Toddler Bed Rails

Toddler bed rails are a must-have in the toddler years. Even if you have a toddler bed with bed rails built in when you go away it's likely that your toddler will be sleeping in a single bed and could easily roll out of bed. They are cheap, safe and some, but not all, are easy to transport when going away.

There are so many bed rails available and choosing the best one is not an easy task. Points to consider are:

• Safety: some rails have bars which may be hard on your toddler's skin
• Portable: some are inflatable and easy to bring away with you
• Appearance: some are far prettier than others!
• Practical: some have very handy pockets for little books or toys

When you install the bed rail under the mattress there should not be any gap between the mattress and the bedrail. Your could get his little arm stuck and could hurt himself. With an active toddler in bed the bedrail and mattress will move and then cuddly toys will fall down the gap and keep the gap there.

You will need to check every night that the toddler bed rail is snug up to the mattress. Sometimes it's impossible to get the toddler bed rail right up the mattress as a hinge will be blocking the seal. In this case use a rolled up towel to plug the gap or see the Dream Tubes as described below.

Here are some toddler bed rails that we liked:

Portable Toddler Bed Rails
When you go on holiday stopping your toddler falling out of bed can be a nuisance: putting extra cushions on the floor, moving the bed so it's up against the wall and moving chairs to make a side rail. Instead you can simply use a portable bed rail which inflates and so easily fits in your suitcase.

One product we liked was the "Bed Bolster To Go" (around $39.00) from onestepahead.com. Once you've inflated either by hand or using a pump (sold separately) you then strap it onto the mattress (either on or under the sheet). It has a machine washable cover. It may not suit very restless sleepers as it's a bumper rather than a fixed rail.

This is more for occasional users and should be very useful travelling and stays away from home.

There are other inflatable bed rails with straps available. One down side of anything with straps is that the straps can be moved and as they are elastic, they can be stretched so the whole bed rail can move.

Travel and Home Use Combined

The UK based company Hippchick.com sell fantastic "Dream Tubes". These are two long inflatable tunes that fit into the pockets of a soft cotton fitted sheet so the problem of a moving rail or a gap between the rail and mattress is eliminated. The sheet fits a single bed and is aimed at children from 18 months to 5 years. You simply zip the tubes into the special sheet. The sheet is 100% cotton and you can order extra sheets separately.

Robust and Attractive Traditional Bed Rails
If you prefer a traditional detachable toddler bed rail then you may like the gorgeous Sesame Street "Wish Upon A Star" bedrail produced by Summer Infant and sold by amazon.com. Not only is it a bedrail but it has light up shooting stars and a soft glow star night light built in. And what’s more, it also plays a lullaby. It costs around $40, and is 42.5" long and 20" high and fits to a twin or a queen size mattress. It folds away easily.

Or your toddler may prefer a bed rail with a pocket and netting. They are not so pretty but it’s always great to have a little pocket for one of your toddler’s many cuddly buddies!