Bunk Bed Safty

We have bunk beds for our 3 and 5 year old. Our plan was similar to yours, 5 on the top and 3 yr. old on the bottom. Day one they switched on me and refuse to sleep in the correct bed. So far no problems. There is a good size rail going all the way around the bed so that helps. My 3 year old climbs down every night to get in bed with his brother with no problem. He has always been a climber though. You might try One Step Ahead, it is a catalog that has great safety stuff in it. You could also try putting their names above the bed you want them in and different blankets on each bed that is specific to a character or something they love. Best of luck to you!

If possible I would put the 2 year old in the same room as your infant. I had two children who shared a room their own life and they were 9 years apart. While yes it caused some conflict at time, we just explained that we didn't have the room for everyone to have their own room. While at first the crying did wake up the oldest but pretty soon everyone was sleeping thru the night. If you decide against moving the littles ones in together I would suggest moving the children to the lower bunk so they have a little more room and if they fall it is only a foot or two and hopefully no one gets hurt. One your 2 year gets used to sleeping in the lower bunk your oldest won't have any prolems sleeping in his own bunk! Good Luch!

My friend has a 2 1/2 year old boy and a 5 year old boy, they share the same kind of bunk- twin on top, double beneath. They both end up sleeping together, too. Now, this mostly occurs on the bottom bunk AND that 2 1/2 year-old is very advance in his climbing/balance skills.

My friend apparently doesn't have a problem with this arrangement- but if I were her, I'd probably feel like it was unsafe for the 2 1/2 year-old. I just wanted to let you know that she has not had any problems with it- so maybe it just can work out.

I'll tell you that one thing you should really appreciate is that they get along now- that is fantastic- you may not want to change the sleeping arrangement. my two oldest (i have four- 6, 5, 3 and 1)
are NOT good roommates!!! They love each other, but they are "negative pairing"!!! There's some great value in them getting along.

I had to find a way to keep my toddler off her brother's bunk, since he earned the right to sleep up there, taking the ladder off was not an option. Someone on this site suggested I get a ladder cover. When I looked online they seemed like a huge hassle to get it on and off, plus they are a little pricey. So what we wound up doing was wrapping a box around the first two steps so our little one couldn't climb up. My son was a bit frustrated about the obstacle at first and now he doesn't notice it. I was a bit concerned about him forgetting to watch his step in the middle of the night, so the first two weeks or so I would take it off before I went to bed to keep him from tripping if he got up in the middle of the night, but now we leave it on most of the time. We have had a few two and three year olds over and they cannot get on the bed unless we take the cover off. I would also invest in a guard rail, so if the little one sneaks up he is a little more protected. GL!

I'm so laughing...I also have a 6 year old and a two year old, I also am expecting, I also am due in December, and we also will be very shortly purchasing a twin-over-double bunk bed to bunk our two boys together in the same room for the first time. I have seen people that made kinda tacky covers for the ladder--cardboard and duct tape--so the bigger kid can step over, but the littler one can't... My aunt and uncle have a cabin with a loft, also. There is a steep ladder that goes to the loft, and many grandkids and great nieces and nephews. My uncle made a wooden "cover" for the ladder...it's kind of a "J" shape--a big board that covers the ladder steps, left to right, completely, and covers about 2 steps, vertically, then a board that hooks over the top, and another board that hooks over the back, so little kids can't knock it off easily. There is a short chain with a clasp (similar to a dog's leash clasp) that fastens (above kids' heads) to an eye bolted to the ladder. It works; my 6 year old can't undo it, as much as he wants to! Of course, the problem with these is that your 6 perhaps can't get to his bed...Good luck! I wonder if we'll have the same problem...

My grandchildren have twin bunk beds. My daughter had a bunk bed with a twin on top and a double below. My brother and I had bunk beds. Falls have never been an issue. Kids are tough and will not be hurt by falling. My grandson, at 5, did fall off the top bunk while he was playing. He cried for a bit, picked himself up and went right back to the top bunk. He then understood why playing on the top bunk was not allowed. Natural consequences work very well. :)

In your case, if a child does fall from the top bunk they will land on the soft bed below. They may be scared. They may not want to sleep on the top bunk for awhile. That's OK.

If the top bunk does not have a railing I would install one. However, every bunk bed I've seen has had one. It would be difficult to fall while lying down and/or sleeping. That guard rail would stop them.

You are very fortunate that your boys get along so well. You can require that they sleep together on the bottom bed. They probably will get up on the top bunk because that is new and exciting. My grandchildren, who are now 9 and 6 still argue at times over who will sleep on the top bunk but for the most part the top bunk is not as interesting.

I just wouldn't be so concerned about falling.

Could you seperate the beds until the 2 year old is 3 and maybe better able to handle everything?

We are in your predicament now- and figuring out what to do. Here are a couple of thoughts. Could you get a bed that rolls underneath the other and only comes out at night? I think it is something like a trundle- Pottery barn has them. As I have been thinking of what to do- we are going to keep the baby in a bassinet until they are 3 mos probably- so that gives us until my daughter is about 2.5 to move to bunk beds. I was hoping to find a set that is really low to the ground but I don't know if that is possible. Also could you do an L shape with a toddler bed and a twin bed??? It might be too late since you have the beds but these are things we are trying to do.

Your first mistake was giving in and letting him sleep up there that first night. I agree that you should block the ladder and have both boys sleep on the bottom bunk until your younger one is at least 3 and able to handle climbing up safely. I had bunk beds for my kids when they were younger also. I don't remember having trouble with the younger kids climbing up the ladder or maybe I didn't worry about it when they did..lol That was 27 years ago.

How about trying putting them both on the full sized bed on the bottom? Explain to your 6 yo (separately from the 2 yo) that it's a transition for the younger one and he wants to be close to his big brother, but it's not safe for him on the top bunk. He's old enough to understand that and should feel a sense of responsibility towards keeping his little brother safe and secure in the new surroundings. You can try to separate them after the little one feels better. Good luck and congrats on #3!

We have two sets of bunk beds, one for boys and one for girls. My two year old daughter tried the same thing, except she mananged to scale the back of the beds because we don't have a ladder in there. I tacked a sheet over the back of the bunk beds and secured it tightly on both sides so there is nothing to scale. I just give my older kids a "leg up" when it's time for bed. It's become a part of the nightly ritual and they love it.

I am sure you could tack a sheet, netting or other fabric tightly around the ladder, tight enough that it would make it difficult to climb. If you had to, you could nail a piece of wood over it so to render it useless for the time being. I know these suggestions look really tacky, but for me it was worth being able to sleep at night.

Good luck,
S.

Could you maybe try telling them that if little brother wants to sleep with big brother, that big brother should come down on the bigger bed? Otherwise, is it possible that the baby could go in your room for a little while to give the brothers some time? Just thoughts. Good luck!

My husband and I have never lived in more than a 3-bedroom home with our 4 kids, so we've had lots of bunk bed experience. First, it's just tricky when one of the children is at that stage. Do the very best you can of course to keep the 2 y.o. off the top, but understand that in any house where there's a bunk bed and a toddler, that toddler gets up there sometimes. So you are not alone.

We finally turned the bunk bed around so the ladder was against the wall. It kept little kids off the top and the older ones who were supposed to be getting up there just scrambled up over the side. Guess this might not work depending on the design of the bed, but it always worked with the ones we had.

Just remember to turn the bed back around with the ladder facing out once the 2 y.o. is able to climb up there without the aid of the ladder. Otherwise you're just making it even more likely that he'll fall.

HTH!

I have two boys also, my parents have a similiar bunk bed at their cabin, and I hate it! It's gotten better as the boys have gotten older, although wrestling and climbing are still issues. Since it sounds like you can't get rid of it, I agree with those who suggested you try to keep both of them in the bottom full bed, as long as they get along (you are blessed that way!) and sleep well together. It sounds like you've gotten some ideas for keeping them down there together. I just wanted to disagree with the grandma who suggested not to worry if they do fall, it won't hurt them. My husband is a product liability attorney so perhaps we hear the worst of the stories, but falls from bunk beds can and do cause serious injury--broken bones, head injuries and more. You are right to be concerned about it and nip it in the bud. Good luck and congrats on #3.