Beds suitable not suitable for under 4s

[Givemethesun]

Morning! I’m keen to get dc1 into a bed as dc2 is on the way as I’d like the cot if possible. I’m looking at beds and so many say not suitable for under 4. I’d prefer to buy a single bed and not a little toddler bed just so we get a bit more use out of it. Why would a bed not be suitable for a 3 year old? Sorry if I sound silly. I’m looking at single beds that are low to the ground and we’d still put a bumper on. DC1 will be just 3 but only just.

Is it something to do with legislation and them covering themselves legally, rather than it actually being unsafe? Obviously a bunk bed has a minimum age (usually 6) and I wouldn’t put a 3 year old in one od
those in case they fell but a normal bed?? When you go on holiday she’ll likely sleep on whatever bed they have available, it won’t usually be a toddler bed. I would think a normal single bed would be fine for a 3
year old, but you could go for a floor bed for a while if worried?

Thank you. Yes maybe it’s just something they cover for their legal position.

I’m not actually worried until I read that, as we will get one low on purpose. I may even put something soft on the carpet just in case plus the bumper so hopefully she doesn’t fall.
x

Ours went straight into double beds as thats what we had in the house before we had DC!

I think you'll be fine with the options you are looking at.

IKEA do ones that extend from toddler size to shorty to single (with mattress to fit all three sizes). Works really well for our 5 year old and I’d have been comfortable using it at 3. I think some have built in sides too.

Both mine went into a normal, ikea single bed around 2-2.5. DC1 because we needed the cot for DC2 and DC2 because we moved house. We put a fold-up mattress on the floor and left them to it!

Ours went into standard single beds aged 2. No rail/guard or whatever. Worked well for us and meant going away was always easy.

Ds1 was literally 3 when Ds2 was born. He was in a normal single bed for about 3 months at that point. He had a guard rail but also I put pillows alongside the bed just in case he fell out. He moved around a lot in his sleep and slept like a starfish at times. Hence the extra stuff.

Today you can get zipped duvet covers that zip to the sheet so it is like a giant sleeping bag but attached to the bed like a fitted sheet. Amazing. I would definitely go for that if I had a young child now.

My 2.5 year old has got a single floor bed with a guard on. They're brilliant

Is this a new thing because of health and safety type directives? When my kids were small (youngest is 28), it was just accepted practice that children moved into beds around about two years old. Mine were even younger because there's around 18 months between the first two and then second and third.

People put rolled up towels to stop child from falling out (which, to be honest, rarely happened) and everything seemed to work out fine. I know many practices from long ago have been changed in the intervening years, but I can't see how beds have suddenly become 'unsafe under 4' in only 26 years,

If you have issues with the covers falling off, you can either put the cover on the wrong way round and tuck it under the mattress (as they don't need the full length of the cover at that size). Or use a thin blanket or spare sheet, again across the bed rather than the right way, and tuck it under the mattress on the lower half of the bed to keep the duvet cover in the bed but still allowing them to push it back if they're too hot/want to get up.

We put the cot mattress on the floor next to DDs bed, shoved it underneath in the daytime. She never did fall out.
I’m slightly cynically wondering if manufacturers would be quite pleased if parents felt obliged to buy a ‘toddler bed’ or whatever before a proper one.

I just put her into a normal single bed and picked up a cheap barrier that slid under the mattress.

She did constantly kick her covers off so I gave her a double quilt and there was enough for kicking and for keeping warm.

I don’t think the risk is falling out so much as getting limbs/head stuck in bars - so I would look more carefully at the headboard than the height from the ground, personally.

Its because there is a British Standard Institute BS8509:2008+A1:2011 Children’s beds for domestic use. This covers beds for children up to 4 but mainly seems to cover cot beds and toddler beds so standard singles will not be tested against this standard.

So does not mean it is unsafe, just not tested. So yes, arse covering on the manufactures behalf.

IKEA busunge. Love ours. Still going strong at 8yo... Went in them at 18 months

Our DC has been in a bed from 3yrs. We actually went with a very low double so there's less chance of them falling out, and we can also co-sleep easily if needed. We just put a bunch of pillows around and he hasn't fallen out so far. Its very low to the ground anyway, this one -

www.diy.com/departments/berkfield-bed-frame-100x200-cm-solid-wood-pine/7720845682712_BQ.prd