Hundreds of Finnish children sleep in the same type of fold-out bed as the toddler who died in Vantaa

Hundreds of Finnish daycare children sleep in the same model of fold-out bed involved in the death of a two-year-old in Vantaa last month, an investigation by public broadcaster Yle reveals.

The child died after becoming trapped between the fold-out bed and a wall during a nap. The bed, manufactured by the now-bankrupt company Sisuwood, failed to meet all of the city’s safety requirements, Yle reported on Monday.

Yle contacted Finland’s ten largest cities to determine whether they use Sisuwood’s fold-out beds in their daycare centres.

Helsinki has dozens of similar beds in use across its 339 daycare centres, though most sleeping arrangements are of other types. Tampere estimates around 7,000 fold-out beds in total, some of which are made by Sisuwood, but the exact number is unknown. Turku did not provide figures but confirmed it uses fold-out beds from various manufacturers.

Kuopio, Oulu, and Pori reported no Sisuwood beds in their daycare centres. Jyväskylä has 2,500 fold-out beds from different manufacturers, including 500 with gaps between the bed and wall. Lahti has thousands of fold-out beds, mostly from other brands, while Espoo uses approximately 3,200, some of which are Sisuwood models but not necessarily identical to the one involved in the Vantaa incident.

Vantaa itself has 233 Sisuwood beds still in use pending further decisions.

Cities reluctant to abandon fold-out beds
Despite safety concerns, cities are hesitant to phase out the beds due to cost. Tampere’s early education director, Mirva Ritari, stated that replacing old fold-out beds would be prohibitively expensive, though no precise estimate was given. Espoo has also retained its beds but updated staff guidelines on safe use.

At least two children in the Pirkanmaa region became trapped in fold-out beds last year—one in Ylöjärvi and another in Tampere’s Tesoma district, the latter also involving a Sisuwood bed.

Safety reviews underway
Several cities, including Turku and Lahti, are conducting reviews of their daycare beds following the Vantaa incident. Turku’s early education service director, Vesa Kulmala, said the city would assess potential risks once the official accident investigation report is released. Lahti’s education director, Mikko Mäkelä, confirmed a similar review, though most of its beds are from other manufacturers.

Sisuwood filed for bankruptcy last autumn, and its former leadership declined to comment.