Kids bedding

Submitted: Friday, May 26, 2006 at 11:54
ThreadID: 34285 Views:2464 Replies:6 FollowUps:7
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Hi all

Chasing advice on bedding for the kids (currently 4 and 2). They sleep on self inflating mattresses at present but tend to roll around a lot and end up on the floor, sideways etc. in the tent we used to barricade them in with clothes bags etc. These days with the camper trailer we don't have much to form barricades.

We were thinking of getting some camp stretchers but the ones i have seen are 2m long and quite wide, mostly suitable for adults which severely impacts on space. The double bunks seem very bulky and cumbersome to put together. Are there any child size ones out there that erect quickly and fold flat so we can just chuck them on the bed when packing up?

I am considering the beds they have at daycare which seem pretty good but they are about 30mm too high to fit under the camper when closed. Cutting the legs is an option but I'm not sure what the plastic is like inside (if hollow I might ruin an $80 investment.)

Any help appreciated.
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Reply By: Member - Jiarna (NT) - Friday, May 26, 2006 at 12:22

Friday, May 26, 2006 at 12:22
I used a double bunk for our girls for a while, before I lost half of it off the roof rack on the Oodnadatta to Coober Pedy road LOL. It was a steel framed setup which was fiddly to put up, but I found that I could leave the stretcher sections intact and just remove the legs, which allowed the whole lot to lie flat (in my case on the roof rack). If there is room in your camper trailer, you might be able to do the same and put the partly disassembled bunk on the adults' bed before folding up the camper.
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AnswerID: 174882

Follow Up By: tdv - Friday, May 26, 2006 at 12:30

Friday, May 26, 2006 at 12:30
Thanks for that....mgiht get the camping shop to put up the bunks so i can see how easy it would be....
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FollowupID: 430952

Follow Up By: Tony Shaw - Saturday, May 27, 2006 at 21:28

Saturday, May 27, 2006 at 21:28
Hey TDV,

There's lots of brands of the double bunks out there. I know the Kookaburra brand ones will fold down flat but the Oz Trail ones won't.

Cheers, ToNy!
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FollowupID: 431186

Follow Up By: geocacher (djcache) - Sunday, May 28, 2006 at 19:05

Sunday, May 28, 2006 at 19:05
We had been using some older camping bunks for ours. My girls are 2 & 6. They were a good but a little inconvenient as the ends were difficult to pack once the ends pulled off.

I've just bought the Kookaburra ones from Aussie Disposals ($89 on special) and they were easy to set up.

I left them set up in the lounge room (Lynne wasn't impressed) for 2 weeks and the kids played on them and under them and generally stress tested them.

I'm happy and just yesterday packed them into the camper for the next trip. The upright supports just twisted flat to pack them on our bed.

They come with all the extra bits needed to set them up as two singles and you can decide for your self whether to use the side rails on the top bunk (we won't) and it even all fits back in the carry bag they give you.

All the spare bits will go in the attic now cos we'll not use them probably.

Bunks can't be beaten in my opinion - especially if they pack flat to go on the double bed in the camper.

If you want to try the bunk idea out you can have the old ones for the cost of postage. Same goes to anyone else if you aren't interested. Then if you like it you can go ahead & buy some - or at only $90 you might just buy them anyway.

Dave
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FollowupID: 431311

Follow Up By: tdv - Tuesday, May 30, 2006 at 11:03

Tuesday, May 30, 2006 at 11:03
Geocacher

Thanks for the offer but I think you have sold me on the kookaburra ones. I'll go and check them out....do you have a model name. I looked at the kookaburra site and they have quite a few on there.

Cheers
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FollowupID: 431660

Follow Up By: geocacher (djcache) - Tuesday, May 30, 2006 at 14:33

Tuesday, May 30, 2006 at 14:33
TDV

Try -

BE0612 - Double Bunk

Double Bunk
Description

* 184 x 70cm
* They come supplied with 2 extra legs so the bunks can be separated and used as 2 single beds

See www.kookaburragas.com.au/sleeping_beds.htm

Dave
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FollowupID: 431701

Reply By: Newto - Friday, May 26, 2006 at 14:52

Friday, May 26, 2006 at 14:52
Hi tdv
I have kids 6 & 4 and have been using bunks that when we are finish with, just take the legs and side rail for top bunk off, the bunk colapses side ways and we put it under the mattress in the trailer.
AnswerID: 174923

Reply By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Friday, May 26, 2006 at 16:31

Friday, May 26, 2006 at 16:31
Our boys started travelling with us when one was 6 mths old and the other 4 yrs.

We always used our 9' x 9' touring tent with the wife and I on one side. In other words, no room to move around.

Maybe you have too much room :-)) (Sorry, cheeky reply)

I know what you mean, our youngest was always moving around when asleep.
Each had thier own sleeping bag which generally went with them where ever they moved. They had a small 15mm thick high density foam mattress which was 500mm wide and 1.2m long. Always hung the feet off the end when they got bigger.

Never had room on the roof rack for much more. Always felt that as long as they kept warm and in the tent, and they didn't disturb us too much, it really didn't matter where they end up in the morning.

We sleep on a 20mm thick high density foam mattress on the floor of the tent.

Clothes bags take up the rest of the space.
AnswerID: 174934

Reply By: greydemon - Friday, May 26, 2006 at 17:34

Friday, May 26, 2006 at 17:34
Does it matter if they roll around and end up on the floor? When our kids were very young and used to fall asleep in all sorts of unlikely positions we were advised to leave them alone. Although the position might look really uncomfortable for an adult it obviously doesn't worry the kids or they would wake up.

As they get older, and less able to tolerate sleeping on the floor, they develop the skill of staying on the mattress. As long as they can't actually roll out of the tent into the mouth of the waiting Saltie I wouldn't worry about it!
AnswerID: 174944

Reply By: Member - Duncs - Friday, May 26, 2006 at 21:15

Friday, May 26, 2006 at 21:15
Hi tdv,

Buy them swags.

Keeps them in place and gives room for growth. Best thing is when you are doing a quick trip yourself it saves putting up the tent. This idea started as a joke but I could talk myself into it. I wonder if the minister for finance would fall for that one?

I have a double bunk that I have not used in years. It is packed in a brown cavas bag and it is in excellent condition, hardly used, really. My kids out grew it almost as soon as I bought it. A friend used it for his girls for a week in 2001 but that is the last time it has been used.

Where are you? Or are you coming through Broken Hill in the near future? We may be able to work something out.

Duncs
AnswerID: 174986

Follow Up By: tdv - Saturday, May 27, 2006 at 08:06

Saturday, May 27, 2006 at 08:06
Thanks for the offer but I won't be down that way until next June (07). I'm on the Atherton Tablelands. I think I'll go into a camping store and have another look at the bunks. At $80 they are cheaper in the short term than a couple of hundred each for swags.

Otherwise they can just roll around all over the place LOL.

Tez
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FollowupID: 431085

Follow Up By: Member - Steve T (NSW) - Saturday, May 27, 2006 at 12:23

Saturday, May 27, 2006 at 12:23
We bought a fold out type stretcher from a camping store for $75, then found them in Big W for $37, almost identical. Our boys usually end up in our bed and I sleep on the stretcher, they are quite comfortable.

Hope this helps.
Steve
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FollowupID: 431114

Reply By: DB - Saturday, May 27, 2006 at 17:40

Saturday, May 27, 2006 at 17:40
We have been travelling for 7 months with four kids and a camper trailer. Our twins, now 4yr old, are in a stretcher each. we keep the canvas on and only collapse the legs - each 'bunk' lies flat on the base of the camper trailer so all we need to do when we set up is fold up the legs and hook in the stretchers. We also keep their sleeping bags flat on the stretchers - one less thing to roll out.

Ours are a double set of bunks that we can either split into singles or put up as doubles - has worked really well for us as we have also used them in our house when we were crowded for kids space.

Personally, if I was in a tent or tent floor (our camper has everyone off the ground) I would probably just use a couple of tarps under a sleeping bag each - kids really don't seem to need pillows, soft mattress etc-----

A thought, depending on where you are heading, although I note you are at ATHERTON TABLELANDS, BUT WE HAVE BEEN SURPRISED HOW COLD THE NIGHTS STILL ARE - WE ARE CURRENTLY AT NERANG AND HEADING NORTH - BUT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW WE HAVE NEEDED THE KIDS SLEEPING BAGS AT NIGHT. WHEN WE WERE IN THE OUTBACK IN NOVEMBER ALL THEY HAD WAS A LIGHT WEIGHT COT-SIZE doona.

(sorry about caps - at friends place, unfamilaiar with computer!)

Anyway- have fun - our kids are loving it.

Liz and Dave
AnswerID: 175078

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