Tips for Assembling a Bunk Bed

Nowadays just about any bunk bed that you will buy will come unassembled, in other words you will need to assemble the bed yourself. Don’t worry about this, you don’t have to be an expert handyman, it’s usually relatively simple.

However here’s a few tips for assembling the bunk beds.

Firstly, although it may seem obvious, it’s best to assemble a bunks in the bedroom where they are going. It wouldn’t be the first time that someone assembled the bunks in the lounge room or the dining room and thought too late about how they were going to get them into the bedroom. Obvious but important.

Secondly, they usually come in one or more large packs. These can be heavy and awkward, and particularly if you’re assembling your bunk beds upstairs, it is sometimes easier to open the pack and take the individual pieces into the bedroom one by one.

And thirdly assemble the bed as close as possible to where it would finish up to minimise the need to drag it into place.

Have some simple tools to hand, in particular screwdrivers. There is usually a good bunch of screws that will make a screwdriver. You may need glue, if so by a simple wood glue, the shindig is a wooden bunk bed. And have a good adjustable spanner to hand, there are usually bolts.

Always read all the instructions from start to finish before getting started. The instruction should include a list of components, lay all of these out carefully and make sure every single component is there. You will then immediately know if you are missing some screws, bolts or anything else before you get started.

Familiarise yourself with the instructions, have plenty of time on hand, preferably someone to help you, and don’t rush. Assembling your bunk bed can be fun, but not if you’re rushed.

And make sure that if its needed for the children to sleep in that night you get started in the morning to allow plenty of time to overcome any unexpected problems. Continue reading “How To Assemble A Bunk Bed” »

Consider buying bunk beds with a stairway for young children

Of course if you have bunk beds then someone is sleeping on the top bunk. And usually the kids will fight each other for the privilege of sleeping on the top.

(Often the best way to avoid the fighting about the top bunk is to swap the kids around, one week each).

And where you have kids sleeping on the top bunk then it’s essential to have a bunk ladder.

That sounds simple enough, however, particularly for younger children, climbing the ladder and clambering over the top rail can be a little awkward. And for some it can be a little dangerous, because falling off the ladder can be an issue.

Everyone assumes that you need to have a ladder for your bunk beds, however that’s not always the case. It’s perfectly possible to buy bunks with stairs at the end of the bunks with a convenient handrail so that the kids sleeping on the top bunk can climb easily and safely right to the top.

And the best bunks with a stairway even include handy pull-out drawers underneath every stair. Now that’s lateral thinking. Continue reading “Getting Onto The Top Bunk Is Not So Easy For Small Children” »

Bunk Bed Safety. Issues you should know about.

You may already be aware but if there are a few issues with bunk bed safety for kids. There have been occasions where kids have been injured when using bunk beds, particularly younger kids, and so there’s a few things to think about.

The obvious risk is that kids fall from the top bunk. So when you buy a bunk bed make sure of a couple of things. Firstly there should be a railing around ALL sides that will be away from a wall. And some even recommend a railing around wall sides too so kids can’t fall between a wall and the bed if it comes a bit away from the wall.

Secondly the railing should be solid, and non removeable so kids can’t detach it, or it gets loose. For obvious reasons.

Thirdly, the higher the better. A low railing isn’t adequate. And there should be very little space between the bottom of the rail and the top of the mattress so that kids can’t fall through the space in between the bed and the railing.

If there are slats holding the top mattress in place make sure these are fastened/nailed in place so they can’t come loose and the mattress and bedding and possibly the child in top can’t fall onto a child below.

And make sure the mattress is the correct size for the bed, some can be too small and leave a gap in between the edge of the mattress and the bed.

That’s just a brief introduction and if you’re buying bunk beds for young kids you ought to research a little more about bunk bed safety, but we thought we should alert you to the issue, and then you can, if you need to, find out more. Continue reading “Find Out About Bunk Bed Safety” »