Published on May 19th, 2021 | by Bibhuranjan

Five Tips for Creating a Safe Sleep Environment for Your Toddler That Will Bring You Peace of Mind

Parents are bombarded with a lot of information about how to keep a new baby safe at night. From having a separate sleep space to keeping the crib free of blankets, stuffed animals, and other items, there’s a lot to learn!

But, what happens when that baby isn’t a baby anymore and you find yourself with a toddler? Dangers still exist after the sun goes down, even if some of the strict guidelines you are used to following are no longer necessary.

Here’s how to graduate your child from a baby bedroom to a toddler bedroom while keeping their safety top-of-mind.

Use Baby Monitors

Wondering what to do with that baby monitor now that your baby isn’t an infant anymore? Don’t get rid of it! Baby monitors still come in handy when you have a toddler!

A baby monitor allows you to see if your toddler is staying up later than they should, it can help you determine if they fell asleep in the closet or in their bed, and it can help you keep an eye on their sleep position to make sure it’s safe.

Many monitors can do much more than that! With two-way talk, you can remind your toddler it’s time to go to bed without going up the stairs, funny videos can be sent to family, and some monitors can even play music!

Monitor the Temperature

When you think of monitoring your baby, keeping a literal eye on them as they sleep in their room is probably what comes to mind. It’s true that this can prevent a lot of bad things from happening, but there are other things you should monitor too. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are a must, but you should also monitor the temperature.

Heaters can malfunction, causing your child’s bedroom to get too hot. It isn’t unheard of for the temperature to get so high that a child actually passes away in their sleep.

If your child’s bedroom is heated by a different unit than other areas of the house, or if you do not sleep on the same level as your child, you should have a temperature monitor with an alarm installed in their room just in case.

Install Bed Railings

It’s a big day when your child is allowed to sleep in a bed instead of a crib. You just have to take as much care to make their new bed as safe as you did their crib.

Although suffocation risk goes down drastically as your baby becomes a toddler, it’s still a possibility. One child, for example, got trapped between the mattress and the bed frame and suffocated. Not to mention, many toddlers have been injured falling out of bed!

Prevent this from happening by installing bed railings that fit snugly against the mattress. Make sure railings are installed on both sides of the bed, even if one side of the bed is placed against the wall. If your toddler is a bit of a wild sleeper, consider railings all around the bed, or keep your toddler in their crib for a little longer.

Secure Furniture to the Wall

One of the many challenges parents of toddlers face is the fact that they love to run, jump, and climb. They also love to sneak out of bed and take advantage of their newfound freedom. That can get them into a lot of trouble.

Falling furniture is a real possibility that can gravely injure your child. Instead of waiting for an accident to happen, secure all furniture to the wall. Items to secure to the wall include:

Bookcases
Dressers
Shelves
End tables

Minimize Blankets and Lovies

As soon as your baby makes it through their first year, you can start adding blankets and lovies to their bed. As they get a little bit older, it’s normal for kids to pile blankets and stuffed animals in bed with them, but this isn’t necessarily a good idea. Suffocation is still a possibility, so you may have to find creative ways to get rid of stuffed animals and blankets when your little one isn’t watching.

It’s especially important to make sure oversized stuffed animals stay out of the bed, as well as overly puffy comforters that pose a greater suffocation risk.

Just because your little one has reached their first birthday doesn’t mean you can completely forget about bedroom safety! With the tips on this list, you can make sure your toddler is still safe when they sleep.

Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

Tags: baby gadgets, baby monitor, safety

About the Author

Bibhuranjan Editorial Officer, technofaq.org I'm an avid tech enthusiast at heart. I like to mug up on new and exciting developments on science and tech and have a deep love for PC gaming. Other hobbies include writing blog posts, music and DIY projects.