Grandpa Richards Kids

Experts are now targeting the safety record of an old standby - bunk beds.

While Grandpa Richard is always concerned about safety issues, he also believes that you can only go so far. We cannot keep our children in a cocoon until they are 25 (older for some, especially boys!!!)

I see no problem with bunk beds, as long as you take care of some obvious safety concerns.

• do not let a young child use the top bunk, as many of the reported injuries involved the ladder, and young children have problems with using a ladder, especially in the middle of the night if they have to go to the washroom, etc
• there should be guard rails on all 4 sides
• the mattress should fit snuggly against all four sides
• rail gaps should be less than 9 centimetres to avoid getting heads trapped
• even for older children, a night light may be necessary so they navigate the ladder properly at night