Are Bunk Beds Really Safe?
From the archive. This post was first published on the original Green Eggs and Moms blog and is kept here as it was.
We’re excited to have today’s post by Robert Lobitz. As you know, we parents are always concerned about the safety of our children. If you or someone you know is considering purchasing a bunk bed, read this post for safety tips.
What’s a common challenge when trying to maintain safety while keeping your home organized despite your growing family?
Space.
One great solution to this problem, particularly when you have 2 children who share the same room is to utilize bunk beds to free up some trapped space.
However, you might be concerned about kids falling off from the top bunk.
How Safe Are Bunk Beds?
The answer might surprise you.
The Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that in a study over a 16 year period, 1990 to 2005, there were as many as 500,000 children who had been seen in US emergency rooms for injuries related to bunk beds.
But before this drives you away…
The findings showed that over half (60%) of those injured were boys, and half of the injuries occurred during school. Although these numbers are high, other studies showed that there were actually more injuries reported for standard beds as opposed to those involving bunk beds.
Some attribute this dramatic difference in results to the fact that a few bunk beds are designed to make users more responsive and receptive to being safer.
If you’d like your children to use a bunk bed but are still concerned about safety, here are some basic things you can check.
Also, if you’ve already purchased one, here are additional tips to ensure your children are protected.
What to consider when using bunk beds
1. Guard rails. To begin with, 6-year-old children are really too young to sleep on the top bunk. It simply isn’t safe enough for this age. One of the first things you should physically do for any child over that age is to check the bed for proper guard rails.
These are supposed to be mounted on both sides of the top portion of the bed, and you should ensure that in between the rail and the new mattress is a section no bigger than 3.5 inches. If you have the option, try to find safety rails which have support for vertical rails.
2. No rough housing on the top bunk. Make sure that play time is appropriate and rough play is done on the floor or lower bunk. This way, there’s no chance of kids falling from a high place.
3. Have a nightlight on the top bunk. Ample lighting ensures that kids occupying the top bunk can move safely within the confines of the bed during the night. However, be cautious about how you use lamps and other lights because you do not want the top of bunk beds to be directly underneath these fixtures.
4. Keep away from ceiling fans. Keep bunk beds away from these to prevent unwanted head injuries. Rotating blades pose many dangers which you definitely don’t want your children to experience.
Bunk beds can be a safe option if you follow the tips above. It’s also a great way to save on space that becomes scarce with a growing family.
Got any bunk bed safety tips you want to share? Leave a comment to help other moms who are about to venture into the world of double-decked beds.
Photo:Creative Commons from uberculture