Do you bunk bed?

Our youngest daughter, C, has just turned 2 and this age brings with it a fair amount of milestones and lasts. She now drinks out of real cups, can master cutlery, is into pull-ups as she plays with her potty and has moved out of her cot.

I’m mostly certain that C will be our last baby which makes these lasts that bit more poignant. I was sad when I stopped breastfeeding just over a year ago. But taking the cot away has really made me realise that she’s not a baby now, but a toddler, well on her way to becoming a little girl.  I’m not the only one who feels this way either, I remember reading Katy Hill’s blog post about the cot going earlier this year, and I nodded along but now I know exactly what she was on about!

Baby sleeping in a cot l Do you bunk bed? l www.FranglaiseMummy.com l French and English Parenting and Lifestyle Ramblings

C sleeping in her cot

It was a hard decision to make. But the time was right. C was crashing into the sides of her cot, waking herself, and everyone else, up. It was time to let go of that babyness.

First of all she alternated between her cot and a double bed with her big sister, L, which was just too much cuteness.

Kid sisters asleep in double bed l Do you bunk bed? l www.FranglaiseMummy.com l French and English Parenting and Lifestyle Ramblings

L and C asleep in the double bed they shared for a while

But we needed to think about a long term solution, as that double bed was in fact just a sofa bed that L had commandeered after we had a house guest who slept on it. As the girls share a bedroom (L’s decision as she wants to be near her little sister, and they’ve slept that way since C was a day old) we had to figure out what would work for both of them in a limited space.

Getting a bunk bed seemed to be the way forwards – I shared a bunk bed with my brother when we were little and LOVED it, as did Hubs with his twin brother.

However a part of me was a bit scared – would L fall down the ladder at night when she got up to go to the toilet? Would C insist on climbing up to the top bunk to be with L? How safe would a bunk bed be for a 2 year old and a nearly 8 year old?

Hubs and I ummed and ahhed about it for a while, especially when we saw that you’re not supposed to put a child under 3 on the bottom bunk of a bunk bed (and only over 6s on the top bunk). Then we came across a triple bunk bed (from Argos of all places) that seemed to be the solution.

If L stumbled on the ladder the bottom bunk was nice and wide for her to fall onto. If C rolled it would take a while for her to fall out of a double bed. And to stop climbing issues we would take a rung out of the ladder.

We decided to get this for the girls for their birthday/Christmas presents, and a couple of weeks ago, when my parents were over for C’s 2nd birthday, Hubs and my dad were given the task of building the bunk bed.

Triple bunk bed l Do you bunk bed? l www.FranglaiseMummy.com l French and English Parenting and Lifestyle Ramblings

The girls’ new triple bunk bed

It has been a roaring success since – L absolutely LOVES the cosiness of her top bunk, whilst C loves the number of toys she can drag into bed with her, now that she’s no longer sharing a double bed with L.

I also got to test the practicality of the bed when L was ill recently and I shared the bottom bunk with both girls!

So would I recommend a bunk bed? Absolutely! But only if the child destined for the top bunk is over 6 years old, as it is quite high and I think you need the agility and maturity (!) of an older child. However I’m not sure you need to wait until 3 years old for the bottom bunk. Also I would highly recommend the triple bunk bed, as we all pile in to the bottom bunk for family cuddles in the morning 🙂

The only problem we’ve got now is we need to change the very pink bedding that we had for L when she was younger. C is not really the pink-lover that L was/is, and I am SO over pink now.

Recently L and I were invited to a private Frozen screening at Electric Cinema in Notting Hill by The White Company where they showcased their “The Little White Company” Autumn Collection for children. They decked the beds (oh yes, there are beds at this fab cinema) and chairs of the cinema out in their stunning range for kids. L and I might have drooled just a little bit over the beautiful bed linen.

C has since totally adopted Ronnie the Monkey (could this be any cuter?).

Toddler with cuddly monkey l Do you bunk bed? l www.FranglaiseMummy.com l French and English Parenting and Lifestyle Ramblings

C with cuddly Ronnie the monkey

And I’m totally in love with their circus-themed bedding and decorations for children…..Hello Santa, did you hear that?

The White Company Circus bedding l Do you bunk bed? l www.FranglaiseMummy.com l French and English Parenting and Lifestyle Ramblings

The White Company Circus bedding

The White Company Circus bed linen l Do you bunk bed? l www.FranglaiseMummy.com l French and English Parenting and Lifestyle Ramblings

The White Company Circus bed linen

They’ve also got jousting knights and secret English gardens, so there is something for everyone (although you may need to fight the little ones for it!).

What about you? Do you bunk bed or not? What style do you go for in your children’s bedroom? What you like or what they like?

Disclosure: L and I were invited to a private Frozen screening by The White Company at Electric Cinema, where we were gifted various The White Company items. All words and opinions are my own.

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10 Responses

  1. When our girls were small, they had bunk beds and I had a love/hate relationship with them. Making the the top bunk was a pain, fine for a child to climb up there, but an adult, no so easy. I did find, that even though I was worried the eldest would fall off the top, she never did, there was more problems with single beds. Our youngest son cracked his head open when his father and him were rough-housing around. The amount of blood, as our son asked if he was going to die on the way to the hospital, scared the willies out of me and broke my heart. Thankfully, after a number a stitches, a large goose egg, he was fine.
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    • Franglaise Mummy says:

      So far so good re safety on the top bunk, but oh what a horrific experience for your son – scary! As for the sheet-changing on the top bunk, I think L is going to have to learn to do this soon so I don’t have to!!

  2. Isn’t the White Company’s linen just gorgeous! sigh….. our little Gwen is still in a cot, mainly to make naptimes easier for me. But they’re on their way out, so we’ll have to be thiking about a bed soon, too. It’s the end of an era indeed!
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    • Franglaise Mummy says:

      It really is amazing – certainly on our wishlist here! C is so happy in her bed….even if she does play before actually falling asleep every nap and night-time!

  3. It is TOO cute that your two beauties sleep in the same bed! I think Little Man and Curly Girl would be up ALL NIGHT playing so they will definitely be staying separate for now! But I do love that circus bedding, will have to check that out x

    • Franglaise Mummy says:

      I love it when they sleep together too, but now they’re in separate beds I am definitely enjoying it more 🙂 The circus bedding is so cute x

  4. Cazzou says:

    We are SO getting a triple bunk bed, I’ve decided we would months ago and I can’t wait for when the boys are big enough. We still have a way to go though.
    The girls are just gorgeous 🙂
    xx

    • Franglaise Mummy says:

      I am LOVING our triple bunk bed!! I can’t recommend it enough, it’s fab, next time you come over remind me to show it to you. Thanks for your compliment about the girls 🙂 xx

  5. Katy Hill says:

    LOVE this! Glad you “get it”! We have that bed at my parents house for when we stay! Mine are desperate for bunks but we have eaves issues in their rooms. One day! LOVING that circus bedding! Love it being an awesome gender neutral option. xx

  1. 29/11/2014

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