Kids Room Furniture – How Save Are Beanbags?

Beanbag chairs have been a staple feature in nurseries, playrooms, and children’s rooms for a long time. Bean bag chairs are also commonly used as flexible seating options in classrooms. They are fun, can be cute, and are entirely versatile. They do not have any sharp edges or hard parts that could typically make furniture dangerous for children. However, it is not wrong to wonder if beanbags have their downsides despite appearing as the perfect safe object to sit on and play with. If you are wondering, then let’s spill the beans!

How Are Bean Bags Made?

In many urban settings, beanbags have become the popular option for luxury seating, with the upside of them not being as expensive as any other luxury furniture. A bean bag is essentially a sack-like piece of furniture filled with dried beans, polystyrene, PVC pellets, and sometimes, foam beads.

Of course, the sizes of the beads differ and usually indicate the quality of the bean bag. The beans are typically very tiny, and most times, they measure as small as a millimeter in diameter. Bean bags are made with an outer cover lined with an inner layer of fabric. The lining layer is only opened when beans want to be either removed or poured into the bean bag.

Are Bean Bag Chairs Safe or Not?

Many parents don’t realize how shockingly easy it is for little humans to experience suffocation. Sometimes, when children sleep on a soft or curved surface like a bean bag, it so happens that they assume a position in which their chins tightly rest on their chest. This position, if not changed, can lead to suffocation.

Anyone who has spent time with children would know that they are quite the nosy and curious bunch. From tugging, biting, pulling, and scratching, children never really stop their curious ways, especially when it’s on an object as fascinating as a bean bag. The hazards that could be associated with bean bags include the following:

Suffocation

When it comes to children and their use of bean bags, suffocation is the prime cause of dangerous incidents. This can happen in many ways, such as the child finding a way to unzip the bean bag and then climb inside it.

This particular reason is why many bean bag brands label their products with warnings stating that kids under a certain age should not sleep on bean bags. As a parent, you should heed that warning. While your kids might love playing on the soft, squishy bean bag chair, it is not worth risking their safety.

The toddler could also suffer suffocation if the bean bag is not filled correctly, leaving the toddler with inadequate support to the head and neck. As scary as it might sound, there could be cases of children crawling underneath a beanbag chair. This could end badly if they stay there for way too long or if someone else sits on the bean bag.

Swallowing

Children are known for their curious ways and can quickly locate a visible enough zipper on the bean bag. When they do, they may find that the fillings of the bean bag chair are fascinating enough to ingest. This can cause numerous complications if not addressed quickly and sufficiently.

Inhalation

After unzipping or, in some cases, tearing or poking a bean bag, a child could make the costly and unknowing mistake of inhaling the beads inside the bean bag. While this has not been noted as a leading hazardous possibility with bean bags, inhaling the chemicals and dust from the polystyrene beads can lead to irritation, coughing, nausea, headaches, and dizziness.

Safety Precautions You Can Take

Bean bag chairs are fun, exciting, and cozy. Their soft and comfortable nature can be therapeutic to the body. However, for the safety of your kids, avoid allowing children to sleep on bean bag chairs or any other soft surfaces at all.

If you put your child in a bean bag chair, make sure that the chair is firm enough to prevent suffocation. In addition, get bean bags that are small enough to fit their size or wait till your children are old enough or big enough.

To prevent potential bean bag chair hazards, restrict the bean bag chair from any sleeping or napping sessions. The bean bag should be used only for sitting and playing, and you should discourage kids from sitting on a large adult bean bag,

Bean bag manufacturers worth their salt knows that safety precautions are essential.

When searching for the perfect bean bags for kids, it is best to look out for certain features. These features include a very important double zipper for the inner lining layer, serving as a solid foolproof anti-curious kid mechanism.

Good bean bags are also made of tear-resistant material to prevent any poking or prodding kids’ hands from getting access to the beans. In addition to that, you can keep children safe by preventing them from lying face down on the bean bags. Ensure the filling is nice and sturdy enough to support the weight evenly. Even with all of these, nothing beats safety measures other than actively keeping an eye on them. There’s plenty to watch out for when taking care of kids. This is a great place to start!