Kids Rules for Bunk Beds

Bunk Beds come with a number of recommendations by the manufacturer to keep kids safe. Here are a few additional ones that should be posted in or near a bunk bed area for bunk bed safety.

1. No more monkeys jumping on the bed applies big time to bunk bed use. Do not jump on the bunks. Top or bottom. This increases the opportunity for falls or it can loosen the beds and make them unsafe.
2. Do not use this bed if you are under the age of 6 or have a maturity level of 6 or less. Some kids may have the maturity to use the bed before six but some older children may not be mature enough to use the bed at 6+ years of age. Parents should use their discretion. Unfortunately, some parents tend to ignore this warning.
3. Beds are for sleeping, not playing. Even if your bunk bed looks like the apparatus that you climb on at the playground, it is not a toy. It isn’t constructed to take that kind of use. The bunk tent beds are very tempting but should be used more as a bed than a piece of playground equipment. Hard use can cause the structure to become weakened or wobbly. Use according to manufacturer’s instructions on the tent bunks.
4. No more than one child in the top bunk at a time. It is tempting to use the top bunk as a tree house but more than one child on the top increases the risk of falls.
5. Make sure the area around the bunk bed is free of clutter or sharp objects. Any fall can be bad but a fall on something sharp can be worse.
6. Always use the ladder to climb to the top. Don’t use the bed frame. The bed is designed to be sturdy if used properly but the frame is not a ladder. Discourage any other creative attempts to climb to the top.
7. If you are a sleepwalker or someone who rolls out of bed often, use the bottom bunk. 
8. Any wobbly, loose, movement should be reported to your parents immediately for tightening. If any part of the bed seems to be coming apart, again, notify your parents before continuing to use it.    

Use your new bunk bed properly and you should get many years of enjoyment out of it.  Review these rules often and enforce them.