With kids mostly enjoying summer in camp or at home, when their active imagination and restlessness run wild, bunk beds look like a convenient playground to them. It also increases the chance for accidents to happen. So, parents, be on the alert for possible injuries.

Even if your child is not as restless as some kids, it’s still best to be cautious. If you’re sending kids to camp, make sure that the beds are safe.

A study published in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics reviewed 16 years of data collected on injuries and found, on average, 36,000 bunk bed injuries happen every year. More than one in four (27%) involve head and neck injuries, generally caused by falls from the top bunk or the ladder. Accidents are more common still when the child in the top bunk is younger than 5; one in five bunk bed injuries led to a broken bone.

Children are at risk of suffocation, as well. If they are small and the spaces between guardrail slats are more than the 3 1/2 inches allowed by current regulation, their heads — still large compared with their bodies — can get caught as they try to wiggle down. But though three-quarters of those injured are 10 or younger, the researchers from the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, found a surprising rise in injuries among young adults 18 to 21 — more of whom may be bunking in college dorms, military units and other group residences.

Via LA Times

Tags: active imagination, bed, beds, bunk beds, bunk-bed, kid, kids, ladder accidents, neck injuries, playground

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 15th, 2008 at 8:51 am and is filed under MATTRESS Kids.
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