My 2 yr 2 month old son just recently transitioned to a toddler bed. He was climbing into his crib, so we decided to put him in a toddler bed before he hurt himself climbing out of his crib. He goes to his bed at night very well so far. It's been aweek and a half now and he's fallen out of the bed three times (onto soft foam, but he still wakes up crying). This bed was a hand-me-down, so I'm a novice when it comes to bed selections. What do y'all suggest I do? Will he learn in the next week or two how to stay in his bed? Should I go buy a toddler bed that comes with a rail? My husband wanted to make him a rail, but the headboard and footboard aren't the same heights, so his design wasn't going to work. My mom has a bed in her attic that he can't roll out of (it's an old crib without the rails basicaly, so he can step into it, but not roll out). I'm kind of thinking that if he can't roll out of it, he won't learn to not roll .... but I don't want my baby to keep falling out of bed. Thanks in advance for your input.
UPDATE: I'm looking online for rails for a toddler bed. Anything under $60 seems to fit a twin or full or something with a mattress AND box spring (the toddler bed only has a mattress). Target has a whole new bed for $80, but the rail only comes half way down the bed.I'm thinking he'd fall out of the half that didn't have a rail. Walmart's website only shows online items, so maybe I need to go to the store. Thanks for added input. I'll read responses if those of you that posted already put in an update.
Another Mom recommended just using a standard kitchen chair in front of the bed in the middle for my daughter and it worked.
My daughter's crib was recalled around the time she turned two so we decided to transition to a toddler bed instead of buying another crib. We had the exact same issue. She's three now and still twists and turns and sleeps all over the place most nights. Our fix was to buy a bed rail and put a piece of wood under the mattress at the top and bottom so the rail had a 'base' to sit on. I then duct taped the rail down so I was sure it wasn't going to move at all. The rail I found is pretty much the length of the bed with an opening just big enough that she could get in and out of the bed. We put the bed against the wall and had the rail on the exposed side. It worked great for us since she still had the independence of the ability to get in and out of bed herself, and she felt secure that she wasn't going to fall out. Good luck!
Go to walmart and get a toddler bed rail, I think I got my daughters for about $20!
You can buy rails for the bed that don't have anything to do with the head board and foot board heights. They go under the mattress for stability. We bought a portable set online from One Step Ahead. It was great because not only did it work on our son's bed at home but we could also take it with us whenver we traveled and didn't have to worry about hotel beds or staying with relatives and having our son fall out of bed.
I second the rail suggestion! My son transitioned to a twin bed right before he turned 2 and we were nervous as heck about him falling out. His bed is in the middle of his room with no walls on either side to keep him from falling out...and he's a WILD sleeper!!! All over the place. We put the breathable bed rails on either side of his bed and he's never had a problem. Plus, he can still get in and out if he wants :)
I bought an extendible bed at IKEA. We bought for our baby at 1 year and now she's 16 months and has never even came close to falling out of it. My baby tosses and turns a lot and I really liked the design of the bed for this reason. Fist off it is low to the ground, second it has head rails and foot rails built into it. (Traditional bed rails dont work well for her, she just wiggles around them and gets off the bed). The bed length is 3 different sizes. Small, med, and Large. When you extend it to its largest size its a twin size bed. Hope this helps, good luck!
Good Day,
I suggest that you allow your husband to make the rails. He can make a short one for the top and bottom of the bed. Just enough to keep him from rolling out! My husband did this and it worked so good! My girls had 2 rails per side; and they didn't roll out any more. Even wood and hinges can make a good rail. Good luck and God bless you for being such a concerned mom!
Sincerely,
Kathy N.
They make railings that are soft that extend from the sides of a bed. They fit under the mattress. Search online for these.
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/search.jsp?N=0&Nt... matchpartialmax&Ntt=bed%20rail&D=bed%20rail&Dk=1
