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Bunk Bed Basics
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By Kingston Y. amadan
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Bunk beds are a great way to fit two beds into a smaller space,or to maximize the floor space of a shared room. There are nowbunk beds available with storage drawers, roll out mattressesand even some that double as desks and workstations. All theadditional amenities that bunk beds now offer are certainlysomething to be considered, but nothing is more important whenpurchasing a bunk bed than safety. Know what to look for and youwill get a great looking bunk bed that serves its purpose. Thereare certain things an educated consumer should know to look outfor, and it also goes without saying that not all bunk beds arecreated equal. There are several manufacturers of bunk beds whomake quality furniture pieces, and armed with a littleknowledge, you can purchase the right bed for your children.
All bunk beds should have rails for the top bunk. Withoutquestion, the number one cause of bunk bed related injuriesstems from children falling out of the top bunk. A quality bunkbed will never lack rails for a bed so high off the floor.Additionally, parents should always make sure the rails aretight and secure after the bunk bed has been purchased orassembled.
Ladder placement is important. Ladders will either be on thesides or front of the bed. A good rule of thumb to follow isthat bunk beds with four feet or four posts touching the groundshould have the ladder in front; meaning on the long side of thebed that usually faces out from the wall (provided the bed isset against a wall). You should only see ladders on the short"ends" of the bunk bed if the bed has a solid foundation on bothends, meaning wood or metal all the way across the end thattouches the floor. The reason for this is that front sideladders are at an angle while end ladders are straight up anddown. If your child slips on a front sided ladder, which isalways angled, he or she will not fall straight down,eliminating the possibility of landing on the bottom bunk railsor getting an appendage caught in the bed. This can happen witha vertical ladder, which is why they should only be placed onthe ends of beds, preferably with "walled" or "semi-walled" endsthat go all the way to the floor. This will prevent your childfrom getting an appendage caught on the bed should he or shefall on a vertical ladder.
Bunk bed construction, as one might imagine, is also veryimportant. Wood has substantially less compression strength thanmetal, so while wooden bunk beds are certainly fine, be wary ofthose that don't weigh much more than their metal counterparts.Wood bunk beds are just as good as metal bunk beds, but shouldweigh considerably more.
Being an educated consumer will allow you to get the bunk bedyou want while making sure that your children's safety needs aremet.
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