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Friday 1 March 2013

Bunk Bed Horrors

Hey all,

Last night I one of my children could have been seriously injured or (shudder) worse, while he slept.

So I have mentioned how hot it has been, we have had soaring temperatures all Summer which came to an abrupt end and yesterday was actually cold enough for me to go and put on my woolen cardigan.

At about 7 pm Julian and Samuel decided to watch a movie and whenever they are watching something that is not suitable for Elizabeth they go into our room and sit on the bed, well, suddenly there was a crash and Julian came out saying that the side of our wooden slat bed had collapsed.

Our bed is about 9 years old, we had a bit of gripe about having to replace the bed, Julian grabbed the drill and patched it up.

Then it came time for the boys to go to bed, as you know they sleep on bunk beds, there's Jack on the top bunk (old photo)


Samuel had got into the bottom bunk ready for the night while Jack was finishing up in the bathroom, as Jack entered the room Samuel quickly got up saying he needed a drink. Suddenly there was a massive crashing sound, the top bunk had given out and collapsed onto the bottom bunk.

Had Samuel been lying there under the weight of the very heavy mattress  slats and of course Jack's weight, no doubt he would have been seriously injured and I shudder when I type this, possibly killed. The mattress alone is so heavy I can't move it on my own.

See the raw wood, the screws had just popped out.




The other side, how the wood should look.



These beds were not cheap, they are heavy solid wood, we assumed that it has something to do with the weather, the other kids have laminate furniture and so far no problems.

I have to say, there will be no more bunk in our house, and I would strongly suggest if you have wooden bunks that you reinforce them with bolts.

Our best guess at this point, is that maybe the wood was affected with the weather change, way too much of a coincidence for it to happen twice in the same night. While our bed was old, the boys bunks are newish (around 12 months) old. If you have any other explanation please let me know.

I'm grateful that nothing happened and even though Jack fell through the bunks he was unharmed. I thank god that Samuel had decided to get up when he did. As for what next in this room, it's on hold until we sort out bedding, I'm not sure how we will fit 2 beds in there and Samuel refuses to sleep on it. No arguments here.

Sorry for the long post, but I just really want to say, if you have bunks please check them over, it could have been much, much worse.

Thanks for reading,

Mel xo



37 comments:

  1. oh my. so 2 beds broke in one day? so lucky that Samuel wasn't there when the bed collapsed!

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  2. Mel - I cant help but feel there was some sort of intervention there - that made Samuel get up for a drink!
    Its so scary - I actually dreamt about it myself last night. Thats how worried I was about you all.
    Take care and hugs to you and your boys xxx

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  3. Definitely scary! Thank goodness your son got up when he did. I've never liked bunk beds...I think they're dangerous even from a height perspective - especially with my boys who don't keep still when asleep! However, I know they are a necessity for some due to space restrictions. What about a single bed with a pull out one underneath it - not ideal I know, but perhaps safer? Good luck finding a solution - glad nobody was hurt x

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  4. This so scary! I am so glad everyone is okay and I don't blame Samuel at all for not wanting to sleep in there anymore. Did you put a call into where you bought it from?

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  5. So scary, Mel! So glad the boys are safe. Thanks for sharing!

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  6. That is horrific. Thank God neither boys were hurt. Hopefully your post will bring awareness to other bunk bed owners. Contact the company ASAP.

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  7. Oh my goodness - that is so frightening! We have been thinking about bunk beds for my eldest and middle boy - seriously rethinking it now. So thankful that your boys weren't harmed, sending you big hugs,

    Estelle xxx

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  8. Good to hear no one was hurt and sending HUGS to you, Mel. I know you're still shaking. I know I would be.

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  9. Sometimes God is watching over us and keeping us from harm, and I think that was the case for your little guy last night. Where do you live, BTW that it is summer? It is still full fledged winter here!

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  10. So thankful no one was hurt, but like Leslie and Amy said, you need to contact the company that built the beds and also if you have a consumer protection agency there. That's a life threatening event that people should be made aware of - especially if it's just a year old. That's so frightening just to think about it.

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  11. Oh, my goodness. So scary. What a blessing that no one was hurt! So glad your kiddos are okay.
    Blessings,
    Nici

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  12. Ooo...I had just thought about doing double bunk beds in our next place. Thanks for the head's up! I will either do 4 beds on the ground, or support the bunks somehow!

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  13. Someone has plans for Samuel. Very frightening. Glad all are okay.

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  14. I am pretty sure he has a guardian angel watching over him. Thank God no one was hurt! Can you call the place where you bought the beds from? This could happen to other families, and the next might not be so lucky!

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  15. That was just way too freaky Mel! Glad everyone is okay!

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  16. Holy crap Mel, glad everyone is OK xx

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  17. Wow, that is scary. Our kids had bunk beds when they were little, but they had metal supports that a bunky board rested on, with the mattress on top of that. Even then, we had a problem with them pulling apart enough for the board to fall through. Richard drilled holes in the metal rails and stretched a heavy wire across to keep them the proper distance apart.
    A good option for you would be a trundle bed- wouldn't take up any more room than a bunk bed, and would actually make the room look more spacious without that extra height.

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  18. How horrifying! I'm so glad he was ok. I never thought of this happening. I will definitely consider this if we ever need to look at a bunk bed in the future. Thank you for sharing.

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  19. On my gosh Me1! So scary!!! I'm so glad the boys are OK.

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  20. Yowza! So glad nobody was hurt! Appreciate the post. My boys had bunk beds, but they were the kind that weren't attached to one another, so we separted them. One boy now has the bottom bunk in his room and the other has the top bunk in his room. I'll be certain to have my hubby check the stability though!

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  21. That's totally horrible, Mel! Thank God both boys are okay. Since the shooting last year, Jacobus moved back into the house {he was in a flatlet outside} and him and Dimitri are sharing a room since. It is very cramped and I also have no idea how to "space" them out as their beds are right next to one another and they can only get on the beds from the foot ends. But, rather safe than sorry {different reason than yours - but in the end their safety is most important} Hope you can sort it out soon, if I were you I'd take those beds back to the supplier!

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  22. Sam's guardian angel was working overtime for him last night! I agree that you should contact the manufacturer. At the least, they owe you the cost of the beds and you may be saving someone else's child. Have you got enough room to put two single beds, along two walls, so they go head to head into a corner? You can fill the corner space with a square table to replace end tables. I'm glad the little dude is okay!

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  23. Hi Mel! Thank you for sharing what was obviously a dreadfully scary experience for both you and the boys! I was considering bunk beds so the grand children could all sleep together when they visit - will switch to trundles. xx

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  24. Holy moly! I'm so glad that all the years we had bunks, they were Ikea metal ones that were allen-keyed to within an inch of their lives! How scary for you all!

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  25. Oh my gosh, I almost felt like crying when I read your post, which is silly because everyone is alright! I'm really, really happy your son got up when he did, and that both boys are fine. It's a great post too, to let people know to reinforce their bolts. Ours is metal, but I'll be checking it often to make sure all is okay.

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  26. Oh my heavens ~ I am so glad your boys are okay. I have 3 sons and so many people have recommended putting two of them in bunks and they have always scared the bejeebers out of me but I'm just goofy like that ~ though I have considered the option to give them more space in their room....I'm not considering it anymore ~thanks so much for the timely and wonderful advice.

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  27. So scary. Glad to hear that everyone is okay though. I have to agree that someone was watching out for your son for him to get up and get a drink when he did.

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  28. Oh good heavens! Thank God nobody was hurt, He must have been looking out for Samuel.
    Very scary...I've always been afraid of bunk beds for that reason. I'm glad to hear you are working on a solution.
    Debbie

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  29. How scary....and weird. Your bed and their bunk beds both come crashing down. I am glad your boys weren't hurt. Lucas has a bunk bed, but it's a metal deal with desk under it. Lucas' bed is high up. He fell off during his last (ever) slumber party and broke his nose. He tried to hide it from us all night. When I finally got a look at him he he was totally swollen and looked like a boxer after losing a big fight. Bunk beds can be so dangerous! Hope you find something that works for them.
    Karen

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  30. So scary! I'm glad no one was hurt. Divine intervention.
    Hope your weekend was awesome!
    Sandy

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  31. Far out!!!! What a close call! Glad no one was hurt xo

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  32. Hi Mel. You are this weeks featured Flasher at Flash Blog Friday. Thanks for linking up xo

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  33. Hi Mel, I work with bedding & I can tell you go back to the retailer & demand a new bed, not timber maybe? You can get some really good metal Australian made ones. It's the first time I have ever heard of something like that happening but there could have been a very serious injury, they should take that very seriously.

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  34. Eeek Mel - how frightening. We've bolted our furniture to the walls, but I would never have thought of that!

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  35. Holy cow. I am late in reading this. Really late. We just bought bunk beds last weekend off of Craigslist.

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  36. Very informative blog post.Really looking forward to read more. Keep writing.http://lanofurniture.co.uk

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  37. Another popular variety of beds is that of day beds. These are great when it comes to space saving and being versatile. princess bedroom

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Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, between housework and 5 kids, this is the only thing I get out of bed for ;)

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