At Little Lucy Willow we take children’s safety extremely seriously. That’s why all our furniture is built to comply with British Safety Standards.
This is crucial in the design of all our products, not least our bunk beds, which we believe are among the safest on the market today.
When choosing a bunk bed for your child, first consider current guidelines which recommend that such beds are not suitable for children under 6 years of age. Secondly, look out for something solid, stable and robust that conforms to BS standards. In the UK, this means that manufacturers must adhere to the following criteria to ensure that children don’t get trapped or suffocate....
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There are no gaps anywhere on the upper bed that are less than 60mm or more than 75mm.
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The access gap to the top bunk is part of the safety barrier along one side of the bed and is a minimum 300mm wide.
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Guard rails are in place on each side of the upper bed.
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The ladder has treads of at least 3cm wide and 20cm apart.
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The gaps between the slats on the base of the bed are no less than 7.5cm.
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The mattress is at least 10cm below the top of the guard rail and fits snugly.
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The ladder is securely attached to the bed.
It’s also wise to advise children how to use their bunk bed safely. Playing on the ladder, jumping off the top bunk, or leaning over the guardrail can all result in unwanted accidents.
Our bunk beds are extremely sturdy due to the strength and quality of materials we have chosen to invest in. Likewise, our freestanding products such as bedside cabinets and chests of drawers, are unshakeable but we still recommend that taller items - not least bookcases and wardrobes - are fixed to the wall.
Astonishingly, there are thousands of consumers out there who DON’T follow this advice. As a result, several parents from the US who’ve lost children beneath toppling furniture, have joined forces to campaign for awareness.
Amongst those spreading the word are Bob Lambert, whose three year old daughter Katie was found crushed by her wardrobe in 2005 and Jackie Collas, whose son, Curran, was found under his overturned five-drawer chest in 2014.
In the wake of the tragedy, Katie's parents founded the nonprofit charity, Katie's Foundation for Child Safety.
Mr Lambert said: “Tell someone Katie's story, encourage them to secure furniture. It doesn't take much. No child should die from something so senseless.”
Rich and Darlene Pierce, whose two and a half year old son Nick, was crushed by a chest of drawers in 2002, have also campaigned tirelessly for awareness of the issue.
Rich said: “It doesn't take much to overwhelm a child's small body. This is not a disease for which a cure cannot be found. We do not need a million dollars to research how to prevent this from happening. This can be stopped with education, awareness and simple tools.
Are you really worried about damaging the wall? You can easily fix a hole in a wall. You cannot fix a hole in your heart.”
It is estimated that on average, one child dies every two weeks in the US from tip over accidents.
Fortunately, not all such incidents end in tragedy...watch the heartwarming scene where a toddler saves his twn brother here.