Bed solutions for small children

[jenayds]

I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old, and plan to have them share a room at some point in the future (maybe in a bout a year) as we have very little space at home. I was thinking I would get some of those midi bunks, where the bottom mattress is on the floor and the top bunk is not very tall. However my youngest is quite the climber and I think even though he won't be sleeping in the top bunk, he would still climb up it and try to jump off during the day time!! And maybe at night too, as who could stop him.

So I was wondering if a trundle bed would be a better solution. Does anyone have experience with using trundle beds as a permanent bed solution? I mean pulling it out every night and tucking it back away every morning. There would obviously need to be enough vertical clearance to allow the fully made up bed to tuck underneath without having to strip it.

Would this work? It seems to be safer than bunks but I'm not sure if it will work in every day practice, and also where to get nice trundle beds from.

Advice appreciated!

[NYCMel]

i have tried looking for trundle beds here and it seems impossible. i know that there are tons in the UK that can ship her to HK, but do I really want to pay for that shipping fee?

Would love to know if someone has found a good one here other than Ikea.

I think in theory it sounds practical, but normally the trundle bed is used for a short period of time like for a guest....I don't think it's as supportive as a normal single bed.

[Jojo]

I have also been considering a bunk bed but was quite put off by an article in the SCMP a couple of weeks back about the dangers of bunk beds and the fact that they result in a lot of accidents, sometimes fatal. I know adults who told me that when they were in their teens, they took flying leaps off the top bunk as a result of being disoriented when waking up so I dread to think of all the injuries that could be sustained by a younger child.

Unfortunately we do live in HK where space is an issue.

I have a trundle guest bed and since it was made to order, it is very solid and I made sure to buy a really good mattress. My husband's only concern, being Chinese, is that when you are sleeping so low down, you are being exposed to dust and bacteria far more than from an elevated position.

Sorry to be of no help one way of the other.

[noc]

Lots of places sell trundle beds, e.g. Art Deco and some others, which I don't recall at the moment. But I think it is not very nice to be the child whose bed is always tucked away... Lots of people who have trundle beds use the tucked away bed for a helper if she sleeps with the child. The tucked away part is not very strong and I think it would get dirty, always being pushed under another bed.

[jenayds]

I have a trundle guest bed and since it was made to order, it is very solid and I made sure to buy a really good mattress. My husband's only concern, being Chinese, is that when you are sleeping so low down, you are being exposed to dust and bacteria far more than from an elevated position.

Where did you get it made? I think if you get things made to order they can customise for your particular needs (like having the trundle bit a better quality than normal).

We have an air purifier in the room so dust and bacteria are not a problem. I don't think it would be a problem anyway since my helper mops every day, and a bit of bacteria is good for the immune system! :)

I agree it's not ideal, but we have to compromise given the small living area we have. Just wondering which solution is the best.

[little mum]

When space is limited. I think trundle bed is a good idea. I used to sleep in one bedroom with my brother and sister when I was really young. We used trundle bed.
I don't think it is a problem at all, when we woke up, we just put all the bedding, blankets on top of another bed, then tuck the bed in. Then, we had more space to play around.
I used to have bunks as well. Just like you said, we climbed up and jumped down. It was a lot of fun at that time, although it was quite dangerous. This may be the reason why we changed to a trundle bed
You can buy trundle bed in a lot of places.There are lots furniture stores in Hong Kong, almost all of them have these kind of bed as everybody knows space is a problem in HK. Try to look around and shop around.

[elaine]

Did you check out Takad? Or Jade Rattan?

http://www.takad.com.hk/f0301b.htm

http://www.jaderattan.com/hongkong/e...how.asp?ID=230

[jenayds]

I haven't looked anywhere yet, I've just started thinking about it. I think I would prefer something better quality than Takad or Jade Rattan though. Our helper bed was made by Takad and they installed it wrongly and then had to fix it twice, so I wasn't impressed.

Where are the shops that can make you copies of things you show them in catalogues? I would want whatever we get to be very sturdy and use quality parts.