Espoo takes measures to ensure safe use of fold-down beds in day care centres

A serious accident took place in a day care centre in Vantaa in March, in which a child lost their life by getting trapped between a fold-down bed and the wall. Understandably, this incident has caused widespread concern. Fold-down beds are also used in several day care centres in Espoo, and Espoo’s early childhood education services takes the incident extremely seriously. The city immediately took action following the event to ensure the safe use of fold-down beds.

In its preliminary report, the Safety Investigation Authority of Finland (Otkes) noted that the Vantaa accident was not caused by a technical fault in the bed but was related to its use. According to Otkes, fold-down beds can pose serious safety risks in a day care setting if they are not used and supervised properly.

“The incident is shocking and deeply affects the entire early childhood education community. We have received numerous enquiries from parents and other residents. The safety and wellbeing of children are our highest priority. Since fold-down beds are also used in Espoo, we immediately took measures to ensure children’s safety,” says Ulla Lehtonen, Director of Finnish Early Childhood Education at the City of Espoo.

Immediately after Otkes published its preliminary report, Espoo’s early childhood education services prepared safety instructions for day care centres that use fold-down beds. These instructions were based on Otkes’s initial assessment of the factors behind the Vantaa accident.

The safety instructions were distributed to all municipal early childhood education units and private service providers in Espoo on 27 March 2026. Guardians were also informed about the issuing of the safety instructions on the same day. The instructions provided to the units were specified in April. The specified instructions were based, among other things, on new information regarding the circumstances of the Vantaa accident.

In Espoo’s early childhood education, the use of fold‑down beds is based on careful advance planning and continuous supervision of children. When the fold‑down beds are raised or lowered, children are in a different room. When raising the beds, it is always ensured that there is no child in the bed. Staff have also been instructed to monitor that children do not raise or lower the fold‑down beds themselves. For example, children are not allowed to be in the same space as the fold‑down beds without adult supervision when the beds are in the lowered position. All units in Espoo have been reminded that the entire staff, including substitutes, must be familiarised with the new instructions.

In early April, Espoo’s early childhood education services also decided that a label with safety instructions will be affixed to each fold-down bed.

The instructions have been discussed with staff in settings such as extended management team meetings and individual day care team meetings. In addition, Espoo’s early childhood education services will update its safety plan regarding the use of fold-down beds. We will continue to provide information about the topic to early childhood education units to ensure that every employee is aware of the instructions.

There are approximately 170 municipal early childhood education units in Espoo, some of which use fold-down beds. The models and manufacturers of the beds vary, and there are differences in their operating mechanisms.

The exact number of fold-down beds is currently unknown, so a separate review is underway to determine which units use fold-down beds and whether they have experienced problems with their use. In addition, the city’s Premises Department (Tilapalvelut) is conducting a review regarding the condition and functioning of the beds.

The goal of these reviews is to form a comprehensive overview of the situation, based on which the need for further measures or new policies regarding the use of fold-down beds in Espoo will be evaluated.

“We want to base any further decisions on up-to-date information and a careful assessment. The ongoing reviews will ensure that we have a complete overview of the situation and can make the best decisions for safety. If necessary, we will provide further instructions regarding fold-down beds,” Lehtonen says.

Espoo’s early childhood education services are also following the progress of Otkes’s investigation, as well as the instructions and recommendations issued by authorities and fold-down bed manufacturers, to ensure the safety of all children in early childhood education.