We just got a loft bed for my six year old. It's not very high (my toddler is barely able to stand under it). There are only two rungs on the ladder. But I'm wondering what crafty mommas have used/made to keep little ones off ladders. My fifteen month old will (in theory) be napping on a mattress set on the floor underneath it. I don't want her waking up and trying to climb into the loft. There is a product for bunk neds that zips on, but it's for full bunk bed ladders. I'm not very sewing savvy, but i was thinking about a sttip of fabric that would vecro aroumd the rungs or something. Thanks.
I wouldn't recommend straps and improvising-sounds like a potential choking hazard-can you put the ladder up on the bed until it is needed?
Hi C.-
What I did was try to make the 'underside' of the bunk more interesting than the upper.
I got some glow in the dark fabric...and but it on the bottom of the top 'bunkie board' (staple gun was all that was needed).
Also, for my 'girls'...I made (and hung) curtains (from matching sheets) from the top bunk to give a cozy 'tent' feel.
Best Luck!
michele/cat
I can't imagine putting any of the kids in my family at risk for injury by even owning bunk beds but I am very opinionated about them since my best friend from 7th grade up through when I moved away from OKC lost her elementary school aged son when he fell of the top bunk and died from head injuries. He was just on the bunk and miss-stepped when he was moving around. He fell to his death in just a couple of feet of space.
I have been offered free bunk beds, mattresses and all, and refused them because I feel so strongly that they are for much older kids.
I think you need to either take the ladder completely off until she is in school full time or take the rungs off so it is not climbable.
Just my thoughts. She needs to be safe but so does your other child. He could fall off too. Both need to stay off the top bunk.
Our bunk bed ladder comes off, so when I have little ones around I take it off and hang it way up from the bed rails where they can't reach it.
Can you just put the ladder up?
Don't know about your bed but ours there was a couple screws you could take out to remove the ladder. It had a bracket that went over the top bunk. So I lined the inside of the bracket with foam so that it fit snug. That way I could take it off when my younger son was in a monkey mood but slip it back on easily.
I agree about taking it off when not needed...most ladders are removable.
I guess it's from me having 4 kids.....but I would be teaching my 15 month old how to safely climb up and down (that is if they've been walking for a while) and it would probably take the excitement out of it.
