Bunk Bed Safety - Tips For Parents and Kids on How to Use Bunk and Loft Beds Safely

Kids of all ages love Bunk Beds and Loft Beds because they offer more floor space, a little adventure, and a cozy nest for sleeping. Bunk Beds, futon bunks, and ladders are now available online so they are easier than ever to purchase.

As wonderful as they are, bunk beds have inherent dangers associated with them. There is no substitute for sitting down with your child on Day 1 of the new bunk bed and carefully explaining the safety rules. Ask kids to repeat what you have told them to ensure that they have understood. Here are some basic safety tips to avoid injuries using a bunk bed. Some are for parents in the initial set up and some are for kids to remember every day that they use the bunks.

Top Bunk Safety

On the top bunk, use only mattresses sized to fit perfectly. The top bunk is generally a twin, so use only a twin-size mattress: 39" x 75".

Don't use a mattress more than 8" thick. The guardrails on most bunk beds are designed to accommodate up to an 8" thick mattress. Thicker mattresses place the sleeper too close to the top of the guardrail, rendering the rails ineffective in preventing falls.

Always use guardrails on all sides of the top bunk, particularly on the long sides. Check to ensure that the surface of the mattress is 5" or more below the top of the guardrails. If you need thick or heavy comforters on top of the mattress, you might want to select a thinner mattress so the sleeper stays well below the top of the guardrails. 6" thick mattresses are often sufficient for kids, whose lighter weight does not require extremely thick mattresses.

Never allow a child under 5 years old on the top bunk. While kids under 5 may be agile and have good climbing skills, they may need a few more years to refine their internal sense of caution and safety that would help them regulate their own behavior on the top bunk.

Teach children always to use the ladder for getting up and down from the top bunk. Many bunk and loft beds have slats on either end that may look like climbing structures that kids see at the playground. However, only the ladder is specifically designed to support their weight that is increasing with each passing year.

Teach children to climb the ladder only while facing the ladder. While it may look easy to them to climb down facing outward into the room, it is safer to climb down facing the ladder and holding on securely.

Respect the manufacturers' weight restrictions! Some bunk beds are constructed to handle up to 400 lbs. on the top bunk, but not all are. Read the accompanying safety materials to determine the weight limit. If none came with your recycled bunk bed, a medium-sized adult (approximately 200 lbs.) should climb to the top bunk to check the sturdiness and rigidity of the frame. Determine a maximum weight and do not allow a heavier person to use the top bunk.

Caution your children not to jump on a bunk bed (ever) - either on the upper or lower bed. Bunk beds are not designed for it. While the dangers of jumping on the top are obvious, even jumping on the bottom can weaken the entire structure or result in banged heads.

Overall Bunk Bed Safety

Place the bunk bed tightly against the wall to prevent children from becoming trapped between the bunk and wall. Use both long-side guardrails and caution your children from trying to slip down the back of the bed to the lower bunk.

Regularly check that the ladder, the guardrails, and other parts are tightly screwed down and properly in place. Fixtures loosen over time, so look over the whole structure once a month and tighten loose screws.

Hanging items from any part of the bunk bed is dangerous. Kids may reach over the edge for them, swing from them, and generally risk falling off or strangling.

All children benefit from a nightlight that will help them use the bunk or loft safely. Soft red lights allow dark-adapted eyes to see enough to get down without jarring them into a permanent awake state in the middle of the night.

Watch your children get up and down a half dozen times before leaving them alone with the bunk bed. Advise them on the safe ways to enter and leave the top bunk and ask them to show that they understand by doing it.

Following these simple safety tips should help you and your family enjoy your bunk or loft bed free of injury! Don't forget that bunk beds also come in futon designs that enable you to have a futon sofa as the bottom bunk. There you can read to your child before bedtime - a sure way to calm things down and engender a lifelong love of reading!

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