Bunk Beds

[kkgirl]

Can anyone advise about bunk beds? We have a boy of 8 1/2 and twins of 6 1/2. Youngest boy has managed to break his bed by jumping about probably not on his own though and it was cheap.
They each have their own room, and we are trying to decide whether to:

a) buy ordinary bed
b) buy cabin type bed ( he has smallest room and it would mean we could get rid of his chest of drawers if cabin bed came with a set)
c) bunk beds which separate into two beds when you have finished with them.

The dilemna is that they would go into eldest boys' room as he has the largest, therefore he would sleep in the top bunk, leaving bottom free for either brother or sister. Will there be lots of problems with whose turn it is, are bunks suitable for this age and how practical are they?

Any advice please quickly as we need to try to buy something. Youngest son is sleeping on the floor in eldest sons' room.

My gut feeling is a cabin bed.

DS1 has been sleeping on a mid-height cabin bed since he was 2 1/2 with no problem.

We have bunk beds - 3' mattresses - and you need gorilla arms and Mr Motivator muscles to make the top one!

If you have enough floor space not to have to have bunks, then I would agree that a cabin bed with lots of useful built-in bits is probably the best choice.

My dd has slept in a loft bed (same height as top bunk of bunk beds but nothing underneath) since age 4 1/2. For a while we had ds's bed underneath but at right angles, ie, the head of his bed underneath the head of dd's. Worked well. Now dd has a chest of drawers and a small wardrobe under her bed. V handy for saving space. I find it more versatile than a cabin bed.

Ds1 is now four and has slept at the top of a bunk bed for six months. He is fine up there and couldn't contemplate being at the bottom once he saw the bed at the top. I'm sure bunk beds will be fine.

I am confused. If they each have their own room why are they sharing rooms? If you don't have a need for it space-wise, I would first choice have a normal bed. 2nd choice would be a cabin bed. We got one recently and my ds moved into from his cot just before he turned 2. It's a little irritating because it's just a bit too high (and it has a railing as well) to give him a proper cuddle in it, so I have to half climb in. He loves it though. Before that we had bunk beds for my step kids. Stepson slept on top from age 6 with no problems. However as someone pointed out it is a pain to make-up (luckily i have a cleaner) and impossible for cuddling. By the way, the cabin bed we got has futon mattress so it isn't bouncy, which means jumping on it isn't very effective, so no chance of breaking matterasses and beds.

Its not really that they have to share rooms, we don't have a shortage of space. Its just that twin boy seems to want to be with someone else and will sleep on ds's floor if he can't get in the bed with ds. He also likes to sleep with twin sister, and as this bed "opportunity" has arisen we are trying to decide what to do.
It would also be handy to have a spare bed, ie twin boys' room ( he would have ds's old bed in his room if we bought bunks) so that if dh or I are ill etc we have a spare.
It sounds complicated I know but we are trying to come up with a solution which suits the children and is practical for us I (if we buy bunks which separate then we still have two beds if they decide they want their own space again.

kkgirl, as you have enough floor space for 2 separate beds in DS1's room, how about getting one of those single beds where a guest bed slides underneath but has legs that pop up to full height when you slide it out? There are 7 different ones in the Argos catalogue (p549/550).

High beds are awkward both for making and for cuddling (and make the room seem more crowded) so if you are mostly thinking about having a spare bed one of these would get round the problem.

Mind you I suppose you would still have to decide what to get for DS2. Hmmm!

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Oops too late. As we had to act fairly quickly we went for the cabin bed. Focus DIY had one for £89 which had three little drawers a small wardrobe and a cave underneath (thats what the kids think it is anyway) where a toy box or two could be hidden. We thought for ds's room which is quite small it would be good because we can have a turn out and get rid of a big wardrobe which is hanging about in there. He has a built in wardrobe but it starts at about 2 1/2 feet off the floor so he is too small to reach into it yet.
Thanks for all the comments we may still get the bunks in due course for the sleeping together/sleepovers.

It sounds like nobody on this thread followed the official guidance about the ages when you put them into high sleepers (I assume that's a cabin bed?) or bunk beds? Argos catalog and everywhere else says 6yo for a bunk bed or loft bed, and 4 yo for a high-sleeper/cabin bed. DH thinks that our 4yo is ready for the top bunk of a bunk bed, but I am nervous about falls. What do you tall think?

ACtually, I am thinking about the bunk bed in Argos catalog which is double bed underneath a single bed, which solves cuddles problems, I would hope. And it would still suit up to teenage years. Assuming we have space, are there any problems with this type of double+single bunk bed?

DS1 went straight from a cot to a mid sleeper (not as high as a top bunk) when he was just over 2 years old. Never had one problem with him falling out. To me in some ways (obviously apart from the ladder aspect) it was safer than an ordinary bed as there was a thick wooden railing all the way round. It was also great for saving space as I put all his big toys like his see-saw, coupe car etc under it.

He & DD have been in bunk beds for the past year with no probs at all. They have never argued about who goes on top as we decided for them

DS2 is still in his cot at the moment, but as the 3 of them share a room we will probably go the mid sleeper route again as DS2 can climb up the ladders on the bunk beds no probs.

I was worried about that too, MrsZebraGrump, but mine have now had their bunks for a while and seem just fine (they are turning 5 on Monday so about the same age as your ds). They tend to sleep together in whichever bunk takes their fancy but even when a bit boisterous in the top there've been no falls as yet and they seem quite safe behind the raily bits. I would have got the double too if it hadn't been for space considerations.

Just bumping this up to see if anybody disagrees... We can't get on with different bed options, anyway, until we move house, which probably won't be until Autumn at earliest (the way things are going, moan, moan...), so I guess DS will be nearly 5yo by the time I had to decide.
My kids argue all the time; it wears me down something awful.

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IKEA suggests 8 as a minimum age but it is probably related to English safety regulations...

Mrs Grump, we've got one of these bunk beds, double on the bottom, single on top (from MFI). DS1 has just started sleeping on the top bunk and seems to have no problems, he has just turned five. I thought the double on the bottom was a great idea too, especially for relatives coming to stay.