Moving to BBB - Rails?

[Mom to M&M]

Matthew is moving to a big boy bed tonight!!! (He'll be three at the beginning of June). We never used bed rails with DD - she moved at 3.25 and her bed was against one wall and we just never bothered. She did fall but only a few times and her bed was low to the ground and her room heavily carpeted.

DS's bed is also low (low platform style bed, no box spring just a low profile mattress) and his room carpeted but his bed is NOT against a wall (only his headboard is) - his room just doesn't work to have it the other way. We did buy rails but they actually look quite hard to assemble and rather flimsy and we can't decide if they are worth it. Do we try one night without and see how it goes?

We DO have a professionally installed gate at the top (and bottom) of our staircase so of course that would be locked at night. If needed I guess we could also put a pressure mounted gate at DS's door if we find he's coming out a lot, but I'd rather not if I don't have to.

Thoughts?

[Lolly]

We didn't use rails, their toddler bed is quite low and has a sort of rail (a basic wooden arm) which doesn't do much but they have only fallen out a couple of times each.

You could put a rolled towel under the sheet at the outside edges of the bed so he would have to roll up-hill, that would keep him in the middle of the bed.

Laura

[*Ali*]

We tried without but our ds1 kept falling out. His bed was low and the floor carpeted so he didn't even wake up at the time but he did wake when he got cold if I left him and then he wanted help getting back in and under the quilt. Not ideal if it's almost Wu time and results in an ew.

Maybe try it without and see how it goes.

[okinawamama]

I didn't use a rail, but I did use a pool noodle that was wrapped in a towel and then placed underneath the fitted sheet. It's just enough that they meet slight resistance if they get too close to the edge. Here is a picture (the first picture on that blog) http://sometinytidbits.blogspot.com/2010/07/uses-for-pool-noodles.html

It only costs a dollar or so and it had done the trick for us!

[Texomamama]

I always used rails.  DD1 is 4.5 and my DH is like "You can probably take the rails off", but her bed is a queen sized and pretty high up (she needs to use a stool to get into it.

Having said that, rails are often not installed correctly, and come loose, so I am not sure how much protection they offer anyway.

[Mom to M&M]

So when we were at my mom's Saturday afternoon (his bed had come that morning) it turned out they had one assembled bed rail in great shape left from when my niece used to sleep there. So I took that and put it on and we rolled up a towel on the other side under the sheet. So far so good and he seems to love it! Thanks all!

[<Catherine>]

I'm only just seeing this, but using the rail would have gotten my vote.

We have a bed guard on DS's bed even though it is low to the floor - I think it is possibly the only reason he has never really got out of his bed, he even calls for us to get him in the morning! He is *able* to get in and out on his own but I think the guard serves as a deterent. So I would say use it, even if only for this reason (although I do suspect DS would have fallen out of bed a few times by now if it wasn't for the guard).

Hope the transition continues to go well for you!