Double Bed Rails

Keep your child safe and secure at night with bed rails from Safetots. Our range includes mesh bed rails, wooden bed rails and inflatable bed rails which are perfect for use when away from home. Our bed rails for kids range also includes double red rails which have been designed for children’s beds who sit in the middle of a room or do not rest against a wall.

Double bed rails are ideal for children transitioning from a cot to a bed by creating a barrier on either side of the bed that helps prevent children from falling out. They are typically used for children between the ages of 18 months and 5 years and can be particularly useful for children who are a bit wriggly or active at night. Our double bed rails will typically leave a 25cm gap at either end of the bed which allows your child to climb in and out safely.

All Safetots double bed guards are easy to install and remove and can be easily cleaned. Our toddler bed rails are available in several materials including soft mesh and wood and come in several neutral colours. Our double bed rails also include extra wide and extra tall bed rails.

Are double bed rails safe for toddlers?

Double bed rails are safe for older babies and toddlers. Up to the age of 18 months, it is recommended, for their own safety, that a child sleeps in a cot. A cot prevents young children from falling out of bed and restricts their freedom and independence by providing a fully enclosed bed. Moving to a bed with a bed rail fitted provides toddlers with their first steps to independence. A bed rail is fitted with a recommended gap of 25cm at either end of the bed, enabling children to step in and out of the bed independently. A bed rail helps introduce toddlers to their first bed, provides them with the initial security to sleeping in a bed and prevents them from falling out of bed in the early days as they become accustomed to sleeping in a bed. All Safetots double bed rails and single bed rails have been tried and tested and comply with today's recommended safety standards. Trusting a bed rail is compatible with the bed intended for use, installed correctly and tested for stability once installed, a double bed rail is perfectly safe for older babies from the age of 18 months.

What are the best double bed rails?

Safetots supply an extensive range of wooden bed rails and mesh bed rails, suitable for a vast range of beds, from cot beds through to king size beds. A double bed rail is simply a pack of two identical bed rails that fit either side of the bed to prevent your child from falling from their bed whilst they sleep. Before choosing the best bed rail for your child’s bed it’s important to establish if the bed rail is compatible with your particular mattress and bed base. Bed rails are not recommended for inflatable beds or upper bunk beds. Double bed guards are mostly commonly installed when a bed is positioned away from the wall and where both sides of the bed are open and exposed. Double mesh bed guards are more versatile, light weight and some come complete with a carry bag, making them more suitable for travel. Extra wide mesh double bed rails are recommended for larger beds, covering a greater area of the bed either side, they provide the best safety barrier for double and king size beds. Wooden bed rails come in a range of sizes, they are a sturdy, durable bed guard that remain in one upright position with no rotation, they provide the ultimate safety for young children whilst they sleep.

Extra wide and extra tall double bed guards such as the Safetots extra tall extra wide bed rail are recommended for larger beds such as double beds or beds with a deeper mattress. To prevent a child from potentially rolling over the top of a bed guard it is advised that the top of the bed guard rail measures a minimum of 16cm above the top of the mattress. It is important to ensure a bed guard reaches the minimum required height above the mattress once installed and before allowing your child to sleep with the bed rail in place. For further safety of your child it is recommended a 25cm gap is left at the head and foot of the bed.

What are double bed rails?

Double bed rails are simply two identical bed rails that can be fitted to either side of an exposed bed to prevent young children from falling out of bed. Double bed rails are designed to keep young children safe whilst they sleep, they help with the early transition from a cot to a bed and introduce toddlers to their first steps of independence. A bed rail is simple to install and easy to remove, they are the ultimate, temporary sleep safe solution for young children who are ready to progress from sleeping in a cot. Double bed rails are versatile sleep safe solutions for a wide range of beds and some bed rails are light weight and portable, ideal for taking with you to grandparents homes and for taking on holiday where beds supplied may not be suitable.

What age to use double bed rails?

Double bed rails are recommended for children between the ages of 18 months and 5 years. Before the age of 18 months, it is advised that younger babies remain in a cot. Unlike a cot, a bed rail enables toddlers to climb from a bed unsupervised and therefore is not recommended for younger babies. Beyond the age of 5 years, most children have gained independence in climbing in and out of bed safely and unsupervised. Although there are guidelines for a child’s age as to when a bed rail should and shouldn’t be used, it is also a decision for parents to make based on their individual child. Each child develops at different stages and what is right for one child may not be right for another. Some parents may choose to leave a bed rail in place beyond the age of 5 or remove it before the age of 5 when they feel their child is ready to progress to the next stage.

What age take off double bed rails?

Double bed rails and single bed rails, wooden bed rails and mesh bed rails are recommended between the ages of 18 months and 5 years of age. Beyond the age of 5 years, children have generally learnt to climb in and out of their bed safely and independently. As some children are slower to develop than others it may be necessary to keep their bed rail in place for longer than recommended and alternatively remove the bed rail before they reach the age of 5 should you feel they are ready. 5 years is simply a parental guide for removing child bed rails, however, each parent should make their own judgement based on their own individual child’s development.

What are double bed rails used for?

Double bed rails are installed at either side of a child’s bed to prevent an older baby or toddler from falling from their bed during the night. Should a child’s bed be positioned against a wall, one single bed rail installed to the exposed side is sufficient. Should a child’s bed be located more central to the child’s bedroom with both sides of the bed exposed then it is recommended that a double bed rail is installed to either side of the bed. Bed rails and double bed rails help young toddlers make the transition from a cot to a bed safely. A bed rail provides the safety and security in the early days as they adjust to sleeping in a bed for the very first time. It is advised with any bed rail that for safety reasons a 25cm gap is exposed at either end of the bed, enabling access in and out of the bed. Double bed rails are recommended for any young child making the transition from a cot to a bed where both sides of their bed are exposed. They prevent children from falling out of bed which can often result in harmful injuries.

What are double bed rails made of?

Safetots have a wide range of wooden bed rails and mesh bed rails. Most wooden bed rails are made from a soft beechwood and provide a more contemporary look in the home. Safetots wooden double bed rails are available in a range of colours from pink, blue and grey through to white and natural. Wooden bed rails look good in today's modern home, blending in with furniture in a child’s bedroom, they provide a safe environment for a young child to sleep and look great too. Mesh bed rails are made from a strong, durable mesh centre wrapped securely around a metal frame. The light weight mesh ensures double mesh bed rails are the best bed rail for travelling with young children.

How to lower double bed rails?

Safetots mesh double bed rails can be rotated away from the bed at a 90 degrees angle. For the safety of young children, further rotation of mesh bed rails is not possible. All bed rails have a limited fold down ability, this prevents them from fully folding and collapsing whilst children sleep or when they are awake and potentially attempt climbing over the rail or putting any weight or pressure on to them. Wooden bed rails have one upright position only with no option for lowering or rotating. Double wooden bed rails provide a sturdy and safe guard in preventing babies and toddlers from falling out of bed. If access to a child’s bed is restricted, a double bed rail can be removed from the bed with ease when required and simply put back in place when needed. As a double bed rail is not fixed in place with screws, this none permanent sleep safe solution can be installed and removed with ease as and when needed.

How to remove double bed rails?

Double bed rails and single bed rails fold out to a 90 degrees angle, one side of the frame (the base side) then slides beneath the mattress and the weight of the mattress keeps the bed rail in place. It’s important to check the compatibility of your bed frame and base with the bed rail intended for use. Bed rails are not recommended for inflatable beds and upper bunk beds and others may not be compatible with a sunken mattress, it’s important to check the size and compatibility before ordering any bed rail. A double bed rail is removed by simply raising the mattress and sliding the bed rail from beneath the mattress. As a bed rail is not screwed and permanently fitted into place they are quick and simply to install and release.

Are double bed rails safe for babies?

Double bed rails are simply a pack of two-bed rails suitable for cot beds through to king size beds. Double bed rails and single bed rails can be fitted to a child’s bed once they are ready to make the transition from a cot to a bed. Bed rails are recommended to keep children safe from falling out of bed whilst they sleep. It is advised that a young baby sleeps in a cot up to the age of 18 months, and should your baby be ready to advance to a bed beyond this age a bed rail is recommended. As double bed rails have little or no rotation they are exceptionally safe for older babies and toddlers. Trusting a bed rail is installed correctly and little or no movement can be achieved with the bed rail once in place, a double bed rail is the safest, most advised solution to keeping children safe from falling out of any bed with exposed sides.

How to attach double bed rails?

A double bed rail opens out into a 90-degree angle. The base of the frame slides beneath the mattress and the weight of the mattress keeps the bed rail in place. It is advised that you check the mattress for little of no movement once in place to check good stability has been achieved before allowing your child to sleep with the double bed rail in place. Some bed rails can be further secured with straps that wrap around the mattress adding to the strength and stability of the bed rail.

The transition from cot bed to a bed without enclosed sides is one of the many developmental milestones your child will achieve. At this stage which occurs somewhere towards the age of 18 months, your toddler is likely to be attempting to climb over the cot sides, making this type of bed no longer a safe option.

 

Whilst a standard bed is the next step, there remains a risk of falling from a height, particularly during sleep should your child roll and wriggle towards the edge. A bedguard is a popular solution to prevent your sleeping tot going bump in the night, whilst giving them the freedom to get out of bed unassisted. The design provides a barrier along the exposed edge of the mattress with gaps at either end so that the child can safely get in and out of bed independently. Should the bed be positioned away from walls and have two exposed sides, a second bed guard may be safely secured to the other side. In addition, a bed rail retains the safe familiarity of cot sides which will help many children adapt to the change and supports restful sleep.

 

Providing your curious toddler with the freedom to leave their bed when adults may be sleeping requires some safety planning. Many families decide that a safety gate across the bedroom door will provide an early warning system that their child is awake and ready to start their day, giving tired parents and carers an extra couple of minutes to wake up themselves! More importantly, the stair gate will restrict exploration to their bedroom, keeping inquisitive tots away from toiletries in bathrooms or hazards in other rooms such as older siblings’ toys or small items which could be a choking hazard or similar.

 

Child specific bedrails are recommended up to age 5 as they are designed and tested to support a certain maximum weight. Your child is likely to have learnt the art of sleeping away from the edge by this age, but also may be capable of undoing any bedrail fixing and becoming heavier than the tested weight, thereby creating a potential hazard greater than falling onto the floor.

 

Important Information

 

Children’s bedguards are designed and tested for domestic use only, being suitable for children aged between 18 months and 5 years. They are not designed for use with the elderly or infirm adults.

 

The type of mattress and bedframe the bedrail will be attached to is as important as the bedrail itself from a safety perspective. Any gap between the rail and attaching surface could become an entrapment hazard. For this reason, select a quality mattress for your child which does not easily compress at the edges when a child equivalent weight is applied. Always select a mattress which fits the bedframe i.e. one that leaves no gaps a small child could roll into between the base and material. Consider the thickness of the mattress in relation to the bedrail options - mattress depth will affect the height of the bed rail above the sleeping surface and any potential for your child to roll over the top of it and onto the floor. For this reason, include any mattress topper in the mattress depth measurement. The length of mattress will vary according to bedframe with king/super king mattresses being longer than others. The size of gap at either end of the bed has potential to be large enough for a sleeping child to roll through if an ill-fitting guard is chosen. Reassuringly, there are bedguards to suit the above scenarios in the Safetots’ range. The extra wide extra tall bedguards will complement the longer and deeper mattresses. All Safetots’ bedrails provide the maximum mattress depths and lengths in the product spec information to make it easier for our customers to select one that is compatible with their child’s bed. A minimum mattress length is also supplied to make certain that there is at least a 25cm gap either end of the bed as recommended by the British Standards Institution (a measurement deemed wide enough for the child to safely leave the bed without being tempted to climb over the rail). Inflatable mattresses are to be avoided in conjunction with a bedguard as these can easily be punctured and deflate.

 

Bedguards are not suitable for waterbeds for obvious reasons or camping beds where there is only a canvas sleeping surface attached to a metal frame. Nor is it safe to use them on the upper level of a bunk bed as a fall from this height is life threatening. Safetots also recommend against using bedguards on the lower bunk bed level. Many children find bunk beds the indoor equivalent of a climbing frame and a serious accident may occur should a child use the rail as a foothold or spring board when climbing on and off the top bunk. Play of this nature may also compromise the stability of the fixings or fatigue the components making it unsafe for its purpose. As tempting as it may be to tie teddies and similar to the bedrail to create a sleepy environment, these pose strangulation and entrapment dangers, and nothing should ever be attached to the bedguard that is not part of the fittings.

 

All Safetots’ bedguards have been tested and comply with the British Standard 7972:2001+A1:2009 when fitted in accordance with the instructions.

 

Safety Testing

 

When buying a product to help keep your child out of harm’s way, Safetots believe it is worth investing in one that has been tested to a professionally approved level of safety using rigorous testing methods.

 

For this reason and where applicable, our products are tested to a British Standards Institution (BSI) standard and/or equivalent international standard. Each standard that our products complies with has been drawn up by a group of experts in the field. Not only do they have extensive knowledge about their product and credibility in the child safety product industry, they are also fully aware of the potential hazards posed by poor quality items being used in the home where children are involved.

 

The British Standard for bedguards is BS 7972:2001+A1:2009. You can be reassured that all Safetots’ bedguards designed for use with toddlers (18 months+) and children up to age 5 comply with this standard, and are retested whenever design upgrades are made, components changed or the standard is superseded. The standard also requires that certain important safety information be available to consumers before purchase and you will find this on all product pages. The title of the British Standard, BS 7972:2001+A1:2009, will be marked on your purchased rail next to Safetots’ contact details

 

What types of tests are carried out and why?

 

The tests carried out are designed to mimic the actions of a small child before they fall asleep, natural movements during sleep and once awake, how they may explore their bed and surroundings. For example, bedtime hijinks almost always include bouncing on the mattress and attempting to escape the bed itself by any means available, including climbing over, around or under a bed rail. Your little night owl may also wish to show their objection to bedtime by trying to pull everything off the bed including the rail – an overtired tot is a strong one! During sleep, many children will wriggle around, even turning 360 and sleeping at the foot of the bed. In this manner they will at times unknowingly move to the edge where the mattress and bedguard meet.

 

The standard includes tests to check for parts of the bedrail which could trap, pinch or cut skin and that the size of parts used do not pose a risk of inhalation or ingestion. The resilience of the locking mechanism that fits the guard securely onto the mattress or bed frame is examined for durability. A priority is ensuring there are no entrapment hazards, and this is achieved by measuring the gap between the bedguard and any touchpoint when fitted correctly. A test dummy is used to imitate a child rolling into the rail repeatedly to assist with this test. In short, every effort has been made to ensure that a bedrail complying with BS 7972:2001+A1:2009 will be a hazard free product to purchase when safety proofing your home.