Hammocks for sleep for the family.

[gypsyrose]

I have 5 children ages 10, 8, 7, 5, and 3. I also have a husband who I LOVE sleeping in the same bed as. My problem is we ALL are having sleep issues. I can NOT get comfortable in a regular bed. I spend all night tossing and turning and waking up so stiff I can barley walk (I am only 28 and feel 90 in the morning!). I have thought about going to hammocks but I need some insight.

Are there hammocks safe for toddlers?
what hammock would be good for sleep for children?
Is there a hammock that won't flip that will hold 2 larger people? (I am 220 husband is 230)
I live in a cold area. What can I do to keep the heat from excaping bellow us?

Also...do they make hammock couches?

[gypsyrose]

Iam thinking of using hammocks for sleep not for outside use.

[climbing.kevin]

Are there hammocks safe for toddlers?

You want to be careful with the toddler. I wouldn't put the toddler in it due to the possibility with suffocation, hence why there are regulations on how soft mattresses can be (too soft and the baby's head can get wedged in the mattress and suffocate). A gathered end hammock will hug the toddler's sides and can pose the same hazard.

Is there a hammock that won't flip that will hold 2 larger people? (I am 220 husband is 230)

http://www.junglehammock.com/product...weathershield/


I live in a cold area. What can I do to keep the heat from escaping bellow us?

look at the bottom insulation section. You have the option between sleeping on top of an underquilt or a pad. More people prefer the underquilt since you don't get the condensation issues and you don't have to worry about the pad moving around under you.

[hutzelbein]

Are there hammocks safe for toddlers?

I can't really answer that, but where I live, they sell mini-hammocks for babies. Since there are areas where people don't know beds and sleep in hammocks all of their lives, I would think that it would be safe enough. If you go with a hammock made from cotton, linen or hemp, suffocation seems unlikely. Plus, the natural position in a hammock is on the back. That's just my opinion, though.

what hammock would be good for sleep for children?

I would think any hammock you can get would be suitable. Since you plan to use the hammocks in the house, I would go with a natural fiber. It just feels nicer. You can buy small Brazilian hammocks, or make your own gathered end hammocks out of some sturdy fabric.

Is there a hammock that won't flip that will hold 2 larger people? (I am 220 husband is 230)

There are plenty of hammocks that would hold that kind of weight. If you really want to go with a camping hammock (which I would not really recommend for an indoor hammock where weight is not important), you could have Dream Hammock make you a double layer hammock from heavy fabric. You could make your own Table Cloth hammock. Or you could get a huge Brazilian. There are family sized Brazilians.

However, most people seem not to like sharing a hammock for sleeping. Instead, they hang 2 hammocks close together. But you can certainly try and see how you like it.

I live in a cold area. What can I do to keep the heat from excaping bellow us?

Probably get an underquilt. Arrowhead Equipment makes a full-length synthetic underquilt that is quite cheap (compared to down alternatives) and I was told they customize, too. So if you need a larger underquilt, you could ask.

Also...do they make hammock couches?

I have only ever seen hammock chairs. I think that hammocks generally don't work very well for more than one occupant. All weight within the hammock will always gravitate towards the lowest point - which means it will get very cozy.

[Pipsissewa]

They DO make hammock couches:

hammock couch1.jpg hammock couch2.jpg hammock couch 3.jpg


Generally, they seem very expensive. You can make hammocks for the whole family relatively inexpensively. You don't even have to sew! Just look around the DIY section of Hammock Forums. Best of luck to you!

[old4hats]

Whatever your choices, especially for the kids, plan to hang them only high enough to clear the floor, so that in case a fall should happen, hopefully no big harm done.

[rhjanes]

I'd suggest you get a used gathered end hammock here. Perhaps a "Bridge" type also. Then research a hammock stand for in your house, freestanding. Then you try out both hammocks for you, and your husband does the same. Make sure you can sleep in them, both of you. Then, start researching the two person models, how to safely attach to the house OR a stand that will support you both. You are the one thinking about hammock hanging due to sleep issues. I'd work it out for you, then you and your husband. Then think about the kids.
Also, they will be excited about the single person hammock, so they can be trying them out along with you.
The single person bridge and gathered end hammocks can be resold here easily. That is, if those just don't become the kids hammocks!

[Whiskeyjack]

My three kids sleep in tablecloth hammocks full time. 9, 7 and 5. The only one to fall out is my middle son. He's done it several times. He just crawls back in and goes back to sleep. I can't see the tablecloth material ever suffocating anyone. You can see through it somewhat. We have fleece that I'll be making some underquilts out of, but so far they've just laid on top of a blanket and have been fine.

[f k]

...
what hammock would be good for sleep for children?...

If you want to start small and inexpensive for the kids, i made my daughter a hammock from an old bed sheet that i was not using. It worked well. She really likes it, though my wife is not keen on letting her sleep in it at night so i cannot attest for an all night sleep. She was 2.5 in that picture. That hammock will hold me at 150# so it is plenty strong.

[spoonyspork]

I cannot speak for toddler safety, but if you had something like a Mayan hammock, I don't see how it could cause suffocation. I can see little hands getting stuck though.

My family has been sleeping in hammocks since August. Hubby and I share a Mayan and my son sleeps in a Brazilian (which was our 'test hammock'). We custom-made a stand that... looks pretty ugly, but holds us fatsos fine.

August to September was bliss: we could turn off the A/C at night and need nothing but something to cover our feet, and as cold weather set in (well, as cold as it gets in Florida anyway!) we switched to a fuzzy queen-sized blanket large enough to cover us both and fold under our backs. With two in a hammock you end up snuggling close, which helps with warmth. The coldest nights (it did get below freezing, believe it or not!) we put a small *safe* space heater at the butt end of the hammock and woke up sweltering. For our son we put a space heater in the room but far from the hammock and piled on thick blankets -- during the night he threw them off from being too hot.

I don't know about 'couch' hammocks, but during the day all three of us can lounge in the big Mayan. We could fit a couple more smaller kids with us if we had more I'm sure, but I donno about two big adults and five kids

I've *tried* to make our hammock flip with no luck, though I did fall out of it one night (I misjudged how much hammock was next to me when I went to roll out and got dumped on the floor), and my husband managed to flip when he flopped down on it while it was closed. My son managed to make his whole setup flip the long way climbing up the side, but it's a standard metal stand made of really light materials - hooked into the wall it wouldn't be a problem. Just don't get a hammock with spreader bars and flipping just won't happen if you're being at all smart.

Word of warning: you WILL NOT be able to sleep in a bed after even one night in a hammock. We don't even have beds in our house at all anymore. We only still have other furniture because our friends find it weird; otherwise we'd duplicate the stand (but make it 'pretty') and set up another Mayan in the living room, maybe with hammock chairs on either end.

Other word of warning: it's easy to sleep in a hammock, really difficult to get out! Especially a Mayan. The 'vertex' someone linked to earlier looks like it might be easier to get out of (and warmer), but is more than four times the price of the 'XX-grande' hammock we have, which is more than 10' wide and holds something like 1000 lbs.