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Bunk beds are popular choices among households where space is limited and children have to share a room. In as much as bunking is common among families these days, the occurrence of injuries caused by bunk bed falls is also not unusual. According to a survey conducted by the Ohio State University, there have been over 500,000 reported bunk bed-related injuries among those aged less than 21 years from 1990 to 2005. Half of these incidents occurred among six-year olds. Interestingly, even those who are aged 18 to 21 are just as prone to bunk bed accidents. The incidents reported for the older age group seemed to have taken place in controlled facilities such as college dorms and military camps. Understandably, boys are more prone to such accidents with over 60% of the reported cases involving males.
The study also came out with a lot of interesting findings. The results of the comprehensive research say that most of the injuries caused by bunk bed falls were on the head, neck and face. Kids under three are found to be 40% more prone to head injuries than other age groups probably because they have a relatively higher center of gravity.
Bunk beds still make for popular choices of youth furniture. “These products represent up to 30% of the wholesale market for youth beds,” says Patricia Bowling of the American Home Furnishings Alliance. But there really is no way to tell how many children are still set up on bunks.
In spite of their popularity, the rising number of bunk-related incidents has raised concerns from parents especially those who still have younger children. There are those who are not too keen on moving their kids from baby beds to the more “grown-up” bunks even while children still perceive the idea of bunking as fun and exciting.
Since it’s going to be quite difficult to remove the culture of bunking, there are a couple of things that parents can do to keep their kids safe on their bunk beds .
For one, it’s a good idea to use permanent guardrails on both sides of the upper bunk regardless of how young the user is going to be. As a general rule, kids aged six and under shouldn’t be allowed to sleep on the top bunk. It’s also important to select an appropriately-sized mattress to keep the child from slipping and installing night lights in the room to help him see the ladder even at night is advisable.
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