Best Bed Rails For Toddlers 👶🛏️

The transition from baby to toddlerhood is a time of discovery, exploration, and excitement for your little one. This learning period can be heart-warming to parents and carers but also present some challenges.

Ensuring your toddler is comfortable, cozy, and safe from falls is an important task and requires some planning, especially for active infants who move around at night.

Traditionally it may have been considered okay to place a pillow on either side of the toddler to prevent rolling or falling from the bed. However, pillows can shift and aren’t always heavy enough to form a solid barrier.

This is where bed rails for toddlers or toddler safety rail can be an easy fix to an important concern. Designing a toddler’s room to reduce stress, anxiety and ensure a comfortable night’s sleep can be difficult, especially if they have some form of complex needs – but taking care of them during the night can be solved quite easily!

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What are Toddler Bed Guards?

Quite simply, bed rails for toddlers are a soft padded panel that is easily fixed to the toddler’s bed, and any nighttime activity that may lead to a child falling out of bed is prevented. Some products may require a box spring to fix the bed guard, but this can often be mounted to the bed’s wooden slats.

We’ve put together a robust review of the best toddler bed rails available on the market and our reasons why you should look out for these bed bumpers. You can also find our ‘Buyers Guide‘ for the best toddler bed guards along with our ‘Frequently Asked Questions.’

Our Top Pick: The Ultimate Safety Bed For Kids

“A solid foundation, easy access, and best value for money bed rails for toddlers”
Safe Sleep Systems Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Last update on 2024-04-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Having peace of mind that your child is safe in bed during toddlerhood is an important factor for new and experienced parents. Hiccapop’s toddler guard rail is top of our list due to its practicality – it does exactly as intended, but also because it is very sturdy when placed correctly on a child’s bed.

There are other ways to stop a child from falling out of bed but having a physical barrier is the most effective option.

Not only does this toddler guard rail stand strong against the movement in the night, but it also folds down 180 degrees to allow a parent or carer to sit freely on the bedside, which is great for storytime!

Reading can calm a child when it comes to bedtime, so finding the right books are important. If your child has autism or other complex needs, then there are some great reading options available.

Hiccapop’s products are great value for money than other more expensive models that range from $100+. Unless you’re planning on using it for another child or handing it down, then you probably won’t get a ton of use and could spend your money on something more reasonably priced.

Best Bed Rails For Full-Size Bed

“A strong all-rounder for full-size beds”
Safe Sleep Systems Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Last update on 2024-04-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Looking for the best bed rails for a full-size bed? Look no further. SURPCOS has brought to market a well thought out design for a special needs bed suitable for kids and toddlers. Unlike the more common special needs bed tents for kids, this one doesn’t cover the top, which provides more space and a feeling of freedom for your little one.

It’s also much easier to see inside and touch your child without a closed roof element.

The second practical benefit is that the walls are both high and easily adjustable to drop down so you can sit on the bed and play with your child. With just one click of a button, you’re able to lower the wall and hold your beautiful toddler with ease.

Rest assured, the high walls also mean that as a parent or carer, you can relax knowing that your toddler won’t roll or be able to climb out of bed.

Beds for special needs children need to be well thought out, and this one does exactly that. Peace of mind will help you sleep better at night, knowing your child isn’t falling out of the bed or banging into hard walls. The protective walled components also provide a feeling of security for toddlers to relax while falling asleep.

Although, you wouldn’t be alone in having concern for what your little one is up to in the safety bed when you’re not in the room. So you may still want to keep a close eye on them with a video and audio baby monitor.

The Best Portable Bed Rails

“Super easy, portable, low cost child bed bumpers”
Safe Sleep Systems Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Last update on 2024-04-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

So you want to make sure your little toddler doesn’t fall out of bed but also don’t want a big contraption covering their whole bed? Then these soft safety childbed bumpers are exactly what you need. Simple and easy to put together, blow the childbed bumpers up, which takes 30 seconds, and place them underneath your bedsheets. They have dotted material to prevent any slipping and can be used with waterproof mattresses if any bedwetting.

Looking for the best baby travel bed? Look no further! These are portable and can be taken anywhere. Once deflated, these childbed bumpers are not much bigger than a 500ml soda bottle, which is handy for any vacations, overnight trips to friends or family where you still want to keep your toddler happy and secure while they sleep.

Buyers Guide for the Best Toddler Bed Rails

Choosing The Right Bed Rail

One of the most difficult parts of finding the best toddler bed rail is ensuring that it’s a perfect fit for your little one’s sleeping environment at home. To provide the necessary safety and security, it’s important to have the right-sized bed guard suitable for their bed.

Why Do You Need a Bed Rail?

As a parent, your sole responsibility is to ensure the safety and comfort of your young child. Especially as a new parent, there is nothing worse than seeing your child fall or bump themself, or worse still, hearing the thud of a fall from another room!

The safety of a bed guard. A well-fitted bed rail can provide all the safety and protection from a bed fall for your toddler’s needs. There may be other alternatives, but a bed guard that holds your toddler in place during nighttime activity can prevent future difficulties in sleeping, especially if your child is easily susceptible to trauma, which a nighttime fall can cause. 

A better night’s sleep for the parent. Without a doubt, a snug and silently sleeping toddler means parents or carers are also sound asleep. The power of a solid 7 or 8 hours of sleep should be all the incentive you need. 

Psychological comfort for your toddler. Whilst your little one may not properly explain why they prefer the cot, moving from a well-protected and guarded cot to an open and spacious big bed may feel tough at first. A guard rail that resembles the cot and provides the same protection can help ease their mind. 

When do you need a toddler bed rail?

The transition from cot to bed for a young child can be exciting for your toddler. This can happen anywhere from 2 to 3 ½ years old, but don’t fret if timings vary somewhat. Keeping your child in a cot can mean extra safety through the higher guard rails and possibly a better night’s sleep for them and you.

Getting ready to tackle both the emotions triggered by change as well as the new nighttime battles you’ll face in the new bed can be a daunting thought – as well all know the importance of sleep!

If you’ve already decided that your toddler is ready for a new bed transition, then it’s important you safety proof the bed. Some parents use pillows on either side of the bed to act as a barrier.

There are still suffocation risks with children between 1 and 2 years with pillows if they roll and get smothered. A better option when transitioning from a cot to a bed are bed rails or even childbed bumpers.

What are the different types of bed rails?

When looking for the best bed rails for kids, it’s important to understand the different types. Each type will serve a slightly different purpose depending on your child’s size, habits, and nighttime routine.

Folding Bed Guard – These are the most common and our top pick. The guard rail is attached to the bed securely and has a padded wall that can fold down when a parent or carer needs access to the bed – for example, picking the toddler up or sitting by the bed to read a bedtime story.

Often these are one-sided guard rails when the bed is against one or two walls. However, it is possible to attach a guard rail to both sides of the bed.

Bed Bumpers – The second main type of toddler safety rails are bed bumpers. These are designed to mimic having pillows on the edge of the bed but are more effective and safer to use. They provide a small walled barrier between your sleeping beauty and a possible fall at night.

Crib Safety Bed – If your child is tiny, they may benefit from a crib safety bed. The crib safety bed has a transparent roof that attaches to the crib itself, creating a comforting ‘dome’ environment to prevent any sneaky escapes at night for your active child.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best bed rail?

The best bed rails for toddlers are what’s right for you and your needs. Depending on your bed and bedroom layout, the size and nighttime activity levels of your toddler, and overall functionality of the bed rail. We’ve found the best option for most would be the Hiccapop toddler guard rail from our testing.

What age do you remove bed rails?

When your child has learned the ability to move in and out of bed without difficulty, it is time to remove the toddler guard rails. The idea of securing a child in bed with a guard rail is that they aren’t in complete control during the bed.

However, if they can get in and out themselves, the barrier isn’t required. This usually happens at around 3 years old, according to practicing Physician Mark A. Brandenburg at St Francis Hospital in Tusla.

What age can you use a bed guard?

Bed guards can be used as soon as a baby can be put in a cot. Guard rails for toddlers are also built for babies all the way up to older adults, so they are very versatile and practical.

How do I keep my baby from falling out of bed?

The purpose of a guard rail for babies is to prevent falls from the bed. If you have followed all the safety steps that we’ve discussed and what your purchased product’s information and guidelines illustrate, then your young child should be completely safe during sleep.

Are toddler guard rails necessary?

Toddler guard rails are necessary to ensure both the child and parent or carer has peace of mind during night times. Active toddlers or those suffering from complex special needs may need extra protection from falls, especially if the bed is higher up than usual. Toddler guards are an inexpensive way to give the all-important requirement of sleep for all ages.