Goodnight to bunk beds

BUNK beds are being put to sleep. The resting places of generations of Kiwi kids, bunks are no longer being stocked by a number of major furniture stores.

Instead they are being replaced with trundler beds – a single bed with a bed stored underneath that can be wheeled out when needed.

Farmers' marketing manager, Dean Cook, said the chain stopped selling bunks because demand had decreased.

"We weren't actually selling a lot any more.

"The customer was asking more in the last 18 months for trundler beds so we moved towards that."

The Sleepyhead trundler bed now stocked at Farmers also folds up to the same level as the master bed so it can be joined to make a double bed for guests.

Freedom Furniture has also stopped stocking bunks.

Bunks have been linked to two horror accidents this year. In January two-year-old Luca James Gibson died when he suffocated after partially falling from a bunk.

And earlier this month a two-year-old boy was rushed to Waikato Hospital with head injuries when he fell from a top bunk.

There are no mandatory standards for bunk beds but a voluntary Australian and New Zealand standard applies to bunks that addresses design and construction.

The standards specify bunk beds are not suitable for children under six. Australia has drafted a requirement that top bunks be restricted to 12-year-olds, which New Zealand may follow.

Ministry of Economic Development spokeswoman Julie Allen says while there is no mandatory standard the ministry recommends following voluntary guidelines.

Australasian Recommended standards for bunk beds are:

Guard rails or bed-ends should be on all sides of the top bunk.

Guard rails should be either non-detachable or incapable of being moved by a force of 10kg in any direction.

The vertical distance between the top of the guard rail and top of the mattress should be at least 160mm (the length of a ball-point pen) above the top of the mattress to prevent children rolling out.

Guard rails should be smooth and free from protrusions.

The entrance opening should have a minimum width of 300mm and a maximum of 400mm up to the maximum height of the guard rail.

Check that there are no gaps (including the rungs on ladders) sized 95mm to 230mm in any part on the bunk beds, including guard rails. Small bodies can fit through but heads can get stuck.

Check that there are no protrusions from the bunk bed more than 8mm.

Ensure nuts and bolts do not create a sharp point.

- © Fairfax NZ News