How Young Is Too Young for Bunk Beds?

Updated on January 20, 2009
M.S. asks from Ithaca, NY
24 answers

In a few months, we hope to move my 19 month old daughter into my four-year old son's room, and are considering bedding options. They love to be close to each other and we'd like to encourage that. My son is very excited about the idea of bunk beds. While we have a pair of bunk beds, I'm not sure that he's old enough for the top bunk, even with a bed rail. Our other option is to move rooms around to allow both beds to be free-standing.

Anyone have any experience with bunk beds and preschoolers? At what age do people normally put their kids in the top bunk? Any advice is welcomed!

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So What Happened?

Thank you thank you thank you! So many responses and good comments too. As a child who grew up in bunk beds for as long as I can remember, I never really considered the age appropriateness of them, or the idea that some kids would be too active for bunks. Even though, my son would be okay going up and down, and being careful about it, my daughter is the daredevil and would be up there (or, heaven forbid, trying and falling) in a heartbeat. After reading all the excellent comments and advice, my husband and I have decided to rearrange our bedroom living spaces, by swapping rooms around, to allow for the beds to be free standing.

Thank you so much to all of you who responded. This was my first request and I was blown away by the number of responses! Again, thanks for your time and comments.

Sincerely,
M. S.

Featured Answers

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G.T.

answers from Rochester on

Both my daughters got bunk bed for their kids. One was 4 years old when she started sleeping in the top bunk with her 3 year old sister in the lower. The other was 3 when he started, with his 2 year old brother in the lower. Neither had any problems. In fact, they all love it and many times we would find the younger sibling in the top bunk with the older sibling! After 2 years none have ever fallen out of the upper bunk, or off the ladder used to climb to the upper bunk.

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S.F.

answers from Buffalo on

I had the same issue and decided to try the bunk bed idea. We put a side rail on the upper bunk, but when he was coming down the ladder, his foot slipped through the ladder slat and and he hit his face on the upper rung, he had a nice shiner. We then put the beds side by side with a small night stand. You may even want to look into a trundle. Just an FYI

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L.W.

answers from Albany on

Most guidelines I've seen are no top bunk until about 6, but I would say it depends on your own child. My older son fell out of bed more as a 4 and 5 year old than he did when we first put him in the twin size bed at 2 1/2, and so I wouldn't have considered an upper bunk for him until now (he's now 6, and not quite as active when he sleeps anymore...).

What we did was buy Captain's beds. That allows us to have both beds on the floor, but there is significant storage under the beds that the room is not packed. Just a thought...

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J.H.

answers from Syracuse on

I believe they recommend BB's for children OVER 6...I had the same prob, and we decided against them...I also kept thinking what if the top bunk gets thrown up on (and chances are good that it will at some point), how would I clean that? I freaked myself out...LOL...

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R.Y.

answers from New York on

Well, you made the same decision I would have here. We have an almost 3 year old and a newborn. We got bunk beds from a relative and set 1 up as a twin bed. But first we went to a furniture store with a big selection of children's beds. Our little monkey had a little too much fun climbing all over the loft and bunk beds. So we will see again when he is 6 or 7 if he is ready and if the baby has the same interest in climbing everything. My husband and his brother had bunk beds as older chilldren (starting when they were about 8 and 10) and one of them fell off and broke a collar bone.

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C.O.

answers from New York on

I think that it really depends on your child. We moved our son into a low-bunk loft bed due to space issues when he was just over 3 years old. He is a very active kid,has a good sense of balance, and does not get out of bed without calling for us first. I don't know if that made a difference in our experience--also our ladder up his bed is angled--making it much easier to climb. We took our son to the store a few times before buying the bed so that he could test getting up and down the ladder.
Go with your gut instinct-- and test out the ladders!

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M.T.

answers from New York on

Hi M.,
While kids think of bunkbeds as really fun, I'd be wary of them. The kids won't necessarily be close to each other, because they will not see each other. Your 4 year old would need to be able to climb down in the middle of the night for the bathroom or if he didn't feel well. And you couldn't leave them - especially the 1 year old, alone in their own room due to the danger of climbing up, falling down, jumping off (yes, all kids will try this), etc. I'd use caution. Good luck

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A.H.

answers from New York on

make sure you buy ones that are of very good quality.. I know a child that got stuck under the top bar.. and died.. so be careful what you buy. check consumer affairs.

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J.C.

answers from New York on

According to Toddler Bargains (a great book for moms with kids entering or even in the todler years):

BE WARY OF BUNK BEDS. Even though new federal safety
standards were enacted way back in 1999, we are still concerned that a good number of bunk beds are not conforming to the law.

Bunk Beds:
Are the new safety standards being ignored?
It’s the perfect solution for a space squeeze—bunk beds, that
quintessential piece of juvenile furniture that is in thousands of
kids’ bedrooms nationwide. Yet bunk beds have a dark side: they
have been responsible for 91 deaths by entrapment since 1990;
in 1998 alone, over 34,000 children where sent to the emergency
room for bunk bed-related injuries. In a five-year period ending
in 1999, more than 600,000 bunk beds were recalled because
they were unsafe—they put children at risk for falling, entrapment
or strangulation.
To address these alarming problems, the federal government
issued new mandatory safety rules in December 1999. Actually, the
government’s efforts to make bunk beds safer can be traced back
to 1992, when a voluntary safety standard was enacted.
Unfortunately, as you can see from the injury and death statistics
from the 1990’s, that effort was not successful, prompting the
Consumer Products Safety Commission to enact tougher mandatory
rules.
Beginning in July 2000, the CPSC required all bunk beds made
or imported for sale in the U.S. to meet these requirements:
 Any bed in which the underside of the foundation is over 30
inches from the floor must have guardrails on both sides and the
wall side rail must be continuous.
 Openings in the upper bunk structure must be small enough
(less than 3.5 inches) to prevent passage of a child’s torso.
 Openings in the lower bunk end structures must be small enough
to prevent entry by a child’s head or torso, or large enough to permit
the free passage of both the child’s torso and head.
 The bed must have a label identifying the manufacturer, distributor
or seller, the model number, and the date of manufacture.

Warnings must be on a label affixed to the bed and in instructions
that must accompany the bed. The label warns not to place
children less than six years of age on the upper bunk and specifies
mattress size.
Yet, despite the new rules, we are troubled that unsafe bunk
beds are still being sold nationwide. A loophole in the new federal
law allows retailers to sell off old bunk bed stock that predates
the new regulation with no warning to consumers. Unfortunately,
stock can sit on store shelves or in warehouses for years as we’ve
discovered.
Even more troubling: we still hear reports from parents who see
bunk beds on the market that don’t meet the new federal safety
standards. Here are the key problems we’ve witnessed with bunk
beds still for sale today:
 Guard rails on the back side of the bunk bed that do not run
from end to end of the bed.
 Openings on the top bunk that exceed the 3.5 inch space
rule mentioned above.
 Bunk beds that do meet the new weight standard. New rules
call for the top bunk to withstand 400 pounds of pressure for five
minutes. The problem? Many manufacturers don’t have equipment
to check this.
Some of these dangerous bunk beds are at second-hand stores
or at garage sales. Others are in discount retail stores. One bed
manufacturer who we spoke with at an industry conference said he
is troubled by unsafe bunk beds that are still being made today,
long after the new safety rules have been enacted.
While we don’t have a list of specific bunk bed manufactures
that are violating the federal rules, we urge parents to exercise caution.
The CPSC’s publication on bunk beds (http://www.cpsc.gov/
cpscpub/pubs/071.html) provides good tips as well as illustrations:

1. Selection
Choose bunk beds that have:
 Guardrails on all sides which are screwed, bolted or otherwise
firmly attached to the bed structure.
 Spacing between bed frame and bottom of guard rails that is no
greater than 3 1/2 inches (89 mm).
 Guardrails that extend at least 5 inches (127 mm) above the mattress
surface to prevent a child from rolling of

Cross ties under the mattress foundation which can be securely
attached.
 A ladder that is secured to the bed frame and will not slip when
a child climbs on it.
 A feature which permits the beds to be separated to form two
single beds if you have children too young to sleep safely on the
upper bunk.
 And finally, choose a mattress that correctly fits your bed,
whether regular or extra long. (Be wary of extra long mattresses, as
bedding can be hard to find).
2. Use
 Always use two side guardrails on the upper bunk. Keep
guardrails securely in place at all times no matter what the age of
the child. Children move about during sleep and may roll out of
bed.
 Do not permit children under six years of age to sleep in the
upper bunk.
 Be sure cross ties are under the mattress foundation of each bed
and that they are secured in place even if bunks are used as twin
beds.
 Emphasize to children to use the ladder and not chairs or other
pieces of furniture to climb into or out of the top bunk.
 Teach children that rough play is unsafe around and on beds and
other furniture.
 Use a night-light so that children will be able to see the ladder if
they get up during the night.
3. Maintenance or Safety Repair
 If spacing between guard rails and bed frames is more than 3
1/2 inches (89 mm), nail or screw another rail to close the space to
prevent head entrapment.
 Keep guardrails in good repair and securely in place.
 Replace loose or missing ladder rungs immediately.
 Repair or replace loose or missing hardware, including cross ties immediately.

Wow - there wes certainly a lot of info to cut and paste!!

M.H.

answers from New York on

Hi M.,

I have done that mistake my daughter is 6 1/2 years old and my son 19 months old. Not a good Idea, my son has gotten suck in the ladder that could have caused him to joke. He was stuck between the matters and the ladder. I had to remove the ladder because it happened more then once and I could see how if a crib bar is to far apart how a baby could stangle. It was horrible. I would wake until the little one is about 3 to 4 years of age. I wasted my money on this adventure. Good Luck! :)

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L.S.

answers from New York on

I forgot where I just read it, but I just read an article that says just how awful bunk beads are for toddlers. They're really deadly - I know they're a huge space saver, but if they like to be close and space is an issue, how about a trundle? But I'd really suggest that you skip the bunk beds until he's at least 8, the article said.

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A.A.

answers from New York on

My son will be 3 in February and has been in a top bunk now for about 5 months. He doesn't come down the ladder on his own, however. He waits in the morning for us to help him down. He can climb up on his own. Also, since I was freaked out about him falling out of the bed, we took 4 big rubbermaid bin tops and wedged them between his mattress and the railings giving an additional 6" or so in height. (It looks ridiculous but I feel it's much safer.)

That being said, I really think it depends on your child. My son is a very calm boy -- not the type to jump off the top bunk. But other boys may be inclined to take more risks. So I guess you need to use your own judgement on this one. Good luck!

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L.P.

answers from New York on

I would not be too concerned about your son using a bunk bed -if he's one to follow rules- but it's just toooo risky to have around for your daughter.

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M.S.

answers from Rochester on

I would keep both beds seperate, I have three children and my boys share a room too. How ever the younger one always wanted to climb up the ladder and it is quite a fall from the top, WE HAD A COUPLE OF CLOSE CALLS. I HAVE HEARD HORROR STORIES OF TODDLERS FALLING OFF AND BREAKING BONES. I DO NOT WANT TO SCARE YOY JUST BE CAREFUL YOU KNOW YOUR KIDS BETTER THAN ANYONE SO IF YOU THINK THE YONGER ONE IS A CLIMBER THEN I WOULD WAIT! GOOD LUCK TO YOU

M.

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C.H.

answers from New York on

We did not fare well with bunk beds. Two highly active boys, 6 and 11, did dare devil events every time they thought they could get away with it.. We took the beds apart after 2 months. Not worth the danger for my guys. Of couse, yours may be less inclined. Some seem to do fine.

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A.P.

answers from New York on

My sons have bunk beds, and they've both been fine.
We got them around Thanksgiving when my youngest had just turned 2 and my oldest will be 4 next month.
The oldest was used to the toddler bed, and the youngest was in a crib and both have transitioned with no problems.

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N.M.

answers from New York on

When my older two kids were younger they went into bunk beds at the ages of 4 and 5 (7 years ago). They were potty trained and the younger one was of course on the bottom. The rails were up to code. We never had any problems. Now fast forward to a few weeks ago. We looked at a loft bed for my 4 year old. The Saleslady clearly told us that he was too young, they now did not recommend them for kids under the age of 7 or 8. She said she always asks ages prior and will not sell them for use with toddlers. She said that the kids need to be old enough so that if they wake up they will not be disoriented and could climb out safely in case of an emergency.

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M.M.

answers from New York on

I don't mean to post negative information, but please--kids are always too young for bunk beds.

Years ago, I was a nurse in an operating room on the Navajo Indian reservation in Arizona. One night I got a call to come quickly, a child had been injured. A 6 year old boy and his brother were rough housing, the older one fell down from the top bunk and caught his brother in the liver with his elbow accidentally. We could not stop the injured child's internal bleeding, and he did not survive.

Years later, my own children were playing at a neighbor's house. The older ones were lying on a bottom bunk and using their feet to tip the mattress on the top bunk up and 'jiggle' the kids on the top bunk. The mattress on the top bunk tipped and fell through, bringing the mattress (which is heavy because of the intrnal framework) and the children who had been on the top bunk down on the ones on the bottom. No one was injured, but....

As adults, we tend to assume that beds are for sleeping, but children just doen't think that way. As parents, we delude ourselves into thinking we can supervise closely, but one distracted moment (like we all have) can have serious consequences. There are so many dangers for our children that we can't prevent--why introduce a potential injury unnecessariy?

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C.R.

answers from Syracuse on

I have 5 lil boys, and I had no other option than to use bunkbeds...my 3rd son was about 3 and 1/2 and on top of one set and my other son was about 4 when he was on top...if you go with bunkbeds my sugesstion is to keep the ladder un-attached(don't screw it in) that way as soon as the child gets down you can toss it up on the top bed and there is no playing or jumping going on up there...as a whole I like them space wise but to be honest changing sheets is a real pain in the butt...epsecially when they either wet the bed(which my son never did until we put him up there..I think he was just to tired to climb down to go potty...)or when they vomit...(used your imagination here...not just their bed but the walls and the child underneath them gets cover as well...really gross...)...age wise I think you know your child some 4 year olds can handle it and some 8 year olds can't...with bunkbeds come rules...good luck.

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E.G.

answers from Buffalo on

Well, I have a 6 year old and a 3 1/2 year old who have bunk beds. The bunk bed actually says on it not to allow anyone under 6 to sleep on the top. Every once in a while my 3 1/2 year old will get up to the top and not be able to get down. Also, I have a 22 month old daughter who climbs up on the top bunk all the time. If she disappears for a minute, I run into the boy's room, and she's usually on the top bunk. It makes me a nervous wreck. Unfortunately, our bunk bed doesn't have a removable or lockable ladder. So if you decide to do it, you just have to know that your 19 month old will more than likely learn very quickly how to get up to the top, and won't be able to get back down. If I were you, I'd try to keep them as 2 free standing at least until you know that if your daughter climbs up to the top, she can get back down safely. We didn't really have much choice, because our small 3 bedroom house has very small rooms.Good luck!

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E.B.

answers from New York on

4 years is too young for a bunk bed. Generally children need to be at least 6 for the top bunk (even with a railing). One suggestion would be to set up the beds in a corner configuration (a sort of an L shape) so that the head of each bed is next to the other. That way the children can be relatively close.

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K.H.

answers from Utica on

Hi M.
I would never be in favor of bunk beds, and certainly never without safety rails. They might get used to them but at what expense. If you have room for free standing, do it. You won't be able to keep your daughter down, well I couldn't have kept any of mine down.
My 7 yo fell out and needed stitches, not sure it is an age issue. Our 16 yo went to state fair, and was to sleep in bunk, couldn't sleep, no rails.
God bless you as you make decisions.
K. SAHM married 38 years -- adult children 37 coach, 32 lawyer married with 5 mo, and twins 18 in college; finished 1st semester with 3.7 & 3.8 GPA's

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J.S.

answers from New York on

my son who is almost 8 begged for bunkbeds so for his fourth birthday that is what he got. We have never had a problem and he has been very happy. I would be more worried about yourn little one wanting to be up high! good luck

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I.C.

answers from New York on

I would not get bunk beds for anyone under 12 years old. The upper bunk is very dangerous. A child who moves around a lot could fall off and be killed or paralyzed. I don't like bunk beds in general. It is better to have two small beds side by side or on opposite sides of the room. I. Collins, Executive Senior Sales Director for Mary Kay, Inc. Ask me about products or the business. ###-###-####

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