To think that high sleeper bed steps should take the weight of an adult?

[rogersmellyonthetelly]

Especially when the bed itself is large enough for an adult to sleep in?
Bought a high sleeper for ds last year, 4 months in he slipped on one of the steps, landed on the next step down, which broke. He is 8 years old and a skinny little noodle. I took it as just one of those things, paid for a new step, and all the faff of installing it.
Friday night, I climbed up to the third step to kiss ds goodnight, it broke, I fell and have been in and out of hospital all weekend for monitoring (23 weeks pregnant and rhesus neg).
Now I know that it is technically a child's bed, however surely the steps should be strong enough to take the weight of an adult who presumably will have to get up there to make the bed, put fitted sheets on, retrieve chocolate wrappers etc from time to time?
Also the bed is 2m long, so large enough for an adult.
I'm no lightweight btw, but at 5ft 10 and 14.5 stone im not hugely fat, just well padded!

it should, of course take the weight of an adult, unless it had warnings actually written all over it that it would only take a maximum weight.

What make is it?

YANBU, that is very poor quality. I can sit on DS's cot bed (definitely not made for an adult!) and it doesn't even creak. I'd be complaining to the shop you bought it from and directly to the manufacturer.

Stompa, so on the expensive side! The steps are made from mdf from what I can see and are bolted at either side of the ladder with metal bolts, the mdf on the step has sheared around the bolt.

Yanbu, of course an adult should be amble to use the steps for bedding changes, good night kisses, dragging lazy kids out of bed etc

YANBU! DD2 has a Stompa high-sleeper, which we got second-hand, and I have never felt the steps are insecure. You're right, I do have to go up there to change sheets and turn the mattress etc so I would expect it to bear my weight!

Maybe ours is OK because it's older and better-made? 6'2", 15-stone DH has also climbed the steps on ours...

Ah, just seen your recent post - our steps are made from wood (pine, I would think), not MDF.

That is really bad, what make is it, link? So we can all avoid it.

My boys have bunk beds so similar to a high sleeper, the steps on those are very solid, I've been up and down them many times with no problems, as has DH who is very large, he must be well over 25 20 stone.

We've been on the top bunk bed lots of times as well.

Stompa, not a cheap argos one then

Our steps are solid wood, the actual steps and the side of the ladder.

It sounds like the problem isn't that they won't take an adult's weight, but that they won't take any reasonable weight - a light 8 year old certainly shouldn't be breaking steps by slipping on them.

My friend just bought a Stompa high sleeper and tbh I was surprised how flimsy it looked for the price and reputation.

I would contact both the company you bought it from and the manufacturer (maybe e-mail with photos) and see if they'll offer any answers/exchange etc.

It's really irritating to buy something pricey to ensure good quality and find that it isn't.

Ds1 has a mid sleeper and i sometimes lay in it to read bedtime stories. Both dc jump all over it. Have had it for nearly 3 years and have had no problem. Its quite a cheap pine one from argos. So yanbu, i would expect better quality from stompa with their prices.

We bought a Joseph one for DS1 and then about 6 months later bought another one for DS2. The second one was far less superior quality and on first use the step broke (DS2 is very small and a lightweight). It gave me no confidence whatsoever when I had to put clean sheets on.

YANBU. I can hear the steps on my daughters bed creaking away every time I change the sheets. Tis scary!

It doesn't surprise me, when we were looking at loft ladders some were only rated to 90 kg /14stone2

I got a cheapy Argos bunk bed seven years ago. The steps easily take my weight (12st2) when I change sheets etc - in fact, I get right up there to change the sheets.

IMO a bed where the steps won't take an adult weight, when an adult is going to need to safely change the sheets, is not fit for purpose.

Tbh I have had cheapy Argos mid sleeper ones second hand off eBay for both kids, and I have been up and down those steps more times than I can remember with no problems. They may be cheap but at least they are fit for purpose!

Stompa, not a cheap argos one then

Sorry didn't mean the argos ones are no good, ours is actually a cheap one (compared with Stompa prices) from argos, and is still solid after 5 years.

Well after a most unsatisfactory conversation with stompa uk suppliers, they still can't tell me if there is a weight limit and they have offered me a replacement step that I can fit myself. I pointed out rather sharply that a replacement step is sod all use to me, as I'm not likely to risk the baby a second time by climbing it!
Actually, I'm not sure what is reasonable to ask for, but a bloody apology for having to spend most of the weekend waiting around in a hospital might be nice!

That's bad. I worry about our bunk bed - sometimes my daughter wants me to get in and lie with her for a minute or two and I worry about crushing my son in the bunk bed below to death!

You are def nbu. How on earth are you supposed to change the sheets anyway? Impossible enough on bunk beds but doubly difficult if you are not permitted to step on the ladder. I would threaten them with trading standards because surely that's a safety issue anyway.

I would consider MDF steps with single screw fixing at each end to be an inherently unsafe design.

MDF is notoriously susceptible to splitting with screw fixation, without any load.
Loading will create and propagate splits, reduce the area over which the load is borne, and lead to failure.

Also MDF can weaken if it gets water spilt on it.

We have an ikea high sleeper. Its the one you can flip upside down as your child gets bigger. It has wooden steps and holds my 14.5 stone if it is a little creaky. It was a reasonable £150 too. Never thought to look for a weight limit though.

We couldn't get a regular bunk for dd anyway as she has restricted mobility, but this was another concern, I'm not light and was worried I'd break a ladder!

DCs have a bunk bed with an actual staircase (with storage in the steps) at the bottom end of the bed which is really solid and reassuring!

Sorry you had such s worrying weekend, hope everything's ok?

Are the sides of the ladder mdf too? If the sides are more sturdy I'd replace them with some fashioned from some thick planks of pine.

I remember an old Homebase ad where Neil Morrissey jumped all over various high sleeper beds and his advert-wife kept dragging him off to look at lamps or something.

They should be more than strong enough to take an adult's weight.

Hi, This has just happened to me and I'm wondering if you got anywhere with your complaint?