So yesterday I had a discussion with a fellow blogger who focuses on parenting. We got to talking to about what age is appropriate for bunk beds. Most bunk bed related websites suggest that ages 5 and below are not recommended but that estimated seems to be a bit vague. While kids under the age of 5 may not be the best candidate for sleeping 6 feet elevated, what age is? While each kid is different in many ways, what is a good measuring system for when kids should and should not sleep in bunk beds?

When I was a kid, I slept on the top bunk at the age of 8. I never felt endangered for my life as the bunk bed had a side guard rail that kept me from falling down. I was at the age where I was not irrational and lacking common sense and leaning off the guard rail which could have me potentially falling a great distance and getting injured. With that said, I’m afraid I have seen too many kids who do indeed lack the common sense and often put themselves in dangerous situations. This is when a bunkbed should definitely not be considered.

I think a more accurate way to measure when it is appropriate to sleep in a bunk bed is to analyze when your child seems to have the common sense and rationale to sleep on the top bunk. Like stated above, all kids think differently and mature at a different pace. To set a certain age as the recommended age is not the safest guide to go by.

Also, parents need to take extra responsibility in watching their kids. After all, it is often safe to assume that it is the parents’ responsibility to make sure that their children do not get hurt. It is no question that parents should always pay careful attention to their kids on the top bunk! Kids will always be kids. I’ve seen kids jumping on beds, leaning off top bunks, climbing inappropriately at the walls of the bed, and doing various things that can really injure them. With over 500,000 bunk bed related injuries per year, these accidents are proven to be quite common.

As much as kids love bunk beds, I’m sure your kids won’t love having to sleep with a broken arm. Before you purchase a bunk bed, always evaluate the way your children behave and no matter what, always watch them carefully and teach them the proper ways of sleeping on a bunk bed.

This article was written by Chris Kim, the editor for BunkBedsPedia. You can go to BunkBedsPedia to see more articles related to bunk beds.