Are you an engineer, carpenter or clever creative thinker? Help me brainstorm!

[SinkGirl]

We need safe beds for our twins who are 3.5 and still in cots due to disabilities that would make it unsafe for them to be out of bed. One twin has a cat net over the top to stop him climbing out. It’s a short term fix.

There are various safe bed options which are thousands, but crucially their room is just slightly too small to fit two single beds in it. We can’t fit our bed in there either so can’t swap.

We are on a waiting list for an assessment from social care but it’s a six month wait.

We want to get some special bunks beds built in which can’t be escaped from, but which can be converted later so they can be used normally if they are able. But I can’t think how to design them.

This is the best thing we have found, it fits on an Ikea bed. I was thinking we could have the beds cut down in length a bit so they’d fit in the room but then the net would be too big, and I’m not sure who I could get to adjust this.

Does anyone have any brilliant ideas? Any out of the box suggestions?

I don't know if they still do them but what about the junior beds made into character shapes? Friends dc had a Thomas one, it was basically a wooden base the mattress fitted into, with a substantial headboard to make it into a train. The result was it weighed a tonne and was incredibly stable. Of course the character aspect doesn't matter you could paint over it and they weren't that much more than any other child bed iirc. Or get a joiner to make something similar.

Then a wooden post at each corner and around the top to make a frame. A wooden safety gate at the foot of the bed, drilled into the posts. (The expanding sturdy variety of gate with proper hinges). If necessary with a slight alteration so it can only be undone from the outside.

Then you just cover the two long sides and roof with sturdy material, fastened to the wooden frame. No idea about the fabric, I wouldn't have a clue, the only thing I can think of is 1000 denier ripstop horse turnout rug fabric which is definitely opaque.

If the house is older and sturdy it might also be an option to fasten whatever bed and frame you end up with to the floor and walls.

For a bunk like that could you just make a pair of mesh screen doors and hinge them on either side. You could have magnetic catches top and bottom and a simple hook and eye in the middle.

For those bunk beds you could use the mesh / zips off trampoline netting surround to make a front. Back to the staple gun again!

This type of replacement trampoline netting.

I just worry they’d either manage to rip it off if stapled, or open it if it’s some kind of gate. But maybe a carpenter could make something secure, that’s fixed in place and then hinged or zips open. The trampoline netting with zip is a good idea - maybe a screen with a wood frame that’s securely attached to the front with just a zip down the middle.

That'd work and be easy to remove later if needed.

The staple gun staples are very strong and once they are stapled in a row without gaps it would be pretty impossible to pull off.

Sorry, wrong thread 😬

Will speak to a couple of carpenters and see if they could make this work!

Could you add sliding panels covered in mesh?
With a latch at the middle.?

I'd swap rooms and use bunk beds for you and DH until you move house.

Out of the box solution but have you thought about contacting a university that does design e.g. Royal College of Art - they may have some ideas/ contacts and it might actually make a nice project for some students as it’s a fairly safe bet that you aren’t the only people in this situation. And I’d add the constraint about needing to grow with the child.
This is Standford rather than Uk but gives an idea healthier.stanfordchildrens.org/en/designing-future-neonatal-intensive-care-unit/

Perhaps try contacting these
www.ucl.ac.uk/computer-science/study/postgraduate-taught/disability-design-and-innovation-msc

Contacting a uni is a brilliant idea! I will look up all the relevant courses and contact them - probably the wrong time of year but still, will give it a go!