Integrating Recycled Elements into Furniture Selection

Picking the Ideal Toddler Bed to Transition your Child from the Crib

29 June 2018

Danny Morris

One of the most challenging stages in a child's life is the transition from the safety of their crib to a toddler bed. Most parents like putting off this transition for as long as they can because they are not yet sure whether the child is old enough to move into a regular and less constrained bed. If you are at that stage where you need an appropriate bed for your three-year-old child, it is advisable to go through the recommended safety standards for toddler beds before making a purchase. Here are some of the qualities that you must look for.

Guardrail design and safety

It is vital to note that young children should not sleep in bunk beds because this presents the risk of falls. When selecting a single bed, you will want to go for a design that has at least one side with a guardrail. You can place the bed adjacent to the wall so that the child cannot climb out or fall out of the side without a guardrail. There are also standards that the guardrail needs to meet. First, the guardrail needs to be high enough so that when you fit the mattress, the rail extends upwards to a height that can stop a child from rolling off the bed. When shopping, ask for a mattress to be fitted and check the remaining guardrail height to see if it is sufficient.

Mattress retention

A good number of bed-related incidents that have happened to toddlers were a result of poor mattress fit and poor retention. The dimensions of the toddler bed should be standardised such that when fitting the regular mattresses, space is not left for the child to access hazardous openings of both the mattress and bed support structures such as the headboard and the guardrails. When the size is non-standard, the child's body parts may get entrapped between the mattress and parts of the bed, leading to serious injuries.

Bed height

While a two- to three-year-old will have learned to climb onto and off furniture, they are still not comfortable with high objects. A toddler bed should be low enough for easy access and also to minimise the possibility of serious injury after a fall. It is best to consult with experts in toddler furniture when furnishing a child's bedroom and mainly when picking a bed. Consulting will help you get the right model which complies with safety standards and also give you maximum value for your money. Contact a company that sells bedroom furniture to learn more.

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