Bunkbeds are a wonderful way to save space in that little bedroom used by your children. You get two beds in the space of only one, they're less expensive to purchase than two beds and are normally as safe as a regular bed. However, there are a few things you may want to consider before purchasing bunkbeds for your kids.

First, be sure to always use guard rails with a bunkbed. Most children sleep all over the bed, tossing and turning all through the night. If a child does accidently fall from a regular bed, the fall is fairly short, perhaps two feet or less, and not likely to do much damage to a sleeping youngster. However, a child falling from a top bunk has a much longer fall and is much more likely to be injured. With a guardrail in use, the turning child will merely bump into the guardrail and continue his sleep, safe from a fall.

Next, be sure the guardrails you're using are the proper fit. By this, we mean that the rails are spaced the proper distance from each other so that part of the child's body won't get lodged between the rails and cause injury. The proper distance for the rails is three and one-half inches apart. Although most bunkbed manufacturers have these safety features in place, it's always a good idea to make sure bunkbeds are safe before investing in them for your most precious sleepers.

Also, check to be sure the support slats of the upper bunk are securely in place. These slats are very tempting for the bottom bunk sleeper to push on with their hands or feet. If they're securely in place, this can be stopped, eliminating possible injury to the children.

Be sure you have a properly fitting mattress. If the mattress is too small for the top bunk, it may sag, creating possible damage to the mattress itself.

Always insist that your kids climb the ladder when going to the top bunk. Even though most children will be able to find much more creative ways to get to the upper bunk, as a parent, it's your job to make sure that they use the ladder instead. Not using the ladder can be an invitation for injury to the child or damage to the bunkbed.