How old for cabin/ bunk beds?

[HappyNewMum71]

My DD is 3 1/2, we'll be moving house soon and I really want to buy her one of those cabin beds. THe room she's going to is pretty small and I like the idea of her having as much available space to play as possible. Is she too young for these? I know that the beds tend to have barriers ont eh side to stop the wee ones falling out, and we've also got a travel one I could use, but I don't want to endager her safety for the sake of a piece of furniture, so any help/ thoughts greatefully received (bed I am looking at is alos around £800 so REALLY don't want to f*ck up such an expensive purchase as don't have the spare cash, we've been saving up for this for ages!)

It depends on the child and how comfortable she feels. You can buy cabin/ bunk beds which are self assembly and which can work at a low level and then you can add the stilts a bit later.

When we first got bunk beds for our dd's, the instructions said top bunk was for age 6+.

DD1 (aged 4.5 at the time) tried it, as we were pretty confident she wasn't going to get out of bed/fall out in the night, but she wasn't happy and we still have the bunk beds split into two singles nearly two years later.

Not sure on the age range for cabin beds though- but think it is something similar.

The reason she didn't like top bunk was the ladders hurt her feet when she climbed them.

I had a bunk bed when I just turned 5 and whilst I loved it and can remember being very excited about it I also remember falling out of it very spectacularly.

I was on the ladder - which my Dad had the alter because the rungs were round and they hurt my feet - and I slipped and my leg went through the rungs, I fell backwards and hit my (now upside down) head on the bottom rung and knocked myself out.

They found me hanging there just as I was coming round, a trip to A&E to confirm concussion and I was allowed to eat ice cream for the rest of the day . Personally, I think I was too young, though I suppose that what happened to me could just as easily happen to an 8 year old.

Sorry, probably not the type of story you were looking for!!

Personally I'd buy a cheapo toddler bed (takes up much less space than adult bed), and wait until she's grown out of it to buy the cabin bed. I agree about 5-6 unless you want to be getting up in the night to take her to the toilet.

No, that's exactly what I wanted to hear - thanks guys!! It's more about me than it is about her, I was SO excited at the thought of buying her something I'd always really wanted, but I'm not sure that's really the point is it?! Ah well, money can be stuck in a savings account and we'll buy her a toddler bed for now, may go for the suggested option of buying her one that can be extended at a later date