Bunk beds are known for their space saving and functional features. These beds have stairs with several levels and offer a good amount of storage space. A stair helps kids to climb from one level to another but it can also be dangerous if care is not taken. Due to this reason, bunk bed injuries are becoming common nowadays.
In most of the cases, injuries are caused by the way the furniture is used and also depends on the one who sleeps on it. According to statistics, every year about thirty-six thousand bunk-bed-related injuries happen to children.
Most of these injuries are caused due to an unsafe behavior around bunk beds. Faulty construction is also one of the reasons for its occurrence. Consumers should ensure that the bunk beds they purchase should conform with the recent construction standards. There are several other things that can be done to ensure that they are being used safely.
Why should you invest in a good mattress?
We all know the importance of sleep. It is one of the ways by which our body gets energy. Sleep is the time when the body performs its vital functions and carries out repairs and regeneration tasks. Lack of sleep hampers the performance of these tasks and results in bodily issues.
Also, it impacts the mental abilities of the body and leads to stress. Sleep deficiency affects their mental and physical harmony and creates disturbance in it. This leads to different types of ailments in the person. The right mattress is one of the things that can improve the quality of your sleep. It relieves one from the pain in the joints, and provides deep rest to all areas of the body especially neck, and back.
Bunk Bed Safety Rules
Safety is very eminent when it comes to bunk beds. Rest comfortably with the below bunk bed safety tips.
- Ensure that you understand safety rules and teach them to your kids as well.
- Children below six years of age shouldn’t be left unattended in an empty room with bunk beds. They should also not be permitted to use them when they are alone. The greatest possibilities of bunk bed-related injuries are due to falls. More than 50 percent of them are caused due to this reason to children under 5 years.
- Not more than one person should be permitted on the top bunk at a single time. There has to be no horseplay on or below beds.
- Do not allow your children to hang any items like jump ropes or belts to any area of the bunk bed. This can result in a strangulation risk.
- Ensure to support bunk bed safety rules on a regular basis. Never form an assumption that others are acquainted with your rules. Always remember that visitors may require a reminder even if they have earlier slept over a bunk bed.
Safe Bunk Bed Construction
Safety rules are designed to help, so you need to ensure that your bunk bed conforms to these safety instructions in construction too. This is very much needed when you are buying a used / second-hand bunk bed. Earlier models of bunk beds may not conform to the new safety standards that have been developed in the recent years. You may need to check the “CPSC website” for more details.
- There have to be guardrails on the top area of the bunk bed. Opening for exit and entrance should not be more than fifteen inches wide.
- The rails located on the top bunk should stretch a minimum of five inches over the top layer of the mattress. You need to check the rails to ensure that they are durable and sturdy.
- Ensure that the mattress is of the proper size for each unit, as mentioned by the manufacturer. Never go for a smaller size or a larger size mattress, as it may fall and even hurt the child who is using it.
- Always ensure that your child uses a robust ladder to enter or exit the top region of the bunk. The ladder needs to be free of clothes, toys and other clutter.
- As per the new rules published by “ASTM International” in the year 2007, bunk beds that are manufactured post March 2008 may not have corner or “finial” post on the footboard or headboard. This is to assist in prevention of accidental smothering that can be caused if your child wears anything or catches on the bed while exiting the upper bunk.
Safe placement of Bunk Bed
Placement of furniture plays a very important role in how it is used. Ensure that bunk beds are placed in such a way that makes it quite simple for your child to enter and exit them.
- Never place a bunk bed below a ceiling light fixture or ceiling fan.
- Do not keep your bunk bed against a window.
- Ensure that there is a place for your child to sit without jolting his head against the ceiling.
Are bunk beds safe?
Bunk beds offer several advantages to a person. They are the best option for people who have a space constraint in their house. Bunk beds save a lot of space. Children are very fond of them. This was the positive side of these beds, but you must also know that without proper precaution, they can prove to be dangerous too. Every year, around 36,000 children get admitted in emergency departments because of injuries due to being careless in using a bunk bed. Most of the injuries that people get are related to the neck and head.
Along with this, injuries due to bunk beds are highly worse as compared to the ones that one gets from standard beds. Children who are less than six years of age have the highest probability of coming across these injuries. So, if you have a baby, then you have to ensure that you take maximum care and precaution measures when using this bed. One thing that is recommended is that children below this age should not be permitted on the top surface of a bunk bed.
Guidelines for a sound sleep
The Center for Injury Research and Policy and American Academy of Pediatrics offer the below guidelines to make sure that your child gets a sound and safe sleep in a bunk bed:
- Keep bunk beds in the corner of your room. This will ensure safety to the sleeper as there will be walls on both the sides.
- Installation of guardrails on both sides of your top surface of the bunk bed is another good idea to ensure safety. All you need is to ensure that the guardrails lift a minimum of five inches above your mattress.
- If you find that there is more than three or four inches distance between the guardrail and the bottom of the mattress, then you can try adding one more guardrail board to fill this gap.
- Add some extra slats to assist the mattress that lies on the top bunk so as to prevent it from falling.
- Emphasize your children to always use the ladder. Tell them not to use other furniture to climb in or out of the bed.
- Make arrangements to secure the ladder to prevent any slip accidents.
- Mattress experts advise to install a night light close to the ladder. This will provide your child a view if he attempts to get out of bed at the night time.
- Remove any type of dangerous objects from the area surrounding your bed.
- Never hang belts, ropes and scarves from the bunk bed, as it can strangle a child.
Conclusion
Bunk beds are cute and adorable furniture for kids. These adorable beds make the kid’s bedroom all the more exciting. But, they can also pose a threat to your young ones. More and more people are suffering from bed injuries these days.
It is very important to get information on how to save yourself and loved one from these accidents. All these tips will definitely prove to be useful to prevent you from becoming a victim of these injuries.
