Keeping Babies Safe - A Child Product Safety Organization
Keeping Babies Safe - A Child Product Safety Organization

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Portable Bedrails
A portable bedrail is a device to be installed on an adult bed to prevent children from falling out of bed. It is intended for children who can get in and out of an adult bed unassisted (2 to 5 years of age).

Portable bedrails are not intended for children under 2 years of age.

The principle hazard associated with bedrails is entrapment of the child between the bedrail and the mattress, resulting in mechanical asphyxia due to neck compression.

Since 1990, fourteen (14) deaths have occurred with portable bedrails. Twelve (12) of the deaths were caused because of entrapment between the bedrail and part of the bed. Eleven of the fourteen fatalities occurred to children under 2 years of age. In a majority of these cases, a bedrail was away from the bed creating a small gap a child could fall into and strangle or suffocate.

Since 1990, 224 children aged less than 2 years died from entrapments between the wall and the mattress of an adult bed. If you choose to use a portable bed rail, Keeping Babies Safe recommends therefore that portable bedrails be used on both sides of the bed. Keeping Babies Safe further recommends that manufacturers and retailers sell portable bedrails in pairs to be used on both sides of the bed.

The Risk of Death or Injury
1. Description of Typical Incident
When a portable bedrail (PBR) is not installed snugly against the mattress or when the rods/bars that go under the mattress slip outward, a child can be entrapped in the resulting space between the PBR and the mattress or between the rods/bars themselves. The result can be an injury or death by asphyxia or strangulation.

2. Death/Injury Data
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has learned of 14 instances in which a PBR was associated with the death of a child. The cause of death in these incidents was asphyxia or strangulation. In ten of these incidents, death resulted from entrapment between the PBR and mattress. In one case the child slipped between the rails of the PBR and in another the child was found hanging from a protrusion on a PBR. Lastly, two children were found entrapped in the space between the PBR and the headboard/bedpost of the bed. Eleven of the fourteen fatalities associated with PBR's were children under the two years of age.

In addition to the fatalities, the CPSC is aware of 40 non-fatal instances. Nine of these resulted in injuries. The age range for the non-fatal incidents was from 4 months to 5 years.

Warnings and Recommendations

  • Use only for children who have outgrown a crib.
  • Use only with children who can get in and out of adult bed without help.
  • Never use in place of a crib.
  • ALWAYS keep bed rail pushed firmly against mattress and at least 9 inches from headboard and footboard.
  • Must have a device or mechanism that keeps the rail pressed firmly against the mattress at all times when in the manufacturer's use position.
  • Any straps, ropes, strings or ties attached to a bed rail for purposes of securing it to a bed or mattress must be inaccessible to a child unless the straps, ropes, ties or strings are 7 inches or less.
  • A mesh, nylon or soft fabric PBR, when pressed firmly against the mattress, must have enough rigidity to prevent the creation of gaps of one inch or more between the PBR and the mattress.
  • Should be sold and installed in pairs so that each side of the bed has a portable bed rail.
  • Space between any rails or slats of the portable bed rail must be 2-3/8 inches or less.
  • Must be free of protrusions or catch points, sharp points or edges, must have no removable small parts.
  • If made of wood, must be smooth and free from splinters.
  • Do NOT use on toddler bed, bunk bed, waterbed, or bed with inflatable mattress. Use only on an adult bed.

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