My oldest, time for the upper bunk?
 

I know what Tim Hancock is going to say:)

My oldest (turned four in December) thinks it's time to move up to the top bunk. His younger brother (two last October) is moving into the bottom bunk from a toddler bed.

My four year old is very advanced and I have no doubts that he understands the rules and we just spent the last 15 minutes practicing the ladder and explaining "one firm handhold at all times" rule. He navigates the ladder with ease and is deliberate. He understands no climbing in socks and he has never fallen out of his lower bed.

The top bunk has a rail except for the ladder area at his feet and a similar gap near his bed that we have blockaded.

Bed mfgs claim 5-6 years old is the line but liability certainly plays a big role there. One mfg says as soon as they can traverse the ladder safely they are good to go.

His comment just now of "Daddy, I'm so proud of myself for being ready for the top bunk." doesn't make the decision any easier.

What are your thoughts?

Does he still get up at night? Any sleepwalking?

If yes, I'd wait.

All my kid's buddies who've slept over have dent marks on their heads from the ceiling fan.
"Remember to watch out for the-" KLUNK
Jim

He doesn't get up often and has never sleep walked. He might get up once every couple weeks for a late night potty trip.

Think about bolting the side of the top bunk to the wall. The bed won't tip over. Also there have been nasty accidents when little ones slip into the space between the bed and the wall.

Good point I'll check that right now.

OK, that's not a problem. This is very heavy solid wood unit and I can't move it. I can see those metal framed deals being an issue though.

Just after I moved my daughter to the top bunk I was awaken in the middle of the night to her screaming. She was coming down the ladder 1/2 asleep and had somehow gotten her leg through the bars and was hanging there upside down. Her leg was over the top rung, and her foot was in front of the second from the top rung, with her butt at her foot. Not sure if you get the picture, but it was like she was hanging from the monkey bars upside down.

I know this was a once in a life time thing, but it happened...

Nope I see what you're saying and the reading I did suggests ladder accidents are the most common. How old was your daughter at the time?

How high is the rail?

I rolled over it on night. had a real nasty bruise for 2 weeks from hitting the chest of drawers on the way down. I was about 8-9 ??? at the time though. I roll, move and end up sometimes with my head at the bottom of the bed ... so I'm not the prime candidate for a bunk.

I do remember a temporary 1.5' high rail in the beginning and then went down to a small 6'' type. That is the one that got me :rolleyes:

Oh yeah! Keep the teddy bear amount down from the wall side. lolo, that is what probably got me :D Wayyyyyy toooo many! :)

I was about nine and sleeping in the top bunk when I turned the light on to go potty. There was a scorpion on the ceiling right above my nose. So I slowly crawled down to get a glass to catch him in. Came back and couldn't find him!!!!!! Never did find him.

Maybe some no-slip tape on ladder rungs, in case he does climb asleep or in socks.

Otherwise, seems fine - one of those steps that mean a lot to a little kid and make being a parent fun.

For god's sake Lendaddy, he should be doing double jumps by now on a dirt bike. If he can get up there, let him. What kind p@$sy are you trying to raise anyhow? :D

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1201826668.jpg

I knew I could count on you for some country logic:D

FWIW the rail is 14" tall or so.

Weren't the 70s great? I can't even imagine my parents considering this, but then we grew up in woods and were falling out of trees by 4.

My older brother and I used to fight to get the top bunk practically every night, still have a scar under my chin when he pulled me down the ladder.

Get him some Dora the Explorer sheets and he's good to go.:D;)

j/k Joel, sounds like a great moment in dadhood and any kid that can drive a 4-wheeler gets the top bunk in my book, besides, your 2-year-old needs someone to look up to, no pun intended.

Funny how you knew I would be all over this thread from the git-go :D Hell, I got a big grin on my face before I even clicked on it. :D

Here is my professional medical opinion:


Why not.


That will be $150 please.

:D

I suggest you get him a bean bag chair and let him practice his high dive skills from the top bunk. On second thought, I remember doing that as a kid and the d@mn thing made a mess when it finally blew a hole out the side.

FWIW, he's no longer on the four wheeler but has a Honda Z50 now:)

I went to the top bunk when I was 5 or 6 and was in no way considered advanced. I never once fell out of bed or had a close call. I wondered if I would, because I was a little cautious about the move, but I quickly realized that instinct would take over and keep me safe, even when I was asleep. I'd let him go and not worry about it. But do impress upon him what a big boy he is and how advanced he is to do something so special. It will do wonders for his confidence.

Oh, and I never bothered with the ladder. The slats at the end of the bed worked better and were sturdier. The guard on the side got taken down in a week for the same reason: it kept getting in the way and was a trip hazzard. Take all that stuff off and let him at it.

No way the wife would let me take the rail down, she's a nervous wreck as it is. :)

They now have much more play area in their room now as well which is great.

The two year old has grabbed the ladder twice already which is not good. He was rebuffed with much prejudice and I think we have that taken care if.:)

When I was a kid I had the top bunk and my older brother had the bottom bunk. Our bunks had the wire screen springs and no slats. My brother would wait until I was asleep then using his feet on the bottom of the top bunk push up and flip me out of bed onto the floor. Fortunately we had carpeting. I survived.

Screw the ladder to the bed.

I agree with climbing the bed versus ladder. It was safer and quicker :D

It's time for the boy to move on up. Kids these days, they live such shielded lives.:confused: At 4, I was navigating through the bedroom window on to the roof. Being the youngest of 5 boys, I had to keep up!

Sorry Len, I'm with Big Tim on this one too. ;)

At least you have two boys, they'll toughen each other up soon enough I'm sure.

My youngest, Erin was downhill skiing at 4 and waterskiing at 5.
My grandson, now 8 hasn't tried to waterski and freaked out so bad when I took him snow skiing (at 6) that I had to walk away and let his Grandma deal with him. I ended up putting him in the toddlers day school. His mom, my daughter, babies him so badly.

i have a big scar on my head from our bunk bed :D
mid 70's.....i was 6 years old and did a running dive into the lower bunk, unfortunately they were the old school bunks with metal rails and a wire bar which kept the top bunk from bowing sideways......my head caught it, the blood scared me the most but i basically scalped myself and was left with a flap of skin/hair in a big 7" tringle......42 stitches and a week out of school and i was good to go :D

normally when i tell this story it starts with someone asking "how'd you get the scar?" my response is usually "lawnmower when i was a kid"......
having used the same line for many many years i've watched some pretty crazy responses, from the typical "what?" to absolute looks of despair looks on peoples faces :D
then i tell the i'm kidding of course and they take a breath :D

modern bunk beds are way safer in terms of stability and not so dangerous edges which we had in the 70's, i also remember going on road trips sitting in the back window of the family sedan, and i turned out ok......let the kid have the top, he'll tell the story of his "advancement" in college to pick up girls :)

Don't give up on the grandson. Think how much of a wuss he will be if your daughter has her way. :D My younger sister has two young boys and I have taken it upon myself to make sure they get a healthy dose of "Uncle Bad Tim" every time they visit. The three year old has been on the fourwheeler, Jet Ski, snowmobile, airplane and motorcycles. He couldn't wait to tell his mom the day Uncle Bad Tim let him shoot BB guns out in the hangar ;):D

I would never want to see a kid injur himself badly, but a few bumps and bruises at a young age is a good thing IMO, as it teaches them think about the consequences of their actions at an early age. Later in life when they start driving and doing other truly dangerous stuff, they will be better off than the kids who were coddled.

Good to hear Lendaddy! I am jealous that you have 4 yr old boy to teach the "essentials" to! :D

Last night went great. After the raw excitement of the new digs kept them yapping for 20 minutes it was lights out. Both slept trough the night without incident (which is rare for the two year old, he likes 3:00 A.M. :)

Now I just need mom to relax.

The Z50 really is way too fast for him so I machined the throttle to have an adjustable stop and he keeps it in first gear. I also had training wheels on it last year and those come off this spring. I do not push him and I actually had to keep from giving in to his requests to remove them last year:)

My toddler minibike training technique has always started with making them start and stop multiple times on my command with me following/hanging onto to the back of the seat. Once I feel relatively confident that they have that "seemingly simple" skill set down pat, I turn em loose in a large open area for some down and backs with each loop consisting of a full stop back where I am standing. After they can do this without issue, I let them shift gears and repeat the down and backs. At that point, I turn em loose. I have used this simple technique many times over the years (with my girls and with friends and families kids) and have never had a kid hit anything or end up in the pond. ;):D

I have heard of many other folks who have simply put a kid a minibike and next thing they know, the kid runs into a building or a parked car.....It all comes down to the kids first learning which way to twist the throttle and how to apply the brakes. I also have on occasion noticed that some kids actually "forget" or do not have enough sense to put their feet down when coming to a stop or while manuevering slowly. Once again, the key is to make them start and stop numerous times until that seemingly simple tasks becomes "natural".

I am sure you are past all that business by now Lendaddy and are probably schooling him on how to sit down to preload prior to hitting a hairy double right out of a corner. :D

Yep, working the controls started when he was two on the four wheeler. He has that down. The problem with the Z50 is that it has standard size controls which are pretty big for his hands. The newer minibikes have 3/4 size bars and levers so I may do a conversion this winter.

I think she was 6, or first grade. She lived through it as all (most) kids will. It was just one of those things where you could either laugh or cry. I just helped her down before her mom saw her like that...

After your post I had him get on the ladder and I supported him why forcing his foot to slip inside the rung and fall a bit for effect. The look of terror on his face was priceless. I explained to him how easily that could happen and that's why he needs to be careful. I think it really helped it sink in.

My 4 year old slept on the top bunk in his older brothers room while we were finishing the other bedroom. No issues at all.

Man up Len. Let the boy learn.

Lendaddy whats on the floor--Concrete?

Tim I'm more concerned about the pond and my 2.5 year old girl, any suggestions?

Floor is carpet.

As a small child I fell out of the balcony at a show at the YMCA and it hasn't bothered me one....

THE SPIDERS! THE SPIDERS! GET THEM OFF!

True story, the YMCA not the spiders, I don't remember the event but the story goes as a baby I crawled under the railing and fell onto the middle of a padded chair on my back... freaked everyone out but I thought is was great fun.

I also vaguely remember falling out of a moving vehicle as a child...

Good times... good times...

Topbunk today, parkour tomorrow...

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4 years old? Frankly that's old enough to be sweeping chimneys in Victorian London, smelting uranium in an Indian sweat shop or maybe joining the special forces in a particularly desperate sub Saharan African Army.

In short I think he'll be fine in the bunk!