Last week, we talked all about safe sleep for babies – and it wasn’t just the typical ABC’s of safe sleep, we really dove in!

And this week, we are going to talk about safe sleep for toddlers and big kids – because yes, safe sleep is still a thing for older kids, but way less of a conversation!

For the sake of organization, I will start by talking about our toddlers still in a crib and what safe sleep rules still apply to them. And then we will transition to our toddlers and big kids who no longer sleep in a crib but a normal bed!

In this post, I will share about:

• Why your child should sleep with the door closed
• Safe sleep guidelines for toddlers still in a crib
• Safe sleep guidelines for toddlers and kids in a big bed
• What age it’s safe for kids to sleep in a bunk bed

And more!

Your Child Should Sleep with the Door Closed

Regardless of what kind of bed your child sleeps in, a safe sleep rule you may not have thought about is that your child should be sleeping with a closed door. Yes, this is true for babies, too, but I don’t know that I’ve ever see it an issue with babies as they’re not asking you to keep the door open.

But I know lots of toddler and big kids who want their bedroom door open when they’re sleeping. However, did you know this is actually a fire hazard? I didn’t look up the numbers or stats before hitting record, but the speed at which fire travels or spreads between rooms when the doors are open is insanely higher than when a door is shut.

Do I think my house is going to catch on fire? I sure hope and pray it doesn’t, but accidents happen! And if something so simple as closing our child’s bedroom door all the way when they’re sleeping keeps them way safer, it shouldn’t be a question!

So close that door.

Safe Sleep for Toddlers Still in a Crib

If your toddler is still sleeping in a crib, I first just have to say well done. I recommend keeping them in their crib until at least three years old, though our girls didn’t transition out until 3.5 and they would have gladly continued in the crib!

But sometimes, for safety reasons, like catapulting themselves out of the crib, we have to transition sooner than is ideal.

So for toddlers who are still sleeping in the crib, some of safe rules we talked about with babies still apply:

Make sure chords are completely out of reach

There should be no monitor attached to your toddler’s crib and no monitor chord within any kind of potential reach.

Same with the sound machine – there should be no way for your toddler to reach the sound machine chord from within the crib.

There should not be anything attached to your toddler’s crib

Continuing on with this topic, there really shouldn’t be anything attached to your toddler’s crib!

First and foremost, no crib bumpers. Yes, I know your toddler can move if they can’t breathe. And yes, I know, mesh crib bumpers are breathable. But one, bumpers can become detached from the crib and now we have an entanglement issue. And two, bumpers are a great launching pad or step stool to help your toddler get out of the crib, which we obviously don’t want to happen.

Finally, have you ever heard of a crib tent? Some parents tie them on to the crib in hopes of keeping their toddler from getting out of their crib. And I hear you, all of these sleep consultants are talking about keeping your toddler in a crib until at least three years old, so you’re trying to make that happen.

Well, attaching a tent to the crib that could come undone is NOT the way to do it. It’s just not safe.

(And no, I’m not talking about SlumberPods here. SlumberPods stand alone – they don’t attach to the crib – so they are safe! They also don’t fit over a standard sized crib, only mini-cribs or pack ‘n plays.)  

Safe Sleep for Toddlers and Kids in a Big Bed

Now let’s think about those toddlers and older kids who have transitioned to a big bed, whether that’s because they started climbing out of their crib, or because they were three or four and it was just time!

Once they have freedom to move around their room, we have more safety considerations.

Furniture should be anchored to the walls

The first one being, is their furniture secured to the walls? That should happen before they transition out of the crib!

Similarly, make sure all of the outlets are covered.

Consider some sort of “lock” on your child’s door

With this freedom to move around also comes a conversation of staying in their room.  Ideally they’ll stay in bed all night, but if they don’t, we need to talk about potentially locking your child’s door when they’re sleeping.

I’ve worked with over 300 families, and I don’t think I’ve ever said, “Lock your child in their room overnight.” However, I’ve had many families do it! And here’s what needs to be considered…would it be safe for your toddler or young child to roam around the house in the middle of the night if you were sleeping? I think all of us would say no.

Now, I have two girls who have been in a big bed since they were 3.5 and we’ve never locked their doors or locked them in their rooms at night. I honestly have zero nervousness about them leaving their rooms and wandering around, as we actually have to have conversations with them about reasons they SHOULD get out of bed.

But if you have a runner, or a boundary pusher, rule bender, or extra excited kiddo still practicing lots of self-control, this is something that needs to be considered.

Maybe all it takes is a baby gate at the top of the stairs. If you feel fine with them roaming around upstairs (note that that includes all rooms and bathrooms), then great! A baby gate should suffice.

Or sometimes putting a baby gate outside their bedroom door does the trick. So if they open the door, the gate is there, which keeps them in their room. Some parents are also able to put a cover on their child’s door knob to prevent them from opening the door!

Getting a little more intense, I’ve had some families who turn the doorknob around so the lock is actually on the outside. Or some families purchase something like a monkey lock that’s secured at the top of the door. I’ll share a few popular lock options in the show notes.

Again, I’m never going to tell someone they need to use one of these things – we haven’t had to with two of our kids! Though to be determined on our other two kids – I’ll let you know when we get there.

But it is important to consider if you think you might have a little escape artist on your hands, because having a young child awake and with free roam to your house in the middle of the night is NOT safe!

Consider using crib railings or bumpers

Not all kiddos need them, but crib railings or bumpers are a great way to keep your little one from falling out of bed! Which certainly happens – it’s happened to us even with railings – but it’s always ideal for it not to happen.

These are great crib railings and they secure under the mattress so they can’t just fall off with too much pressure from a sleeping child. Or these bumpers slip under your child’s sheet to help keep them in (like a glorified pool noodle, which are an option, too!)

If their bed is against the wall…

The next safe sleep topic for kids who have transitioned from their crib to a bed is where the bed should actually be. If your child’s bed is in the middle of the room, great! It’s a pretty clear railings and no railings decision.

But have you thought about if your child’s bed is against a wall? In theory, that feels safer or easier because one side doesn’t need a railing!

However, entrapment is a thing – even with a bed against the wall, there is still a danger of your toddler’s little body slipping between the bed and wall, and we don’t want that to happen. So even with your child’s bed against the wall, it’s still best practice to have railings or a bumper.

When it’s safe for your child to sleep on a bunk bed

Did you know there’s a safe sleep conversation we need to have about bunk beds?

According to both the Consumer Product Safety Commission and American Academy of Pediatrics, kids should be at least six years old before sleeping on the top bunk.

And even for some six year olds we might still need to consider their maturity, balance, coordination, or if they wake at night before making that decision. Our oldest has had the opportunity to sleep on a bunk bed a few times and she is just not comfortable – and I’m okay with that!

It’s also important to consider who’s sharing the bunk bed with your 6+year old. If your eight year old is on the top bunk and your four your old on the bottom bunk, you’re good, right? Well, maybe not.

This is a similar conversation to little ones roaming the house in the middle of the night. Will your four year old be tempted to try climbing to the top bunk in the middle of the night? If the answer is yes or even maybe, your four year old probably shouldn’t be sleeping on a bunk bed or in a room with a bunk bed!

I know bunk beds are amazing space savers and make it easy for kids to share a room, but they’re not worth the risk until your little ones are at least six and will take the bunk bed responsibility seriously!

You might think I sound like a crazy person or like I’m fear mongering – especially when it comes to bunk beds. How many of us slept in bunk beds way younger than six and turned out just fine? But that’s survivorship bias – our kids deserve better than, “I turned out fine.” 

Please remember I’m simply sharing safe sleep rules with you, and it’s all out of care for you and your precious children!

Avoid using weighted blankets

Last week, I talked about not introducing pillows or blankets to your toddler until at least the age of two, so that of course still applies. But the next step up here is weighted blankets.

There are very few kiddos who should actually be sleeping with a weighted blanket – we don’t want to limit our child’s ability to move while they’re sleeping, and of course don’t want to interfere with their breathing. And IF a weighted blanket has been recommended, it’s been done so by a professional like an occupational therapist who can determine the appropriate weight and such.

But I’d say it’s a very small number of kiddos who need a weighted blanket to sleep! Some kids benefit from the use of weighted blankets during the day, although again, that would be under the direction of a professional like an OT.

So if your child struggles to stay in their own bed at night, a weighted blanket is very likely NOT the solution! There are so many other things we can consider way before a weighted blanket, so don’t let your best neighbor or mother-in-law convince you otherwise!

Conclusion

My goal with this post is to continue teaching you about safe sleep, because it’s not just a conversation for babies but also for our toddlers and big kids, too. So I hope you learned something new here!

Also remember, just like I said last week, if you read this and heard an unsafe sleep practice that you’re currently doing, that’s okay! The point here is NOT to shame you, to make you feel guilty, or less than. It’s to teach you. The more you know, right?

You can start making changes TONIGHT!

With Grace,

Lauren