Bunk Beds can be fun pieces of furniture in children’s rooms and give great sleeping options. Like any furniture purchase, picking out a bunk bed that is right for your child and your child’s room is important. Bunk Beds are excellent at bringing in different sleeping options that can allow for multiple children to sleep together in one room, or can just be a space saving option that helps give more floor play area to the room.

Over the past several years, Bunk Beds have changed quite a bit offering children and parents numerous options. What used to be a simple bunk bed, has transformed in to Tri-bunk beds, all-in-one bunk beds that have desks built in and has even brought in Loft Beds that can have a bed on top and space below. Lots of options, now we just need to figure our which bed is right for the room and right for your children.

The Biggest Mistakes made in bunk bed selection:

1. The age of children - in my experience, probably the biggest mistake that parents make with bunk beds is that they try to put bunk beds in children’s rooms when they are too young. Children will tend to climb and a four year old on the top bunk is just not a safe option. As an alternative, many Bunk Beds like you see in Stanley Young America, can be separated in to two twin beds to accommodate the younger years and can later be stacked to make bunk beds. Typically, the most appropriate age for the top bunk is 6 years or older.
2. The mattress height lines up with the guard rail defeating the purpose of having a guard rail. I would highly recommend that when choosing your bed, make sure to discuss mattress options. You will want to get something called a ‘Rite Height’ mattress for your top bunk for safety and possibly for your bottom bunk for head room.

   Why a ‘Rite Height’ mattress for bunk beds?

   In a nut shell, Rite Height mattresses are specifically designed to still have all of the components that normal, well made mattresses have, except they have been condensed in to a thinner version so that you can get the maximum usage of the guard rails on the bunk bed. You will want the most usage out of the top rails to keep your child from falling out of the top bunk. These Rite Height mattresses range from 4.5″ to 7″ in height which gives you a much better use of the guard rails versus a normal mattress that could be anywhere from 9″ to 14″. The last thing that you want is to put a mattress on the top bunk and have it be even with the top of the guard rails.

In Conclusion:

Make sure when you are shopping for furniture that you find a knowledgeable company that can help answer all of these questions and explain all the options that are important with a bunk bed. Children’s Furniture needs to be picked out carefully so that you get something that will last and that will give you the value you are looking for matched with the safety that you demand.

If you have a question, you can always drop me a line. I’d be happy to answer any questions and if it is something that we haven’t covered already - I may write an article on it so other visitors can benefit as well.

If you as a parent know of a bunk bed safety resource that others might find useful, please let me know. I’d love to add any resources that are relevant and useful for our visitors.

Bunk Bed and Bunk Bed Mattress Safety Resources/Links/Tips from other websites:

Stanley Young America has an excellent Bunk Bed Basics List. I didn’t want to rephrase it or redo whats already been done well so here they are with full credit to them. I encourage you to review their complete safety list for children’s furniture as well. One of the (many) reasons I absolutely love this company - they care about children’s safety and are in compliance (usually exceeding) with safety standards.:

• Bunk Beds are not recommended for kids under 6 years of age.
• The top bunk should have guardrails on each side. The side against the wall or opposite the ladder should run the entire length of the bed.
• The other rail should be secure and sturdy, extending 5 inches above the top of the mattress and with no more than 15 inches open at each end.
• The mattress should fit properly.
• A sturdy ladder should be provided to access the top bunk.
• If you have a ceiling fan, measure to make sure there is plenty of distance from the fan blades to the top bunk before purchasing the bunk bed.
• Children should not be allowed to climb the sides of the bunk bed.
• Only one child at a time on the top bunk.

Mattress Height - More about the Simmons Rite Height Mattress

Government Safety Standards: The Consumer Product Safety Commission - Safety standards evlove and to avoid giving you links that may not be valid between the time this article is published and when you read it, I highly recommend you review the CPSC website. This will ensure you have the most current and accurate information.

Disclaimer/ Important Note:

I have provided this article as a resource with the best intentions. My experience working in the children’s furniture industry contributes to my articles. I am not on any safety commissions or board for child safety. Please use your own judgment and discretion when choosing a product for your child. Also, safety standards do evolve and these resources are the best I know of at this time. These may change over time so please reference the relevant official safety sites for the most up to date information.