Help with childs bunk bed safety barrier - Fiberglass RV
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Old 06-23-2016, 11:54 AM   #1
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Name: Steve Robison
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Help with childs bunk bed safety barrier

My wife made a barrier out of a utility mesh fabric for the bottom bunk of our Scamp 13 and I was going to attach the bottom of this barrier to fiberglass under the mattress using button snaps like the ones found on blue jeans. Then when not in use we would just fold it under the mattress. Does anyone know if they sell those button snaps that you can rivet in?

To keep the top of the barrier up I just don't know if I should cut a long dowel rod and use hooks riveted to the countertop and other side of the camper to keep the mesh up or some other method?

I saw a couple of different designs online that people made but most of them seem to be made of wood that take up space and would be a pain to take up and down each time you wanted to use that bed as a couch.

Any ideas are appreciated.
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Old 06-23-2016, 04:38 PM   #2
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I am actually working on the exact same thing with my Trillium. I had the same idea on the bottom bunk with the mesh but have not figured out a good way to have it secured. Could you post a photo of the mesh that you got. Thanks.
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Old 06-23-2016, 06:05 PM   #3
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How old is the kid? For my five year old who managed to rol out three nights in a row, we are planning on either cutting some short pvc poles (like 6" to fit in the bunk pole holes, and then a thin piece of 1/4" plywood between the mattress and the poles. She needs a reminder, not contained, however.

You could use the pole idea and have the netting slip over the top with a little canvas pocket at the top to hold it on top...kind of like a cheap ping pong net...
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Old 06-23-2016, 06:40 PM   #4
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I am actually working on the exact same thing with my Trillium. I had the same idea on the bottom bunk with the mesh but have not figured out a good way to have it secured. Could you post a photo of the mesh that you got. Thanks.
She got it at JoAnn fabrics with a 40% coupon. The sides will need reinforcing so my wife is sewing a thicker fabric along the sides.
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Old 06-23-2016, 06:45 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Zennifer View Post
How old is the kid? For my five year old who managed to rol out three nights in a row, we are planning on either cutting some short pvc poles (like 6" to fit in the bunk pole holes, and then a thin piece of 1/4" plywood between the mattress and the poles. She needs a reminder, not contained, however.

You could use the pole idea and have the netting slip over the top with a little canvas pocket at the top to hold it on top...kind of like a cheap ping pong net...

The kid is 1 1/2 and he is a mover. Right now he sleeps with my wife in the dinette bed and I sleep in the bottom bunk until we finish this.
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Old 06-23-2016, 11:01 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by Bluetang99 View Post
My wife made a barrier out of a utility mesh fabric for the bottom bunk of our Scamp 13 and I was going to attach the bottom of this barrier to fiberglass under the mattress using button snaps like the ones found on blue jeans. Then when not in use we would just fold it under the mattress. Does anyone know if they sell those button snaps that you can rivet in?
To keep the top of the barrier up I just don't know if I should cut a long dowel rod and use hooks riveted to the countertop and other side of the camper to keep the mesh up or some other method?
I saw a couple of different designs online that people made but most of them seem to be made of wood that take up space and would be a pain to take up and down each time you wanted to use that bed as a couch.
Any ideas are appreciated.
I did the same thing in a class A with pretty much the same materials. My kids were about the same age as yours Rob. I didn't have to deal with FG and the opening was only about 3' wide. I triple folded the bottom hem for reinforcement and screwed it into the bed base using beauty rings to spread the grip area. When not in use it went under the mattress like you suggest. I did use a dowel for the top and it worked fine but I had a narrow span. One night I found my daughter curled up sleeping in the bulge of the netting, glad it worked. I'm not sure what I would do if it was a molded TT but I can say that I wouldn't have any problems nor a second thought with mounting a top pole holder by drilling through the shell if need be. Be interesting to see what you come up with.
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Old 06-23-2016, 11:13 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluetang99 View Post
The kid is 1 1/2 and he is a mover. Right now he sleeps with my wife in the dinette bed and I sleep in the bottom bunk until we finish this.
We have a 2 year old as well, and made a bed extension so we could sleep length wise and have her between the closet and the back next to me...might be a possibility as well...I like having the larger couch without the top bunk attached this way...

Once you figure it out, I'd love to see it, as maybe it will be right for our 5 year old, too.
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Old 06-23-2016, 11:14 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by Borrego Dave View Post
I did the same thing in a class A with pretty much the same materials. My kids were about the same age as yours Rob. I didn't have to deal with FG and the opening was only about 3' wide. I triple folded the bottom hem for reinforcement and screwed it into the bed base using beauty rings to spread the grip area. When not in use it went under the mattress like you suggest. I did use a dowel for the top and it worked fine but I had a narrow span. One night I found my daughter curled up sleeping in the bulge of the netting, glad it worked. I'm not sure what I would do if it was a molded TT but I can say that I wouldn't have any problems nor a second thought with mounting a top pole holder by drilling through the shell if need be. Be interesting to see what you come up with.
Good to know the fabric held up! The top shouldn't be too hard to make I think. There is a wooden screen door frame that sticks out narrowing the opening and making it easier to screw in a hook on that side. It's only on the cabinet side that I have to rivet in a hook.

As for attaching the bottom I'm still trying to figure out if it will be easier to use button snaps riveted to the fiberglass bunk or just use a high strength velcro.
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Old 06-24-2016, 12:26 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by Bluetang99 View Post
Good to know the fabric held up! The top shouldn't be too hard to make I think. There is a wooden screen door frame that sticks out narrowing the opening and making it easier to screw in a hook on that side. It's only on the cabinet side that I have to rivet in a hook.
As for attaching the bottom I'm still trying to figure out if it will be easier to use button snaps riveted to the fiberglass bunk or just use a high strength velcro.
Good call with the Velcro, 1 or 1 1/2" width would be great. It would hold fine on the FG but I would sew it to the material. A child leaning on/into it would put all the pressure at the top not the bottom. You asked for easier....I've been sewing for 50 years....I hate snaps, unless Levi put them on
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Old 06-24-2016, 03:31 AM   #10
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pvc pipe

I think I would take two pieces of pvc and sew channels on each side of the mesh and then slide the pvc through there. You could then take some pvc "T"s that the support poles would fit through and make a gate that way. Two "T"s on each side connected with a short piece of pvc (depending on how high you wanted the gate) then attach the pvc pipes with the mesh. Then you could take it off when not in use and not have to make holes in your camper.
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Old 06-24-2016, 07:31 AM   #11
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Anyone else seeing an entanglement risk here?

I would make a 3-rail guard out of PVC with a vertical stiffener in the middle, 4" or less between the rails. Strap or clamp it to the posts. Store it behind the back rest in sofa mode.
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Old 06-24-2016, 08:34 AM   #12
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Anyone else seeing an entanglement risk here?

I would make a 3-rail guard out of PVC with a vertical stiffener in the middle, 4" or less between the rails. Strap or clamp it to the posts. Store it behind the back rest in sofa mode.
It's a definite risk with anything you add to a toddler sleeping area...my worry for the original idea after thinking about great would be between the mattress, mesh, and floor. So thinking along those lines, why not sew it to the front of the mattress, so it rises right from the edge/there is no gap between mattress; can be tucked under the mattress during the day for easy storage.
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Old 06-24-2016, 10:11 AM   #13
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All really good ideas. Our girl is 4 1/2, she will be sleeping on the top bunk. I have a "Baby Home" brand bed rail that I will be mounting to the top bunk just so she doesn't roll out. She is a good sleeper that doesn't move around too much. On the bottom bunk will be our 2 year old boy. He is a different story. Always moving around, trying to climb up things and very adventurous! I'm still not 100% sure what to do on the bottom with him. Can't wait to see photos of others solutions.
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Old 06-24-2016, 04:54 PM   #14
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Here is what I came up with so far, I still may tweak it here and there depending on how it holds up. Entanglement isn't a problem with the fabric, the holes in the mesh are very small. If I find that he's actually rolling off the cushion and into the fabric I may have to add a T in the middle. Although the fabric is pretty tight up against the cushion so hopefully that won't be an issue.

To mount it I used PVC pipe and mounted j hooks to both sides. One j hook is screwed into the frame by the door and the other is riveted to the countertop.
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Old 06-24-2016, 06:47 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by Zennifer View Post
It's a definite risk with anything you add to a toddler sleeping area...my worry for the original idea after thinking about great would be between the mattress, mesh, and floor. So thinking along those lines, why not sew it to the front of the mattress, so it rises right from the edge/there is no gap between mattress; can be tucked under the mattress during the day for easy storage.
That's a good idea too. I've thought about that but didn't want to sew it to the cushion just yet.

We just tested it by trying to roll our kid into the netting with his full weight and it was tight enough up against the cushion that he couldn't roll off the mattress and into the fabric.
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Old 06-25-2016, 05:27 PM   #16
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Boats often have cloths at the sides to stop folks falling out of bed. On our sailboat they were screwed to the framing under the mattress/cushion and the upper edges had grommets for small ropes that tied to padeyes on the wall. When not in use they folded under the cushion. With kids I would probably remove the ropes when not in use. In use they should be taut and no risk of entanglement.


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Old 06-26-2016, 03:45 AM   #17
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Boats often have cloths at the sides to stop folks falling out of bed. On our sailboat they were screwed to the framing under the mattress/cushion and the upper edges had grommets for small ropes that tied to padeyes on the wall. When not in use they folded under the cushion. With kids I would probably remove the ropes when not in use. In use they should be taut and no risk of entanglement.


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Here us a video from Sailright on how to make those "lee cloths" that were used on your sailboat to keep people from falling out of bed. They do describe it as a beginning sewer's project.
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Old 06-26-2016, 10:29 PM   #18
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A simple fix for our two year old twin grandchildren was to place a "pool noodle" under the outer edge of the bottom sheet before tucking it in. This has kept the tykes from rolling out of bed, and doesn't restrict their view or make them feel constricted. They roll against the pool noodle and then roll back to the center of the bed.
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