Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Shopping

From everyday essentials to big purchases, swap tips and recommendations. For the best deals without the hassle, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Original poster

Advice needed on cabin beds

19 replies

hotandbothered · 14/01/2007 22:56

We're about to buy our 3.5 dd a cabin bed. We've seen 2 we like. One has a straight up ladder, the other a slanted ladder. I'm guessing the slanted ladder is probably safer to get up and down, but would it get in the way of moving about the bedroom. Would we consatntly be tripping over it?
Also has anyone bought an Argos cabin bed or an MFI one? What do you think of them?
Thanks

OP posts:
kid · 14/01/2007 23:00

When buying one, make sure the ladder steps have a flat part to step on so they don't hurt the foot. Not sure how to explain myself any clearer, you will have to compare pictures of some until you understand what I mean.
If you have a small room, it would be difficult to move the room around as the ladder could get in the way of the door.

Original poster
hotandbothered · 14/01/2007 23:02

Thanks Kid - will go and look at pics again...
Do the ladders protrude a lot then?

OP posts:
kid · 14/01/2007 23:04

I think they have measurements including the distance of the ladder. We couldn't get DS one as his room is very small. We got bunkbeds without the flat step bit so it hurts my feet when I climb up there to make the bed. At least I have an excuse not to make the top bed.

PeachyClair · 14/01/2007 23:08

I have an Argos one, its falling to bits [angry). Its this . Desk ahd to be takena waya s was a hazard (for climbing and jumping as it has wheels on) and the drawer fronts all came off. After 3 years it has to be ditched.

1980cat · 14/01/2007 23:12

We got one from MFI last year and was, surprisingly, very impressed with the quality of it. It is the snooze one with the slide and lots of tent bits, although the tent things annoy me a bit as it makes it difficult to get Dd into bed.
Dd has found the slanted ladders really easy to use and has managed them since she was 2 and never had any accidents on them. It doesn't realy stick out too much although it now has the slide attached and a huge tower thing so does now take up a lot of room. But they were fine when we only had the ladders on the bed.

Original poster
hotandbothered · 14/01/2007 23:13

The one we're loooking at in Argos is the slatted wooden type with a tent underneath, so not at all like yours PeachyClair - but am a bit worried that it might be a bit shaky. We saw the MFI one in the shop and it seemed pretty solid but that was a while ago.
The room isn't terribly tiny, just long and thin. It had bunks in when we viewed the house, which seemed OK but they didn't have a ladder, so no issues with it coming into the room.

OP posts:
Original poster
hotandbothered · 14/01/2007 23:15

Thanks 1980cat - we can't decide whether to get the tent or not. We're not getting the slide - I'm a spoilsport but there isn't room anyway! Do you mean your dd is hiding when you want to get him in to bed? If so, I don't like the sound of that either!

OP posts:
1980cat · 14/01/2007 23:25

She doesn't managed to get in the tent under the bed as it makes too good a hiding place for all her stuff so it is filled with toys. It's the tunnel bit that attaches to the bed that annoys me. It's fine when she is awake and can climb into bed herself, as she insists on sleeping in the tunnel, but when she's asleep you have to try and push it out the way to get her in bed. Also the tower thing is just pointless but looks nice. To be honest she deosn't really use the slide much other than as a lazy way to get out of bed in the morning.

1980cat · 14/01/2007 23:31

The other thing is if you go for the mfi one is be prepared for them to mess up the delivery and not get rid of your sons old bed till the new one has arrived. Mines wasn't too bad, they initialy only delived half of it but they did phone and let me know that the second half would be delivered a fortnight later which it was, but they only let me know I was only getting one half the day before so I would have been stuffed if I'd been moving her out of another bed. However I think I posted a similar question to this when I got Dd her bed and a couple of other people had had similar problems with delivery.

Original poster
hotandbothered · 14/01/2007 23:36

Gosh - hadn't even thought of the tunnel bit on top... How do you do a night night kiss? Think dh is going to be very pleased with me - we will be buying just the basics at this rate Any other advice on whittling the costs down?
How old is your dd 1980cat? Does she have any problems getting down the ladder? Particularly when she is tired?

OP posts:
mysonsmummy · 14/01/2007 23:45

any furniture i buy from argos is crap. do they have one in ikea. i found a great place that i am getting a bunk thats double on bottom for ds and i as we are in one bed flat . see if i can remember to do a link here

1980cat · 14/01/2007 23:50

She tends to poke her head out for a kiss then scuttles back under the covers.
We got the bed when she was had only just turned two and shes never had any problems with the ladders. She went straight into it from her cot as she had refused to sleep in a normal bed so I got the cabin bed as at least if she wasn't using it to sleep in her toys could be somewhere out the way as her room in our old house was pretty small. We thought at first she would have to be put in and out, it seemed like a good way of keeping her in bed for a full night, but I think by the second night she had them mastered. Even then she would come through to our room almost sleep walking during the night and just fall straight to sleep in our bed. Now though she just uses the slide and you get used to the hearing the thud just before she comes through.

turquoise · 14/01/2007 23:50

My ds has an argos one similar to Peachyclair's, but higher, with a small wardrobe underneath, a desk and drawers. It's been fine, but the mattress is thin and not very comfy, but the actual bedframe is too small for a regular single matress to fit.

Also, after me and a friend had spent ten hours putting it together from flat pack, we realised that we would never get it out of the room if we move, doh!

Original poster
hotandbothered · 15/01/2007 11:19

Getting the general feeling Argos aren't being recommended... The MFI bed is just like the Thuka one, but minus the slide and tower. Think the MFI one is winning so far... can't see any in IKEA. Think the one they have is a bit high.

OP posts:
MrsBadger · 15/01/2007 11:42

the trick with slanty ladders is to have the bed in the corner and the ladder at the end of the bed nearest the corner (usu in front of the window) where you wouldn't put anything on the floor and don't need to get past.

this is the only one I could find in Ikea.

Stompa do a fab one with a not-quite-straight yet low-floorspace ladder that might be worth a look.

Original poster
hotandbothered · 15/01/2007 11:48

I love the Stompa one but the price is scary! The Ikea one seems a bit high... Good advice about the ladder although it does make the layout of the room harder to rearrange.

OP posts:
crumbs · 15/01/2007 11:52

I have two Stompas, and the quality is great. Got them both second hand - the first for £250 through the newspaper, and the second for £15 (a day later!) at a furniture auction. So might be worth a look around?

MrsBadger · 15/01/2007 11:58

it is a bit pricey, isn't it!

some more here - I like the Maxi one with the handrails on the ladder.

Original poster
hotandbothered · 15/01/2007 12:02

Hmmm. Hadn't looked at secomd hand...
Mrs Badger - they look good. Am liking the handrails too, although guess they could be added to all of the beds we've seen, so not the only thing to sway our decision .

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread