Do your kids sleep in them full time?

**FourRingCircus** · 03-28-2016, 20:58

I have done quite a bit of searching and found a handful of threads here and there that mention kiddos sleeping in hammocks full time. I am curious just how many on here do, and what the ages are? Pics of set ups would be greatly appreciated!! (if there is another thread on here already, please direct me to it... my searching isn't too successful I guess).

We have 4 little ones, 2 boys, 2 girls... they each share a 10x10 room. The way the doors, windows and lightswitches are set up there is pretty much only 1 spot to fit a twin so they each have a set of bunk beds. They take up so much space! Not to mention they are a catch all for any junk they have around (and a bermuda triangle for various articles of clothing, mainly individual socks, favorite books, etc. causing some major frustrations here and there). Oh, and did I mention allergies run heavy in the family? I know my worst one is dust. I would love to be able to better clean their rooms on a regular basis - maybe it would help the chronic congestion a couple of my children have. Easier clean up of bodily fluids and other things would be a bonus as well (oh how I dread stomach bugs and bunk beds).

I jokingly mentioned hammocks to my husband as a way to combat so many of the room frustrations, and he's ready to run with it. Now I'm the one having second thoughts! Of course, you ask anyone else and it's pretty much all naysayers who insist it's not just a terrible idea, but so bad of one that CPS might get involved if my children told the wrong person (more than one person listed that as a reason for NOT to do it). Oi. Not a can of worms I want to open. I figured the people on here could give me a better idea of how it might (or might not work) from experience, not just assumptions based on false information. I figure if you tell me I'm crazy, I'll let it rest and move on... you at least know what you're talking about!

My thinking is we can have some smaller futon mattresses available if they don't like the hammocks for full time sleeping. The ones I am looking at can roll up out of the way so we could still achieve our end goal of ditching the gargantuan bunk beds.

**ckmaui** · 03-28-2016, 21:40

I sleep in them full time the kids still like there beds but both have hammocks in there room they sleep in some times

if room is tight I say go for it

just make sure they have some basic insulation under it so its comfy for them

**smacedo** · 03-29-2016, 07:34

Hello there, I first set up my son's room then he was almost 15 years old and he's now 18. At one point he went back to a futon that eventually broke. Now he is back in the Hammock and loving it. I have 3 boys that share this room right now with one in a cot ( his choice ). When they get up in the morning and leave for school or work. They just unhook one end of the Hammock from the wall and hook it to the opposite wall. This totally opens up the room for them to set up a couple of chairs to play games on the TV or watch movies. A card table and they played board games for hours.
I did the same searches that you had and basically in following others similar set ups. I set his 12 X 10 room up by using a nice 2 X 6 board on both walls. Using lag bolts to go through the board and into each stud twice. On some of the stud bolts I attached the hanging hooks or truck tie downs, which gives the separation between hammocks. Here are several pictures of the set up and what I used. I also am a full time hammock sleeper. For the top of the boards you can also add some type of ledger board a 1 X 8 or 1 X 10 to the top of the board to make a shelf to display stuff on. Hope this helps.
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**Datahiker** · 03-29-2016, 08:19

smacedo, that's an awesome rig! My 9-year-old would love to sleep in a hammock every night but I haven't been able to talk my wife into it since his 7-year-old brother prefers a bed. I'd love to open up their room by getting rid of the bunk bed.

**WalksIn2Trees** · 03-29-2016, 09:59

I don't recall the thread title but the best set up I've seen used a steel squared C- shaped bracket found in the electrician's department of Lowe's or Home Depot... The bracket comes in various lengths and featured a sliding part that locks securely into place that a hook can bolt into, which the hammock can hang from. The idea is that the bracket can span several studs, and if mounted correctly can provide adjustability. It was a much simpler, more elegant solution than the above.

**Dcolon13** · 03-29-2016, 12:07

Interesting idea, but you might want to do some research into the physiological effects of sleeping in a hammock full time. I've asked that question here before, and while there are plenty of people who are full time hangers and swear by it, I haven't found a single doctor/PT/chiropractor who would recommend it. I might take the risk on myself, but I doubt i would on my kids.

**ckmaui** · 03-29-2016, 16:36

hahahahah yeah to bad so many in history used hammocks and are actually way better shape than many of us are today
look at many in central and south America that still use them

not mocking you

just those that say its bad to do it all the time and if it was they would have exact reasons and proof !
even then with 12 million people misdiagnosed each year and the fact they go from fat is bad to fat is good coffee is bad to coffee is good etc... this is bad to this is good and cant seem to really nail down anything without changing there mind 10 years later its all just theories and I highly doubt anyone has done any serious studies and came up with solid proof any which way and even then it would change in a few years

so is a futon better or a western bed ? and why then if the bed is so superior does it also give one such major problems ?

chances are the doctors would say well its because you sleep like a banana and that would be bad on your back and neck !!!!

Originally Posted by Dcolon13

Interesting idea, but you might want to do some research into the physiological effects of sleeping in a hammock full time. I've asked that question here before, and while there are plenty of people who are full time hangers and swear by it, I haven't found a single doctor/PT/chiropractor who would recommend it. I might take the risk on myself, but I doubt i would on my kids.

**Flatliner** · 03-29-2016, 17:14

My buddies 12 y/o hangs full time. I think the CPS co you got is over the top crazy. I would make sure your kids like hanging first though...

**FourRingCircus** · 03-29-2016, 17:20

Originally Posted by Dcolon13

Interesting idea, but you might want to do some research into the physiological effects of sleeping in a hammock full time. I've asked that question here before, and while there are plenty of people who are full time hangers and swear by it, I haven't found a single doctor/PT/chiropractor who would recommend it. I might take the risk on myself, but I doubt i would on my kids.

See - now this is another thing others have mentioned that I keep mulling over. I do wonder the basis behind the negative claims. It seems anything "different" must be studied and researched until it is found "good" - until then, it must be bad. I remember reading a comment on the Whole30 diet (for anyone who hasn't heard of it, it's a strict elimination type diet that has helped many many people reduce or get rid of chronic health issues) - the author of the comment was skeptical because no scientific studies had been done on it, anecdotal evidence wasn't enough for them. Personally, I would rather go off of what "real people" experience with something rather than what science claims to have found (because don't we all know statistics can "prove" anything they wany based on how it's presented?)

Anyway, I'm not brushing off the concern, I'm just thinking through it. I have a couple children with definite reflux (one who was on oxygen for the first year of his life for an unknown reason, docs suspect severe reflux swelling the airways, but I wasn't 100% sold on it... and actually he had to sleep suspended on a medical grade wedge - at a 30 degree angle

) - I would think it would actually be helpful for them. And all these companies coming out with baby hammocks touting their superiority - what changes? Why is it OK for a quickly developing newborn, but not a child or adult? A baby develops perfectly fine in the womb, which is not exactly roomy accommodations. I go back and forth. I actually want to do some research on this - who was it decided that the flat mattress was the best way to sleep? Or did we just settle for something slightly better than the ground? It's not like developed countries are always spot on with their way of life as much as we like to think so.

**FourRingCircus** · 03-29-2016, 17:24

Originally Posted by Flatliner

My buddies 12 y/o hangs full time. I think the CPS co you got is over the top crazy. I would make sure your kids like hanging first though...

They are excited about the idea of it, still working on how to try it out without taking the beds out first... although either way we might move to floor mats for various reasons. We have done a couple 1 hour "rest times" outside, but so far no sleep (still too new and exciting, especially being outside and in bumping range of each other).