According to Toddler Bargains (a great book for moms with kids entering or even in the todler years):
BE WARY OF BUNK BEDS. Even though new federal safety
standards were enacted way back in 1999, we are still concerned that a good number of bunk beds are not conforming to the law.
Bunk Beds:
Are the new safety standards being ignored?
It’s the perfect solution for a space squeeze—bunk beds, that
quintessential piece of juvenile furniture that is in thousands of
kids’ bedrooms nationwide. Yet bunk beds have a dark side: they
have been responsible for 91 deaths by entrapment since 1990;
in 1998 alone, over 34,000 children where sent to the emergency
room for bunk bed-related injuries. In a five-year period ending
in 1999, more than 600,000 bunk beds were recalled because
they were unsafe—they put children at risk for falling, entrapment
or strangulation.
To address these alarming problems, the federal government
issued new mandatory safety rules in December 1999. Actually, the
government’s efforts to make bunk beds safer can be traced back
to 1992, when a voluntary safety standard was enacted.
Unfortunately, as you can see from the injury and death statistics
from the 1990’s, that effort was not successful, prompting the
Consumer Products Safety Commission to enact tougher mandatory
rules.
Beginning in July 2000, the CPSC required all bunk beds made
or imported for sale in the U.S. to meet these requirements:
Any bed in which the underside of the foundation is over 30
inches from the floor must have guardrails on both sides and the
wall side rail must be continuous.
Openings in the upper bunk structure must be small enough
(less than 3.5 inches) to prevent passage of a child’s torso.
Openings in the lower bunk end structures must be small enough
to prevent entry by a child’s head or torso, or large enough to permit
the free passage of both the child’s torso and head.
The bed must have a label identifying the manufacturer, distributor
or seller, the model number, and the date of manufacture.
Warnings must be on a label affixed to the bed and in instructions
that must accompany the bed. The label warns not to place
children less than six years of age on the upper bunk and specifies
mattress size.
Yet, despite the new rules, we are troubled that unsafe bunk
beds are still being sold nationwide. A loophole in the new federal
law allows retailers to sell off old bunk bed stock that predates
the new regulation with no warning to consumers. Unfortunately,
stock can sit on store shelves or in warehouses for years as we’ve
discovered.
Even more troubling: we still hear reports from parents who see
bunk beds on the market that don’t meet the new federal safety
standards. Here are the key problems we’ve witnessed with bunk
beds still for sale today:
Guard rails on the back side of the bunk bed that do not run
from end to end of the bed.
Openings on the top bunk that exceed the 3.5 inch space
rule mentioned above.
Bunk beds that do meet the new weight standard. New rules
call for the top bunk to withstand 400 pounds of pressure for five
minutes. The problem? Many manufacturers don’t have equipment
to check this.
Some of these dangerous bunk beds are at second-hand stores
or at garage sales. Others are in discount retail stores. One bed
manufacturer who we spoke with at an industry conference said he
is troubled by unsafe bunk beds that are still being made today,
long after the new safety rules have been enacted.
While we don’t have a list of specific bunk bed manufactures
that are violating the federal rules, we urge parents to exercise caution.
The CPSC’s publication on bunk beds (http://www.cpsc.gov/
cpscpub/pubs/071.html) provides good tips as well as illustrations:
1. Selection
Choose bunk beds that have:
Guardrails on all sides which are screwed, bolted or otherwise
firmly attached to the bed structure.
Spacing between bed frame and bottom of guard rails that is no
greater than 3 1/2 inches (89 mm).
Guardrails that extend at least 5 inches (127 mm) above the mattress
surface to prevent a child from rolling of
Cross ties under the mattress foundation which can be securely
attached.
A ladder that is secured to the bed frame and will not slip when
a child climbs on it.
A feature which permits the beds to be separated to form two
single beds if you have children too young to sleep safely on the
upper bunk.
And finally, choose a mattress that correctly fits your bed,
whether regular or extra long. (Be wary of extra long mattresses, as
bedding can be hard to find).
2. Use
Always use two side guardrails on the upper bunk. Keep
guardrails securely in place at all times no matter what the age of
the child. Children move about during sleep and may roll out of
bed.
Do not permit children under six years of age to sleep in the
upper bunk.
Be sure cross ties are under the mattress foundation of each bed
and that they are secured in place even if bunks are used as twin
beds.
Emphasize to children to use the ladder and not chairs or other
pieces of furniture to climb into or out of the top bunk.
Teach children that rough play is unsafe around and on beds and
other furniture.
Use a night-light so that children will be able to see the ladder if
they get up during the night.
3. Maintenance or Safety Repair
If spacing between guard rails and bed frames is more than 3
1/2 inches (89 mm), nail or screw another rail to close the space to
prevent head entrapment.
Keep guardrails in good repair and securely in place.
Replace loose or missing ladder rungs immediately.
Repair or replace loose or missing hardware, including cross ties immediately.
Wow - there wes certainly a lot of info to cut and paste!!
