When did your child learn to not fall out of bed?

[noobmom]

DS (3 yo) has decided he wants to sleep in his toddler bed, which is a convertible crib daybed-style. So, three of the sides are enclosed and the bed uses a crib mattress. We separated the crib from the bed to do some readjust it for the coming baby (it was sidecarred) and that's when he became interested. My DH is thrilled, of course.

The problem is that DS keeps slipping or nearly slipping out of the bed. The mattress is on the lowest setting, so it's not far to fall, but we have hardwood floors in the bedrooms. I put a folded up quilt on the floor, so that helps pad his fall, but it's still not as good as carpeting + a blanket. I'm not sleeping well because every time DS rolls over I wake up in fear he's about to fall out of his bed. So far he's fallen out of bed twice (woke up once, stayed asleep once) and has been caught by DH twice right halfway out. Oh, and once I woke up and DS was asleep propped up with his knees on the floor and his upper body on the bed.

DS can sleep on a queen sized bed for naps without falling out. I don't know if it's because it's a much larger bed (so more room to roll) or because he doesn't toss and turn as much over the course of an hour or two compared to overnight. I don't have space to get him his own queen sized bed (plus I think it's a little much for a kid), but I might be able to swing a twin size in our bedroom, if it would help. DH would think I'm crazy, I'm sure.

When did your kids learn to not fall out of the bed? How did they learn? Anything I can do to help?

[KatWozBlue]

My daughter would also "slide" out of the toddler bed and once we moved her to a real bed it never happened again, I think the toddler bed was just too small for her and she needed a bit more room. She sleeps on the bottom of a trundle bed and has never fallen out once.

My son needed rails on his twin bed and I found ones that expanded pretty far, but even then it wasn't until he was over 4 that he never fell out again, he even broke the rails once and slept right thru the whole thing.

I don't think there's anything you can do, but I would try a bigger bed if you think he could handle it okay.

[rzberrymom]

I'm wondering this too--my nearly 5 year old still rolls off everything! One night when we were at her grandparents house, she rolled off the bed and I found her UNDER the bedside table.

[Maluhia]

At 5 our DD does not anymore but she did at 3 onto her tile floor (babysitter did not put the rail up) from a twin at normal height, and when her foot got stuck in a blanket her shoulder hit first - it broke her collarbone

So yeah, I'd never again have her in a bed at normal height over a tile floor without a THICK carpet right ther (her throw rug was not there that night, in the wash) and am now much more comfortable with her twin mattress much much lower and carpeting.