How Old for Bunk Bed??

My boys are 3 and 4- almost 4 and 5 and we put them in bunks about 8 months ago. My younger son had a problem falling out of bed for the first few weeks (luckily he was on the bottom bunk), so we just got a bed rail for him, and now after about 6 months he doesn't need it anymore.

My son got his bunk bed at 2 and he is still 6 and has it and probably will forever. we got the bed with the desk and drawers and everything so they can grow with it... K.

To be honest with you. She is probably old enough.may be if you do choose to get a bunkbed, you could start out with her in the top bunk for naps. And just observe her as she in the bed and how she goes up and down the ladder. However,
how much fun they appear to be, they are a real pain to make
the beds in and you may get real tired of that. But my best
to you.

My daughters had the bunk bed with the full size bed on bottom and they loved it! My three year old slept on the full bed on the bottom and my 6 year old slept on the top bunk.
Prior to that my youngest had a toddler bed and my eldest a twin.

I think it depends alot on the sleep habits of your 4 year old. Does she get up at night to go to the bathroom? That sometimes caused problems cause they are sleepy and slip off the ladder. But eventually they acclimate to it.

We went through this with my son. The deal with him that we made was he had to sleep on the bottom bunk until he turned 5(we said it was against the law-which isn't a lie for us because we are foster parents and a child can't sleep in a top bunk until age 5 and must have a rail). We put all of his stuff animals on the top bunk until that magical birthday. On that magical day, he awoke and looked up. All the animals were gone and there was his favorite character animal bedding. It was hard to make at night in the dark quietly but I managed it somehow.
Good luck,
D.

we put our oldest daughter in the top bunk just passed her third birthday. and now we moved our second up to it and she turned 3 in december. it went well both times.

We put our son in a loft bed at about 3 1/2. He has done very well in it, and he also acts young for his age. At the beginning I put a pillow at the ladder opening, he also has a slide and I put a pillow there. I think she will do fine with a bunk bed.

My son was 3 we purchased his bunk bed. We actually have a lofted bunk bed. We started him out on the bottom bunk and when he turned 6 we allowed him to sleep up top. He did perfectly fine.

I bet your daughter would LOVE a bunk bed and it is fabulous for when she is a wee older and has friends spend the night or family if they are brave enough to sleep in there! Our daughter was in a bunk bed at three and loved it! But, she did not like sleeping on the top. Funny thing about that is is when we looked at them that is where she wanted to sleep . She really enjoyed playing on the top bunk with her barbies or what not or reading. And we made some awesome, fun forts with her bunk bed too. She would probably do fine with being on the top. If you are worried get some of those big floor pillows and lie them on the floor. Once she gets used to the ladder she would most likely navigate fine even sleepy! My son sleepwalks and he manages to make it across our catwalk upstairs down the stairs to our room and avoid stuff piled on the steps should he forget to take a toy or coat up. I bet she will be fine! Have fun with the big girl bed search! :)

My sister-in-law is the manager of a furniture store and told us when we were looking at bunk beds that the recommendation is that children under six not sleep in the top bunk. We waited until my oldest son was six to get the bunk bed. Now my daughter can't wait to turn six so they can trade places.

They say age 6 is best for bunk beds, but you decide what's best and how responsible or (balanced) your child is. I put a small tap light on the head of my son's top bunk and he pushes it 'on' to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. My boys were 4 & 6 when we got bunk beds and I would not allow my 4 yr old on there because of that rule. But he was my (not balanced, immature one) and it turned out that I was right because he went against the rules and climbed up there and fell off.

Other things you need to think about is the sibling will want to climb up there and that's hard to keep watch all the time. Another thing is when you have playdates at your house, your daughters friends will want to play up there and if they are not old enough that could pose to be a problem. Moms might not like it if they new their young daughter was climbing that high and playing up there at a young age.

My boys are 7 & 9 now but I have to 'gate' my 3 yr old daughter out of their room because of the bunkbed. That gate will be there forever because I have 1 yr old son now too.

Food for thought.
C.

She'll be alright. Kids love the ladder & if she falls she'll get back up. To rest your mind you can try checking on her through out the night until you feel comfortable mom:-)! Good luck!

My daughter was 4 when we bought her her bunk bed. She wanted to sleep on the top bunk so bad but I made her wait till I had enough faith that she would not fall off the ladder. She sleeps with a blue screen on her tv to give her a night light in her room. She has slept on the top bunk several times. She has never fallen off the top bunk during the night but has during the day when she is acting silly. We keep all her stuffed animals on the top bunk so it is hard for her to want to sleep up there now, but she does play up there during the day. My main fear is that my 19 month old son climbs the ladder when she leaves her door open and he has fallen off the top bunk one time.

Good Morning S., Our boys were 5-7 when we put the bunk beds together. They were the type that each could be placed on the floor and stacked later. They were old enough then to know how to get down and we always had a good night light to see by.

Son and Daughter law have the same type of beds you described, our oldest Gr son 7, sleeps on top youngest 3, on the bottom. Our grand daughter sleeps on the bottom of her's She is almost 9, and when she has a girlfriend or cousin stay they make her mattress bigger.

Or other son & dl are wanting to get BB's also, and have the oldest 3, get used to it. Right now I don't think he is ready for the top as he gets up several times to go potty and waste time going to bed now. This has just started the last few months. Used to put him to bed, say prayers and kiss's and he was out for the night. Their baby is only 6 months, so there is plenty of time before they a roomies.

My Brother (5) and I (9) used to take turns on top, and we always put our feet on the top bed box springs or frame and lift to see who could make the other fall off the fastest. KIDS, whacha gonna do wiff um! :) We both lived.

We actually moved my 3 year old into the top of his bunk bed to keep him in bed all night. We took away the ladder so he couldn't get down (he still used a pull-up at night). We put a couple of pillows at the opening and we never had a problem.

I am pretty sure kids are suppose to be 6 years old before they sleep on the top bunk for safety. Ask a salesman at a store and/or look for a safety sticker on the product. My nephew's bed had a sticker that said no child under 6 should sleep on the top bunk.

Go for it!! Your 4 year old isn't a toddler anymore, she will be in Kindergarten soon. When our girls turned 4 they got their big girl beds. We had them made for them to match their rooms and they have traveled thru two states with us. We told them they could have them when they moved out. After all they are theirs. If your daughters want a bunk bed, then let them have one. I think it's great that she is so ready. Her sister probably is also ready and will love sharing the bed with her older sister. Have fun picking out comforters.

That seems really young for the top bunk, but it's not the age so much as the kid. My girls were a little older when they got their bunk beds and I wasn't really worried about them falling out because of the rails and they were well behaved kids. But much to my surprise, I found out years later that they used to jump off the top bunk. Or jump from the top bunk to the dresser then to the floor. I knew they were little monkeys but had no idea this was going on! It never occurred to me to tell them not to jump off because it was so high and I never dreamed they would do such a thing. But, they never got hurt! So, you might want to tell your kids that jumping off is not allowed!

Hi S., My daughter turned 3 in Feb. this year and my Husband and I bought her a bunk bed for her birthday. We tried to get her to sleep on the bottom, but she refuses and sleeps on the top. She has not rolled out of the bed because of the rails, but has fallen off the ladder twice and not gotten hurt, and crawls in and out of it numerous times everyday. Everyone that we talked to while looking for the "perfect big girl bed" recommended 6 years old for the bunk bed, but it seems to be working out for us. I think that it all depends on your child. Height and how groggy they are when they awake in the middle of the night.

We gave our twin daughters a bunk bed on their 4th birthday, the getting close to 6 now. We didn't have any problems with them really getting up in the middle of the night, but when the one that slept on top did need to go potty or something, she would holler for someone to help her down. She only did this a few times until she felt comfortable climbing down at night by herself. The rest of the time she was just like a monkey. It also helps if there is a night light somewhere nearby so she isn't coming down completely blind. Good Luck!

Hello S. im a 34 yr old father of 4 (17,15,10,7) male,male,female,male we live in a 3 bedroom , the older 2 share the younger 2 share and me and my girlfriend of 11 yrs share we dont worry about the older boys my 10yr girl sleeps on bottom my youngest son started sleeping on the top all the time when he was 4 the top bed didn't have rails but i found some that would work i drilled a few holes installed the rails ,the bed also had a ladder fixed straight up and down i un bolted it flipped it and pulled the bottom out redrilled the bolt holes ,bolted togeter now the ladder isn't straight up and down it has more of an angle so he can get his footing before he climbs down he's been there three yrs with no slips,falls or accidents he loves his bed ....., If you ask me those straight up & down ladders are dangerous,, if you have the means to make more of an angle i would !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! kids that cant see or feel that first step in my eyes are more likely to slip or fall off but thats how i feel!!!!!!!!! if they can see or feel the step they are less likely to fall BUT THAT'S MY OPINION it's an easy fix my son has proven to me it works but if your still not sure let her take a nap in the day let her climb into bed and climb down afterwards so she gets to know where she is ad how to get down that way at night she'll know what to do.....
hope this helps in your decision it really isn't hard to modify it to your child not to mention kids are smart she'll do great on the bed all she needs is your faith in her and trust & love & knowlage knowing youll be there if she needs help down hope this infomation helps you and your family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! with all the luck lincmisn2

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I had always heard 7, but I think you know your kid, some would be ready younger and some not nearly at 7... my daughter's 4 and I'm not close to ready for her to be in one (but we have thought about getting ones that can be separate or bunked, because she really likes the idea of bunk beds...)

K.

my boys have bunk beds. I think if your child doesn't tend to get up a lot at night and doesn't wet the bed, it may be fine. I think my oldest was 5 or 6 when he started sleeping on the top bunk and hasn't fallen out of it and is 15 now and still likes to sleep on the top bunk.

When I was little, I would spend the night at my cousin's house and I have always tossed and turned a lot and would fall off the top bunk every night, They were the old type bunk beds that didn't have a rail to hold you in, the ladder was the only thing but I would somehow fall out without touching the ladder and still wanted to sleep on top but after 2 nights of falling out of bed my aunt made me sleep on the bottom bunk. I didn't get hurt or even wake up as I was a sound sleeper as a child but it scared her when she heard the big thump in the night.

I agree with whoever said it depends on the child. Our 4th child was riding his bike with no training wheels at 3 1/2 years old. Our oldest child did not walk until she was almost 16 months old, and has been a walking accident waiting to happen ever since (She NEVER slept on the top bunk!!) If your daughter has strong gross motor skills (large muscles used for walking, running, climbing) I say go for it. Of our 8 children, all but the oldest slept in the top bunk and most of them were 4 years or younger. Some of those top bunks did not even have rails. I think we had 2 incidents of "falling off the bunk," but no injuries. Another consideration is how restless the child is and how often she gets up in the night, which you mention as a possibility. Remember, you as the parents know your child the best and many of the recommendations from manufacturers are extremely conservative due to the society in which we live. (i.e. lawsuits) Finally, consider how the room is arranged. It would be good to not have dressers or toy boxes right by the bed to fall onto.

skull fractures. lots of skull fractures in our unit every year from bunk beds. not trying to scare you but just to let you know...and if it were my kid and they had one i would take the ladder off at night so they could call when they needed something instead of get down. good luck!

I think I was 4 when I started sleeping in the top bunk and my little sister was in the bottom.

My twins were three when we moved them to a bunk bed. They did fine. There is always a warning label for under five or six to avoid entrapment/strangling issues, but even with two active boys, we never had that issue because we made sure that the mattress was a tight fit. Good luck! Kati