My daughter hasn’t fallen out of a bed since she was about 2.
But last week she got out of bed, and must have forgotten that her bed, while not technically lofted, was at its highest setting-- far higher than her bed at home. The floor wasn’t where she thought it would be, and she sprained her ankle.
Not a crisis, and not warning-worthy, but Yes, you can get injured in a bed that’s a different height than the one you’re used to.
Thank you for your reply and encouragement! This truly has defined my life mission to advocacy for safety rails. It is my passion and purpose! Merry Christmas!
bjkmom, it would help our cause immensely if you could report your daughter’s bed to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. They have a site dedicated solely to reporting unsafe products. saferproducts.gov
Here is an article about safety rails…something I admittedly didn’t have on my radar until my son almost died from a loft bed fall. I hope you find it enlightening and ask that you share on your own social media if you can! https://yourteenmag.com/teens-college/college-life/dangers-of-loft-beds
My daughter’s school had beds that could be lofted. Every bed had a safety rail that the student could install. Luckly, my daughter decided to use it. However, there are two other dangers. First make sure your kid understands how to safely loft and deloft the bed. I lofted my kids bed. Unfortunately, she decided to help her friend deloft her bed and seriously injured her shoulder. Still bothers her three years later even with a large amount of physical therapy. Second issue (minor but worth considering) is the damage that can be done to a laptop falling off the bed. Trust me, accidental insurance is worth it.
UPDATE: I just received official word that the University System of Georgia is requiring rails ON any bed higher than 36" from the ground to the top of the mattress (per Consumer Product Safety Commission standards) starting Fall 2019. RAD will now take this information to the CPSC and see if we can’t close the loophole that allows “institutional” beds to be unsafe while private sector beds sold in retail stores are required to have a safety rail. We are getting there slowly but surely! Thank you all for your support!
@RADRailMom, thank you for all of your efforts to address this issue. Hope your son is doing well continuing his recovery.
Thank you so much! It took over 3 years but I am so grateful that it is done! Now I gotta start on the other 49 states!
Good work! Hope your son continues to improve.
My son is currently a senior in HS. Just wanted to share our experience. Last summer we were in Lincoln Nebraska at University of Nebraska for a conference. My husband and I were chaperones and both our children were there. We all stayed in the dorms. The bed were only partially lofted. Our son has always been a wild sleeper. Has a queen size bed at home and is all over the bed. We jokingly refer to him as “the octopus” when he sleeps. He rolled out of the twin size bed and face planted on the concrete floor. By the grace of God he did not sustain serious injury but if you imagine cutting a baseball in half and sticking it on the center of your forehead that would accurately represent how he looked. Going to the ER in the middle of the night in a strange town and having a CT scan was not the way we wanted to spend our trip!
He is moving in the dorm in the fall and I have already forbidden full lofting. Partially lofting will likely be necessary but he will definitely have a bed rail.
I have had so much feedback regarding unsafe lofted beds and high bunks without rails, that I decided it was time to reach out to the Consumer Product Safety Division. I spoke with an amazing woman there who has offered to help me. If you or anyone you know has been injured or fallen from an elevated bed, please encourage them to go to this link to report it. We as parents will have a voice to change legislation with this kind of reporting! Please feel free to share. http://www.saferproducts.gov/Default.aspx
Reminder