Mininut's Full Review: Safety 1st Portable Bed Rail
Well Wayne finally did it! He made the transition from a crib to big boy bed in 2 days. Once his twin bed arrived, we went to the attic and got out our bed rail, which we purchased on clearance 1 year earlier. This is what we think about the Safety 1st Bed rail.
About the Safety 1st Portable Bed rail
Ok for those of you that may not know what a bed rail is, this particular one is a mesh netting on a metal frame that is placed at the side of the bed to keep your little guy or gal from rolling out of bed. Most rails now a day are mesh and some are plastic although bunk beds do have metal and wood ones pre-built into the bed. Now before I go on, the newer safety 1st rails are plastic and portable, this is not the newer one so it is made of metal and is portable but not collapsible like the newer ones. The older Safety 1st rails have aluminum frames that are rectangle shaped (I have seen the newer ones that are plastic, although I am not sure when they changed them). The netting is a breathable mesh net that slips over the frame snuggly and the feet of the rails slide between the box spring and mattress and are made of durable plastic.
Let’s put this rail together The newer models are pre-set when you buy them and do not need assembly.
When you open your box you will be faced with a selection of metal tubes, screws, plastic feet and a mesh net. At this point you may be thinking of tossing this one out and getting a newer one. Don’t worry the instructions are easy to read and easy to follow but if you have problems putting this bed rail together I would suggest you go get your wife and let her do it (laugh). You will have 2 large metal tubes that are angled at 90 degrees with rounded corners. Place the end of each pole together and using a Phillips screw driver place the smallest screw in the hole and tighten it. Slide your mesh netting over the 2 poles and get the 2 smaller poles with the blue grips at each end. Place the 2 small poles together with the blue ends facing towards the end. This pole does not have a screw to hold it and sometimes may come apart before you get it placed. It will not come apart once you get it set and the screws are installed. Line up the end of the small pole to the side and place a large screw into the frame to secure the bottom rail. Do this on both sides. Place the feet at the base of each side of the rail with the rubber sides facing up. Grab the larger bolt and nut and place each foot onto the bottom of the rail and tighten the bolt. The instructions say that you should not over tighten this bolt because it will not allow your rail to slide up and down easily, however I could not seem to get it to tighten enough and Wayne’s rail seemed really flimsy.
How to use this rail
Once you get your little one’s rail together you simply slide the plastic footing between your child’s mattress and box spring. The rubber on the feet keep the rails from slipping out of place so that it holds when your child bumps it or rolls into it in the night. To fold the rail down you simply pull up on the top of the rail until the legs slide out of the locking bracket and then you drop it out and away from the bed so that it lays against the floor part of the bed. To put your rail back up you grab the top of the railing once more and pull up and out until your rail is upright. Once your rail is upright you simply let go and it slides into place. Be sure to push down a bit (gently) on your rail to make sure that it has locked back into place.
What I like about this rail
When I first put this rail together I was not to entirely impressed because it seemed so flimsy. I had a problem attaching the feet to the bottom of the rails; I just could not get the bolt to tighten correctly. Once we got it in place and started using it the rail held in place and did not seem flimsy at all and held well when Wayne would push against it. I purchased this rail over a year ago because it was on clearance for $3.00 and that was a heck of a savings. We have had it in our attic ever since just waiting for Wayne to grow up into a big boy bed. The rail fits about half the length of a twin size bed so I don’t have to worry about Wayne’s legs hanging over the bed or his arms hanging over. It is about the same size as Wayne lengthwise and that was a huge plus because I feel he is safer. The Safety 1st rails normally sell for $19.99 (now you see why I bought it at $3) and the new rails are collapsible and foldable but the older ones are not. Since I will not be traveling with our rail it is not really necessary to have one that collapses. The older rails are portable to the point that the feet fold up but you cannot make the rail any shorter. It is relatively easy to travel with it since it is flat it will not take up a lot of space but it is long. The mesh netting on the rail is really tight so I don’t have to worry about Wayne pushing against it and suffocating. I also like how I can take the mesh off and wash it, let’s face it toddlers find a way to get everything dirty. You will have to take the bottom rail off to get the mesh netting off.
Cautions and Warnings
This rail is not to be used with any child younger than 2 years old. Safety 1st did not design these rails to be used with younger children that should be placed in cribs when possible. Do not let your child play with the mesh netting when it is off of the frame. If your child is younger than 2 years old or a very petite child and you have to have them in a twin bed, please place a rail on each side of the bed even if the bed is against the wall small children can slide between the wall and mattress and suffocate. Do not let your child lean on or stand on these rails.
In closing
I would have to say that this bed rail is a good value for the money. Safety 1st has good products and the newer rails are much easier than the older one. This particular rail works well and is durable enough to keep my 2-½ year old in bed at night. It is easy to clean and easy to assemble and it does not slip from between the mattress. I do recommend the Safety 1st bed rail to parents with toddlers.
About Safety first
Safety 1st is owned by Dorel Ind. which also owns the popular children’s brand Cosco.
If you need to contact Safety 1st you can do so by E-mailing info@safety1st.com or by going to their website at http://www.safety1st.com
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Recall Information The recall information on this review does not pertain to the product that I reviewed. However, I feel that it is important to get the word out about all recalls and I will continue to list them in all of my children’s reviews whenever possible.
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