bed rails v bed bumpers for overnight stays at gran's

The bed rails are a great idea but difficult to fit onto a double bed because part has to go under the mattress.
The suggestion of putting plenty of padding on the floor and an extra quilt is a good one - if they do roll out of bedd, you can just cover them up and leave them !
Or when my brother's twins were that age we either used to use a blow up mattress and they slept on that on the floor or they had a bed made up using the aforementioned quilts etc - they thought it was great as they were on holiday !

Our 3rd grandson was a good little boy and always had a post lunch sleep on his day with us. One afternoon he took a little bit to settle as we could hear a few bumps from upstairs. After a short while I went to check, and found he had climbed out of his cot and put himself into the double bed in the same bedroom. He was tidily fast asleep in the middle with his teddy beside him, duvet up to his chin. We dismantled the cot and he continued his good sleeps for the next year in the big bed. He was about 2 and a half.

I have some convertible footstool floor mattresses when my GCs visit. They were in single beds at 3 at home with padding on the floor for falls. My biggest concerns were as others have said, young ones falling downstairs in the dark so stair gate & night light on landing, oh and window locks on for active climbers.

We put the cot mattress on the floor by one side of the bed, spare pillows on the other side & a stair gate at the bedroom door. One of our GS could climb out of his cot from a very early age, so he was probably safer in the double bed. Never had any issues with any of the GC falling out but if they had they would have had a soft landing.

Our smallest GS outgrew the travel cot so we put him in the single bed, up against the wall, with a great heap of pillow and cushions on the floor. He didn't fall out. Fast forward to some years later when he stayed - we went into the bedroom only to be met with a bare mattress and no sign of GS. Panic for about thirty seconds until we found him - rolled up like Tom Kitten in his duvet, right under the bed, and snoring. How he had got there we couldn't imagine and he couldn't remember.

I am honestly surprised that so many of you have happily put small children into adult sized beds.

Surely if the child is staying regularly, you should go down the nearest charity shop and buy a child's bed suitable for a toddler.

Any toddler I have ever known would have been scared silly alone in a huge bed in a room by himself.

grandtanteJE65

I am honestly surprised that so many of you have happily put small children into adult sized beds.

Surely if the child is staying regularly, you should go down the nearest charity shop and buy a child's bed suitable for a toddler.

Any toddler I have ever known would have been scared silly alone in a huge bed in a room by himself.

All children are different, all four of mine were in proper beds by the age of 2. If we went visiting, all of them were happy to sleep in any bed that was provided for them on their own. My son right from 18 months would search out a bed in anybody's house to have a nap if told to.

With my children when they were little I put a chair tight up against the bed, with the back o a high back dining chair positioned just below the pillow.
When childminding I had ready beds on the carpet
HTH

I put a pillow under the fitted sheet on each side of the bed.

We use bed bumpers when out 3 yr old grandson sleeps over .
Never had a problem …..and he’s not a good sleeper ?

We have some inflatable bumpers. I think they are called Shrunks. Goodness only knows why they are called that. They seem to do the trick but as both our DGC manage to spread themselves right across the bed, it is hard to tell. We also bought a long bolster pillow case , roll up a spare duvet and put it into the case to put between the bed and the wall. When they do stay with us we tend to sleep with them. Partly to keep them safe, but also because if they wake, we can settle them straight away.

Have you looked at a ready bed? These are child sized air beds with attached sleeping bag. The other useful bed that doesn’t take up much space is a fold up foam cube which opens out to an ideal sized bed for small people. I used to let them sleep with me at that age and Dh was dispatched to spare bed!

He didn’t fall out as far as I know!

All of my kids (and grandchildren, too) slept in normal beds from the age of two.

I've never been worried at all about them falling out. After all, modern beds are very low.

I don't like the idea of rails, though, as they will climb higher to get over them. (It's stairgates that I find essential for little ones.)

I don't like the idea of rails, though, as they will climb higher to get over them

Yes. Although perhaps some children are more adventurous than others.
Mine were.

I think nearly 3 can cope with a normal-height bed without any special protection. Obviously they don't go into top bunks.

grandtanteJE65

I am honestly surprised that so many of you have happily put small children into adult sized beds.

Surely if the child is staying regularly, you should go down the nearest charity shop and buy a child's bed suitable for a toddler.

Any toddler I have ever known would have been scared silly alone in a huge bed in a room by himself.

Steady there, the poster won't like your answer !!!! Expected so much more from Gransnet ?

Any toddler I have ever known would have been scared silly alone in a huge bed in a room by himself

Not our DGC!
We have a single bed in a smallish room full of toys and books, but at least one of them has asked to sleep in 'the big bed' ie a double in the spare room.

missdeke

grandtanteJE65

I am honestly surprised that so many of you have happily put small children into adult sized beds.

Surely if the child is staying regularly, you should go down the nearest charity shop and buy a child's bed suitable for a toddler.

Any toddler I have ever known would have been scared silly alone in a huge bed in a room by himself.

All children are different, all four of mine were in proper beds by the age of 2. If we went visiting, all of them were happy to sleep in any bed that was provided for them on their own. My son right from 18 months would search out a bed in anybody's house to have a nap if told to.

Same here. What’s to be scared about? Mine all loved it.