For safety reasons, bunk beds a no-no for younger children

Persistent persuasion is a skill developed in toddlerhood and perfected by the preschool years. No wonder, then, that the 4-year-old had nearly convinced her mother that bunk beds would be a wise purchase for the new year. What fun she would have sleeping on the top bunk, while her 12-year-old sister slept below, and how much space it would save in their already crowded room!

The little girl's mother asked my opinion of the top bunk plan. As always, being pro-safety (and therefore anti-fun?), I immediately nixed the idea. I told the mom to go ahead and buy the beds if she wanted to, but in no way should she allow her 4-year-old to claim the top bunk.

I was well aware that 6 years old is the acceptable age cutoff for this upper sleep position. In addition, I could not imagine this particular young lady sleeping 5 feet above ground, after having listened to countless stories of the girl's restless sleep and her habit of wandering into her mom's room in the middle of most nights.

In a recent study published in the journal Pediatrics, experts at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio found that bunk bed injuries affect 36,000 kids and young adults each year. Half of these injuries occur in children younger than 6. Interestingly, young adults 18 to 21 have twice as many injuries as their teenage counterparts (college-age kids - say no more).

Bunk bed injuries usually occur due to falls, and most commonly result in lacerations, contusions and abrasions, with fractures coming in a close fourth. The body parts most often affected are the head, neck and face. The authors note that this makes sense anatomically, as younger kids are the most often injured on bunk beds and are also more likely to hit the ground head first due to their higher centers of gravity.

In addition to CIRP, several other organizations have become involved in regulating and promoting bunk bed safety. In 1999, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission developed a set of mandatory bunk bed construction standards that are continually being updated.

The most recent voluntary manufacturing recommendation came in March when furniture makers were instructed to produce bunk beds without finials or posts on the head or footboard. This modification attempts to eliminate a potential strangulation hazard, as dangling clothing can catch on these posts as children step down from the top bunk.

The furniture industry, through its American Home Furnishing Alliance, has also issued a bunk bed safety checklist that is very specific and very restrictive in its age limit. The AHFA states that such beds are not recommended for kids younger than 6, and that this age group should not even be allowed unsupervised play in a room with bunk beds. Only one person should occupy the top bunk at any given time, and for obvious safety reasons, the bed should not be placed under or near ceiling fans and lights.

AHFA also advises that the top bunk be fitted with sturdy guardrails that extend a minimum of 5 inches above the top of the mattress, and that border the bed on all sides, leaving no more than 15 inches open at each end.

Bunk bed mattresses should be a proper fit as intended by the manufacturer. Substitutions - such as placing a small crib mattress over the bunk platform - are not recommended.

Kids should be taught to use a sturdy ladder to climb up and down from the top bunk (no superhero stunts, please). Industry experts suggest that toys, clothing, jump ropes, etc., not be hung from ladder rungs or any part of the bunk beds to avoid slipping or strangulation injuries.

CIRP researchers recommend that children younger than 6 never be sent up to sleep in the top bunk, and that kids not be allowed to use their bunk beds as a playground. They add that guardrail gaps should measure 31/2 inches or less so that small limbs and heads will not get trapped within the rail. Night lights can also help the top bunk sleeper navigate his way down the ladder in the dark of night.

• Dr. Helen Minciotti is a mother of five and a pediatrician with a practice in Schaumburg. She formerly chaired the Department of Pediatrics at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.