What Are the Dangers of a Kid Jumping on a Bed?
Bouncing up and down on a bed is something that most kids have done at one time or another. While it is usually a harmless playtime activity, there is a good reason why parents insist that the children stop doing it. Jumping on a bed may be fun for the little ones, but the activity poses several risks to the health of the child and to the bed itself. Knowing the potential dangers of these actions may remind you why allowing it is not a good idea.
Concussion Risks
Jumping up and down on a bed can lead to a brain injury known as a concussion. Concussions may occur when the child accidentally jumps off the mattress and hits his head on the floor, or it could happen while still on the bed if the child comes in contact with a headboard or footboard attached to the ends of the bed. Concussions can lead to various problems depending on their severity and could even be a sign of moderate to severe brain injury. These injuries could lead to amnesia, unconsciousness, coma or death in some cases.
Window Falls
On average, more than 5,100 children in the U.S. fall from windows and sustain injuries each year, according to the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minnesota. One common cause of these falls is kids who jump on the bed near a window and fall through the window and down to the ground. Numbers tend to be higher in the warmer months when families have their windows and doors open day and night.
Fan Blade Injuries
Many bedrooms have a ceiling fan installed above the area where the bed is located. Jumping on the bed while the fan is running can be an additional danger because of the potential for injury from spinning fan blades. Even if the fan is not running, the child runs the risk of hitting his head on a light fixture or other portion of the fan, which could also cause concussion, cuts or burns from a light bulb.
Broken Bones
There is no question than a fall from a bed while jumping on the mattress could lead to a variety of broken bones. A child’s arm, leg or neck could be broken during an awkward fall off the bed. Banging a limb, head or ribs on a headboard or footboard could result in this type of injury.
Damaged Beds
While less severe than physical injury, breaking a bed frame or furniture surrounding the bed can be costly. Jumping on the bed may not damage a bed, especially since children typically have a low body weight, but poor quality bed frames or box springs could be broken during the process.
References
Writer Bio
Lee Morgan is a fiction writer and journalist. His writing has appeared for more than 15 years in many news publications including the "Tennesseean," the "Tampa Tribune," "West Hawaii Today," the "Honolulu Star Bulletin" and the "Dickson Herald," where he was sports editor. He holds a Bachelor of Science in mass communications from Middle Tennessee State University.
Photo Credits
- Dave & Les Jacobs/Blend Images/Getty Images
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