Saturday, January 17, 2009

A Toddler BUNK??? I Need a Vote!

So Alex and I have not been able to agree on a particular decision. So you all know that baby three is on its way. I am almost half way along. I have recently put my girls in the same room, which has definitely had its kinks, but is going fairly ok. This all with the intent to put the crying infant in its own room. Since our rooms are small, and I like to keep the toys in with the kids, toddler beds have seemed to be the practical decision. Dejah has been sleeping in one since she was Mycah's age (2) and is now going on 5. Mycah is still in her crib. This is something we plan to change soon so that she will be all adjusted to a "big girl bed" by the time the baby comes. My choice would be to put a regular size bunk bed in the girls' room. Reason....Dejah is getting bigger, and "eventually" they will need to upgrade.Alex on the other hand thinks it would be more practical to just purchase another toddler bed, therefore saving much needed space in the girls' room.We CANNOT agree, and its driving me NUTS! I see his point. The twin size bunk will take up almost 1/2 the bedroom, but the two toddler beds will still take up 1/2 of each wall. So here we are and a decision needs to be made fairly soon. I decided to google "toddler bunk beds" and wouldn't you know it....they only sell this one in the UK. They don't even ship them to the states. My Dad is very crafty and has all the materials to make one of these. He said it would probably only take him an hour to cut the pieces if I had all the measurements. So the question is...Would a toddler "BUNK" be the best option in our situation??? I would make a few changes to this model, like take away the rope thingy and place the ladder at the "feet end" and probably put a guard rail on the bottom as well. Besides all that, what do you all think??? I'm taking any opinion or option.

18 comments:

  1. I love the toddler bed option.
    We have always had bunk beds and will for quite a while.
    I understand wanting to go with a bigger bed and Jennifer is seven and could still fit in Haylee's toddler bed. I love the hide a bed design for younger more daring children.
    I wonder if they have toddle day beds? Well, I was on line so I looked but didn't find one.
    I did find some simple designs your dad could use. Then if you put all three of them in there you could build a top bunk over it.
    That is what we have in our little girls room. The top bunk over a toddler bed.
    Well, I vote for what ever you can agree one. Good luck.

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  2. Since you blogged about it you have to follow up and we will need pictures too.

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  3. I like the toddler bunk bed, it's great especially if you need space. If Dejah grows out of it, you can then get her a bigger bed and the other two can sleep in the toddler beds.

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  4. I've never see the toddler bunk beds before, great way to save space. Personally I'd try to upgrade Dejah to a regular size bed because it wont be too much longer and you will have to anyway, but then again if you do the bunks they you wont have to worry about a bed for the next one when Dejah does get a bigger bed.

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  5. I think the toddler bunk is a great idea. We actually have bunk beds for Jace and Avery and they LOVE them. I think it saves a lot more room. We have a twin bunk on top and a full bunk on bottom... sometimes they both sleep on bottom. Anyways... I love the bunk beds and think they are great! Good luck with your decision.

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  6. I was looking back at some of your older posts seeing if you guys knew what you are having yet. When do you find out? Are you finding out?

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  7. Here's my take. If your dad is gonna make the toddler beds for you for dirt cheap or free, then go for that option. HOWEVER, keeping in mind that Dejah will not long fit in a toddler bed, then you will have to find somewhere to store the toddler bunk or give it away. Personally, if it were me and a normal bunk is fitting into the budget, then I'd go for the normal bunk bed. Some are great with shelving on the ends and the like to help with storage issues. That way, you have a solid piece of furniture that you can use for years and years, and not just a matter of months or A year. Maybe instead of a toddler bunk, have your dad make some built in shelves in the closet, or some toy boxes, or install shelving on the walls. But good luck deciding!

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  8. Okay Anna, I've thought long and hard about this. Initially I was thinking you should go with full-size bunks cuz you can use them forever. But, the toddler bunk is awesome because of what Shelly said, Dad can make it, and you KNOW he'll do a good job and the only cost will be materials....which didn't you say he already has? So it sounds like it's free. And not to mention dad would LOVE to do it. Okay, other problem...Dejah is growing. BUT like what Laura said....her seven year old can still fit in a toddler bed. Kids don't grow as fast after age four. She's growing, don't get me wrong, but by the time she IS too big for that bed...baby #3 WILL be big enough for toddler bunk. So my vote is YES have Dad make the toddler bunks. They WILL save space. Now if he can't and it's a choce between two toddler beds or twin sized bunks....I'd say go with the twin bunks....cuz you'll use them forever. BUT I like the toddler bunk option and if it IS do-able that's what I think you should do.

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  9. We have twin size and they aren't stacked right now, but I have a TON of storage in plastic bins under the bed.

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  10. My dad made us toddler-sized bunk beds when my sister and I were pretty young and we had those beds FOREVER! As has been mentioned, by the time we grew out of them, our two younger brothers had come around and were able to use them as well. I still have fond memories of that unique and thoughtful evidence of my dad's love! They saved space because they were crib-sized and bunk beds and they were safer than full-sized bunk beds because they were shorter. The bottom bunk wasn't too far off the floor (and incidentally had no rail). The top bunk had a rail but was still relatively closer to the floor than a twin top bunk. I know my brothers slept in those beds until they were 9 and 7, respectively.

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  11. Anna, I think you will be happy with whatever you decide. I just thought I would throw it out there that if your dad can build the toddler bunks he could probably build the twin bunks too so if you chose that avenue it could save you some money. I love the bunkbeds in Shads room and even with the double on the bottom I don't feel like his room is super crowded. Good luck making your decision.

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  12. I agree with your sister Heather. My kids are about the same age as all three of yours. When we decided to upgrade we went for the twin size bunk beds because my dad isn't as talented as yours with wood. The problem we are still having at age three is that they both love the bunks because they are fun...but when if comes to actually sleeping I think the transition to the twin bed is a big large for the younger one and she gets a little scared. So she usually ends up sleeping on the floor next to our bed. The toddler bunk though I think would be the prefect solution since it is great for space and she will still be in a smaller bed like the crip was; not so scary. Good luck!

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  13. I agree with Heather too, but I think whatever you decide will be fine. This was one popular post.

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  14. Hi. I only found your blog because I'm doing an internet search for toddler bunk beds. I myself have no choicebut to get the bunk beds because I'm going to be putting three of my kids in one bedroom. But while reading your posting, I thought I would suggest that you COULD buy a loft bed for your older girl, then put the younger one underneath it in the toddler bed. Ikea has a good one that I think is a little smaller than 'twin' size, but bigger than 'toddler' size. It's called Kura or something like that. Here's the link: http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/10123996
    Anyways... hope that is of some help.

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  15. I liked it, you can find more Toddler Beds from spacify.

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  16. Did you ever find a toddler bunk bed or did your father make it?

    Our four children share a room and youngest of four is getting close to being in a bed. To save space in their room we thought about using a toddler bunk bed.

    If you found one or have plans/dimensions you used any help would be appreciated. I am not finding much on the net.

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  17. Just wanted to say, if you use two toddler beds (or twins for that matter) with post corners that are of equal height, you can simple drill holes in the tops/bottoms and insert dowels to stack the beds together. Then you would simply need a solution for a ladder. This is what I'm considering for our little ones.

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