Forum Discussion

Cooter_76's avatar
Cooter_76
Explorer
May 23, 2017

Bunk ladder/safety rail

I'm looking for a bunk bed ladder/safety rail solution for our TT. Our oldest son (almost 5) has been sleeping in the bottom bunk and our youngest son (almost 2) has been sleeping in a pack n play. We're anxious to get the little one out of the pack n play to free-up floor space. The natural progression would be for the oldest to move to the top bunk and the youngest to take the bottom. To do this, we'll need a ladder and some sort of railing to keep both boys from rolling out of their respective berths.
I know there are some aluminum bunk ladders on the market, but I'm looking to make something narrower that is attached somehow to be completely vertical, not sticking-out into the walkway. The bunk access is pretty tight:



What do most people do in this situation? Are these ages appropriate for this configuration, or should we keep both boys low at this point? We could use the fold-out couch, but that would be a bit of a pain to setup each evening.
  • IdaD's avatar
    IdaD
    Explorer
    May 23, 2017
    You could stick a pool noodle under the mattress pad along the exposed edge. Our kids wanted to sleep with their heads pointed into the bunk so that could be an option too. To some degree it depends on the personality of your kids. Our oldest has been in a bunk bed since around 5 at home but she's the kind of kid that will follow instructions without fail so we gave her a few safety guidelines up front and she never wavered on them. Our middle kid is different and will test limits all the time. Time will tell where the youngest falls on that spectrum.
  • bartlettj's avatar
    bartlettj
    Explorer
    May 23, 2017
    I have girls the same age and our trailer has a very similar bunk configuration. I purchased one of the Stromberg-Carlson ladders and shortened it to fit my bunks exactly (it comes with instructions about how to cut it). It has hooks that hang on the rail, and honestly I haven't had issues with it blocking the path. We just remove it and stash it on the top bunk during the day.

    As far as a bed rail, I suggest one of these:
    https://www.amazon.com/Stay-Girl-Semicircle-Bumper-Toddler/dp/B00DVI3WXU/ref=sr_1_9_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1495557659&sr=1-9&keywords=toddler+bed+rail

    It's kind of a dense foam curb rather than a rail.
  • nickdarr's avatar
    nickdarr
    Explorer
    May 23, 2017
    We made a climbing wall with a package of the plastic holds from the orange big box store. We used play ground handles on both the top side and edge of bed. We put a pool noodle under the sheet and used Velcro to attach it to the mattress pad. Our son was six and he loved it. He used it for three years until we switched trailers. I have also seen ladders made of 3/4 or 1 in pvc pipe, end caps, and pvc Ts. This ladder can be made as wide or narrow as you desire. You could also add some elbows to make it hook on totthe top of the bed. We tried this first, but then saw the rock wall on a home bed and made the change. Good luck.
  • SouthpawHD's avatar
    SouthpawHD
    Explorer
    May 24, 2017
    Made a ladder out of PVC pipe. Google it for some images to get the idea.

    For bumpers we use some foam triangles tucked under the sheets.
  • camping_cowleys's avatar
    camping_cowleys
    Explorer
    May 24, 2017
    I also made ladders and rails for my quad bunks out of pvc pipe
    One side is removable and the other is more permanently mounted to the beds. Sorry trailer is currently at the storage lot so I can't take pictures
  • Cooter_76's avatar
    Cooter_76
    Explorer
    May 24, 2017
    Thanks for the suggestions so far. I would not have thought of using PVC pipe for a ladder, and might consider this. I like the idea of a solid rail, like the one mentioned in the Jayco forum (especially for the top bunk.)
  • poppin_fresh's avatar
    poppin_fresh
    Explorer
    May 24, 2017
    My kids have been camping since they were about one. We used a basic swing down style toddler rail to keep them from falling out of the bunks. It just tucks under the mattress and prevents them from falling out.

    You can find them at several big box stores for about $30.
  • Community Alumni's avatar
    Community Alumni
    May 24, 2017
    My daughter moved up to the top bunk when she was 4 and we used pool noodles to prevent her from rolling out of the bed. The standard size pool noodle is enough to keep them in. I tested it out myself and it would keep me in the bed. If you're really worried then you can use the really fat noodles. They'd have to climb over those.

    You can easily build a ladder out of PVC. All you need is some pipe, tees, and maybe a few caps. You can just pressure fit the joints and skip the glue. 1" pipe should be plenty strong for a 5 year old. Attach the ladder with a few 2 hole conduit straps.

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