When your baby outgrows his crib, he needs to start sleeping in a bed. However, it takes a child several years to develop the skills needed to stay in a bed without falling out. In the meantime, you need to find some way to keep him in the bed. Consumer Reports recommends buying a normal-sized adult bed and using safety rails.
Benefits
Putting safety rails around your child’s bed helps prevent potentially harmful falls, notes Consumer Reports’ Babies & Kids Blog. As your child transitions from a crib to a bed, she slowly learns to adjust to her new, less-confined sleeping environment; meanwhile, the rails keep her safely enclosed. Additionally, the safety rails help the bed mimic the railings of a crib, which makes the new bed seem familiar and hence helps your child feel safe and comfortable, explains Elizabeth Pantley, author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution.
Types
Toddler beds have built-in safety rails, explains Consumer Reports. With some toddler beds, you can remove these rails once your child no longer needs them. If you use a normal adult bed, Consumer Reports recommends buying portable, attachable safety railings. The top bed of a bunk bed usually has built-in railings; however, MedlinePlus recommends against bunk beds. If your child sleeps in a bunk bed, the bed must have firm side rails. Consumer Reports adds that children must turn 6 years old before they can safely use top bunks.
Time Frame
When your child grows to reach 35 inches tall or when he begins escaping from his crib, he needs to transition out of his crib and into a bed, advises Consumer Reports. This usually begins around age 2. According to Consumer Reports, you should keep the safety rails on his bed until he is about 5 years old.
Warnings
Don’t allow any gaps between the safety rails and the mattress, warns Consumer Reports; this poses a danger of entrapment and suffocation. Use a rail on the side of the bed that rests against the wall as well as the outer side; your child could get trapped between the mattress and the wall. Further, advises Consumer Reports, only use portable rails on full-size beds, not toddler beds.
Expert Insight
To ensure that your rails meet important safety and quality standards, only purchase rails certified by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association. According to the Babies & Kids Blog, only five brands have earned this certification: The First Years, Dorel Juvenile Group, Simplicity for Children, Dex Products and Summer Infant Products.
