<p>My D is having anxiety over whether or not to loft her bed. Her roommate would like to (so they have more room) but she is worried she is going to fall out!!! I think in a way she’d rather not loft it, but feels a bit of pressure since roommate wants to. Also, I’ll admit, lofting DOES give you more living space.</p>
<p>So…any tips/stories to share about lofts, not falling out, etc??? The things we worry about…!!!</p>
<p>I slept in a top bunk for several years and never fell out, I think it would only be a problem if she falls out of her normal bed. Lofts aren’t slanted tying to dump you out.</p>
<p>Lofting is a very good option in many rooms. She doesn’t need to decide now. She can wait to see her room, sleep un-lofted for a while, and then raise her bed later.</p>
<p>I have never heard of a sober student falling out of a lofted bed while asleep. I can only see someone falling out if the person had a history of falling out of beds or was engaging in some other, uh, non-sleeping activity. The biggest problem tends to be with drunk students not being able to climb up into bed. :)</p>
<p>I don’t think she has much to worry about. At some schools, students can raise their beds to a variety of heights? Maybe some in between height would be best in the beginning.</p>
<p>That was my advice as well- stay sober.</p>
<p>Perhaps bunking two beds would be a reasonable compromise, and your daughter could volunteer to take the bottom bunk.</p>
<p>Bunking creates some extra space (not as much as lofting two beds, but still some). It also provides a low bed in the room, which is extremely handy if somebody sprains an ankle or something.</p>
<p>There have been several threads on this board describing how students with injuries or illnesses had great difficulty using their lofted beds but couldn’t get them un-lofted for a temporary condition. With bunked beds, this would not be a problem (unless both girls bust themselves up at the same time). They could simply switch beds temporarily if the top bed occupant has a health problem that would make climbing up and down difficult.</p>
<p>I should also add that until the girls see the room, they don’t even know whether lofting or bunking is possible. In some top-floor rooms with low or crooked ceilings, it is not possible.</p>
<p>Remember the bed rails you probably had for her as a toddler…a bit dorky, but better than a concussion (like I once got from falling out of the top bunk in college…ahem.) You might be able to cushion the rail and cover with some pretty fabric to disguise it if you’re crafty.</p>
<p>Not sure about this…is the roommate lofting her bed too? Will they put desks and/or seating under the raised beds? Or is your D the only one who will be doing this? If so, why does your D have to be the one to suffer if it’s the other girl’s idea?</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Yes, her roommate will loft too…</p>
<p>I don’t know if they can loft at different heights - as I remember it looked like a stackable unit - maybe bunking would work, I’m not sure - good suggestion.</p>
<p>I did tease her about the toddler rail!!! She didn’t go for it…</p>
<p>I told her maybe we could find some type of bed rail that was metal and she could string lights on it and it would look decorative - she didn’t go for that either…!</p>
<p>She hasn’t fallen out of bed at home - at least not since she was 2!!! I think it just seems weird to be sleeping so close to the ceiling and not having anything to the side. I told her she wouldn’t likely totally roll over at once, that she would be more likely to stick a leg to the edge first which she would probably feel/notice (she’s somewhat of a light sleeper) before she would fall.</p>
<p>I suggested trying it for a couple of nights (while the loft is readily available in the room) and then ditch it if it just doesn’t seem workable.</p>
<p>Hint on how not to fall out of a lofted bed - put a body pillow UNDER the fitted sheet - on the open side of the bed - makes a bumper :D</p>
<p>Are you joking JeepMom? Would that actually work??? Or something like that…might look weird though…</p>
<p>Not joking at all - It works!! :D</p>
<p>And who cares if it looks weird - alot of college beds are unmade/bumpy - who cares - as long as one does not fall out of bed - sure beats a siderail IMHO - much softer to roll into 
With the bed lofted - no-one will even see it - cuz it will be on the outside edge of the bed.</p>
<p>Oh great - something else for me to worry about! At home D sleeps on a very low platform bed (very cool, H built it with hidden low voltage lights underneath the rim so it looks like it’s floating on light). I often find her half on the floor if I go in her room while she’s asleep. (This may be because she wanted to be within reach of the cell phone while it was charging, or the laptop…) She sleeps with a nest of pillows so maybe a suggestion to keep them on the outside edge would work.</p>
<p>This is a timely thread. I just dropped my son off at college today. He and his roommate have their beds lofted. I just sent him an e-mail (right before reading this thread) in which I told him that I hope he remembers where he is tomorrow morning before he steps out of bed so he won’t go crashing to the floor. (I was only kidding … a little.)</p>
<p>You can see my “loft bed disaster” thread on the UMiami forum…LOL. The good news is that it has all worked out and son’s loft bed is up and running. The room looks great according to h and s. They have a ton more room with the desks under the lofts and have space for the futon. Both guys lofted their beds.</p>
<p>We did order a bed with a guard rail. Many of the kids use them. When we were looking to buy one and searched the marketplace on facebook, there were quite a few with guard rails. I don’t think that is babyish at all, nothing wrong with feeling safer up there. We ordered our bed from <a href=“http://www.collegeloftbeds.com%5B/url%5D”>www.collegeloftbeds.com</a> and they delivered to the dorm. You can look on the site and see what the beds look like (they have guardrails). You can also try and buy one at the school. Lots of kids are advertising their old ones for sale or there are companies or students that build them right there in the dorms for you. I kinda wish we had done it that way, but too late now.</p>
<p>Not all schools will allow anything to be attached to their furniture - so better check with housing before purchasing anything like this.</p>
<p>A body pillow will cost about $8 bucks at WallyWorld tho.</p>
<p>I think that everyone who hasn’t slept in a top bunk or on a loft before has those worries. One thing that I do is always tuck one side of my bed in, so when I was in the top bunk, I would have the side next to the wall not tucked in and then tuck in the side from which I could’ve fallen. Either that or use one of my pillows as a type of guard against falling out.</p>
<p>Yeah, our school already provides the lofts - so ordering is out (can’t see putting more $$$ for a seperate bed anyway right now…)</p>
<p>Believe it or not - the kids DO figure it all out - including how to sleep in a lofted/bunked bed - without falling out - without any fancy gadgets. Tucking in the outside of the bed - or using a pillow as a bumper - or whatever - they DO get it figured out.</p>
<p>Yes, they do figure it out. There’s no more reason to fall out of a bunk bed or a loft bed than there is to fall out of a regular bed.</p>
<p>my D lofted hers & her roomie backed out, so they each do their own thing. I also kidded her about the rails…she thought I was serious…lol!! She has slept on bunks before without any problems. My concern is she walks & talks in her sleep when she is extremely tired. We put a carpet remnant down. I did notice she put some throw pillows on the floor underneath. I’m sure just to sit on ;-)</p>
<p>No reason to loft if D doesn’t want to- last year son did not, roomie did. Likewise, only bunk if she wants to (I hated the lower bunk as a child). Your D could choose to loft later, eg after trying out life on her roommie’s bed. Even if 90% of students loft she should do what makes her sleep well at night. There are advantages to a floor level bed, too.</p>