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So I've recently had a second child. For now, he's in a co-sleeper and my daughter (3,5 years old) is in a toddler bed (big cot with bars removed).

I'm considering buying a bunk bed for when I transition the baby into the bigger cot, as the two will be sharing a bedroom for a while.

Can a 4 year old sleep on the top bunk? Which age would be safe?

Or is age even a good criteria? What kind of behaviour means a child is "old enough" ?

2 Answers 2

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Most bunk beds I've seen have the minimum age of 6. I see no way of enforcing this requirement, however.

Keep in mind that the biggest risk is not the older baby sleeping on the upper bunk. It's the younger baby that will also want to get up there. In Poland there were several fatal accidents with bunk beds and all of them happened to younger children who do not sleep there at all.

On the other hand, my 6yo sleeps on a bed that is integrated with desk that looks like this enter image description here.

My 2.5 yo did want to climb there immediately, we were firm and made him not do it. Of course, over the following months he did get there a few times, but mostly under our supervision. So far we've had no accidents at all.

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    good point on the biggest risk being to the younger child even (or especially) if he doesn't sleep up there.
    – Nimloth
    Nov 28, 2019 at 10:09
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Any age. If they are sleeping in a regular bed without a railing, thos indicates that they are assumed to not be falling out of the bed, and thus can sleep on top. Odfcourse, "getting the top bunk" is usually the "she can get it because she's older" thing anyway. Some bunk beds also come with a piece that can be attached to the top as a railing.

On the other hand, at ages 2 and 5, would it be the best to even have a shared room at all while sleeping?

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  • You mean, it would be better to have separate bedrooms? Not possible at the moment, sadly.
    – Nimloth
    Nov 30, 2019 at 9:28
  • I mean that since you are sleeping with your young child you can continue sleeping with them ubtil the age when they are sleeping normally/independantly and thus makes sense to share a room with another youbger child. Alternatively, young children can sleep cuddling together in one bed if they are amenable. But I just remembered that. Also it is possible to all sleep separately too because you specifically mentioned bunk beds meaning thsre are beds meaning that in this scenario everyone is sleeping solely in a room which is specifically defined as a "bedroom"
    – Raven
    Nov 30, 2019 at 11:25
  • , which means both that your house has multiple roms and also means that many rooms are not being used while sleeping. So, it is entirely and definitely possible then, for each child in one room and also adults in another room while sleeping, however, that is not what my answer is about but is an additional possibility.
    – Raven
    Nov 30, 2019 at 11:27

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