Are your bunk beds safe for the home?

Bunk beds are a perennial family favorite, whether to save space or because the children ask for them. The one up one down style of bunk bed, although quite an exciting venture for young children, can be dangerous - around 85% of bed accidents are sustained from bunk beds.

There is an obvious danger associated with sleeping on bunk beds, and that is the ability to fall off the top bunk. It is impossible to monitor your child every minute that they are in their room, so there is always the possibility that your child may suffer a serious injury from falling from the top bunk. Other risks are getting trapped in guard rails, slipping off the ladder, the bunk bed collapsing and minor knocks on sharp edges and especially the underside of the top bunk.

While a fall from a bunk bed can be dangerous in and of itself, any furniture in the nearby vicinity raises the chance of injury. Objects such as blind cords can be extremely dangerous, they can easily become wrapped around a child's neck and deaths have occurred due to a child getting a cord caught around their neck during a fall. It doesn't happen very often but it makes you wonder how safe bunk beds are for our children.

The first precaution is to make sure that your child is made aware of the potential risks. Whether all the children will be sleeping on the bunk bed or not, it is important to include them when discussing the dangers involved. Although kids less than six years of age should not sleep in the top bunk, it sometimes does happen that it may happen that they sleep there. It may be worth purchasing a bunk bed that can be separated into two singles until the younger child is old enough.

Even though the manufacturers have strict guidelines to follow in Europe, it is important that you check some basic features. Items associated with the bunk bed, such as ladders and guard rails, should be permanently attached in place. It is extremely important if you are reconfiguring the side rails and ladders that a child will not be able to lift them off.

Your wooden bunk bed will most likely have pine slats that you will need to lay across the frame and screw down tightly in order for the frame to support the mattresses well. Many young children enjoy playing with the top bunk bed slats. Use caution when owning a metal bunk bed and check the welded joints of the mattress support on a regular basis. It only takes one faulty weld to injure your child even though regulations will tell you that the bed has been examined.

It's easier to go up and down on a ladder that has an incline, as opposed to one that is completely vertical. It is also worth purchasing a night light so that during the night your child can clearly see the ladder.

Also look for bunk bed designs that have no sharp edges. You can customise your bunk with some sticky backed rubber - especially good for ladder steps and points that you can see that a child might knock against. Double check that the screw fixings are tight and in the correct location. Putting together a bunk bed is a daunting task, so it's a good idea for you to go over the bed once you're done to make sure it is sound.

An important thing to do when buying a bunk bed is to show your child the safe way to use it. They need to be careful because bad things can happen if they aren't.