The most comprehensive study on bunk beds to date finds that kids are most at risk for injuries - especially those under the age of six. And the rate at which they wind up with injuries surprised even the experts.
"About 36,000 children are injured each year and treated in hospital emergency departments in this country and injuries associated with bunk beds, " says Dr. Gary Smith, of Nationwide Children's Hospital, where the study was done.
That injury rate works out to about 100 kids a day who have broken bones, cuts, or bruises needing hospital care. "All of these injuries that we looked at were serious enough to require a visit to the emergency departmet, so they're not simply just rolling out of bed onto the floor. They are breaking bones, they are getting cuts and having fairly serious injuries," says Lara McKenzie, Ph.D., who conducted the study. "We looked at a 16-year period from 1990 to 2005 and we found there were more than 570,000 injuries in children and adolescents up to age 21 during that 16-year period."
Beth Slinger knows of the dangers. A few years ago, a bunk bed used to stand in the corner of her son's bedroom. But after jumping on the top bunk and cutting his head on the ceiling fan that all changed.
"At the time, I was so upset that we could have let this happen that we took it down and got rid of it the very next day," says Slinger.
But just because Beth's son, Reed, is older now doesn't necessarily mean he's in the clear. While most injuries happen to younger children, they are not alone.
"What we found," McKenzie says, "which was really interesting, was that there is actually a spike in injuries in the 18-21 year-old age group."
That is because of the prevalence of bunk beds in places like college dorms and military barracks. But no matter where they are used, experts say the same rules for safety apply. "The gaps in the guard rails should be no more than 3 and a half inches, and the rails should be 5 inches or more above the mattress," says McKenzie.
And experts say it is never a good idea to let a child under the age of 6 sleep on the top bunk, given the suddenness and severity of the injuries.
Another dangerous aspect of bunk beds is the ladder. Researchers say more people are hurt climbing into bed than falling out of it. So make the ladder is sturdy and secure./p>
