep on the bottom, but occasionally one will want to sleep on the top. They play or read on the top more frequently.


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## minkajane (Jun 5, 2005)

DS was 4. It wasn't a true bunk bed, it was called a "high-low" bed and you could reverse it to be on the floor or about 4 1/2 feet off the ground. We put it up high so his toys could go underneath. It didn't come with a rail, so we got the tent cover for it. DS has never had a problem with it. He's never fallen out and has had no trouble at all getting up and down the built-in ladder. We're moving soon and this bed is NOT coming with us (total nightmare to take apart and put back together, one move is enough!). We're getting DS a traditional bunk bed since I'm pregnant and baby-to-be can move into the bottom bunk when s/he is ready to move out of our bed.

Before I got pregnant, we had been planning on getting DS this awesome bed we found on the Walmart website that had a bed on top and a table with two benches underneath. The table rolled down and the padding on the benches could be laid out to be a mattress, so the table area turned into a cot. It was awesome. I wish I could find it now.


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## waiting2bemommy (Dec 2, 2007)

my ds has slept in a top bunk before at someone else's house and he isn't even quite 3! I think it just depends on the maturity and ability and agility of the kid. I would have no worries about him sleeping there. What I *would* owrry about is him playing on it during the day and deciding to try something crazy. I think it's ridiculous that people are implying that a 5 year old can't sleep on a bunk bed.


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## Ornery (May 21, 2007)

We have bunkbeds for our 4 and 6 year olds and have had them for about a year. The top bunk is my 6 year old's bed but they switched back and forth a few times before that was determined. We have pretty strict rules about what is and what isn't okay on them though as I am a bit concerned about horsing around and injuries. Biggest thing we have to watch is if they have friends over. They tend to be safe but when kids who aren't familiar with bunkbeds come over, things can get unsafe really quickly.


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## ollyoxenfree (Jun 11, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Ornery*
> 
> Biggest thing we have to watch is if they have friends over. They tend to be safe but when kids who aren't familiar with bunkbeds come over, things can get unsafe really quickly.


We had one strict rule: Only one person allowed at a time on the top bunk.

It helped keep things under control. We still had to be careful about the kids who might try to jump up and down or launch themselves from the top bunk, but at least there wasn't a chance of being pushed off.


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## Qbear'smama (Jul 15, 2008)

We just got bunk beds with a full on the bottom in anticipation of the impending new baby sharing a room with DD when he moves out of our bed (which for DD didn't even happen til she was 3 and even now she always ends up in our bed after starting off in her own) but thus far, she has only wanted to sleep on the bottom bunk, which is fine with me. I think she's a little leery of sleeping up top. She's 4.5. I would be ok with her up top, but since she always transitions to our bed during the night, I would be a little worried about how she would manage the ladder until I knew she could do it half asleep...I don't think there's any reason to wait til 6, some kids are too clumsy or daring to be able to manage in bunk beds regardless of age (I've seen accidents with kids way older acting silly on the top bink) and some are fine at 3, depends on the kid.


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## tanyalynn (Jun 5, 2005)

For my DD, the issue wasn't her climbing/coordination during the day, it was how aware and coordinated she was when she was half asleep. We had our kids share the bottom bunk for quite a while because I didn't think DD was ready to be in the top, and I think it was shortly after she turned 6 that something changed and she just seemed ready. During the day our 4.5 yo son can climb on it all he likes, has been able to for at least a year, the kids play well up there, but he doesn't have the clear-thinking when he's just waking up, especially in the middle of the night, to be safe sleeping there.


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## Polliwog (Oct 29, 2006)

My six-year-old has had a set for two years. He's never slept in the "up bed" although I've been encouraging it for the past six months. He's got a twin over full. He did fall over the edge last year (on December 23rd) and broke several bones in his foot. That made for a great Winter Break.


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## inkslinger (May 29, 2009)

My daughters share a room and we got a bunk bed for them when our oldest was 5. We had very strict rules that the top bunk was only for sleeping, and our youngest daughter was only ever allowed to go up if a parent was present. Friends were never allowed on the top bunk. It worked out well for us, no body every fell out or hurt themselves. The bed that we bought was really wobbly and we didn't feel it was safe, so we made it into two twin beds in the room. Eventually we would like to buy a more sturdy bunk bed for them to share again. It was a definite space-saver in their room!


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## ~cassie (Aug 31, 2009)

We just put up bunk beds for our oldest 2 sons last week. We have the Columbia full over full and it is very sturdy. My oldest is 5 1/2 and so far has been fine up there. My other 2 younger boys like to get up on top but I try not to let them unless I am in there as well. I worry about them fighting(which happens frequently) and then pushing someone off.


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## Lisa85 (May 22, 2006)

We just put up bunk beds for our girls, 5 and 3.75. When used properly, I think they're very safe, and in our case safer than a regular bed (they share a full size bed(. We have had numerous issues with them goofing around at bedtime, not settling down, etc. Then one night I heard the worst boom and dd2 had fallen off and either landed on or hit her head. She was ok, no ER trip required, but we said no more of that. Dd1 gets the top bunk. She is a rule follower and not as wild as her younger sister. Keeping them on separate beds has helped immensely.

We have strict rules with it and I have said in no uncertain terms that we will take the beds back if they can't follow the rules. They have been begging for bunk beds so they really do try their best at following the rules. Our rules are:

-One person on the ladder at a time

-The ladder's purpose is solely to get on and off the top bunk, it's not a toy or something to goof off with.

- No jumping on or off from any part of the bed at any time (dd2 tried to jump on her bed - the bottom bunk- and learned the hard way why we don't do that!)

-The top bunk is only for sleeping and calm play. Reading books, playing with dolls, chit chatting, that kind of thing. No silly play or goofing off.

-Top bunk is for sitting or laying only. No standing up.


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## love4bob (Apr 30, 2008)

My DDs have one. We got them when they were 1.5 and 3. 3 year old is on top, and we have had no problems!


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## tatermom (Jun 11, 2005)

We just set up bunk beds for our boys about a month ago. We'd considered them earlier but just didn't think DS1 was ready before now. Last year (at 4 1/2) he was far too active in his sleep, rolling around, ending up upside down in bed, falling out of bed, sitting up in bed while still asleep, etc. He's a much calmer sleeper now at nearly 6 years old and has had no trouble with the top bunk so far, so I'm glad that we waited. I would definitely not consider putting DS2 to sleep on the top bunk at his age (3 1/2) because although he's great on the ladder in the daytime, I don't trust that he'd wake up fully enough to be able to navigate it at night.


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## One_Girl (Feb 8, 2008)

I wouldn't do a bunk bed at any age, even as an adult I don't like sleeping on them. When I was six my foot slipped as I was climbing down the ladder on the bunk bed, I slipped and went backwards and hit my head on the floor. I still remember the intense pain and the blood very clearly. You never know when a child is going to get up half awake and fall. I was always climbing on trees, the sides of the playground equipment, and dangling up high in the air on the playground and never once had a fall or even slight qualm about it, but how you move and climb when you are awake and how you move when you wake in the middle of the night to pee, get your mom because of a nightmare, or throw up are two completely separate things.


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## pianojazzgirl (Apr 6, 2006)

One issue that I worry about (much more than a kid falling out of the top bunk during the night) is other kids falling out while playing around. My friends have bunk beds for their girls (since the girls were 2 and 4). Until very recently it was a total PITA to go over there for playdates, because I'd have to constantly shadow ds. At the age of 2 he was very adventurous, but not at all cautious or careful. I didn't trust him not to fall off the ladder or top bunk. Our other friends have a high loft bed for their 8 yr old. I don't worry about it at their house because they have a strict rule of no playing on the bed. It is only for sleeping. It helps that that bed is in their family bedroom while all the toys are in a playroom, so the kids aren't really drawn to playing in that room anyway.


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## DaughterOfKali (Jul 15, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Alyantavid*
> 
> Personally, I wouldn't put my kids in a bunk bed at any age. I've never been a big fan and a horrible story of a child I know cemented that for me.


That's how I feel. I understand that lots of kids are ok with them but I've heard too many horror stories from my doc and nurse friends over the years (and a neighbor whose son tragically died from a fall off the top bunk at 7yrs old.) Just thinking about it makes my stomach turn.


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