My 4.5-year-old is outgrowing his toddler bed. We don’t have room for a full/queen bed, and I am completely stuck on what to get him. I love the idea of a lofted bed so we can have some extra storage/play area in his room, but I worry about him falling (or jumping) out when he is in it. Are loft or bunk beds unsafe?
—Kristen
As a kid, I loved the idea of bunk beds. As an adult, I find them a bit terrifying — I’m always sending my kids off to camp with instructions to “get the bottom bunk.” As you say, though, a bunk or lofted bed seems very practical. You’re wasting a lot of air space in your kid’s room!
Are these beds unsafe? An estimated 36,000 children and adolescents are seen for bunk-bed-related injuries in emergency rooms each year. Most of these result from falls from either the bed or the ladder. This number — 36,000 — may seem scary, though in the relevant age group in the U.S., there are over 60 million children, so as a share this is small.
It is difficult to directly compare the safety of bunk beds with other beds. What is clear, though, is there are two significant bunk bed risks that other beds do not have. One is that if you fall, you fall farther. A second is that a tired and confused kid climbing down a ladder might slip. Data shows that ladders are actually among the riskier parts of the bed.
This is a place where it makes sense to focus on how you could lower risk if you went with this type of bed. The answer is twofold. First, rails: there are regulations in the U.S. about the rails needed in bunk beds, but basically there should be guardrails around all sides so your child cannot roll off.
The second, and more complex, question is about the ladder, and this really depends on the kid. If your kid gets up frequently in the night to use the bathroom, a bunk bed may not be the right fit. If your child is like a camel, you’re in a better spot — and some people even remove the ladder at night so it’s not possible for kids to get down on their own.
Bottom line: Bunk bed injuries do occur, but you can limit the risk a lot with good choices.
A final point! Many bunk bed injuries actually occur in college students. Do not drink alcohol and then sleep in a bunk bed.
Log in
Is there any info about ages for bunk bed injuries for kids? Official guidance is no top bunk until age 6. Does that make a difference? Thanks!