Is it essential to use a bed barrier?

Among the many products that parents buy for our little ones, there are some that are not always essential. Among them we have the bed barriers. A product that improves the safety of our little one’s rest but that is not always necessary.

Having a child is something that costs a lot of money, according to all the studies. Among other things because parents often have a tendency to buy more things than are necessary for our baby. The worst of all is that many of these products end up not even being released or hardly being used, which translates into the frustration of money spent in vain on them.

One of those accessories that for many parents ends up becoming one of those elements that we do not use is the crib barrier. However, it is also true that many children have avoided injuries and accidents thanks to this product. So for you to be more clear about whether to include the best bed barrier on your shopping list, we are going to leave you some information that will be very useful when deciding.

What is a bed rail used for?

Let’s start with the basics, knowing what a bed rail is for. The bed barrier is a product designed to protect the little ones when they sleep. This barrier is located on the bottom of the mattress, creating a physical barrier that prevents our little one from falling due to the movements of sleep.

To make this protection more efficient, the barrier has two large supports, which are placed directly on the bottom of the mattress. The push resistance is obtained directly from the weight of our little one when resting, which prevents the bed rail from moving, even when our sleeper leans on it. The barrier is finished off with adequate protection in its upper area, which prevents the child from slipping through it and this material from breaking or deteriorating with use.

When is the bed barrier necessary?

Once we know what the barrier is for, it is time to think about whether our little one needs it. The first thing we must assess is whether our son has a tendency to move a lot when he rests or not. Some children fall asleep in the same position and hardly vary the same position, while others move every five minutes, turning over their position. The most moved can even appear sleeping head down, without us being able to understand how they got to that position.

It is obvious that in the case of these last users, the most moved, the use of a bed barrier is highly recommended. Among other things because when he is asleep, the risk of our little one ending up on the floor is considerable. So if your little one is one of those who do not stop still, surely you will find in the bed barrier the necessary complement to give greater security to their rest, and more tranquility to yours.

Another aspect that makes the barrier necessary is the age of our little one, according to what we have indicated before. As children get older, they have less of a tendency to move about in bed, so the use of the barrier is more dispensable. In any case, it is still key to analyze our little one’s behavior when resting, because even older children can continue to move a lot during rest.

what alternatives do we have

At this point, you may be wondering if there are alternatives to the best bed rail you can buy, to see if you can replace the product with another domestic option to avoid this expense, or at least to test before taking a final purchase decision.

The simplest alternative is to glue the bed to the wall, as long as the design of the bedroom allows it. Something that allows us to dispense with barriers, although only on one side, really, given that the other side will remain open. On this side it is possible to use other alternative products, such as pillows or the like, which limit access to the open area. The bad news is that the level of protection of this product does not have much to do with what a conventional bed rail offers us.

An alternative that some parents use is to place towels on the uncovered side of the bed. This allows this area of ​​the bed to be raised, so that if our little one rolls there, it returns to the central part of the bed and does not continue rolling towards it. But again it is a questionable efficiency solution. Not to mention the extra discomfort that having a raised side of the bed can add to our little one’s rest.

Conclusions

Regarding the main question that opened this article, it is true that we can do without the bed barrier, but only when our little one does not usually move excessively at bedtime or if he is already at an age where he has more sleep. depth and a better spatial perception, which prevents it from falling if it moves on the bed.

In all other cases, it is almost essential to have a bed barrier, in order to avoid the risks of a bad fall during rest. Something fundamental considering that in the current market it is possible to find cheap crib barriers, for prices that start at around 20 euros. Therefore, it is worth spending this small amount to give our little one extra peace of mind when it comes to resting and freeing us from other experiments that generally lead nowhere.