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What safety features do your bunk beds have?

By: David Ross

Many families contemplate using bunk beds for their children to alleviate a lack of space or through the request of a child Two-tiered bunk beds are fun for kids, but they are also the cause of about 85% of the injuries that happen due to 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 always monitor a child throughout the night or while they are playing in their room, so if there is a bunk bed in the room, a risk is possible of a child falling from the top and seriously injuring themselves. 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. Such cases are very rare but they do raise the question of how safe our children are in bunk beds.
The first precaution is to make sure that your child is made aware of the potential risks. It is important for all children--even those not sleeping in the bed--to know the rules and dangers associated with bunk beds. Most manufacturers recommend that children under six not sleep in the top bunk, but it's very easy to see that a small child could easily climb up to the top bunk at some time. You might want to buy a bunk bed that converts into single bed, so that you can keep them both on the floor until your children are ready for bunk beds.
There are strict European guidelines that bunk bed manufacturers must follow, however regulations apart, you should make some basic checks. Items associated with the bunk bed, such as ladders and guard rails, should be permanently attached in place. A well designed ladder allows you to change and lock the configuration, so when you change the settings, be sure that they can't be modified by a child.
Please ensure that the pine slats which come with the wooden bunk bed are screwed down tightly when you lay them across the frame for mattress support. Kids love to play on their beds. You should inspect the welded joints of your metal bunk bed routinely as the base is often constructed of a wire mesh which is dependent on the welded construction. 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. Buying a night light is a good idea to help your child use the ladder safely at night.
Certainly always look for beds designed safely and without sharp edges. To protect your child from banging on unsafe parts of the stepladder, build your bunk according to your preference with some sticky backed rubber. And do make sure that all the screw fixings are properly fixed and in place. After you've finally finished building a bunk bed, take the time to give it a good once-over to make sure all is as it should be.
The final, yet most important concern when purchasing a bunk bed is teaching your child how to remain unharmed when using it. They need to realized the consequences of not acting in a cautious manner.

Article Source: Free Content Articles Directory

Archers Sleep Centre specialise in the promotion of all kinds of beds from adjustable beds to guest beds and much more. You can find out more from their web page on the internet at www.archerssleepcentre.co.uk

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