Pre-K: When Do You Take Away the Bed Guard?

My kids haven't had bed rails since they were two years old. I would put blankets around the bottom of the bed if they would roll out. They only rolled out a couple times that I can remember. My boys are 3 and 4 and they do not have rails. They are both in twin beds and have been in twins for about a year and a half.

Are they falling out of the bed? My youngest 2 stopped using those at about 3. They were both in toddler beds at 2, and no rails about a year later.

Hi B.. Good question. I had to think back. I had bunk beds for my boys. I never took the guard off the bottom when they were about 2. They were walking good and had a sense of balance. The top bunk was on till they were about 8. LOL We have a built in sense of movement and I just always thought that it would help make it stronger if there was no barrier.
Good luck with your peace of making a decision.
T.

6 months to a year should be long enough for a bed rail. They may fall out a couple times at first, but just comfort them and put them back in their beds. That is the only way they will really learn to sleep without a rail.
Once in a while they may fall out getting tangled up in their bedding, but they really aren't going to be hurt by that.

The time is based on your own child and your own comfort. You need to sleep well at night and not worry about him falling out. So this is something you will need to decide on your own observations of your child. Remember that each child is different and even your 2 children may be very different. This is true in everything.

My sons been in a bed without a bed rail on it since he was 2 and half and now 5. He fell out maybe twice but other than he hasn't had a problem. (We do not have a towel under the side either.) I would say it's safe remove it at this point.

I think you can remove them. My children didn't have guard rails after the age of 3 and we only had 1 experience of falling out of bed. My son actually didn't start falling out of bed until he was 7 and wanted to sleep in the top bunk. After falling out of it (never fell out of the bottom bunch, go figure) 3 nights in a row we moved him back to the bottom bunk. He had his own room, just wanted bunk beds.

My son went from crib to twin bed at 2.5 years old. We had bedrails on his bed for a few months but they were gone well before he turned 3. My older daughter went from crib to toddler bed at 2 and we never put bedrails on. She moved into a twin around her 3rd birthday and never had bedrails on that bed, either. The youngest is still in a crib but we'll put her right into a twin and only use bedrails for a few months.

My son was moving all over the bed so we used bedrails. However, after a few months he usually stayed in the middle of the bed so we took the rail away. I think he might have fell out of bed once... I heard a *thud* one night but by the time I got to his room he was in his bed.

Never heard of the "standby" of using a towel to angle the mattress up. I think you are being way overprotective... definetly time to lose the rails for both your kids. I'm surprised friends coming over to play haven't commented on the "babyish" bedrails yet... that could hurt their self-esteem.

If they seem to sleep in the middle of the bed and not roll as much, then take the bed rails down. My kids both got rid of theirs around 3 yrs. By then, they had develloped the same "edge of bed presence" that I have. I guess it just depends on the child. If you are really worried, put the mattress on the floor for a while and see how they do. If after you take it down, they fall out of bed often, then put it back up. Every child falls out of bed once in awhile. They hardly ever get hurt, it is just a little scary for them and you when you hear the big thump in the night! My oldest fell out of bed once when she was about 3, I heard the big thump, but then nothing. I thought it was one of the dogs falling off the couch. In the morning, we found her on the floor next to her bed, she didn't even wake up! Let them try out being big kids, I bet they'll surprise you.

Mine went into "big kid" beds at 2 and 3. For the then 2-year-old, we did build something with sides, but cut them down when he was 4 and redid his room.

We took the side off of the 3-year-old's bed a couple of months ago. She's not fallen out.

You're probably fine removing them unless the kids have developmental issues.

Now, both of mine will sometimes just decide to sleep on the floor for reasons I can't determine. But they've not fallen out of bed. They have moved all of their blankets, pillows and stuffed animals with them.

B.,

I have a 3 y/o and a 1 y/o, and my 3 y/o son has been in a twin bed since he was 2. We had double rails/guards on the bed at first and then after a few months we realized that once he goes to bed he doesn't really move. So early summer we took them off and he has never fallen out of the bed.

As far as "when", I think it depends on how your child sleeps. If they have fallen out of the bed with them on and move around a lot when they sleep, I would tell you to leave them on. If you are tired of seeing them and want them to begin to transition away from them, you could explain it to them and then take them off and put pillows on the floor so if they do roll out, they will hit the pillows instead of the hard floor. (of course make sure there is nothing else around they could hit..tables, bookshelves....).

Another thought is that if you can get your older one to sleep without it, maybe the younger one will follow their lead so you can get rid of both of them, again if they are ready.

Good luck...hope this helps.
A. D

Hello, so far I have not read the previous answers but let me tell you of an experience I witnessed. Our granddaughter at 4 almost 5 when her bed rails were taken off her bed. One night during her sleep she was having a dream and rolled right of the edge of the bed. It scared her so bad that she actually got sick crying so hard. My advice would be to leave the rails on until the child feels comfortable at having them taken off. Let her tell you instead of just taking them off.

I used a guard rail for my boys until they were about 2.5 - 3. My youngest does fall out of bed about once every other month (he's 4 now), and he actually broke his collar bone last week by falling out of bed in the middle of the night!

We have since put a mattress next to his bed, so if he does fall out again, he will land on the mattress. I'm not sure what to do once he has healed, although I had never heard of the rolled up towel idea, so I think I may try that.

Good luck :)

-T.
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My son is 5, soon to be 6. The only bed rail he has ever had is simply because he sleeps on the top bunk. Whenever he sleeps on bottom, he doesn't use one. I've have even found him asleep on the floor. I just pick him up & put him back to bed. I would think that this is one of those "personal preference" issues.

My kids went from crib to twin bed with no rails at age 3. I started by putting blankets and pillows next to the bed in case they fell out.

hello! about bed rails...we never used one with our daughter, who is now 25 months. she went into a twin size bed at about 17 months. it is a lower bed (maybe up a foot & a half off the floor?) & she did fall out a few times, but nothing that hurt her. i would say that unless you have bunk beds, that they should be okay.

my niece was five, but i think it is up to the child and varies. if the bed is low to the ground. four or five is normal i think. unless the child is adament about leaving it up