The Chicken Coop
Well, as promised we made Nico a DIY safety bed...and it works!!!
My oldest calls it the "chicken coop" which honestly it does look like one.
***Disclaimer*** Now I wouldn't recommend this style for a very phyisical/self harming child on spectrum or off. And I am no way a carpentry expert or recommend this bed for ALL children with feeding tubes. This is just my family's cost effective solution to our present problem. Please consult your medical team and get their permission before attempting a project like this.
For more information on my disclaimer policy see this: https://trendyk1.wixsite.com/meikelelee/single-post/2017/03/22/Disclaimer
Let me tell you how we made it...
Materials/$$:
Wood screws $7.99
Level
Power Drill
2 gate hooks $1.99
2 hinges $6.98
40 14" zip ties (75lb tensile strength) $6.98
6 wooden posts 5+ ft high $5.95
1 roll 25X2 ft deer mesh (smaller the better so no hands or feet can fit through) $10.99
Toddler wooden bed frame w/ or w/o guard rails $30
Parts of old crib
Hack Saw $6.99
4 Special screw/bolt combo that the toddler bed required and were missing $5.99
Measuring tape
Pencil
Optional: wood stain or spray to make it the same color as the toddler frame
We got a used toddler bed frame from our local Facebook classifieds and my husband put it all together the night before we really got down to business on the bed. We also went out as a family and sanded the poles to get rid of any splinters and sharp edges.
All total that day we spent maybe 2 hours working on it and then a little bit of brainstorming how we were going to use parts of his old crib to make a door and where we would put the corner poles and what end to put the door on.
Next day Hubbin put the finishing touches on the bed frame with a power drill and we got down to work on assembling this bed. We took apart the crib and found that the side I wanted for the door was not going to work so we measured and found the other end would. It fit perfect once we adjusted the corner poles a little further inward which made up the 2" the gate lacked. We also wanted to be sure the mattress could come in and out easily from that end since "feeding the bed" is always a possibility and I need to be able to change sheets.
Our oldest helped hole the poles while Hubbin put them at each corner, we then attached the gate and made sure it would swing properly, there was a little gap at the bottom and we knew the bed mattress would take up some of the space but found a piece of his crib to put there to keep him from being able to slide through the hole ***we added this after his first night in the bed when we saw how he could fit his head there easily.
We then added poles from corner to corner and used a pole from the crib for the head of the bed. making sure they were level and sturdy.
Next we used to layer high of Deer Mesh and used zip ties to attach it to the sides, top and base and slightly stretch. We had enough mesh for 2 long sides, the head of the bed and half of the canopy...Still debating on whether to add more across the entire top.
We found that his first night in the bed he fell into the edge of the mesh and thankfully it held all 30 lbs of him, and my Hubbin was able to get him back onto the mattress and so the next day we attached a long board from him crib in a position where it acted like a safety bar and that fixed the problem.
We will attach one to the other side, but for now its up against the wall and he doesn't roll that way.
We have since learned that our son is a smart little Houdini and he discovered how to undo the gate hooks, we have had to use zip ties to keep it shut until we find another solution.
All said and done we spent around $85 in extras and will will spend maybe another $20 in beefing up the security.
It's made my husband very proud that we could build something to keep him safe and we hope to be able to still get the real deal safety bed in the future, but for now Nico is safe and we can rest a little easier knowing he won't get out and hurt himself, his feeding tube or others.
Wishing you happy DIY-ing , gotta love this "new normal"
