Wooden Bed Rails

Using a wooden bed rail is a fantastic way to help your child transition from a cot to a bed whilst giving you peace of mind. The Safetots range of wooden bed guards is available in several subtle colours and includes extra wide and extra tall bed rails and wooden bed rails for toddlers which fold down giving you easy access to the bed. Our range of wooden safety bed rails is suitable for a range of bed sizes and styles including cot beds, single beds, double beds and even queen sized beds. Wooden safety bed rails are not suitable however for cots or bunk beds.

Wooden bed rails are suitable for children from the age of 18 months up to 5 years however it is entirely up to the parent how long a bed rail should stay in place. It is intended as a transitionary tool to keep little ones get used to sleeping in a bed. It also helps to prevent wrigglers from falling out too!

All Safetots wooden bed rails are simple to install and can be easily removed when you want to change the bed sheets. The wooden base simply slides beneath the mattress and is held upright by secure, child-safe hinges

What age to use wooden bed rails?

Up until the age of 18 months old, it is recommended that your child sleeps in a cot. A cot provides the ultimate safe sleeping environment for a young baby as they are fully enclosed with no means of falling out or climbing out of bed. Beyond the age of 18 months, a parent may feel their child is ready to progress to a toddler bed or a single bed with wooden bed rails installed to help with the transition. Wooden bed rails and mesh bed rails are suitable from the age of 18 months, they prevent young babies and toddlers from falling out of bed and provide them with their first safe steps to independent sleeping.

What age take off wooden bed rails?

Wooden bed rails are recommended between the ages of 18 months and 5 years. Before the age of 18 months a wooden bed rail is deemed unsafe and unsuitable and beyond the age of 5 years, wooden bed rail may be unsafe. From the age of 5 years a child is stronger and becoming more inquisitive with age, they may be inclined to climb over the bed rail, or hang from the bed rail for example. The removal of a bed rail is completely subjective and each parent should use their own judgement as to when to take down the bed rail. Most young children can safely climb in and out of their bed by the age of 3, however, some parents and children may take comfort in keeping the bed rail in place for longer. Younger children may feel intimidated by their new wide open bed and prefer the security of having a wooden bed rail in place for longer.

What is the best wooden bed rails for toddlers?

All Safetots and BabyDan wooden bed rails are suitable for toddlers. From the age of 18 months, wooden bed rails and mesh bed rails are safe and suitable. Safetots does recommend that you always measure the bed and the mattress intended for use to ensure a suitable bed rail that fits safely is installed. For a cot bed, the BabyDan wood bed guard is recommended, smaller in size measuring 90cm wide and taller than most wooden bed rails, measuring 43cm, it provides the ideal transition from a cot to a bed. Safetots have a wide range of wooden bed rails suitable for toddler beds, single beds and double beds, take a look at our extensive range to find a wooden bed rail to suit your unique bed and mattress.

How to lower wooden bed rails?

Wooden bed rails open to a 90 degrees angle to allow for installation only, beneath the mattress. Wooden bed rails once in place do not rotate or feature a fold down mechanism, they retain one single upright position and provide the ultimate security should your child lean or come into contact with the wooden bed rail whilst they sleep. Few bed rails feature a fold-down mechanism for safety reasons whilst children are sleeping. It is important to ensure a gap of 25cm is present at each end of the bed rail to enable access to your child and to enable them to step in and out of bed independently. Wooden bed rails are simple to install and simple to remove, should you need a wider access to the bed for ease of changing bed linen, simply slide the wooden frame from beneath the mattress.

How to remove wooden bed rails?

Wooden bed rails are simple to install and remove. Formed in two parts, connected with child safe and secure hinges, a wooden bed rail folds out to a 90-degree angle. The base of the bed frame then simply slides beneath the mattress to install and to remove simple lift the mattress and slide the wooden bed rail out. As there is no need to drill and fix a wooden bed rail in place, they provide a versatile and adaptable option for keeping children safe whilst they sleep.

How to attach wooden bed rails?

Wooden bed rails are simple to install and remove. Formed in two parts, connected with child safe and secure hinges, a wooden bed rail folds out to a 90-degree angle. The wooden base of the bed frame then simply slides beneath the mattress to install and to remove simple lift the mattress and slide the wooden bed rail out. As there is no need to drill and fix a wooden bed rail in place, they provide a none permanent safety guard for babies and toddlers whilst they sleep.

Are wooden bed rails safe for babies?

It is recommended that a baby under the age of 18 months should sleep in a cot and not a bed with a bed rail. A cot provides the safest and secure environment for your baby to sleep, the fully enclosed frame enables your baby to sleep safely without falling from the bed or being able to climb in and out of the bed unsupervised. A bed fitted with a bed guard is recommended for older babies only, from 18 months through to 5 years. Bed rails provide the security of a cot yet provide older babies and toddlers with their first independent steps in being able to sleep in a bed and climb in and out of their bed by themselves. A bed rail is the safest way of introducing your baby to their first bed and makes the transition from a cot to a bed safer.

Are wooden bed rails safe for toddlers?

Bed rails are suitable for cot beds and toddler beds and provide the safest solution for toddlers making the transition from a cot to a bed. A bed rail provides the safety of a cot by preventing your toddler from falling out of their bed, yet provides them with their first steps to independence as they can climb out of bed once they wake. It is important to fit a compatible bed guard to your toddler's bed to ensure the ultimate safety and upon installation make sure there is little of no movement. Bed guards should be installed at the head of the bed and not at the centre or foot of the bed and a 25cm gap between the bed rail and the bed should be visible.

What are the best wooden bed rails?

Wooden bed rails are available in various sizes, colours and brands, suitable for cot beds, single beds and double beds. It is important to ensure the wooden bed guard you purchase is suitable for the bed and mattress it is intended for. Wooden bed rails benefit from a quick and simple installation process, no drilling or screwing is required to install a wooden bed guard, they simply fit beneath the mattress and the weight of the mattress keeps the bed guard in place. All wooden bed rails provide the ultimate sturdy and safeguard in preventing your toddler from falling out of bed. Opening no more than a 90 degrees angle to allow for installation, this bed rail, once in a fixed position will not rotate or fold down upon contact with your child. Double sided wooden bed guards are recommended for beds situated in a more central position in your child's bedroom. Should your child's bed be located away from any walls, a bed rail fitted at either side of the bed provides the safest solution in preventing your toddler from potentially falling out of bed. Extra wide wooden bed rails are recommended for double beds, measuring 140cm in length they cover a wider area of the bed as opposed to the standard size wooden bed rail measuring 110cm. It is important to measure the mattress when choosing the best wooden bed rail for a double bed. For an extra deep mattress, an extra tall bed rail may be more suitable. Safetots have the widest range of wooden bed rails with a standard height of 38cm, varying in length to fit smaller and larger beds. Most wooden bed rails are suitable for single beds and smaller bed rails such as the Safetots wooden bed rail measuring 110cm in length are most suitable for cot beds. It is important when ordering any wooden bed guard to ensure it is suitable for the bed and mattress intended for use and once installed there is little or no movement. Wooden bed rails are not suitable or recommended for inflatable beds, upper bunk beds or cots.

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.