Many parents, like me, are using air mattress while camping with their kids or as a guest bed, but are they really safe with toddlers? Here’s what I learn!
Toddlers over 15 months old can sleep on an air mattress. However, inflatable mattresses can be dangerous for a baby or a 1-year-old. Still, your 3-year-old toddler can safely sleep on an air mattress. However, make sure you understand the difference between your regular inflatable bed and a toddler air mattress.
Before, let’s go over the critical information about air mattresses, as it can save lives.
What Are the Dangers of Sleeping on an Air Mattress?
In the last few years, many parents have started using air mattresses as an every-day bed for their kids. What uses to be a solely camping commodity has now become less expensive and, therefore, attractive to parents looking for an affordable sleeping solution for their kids.
Before you get an air mattress for your kids, you must be aware of the following hazards.
First, an air mattress is not for a 1-year-old
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has advised against using air mattresses with children under 15 months of age. Because while the inflatable mattress seems firm enough, it’s still a suffocation hazard.
Therefore, most air mattresses have a warning label, stating to never place an infant 15 months and younger to sleep on an inflatable bed. Still, we don’t always read those safety labels and especially if the product has been in our house for years.
I was shocked to learn about the deaths of more than 108 children involving an air mattress since 2004, recorded by the National Child Death Review Case Reporting System. The research has been conducted with data from only 24 states. So I can imagine there’s also a large number of cases underreported.
With around 3 700 SIDS cases in the United-States, the use of an air mattress for a baby increase the risk of sudden infant death.
Like any other type of beds, a baby can fall into the gaps around the mattress. That could be the bed frame, the furniture, or walls surrounding the air mattress. Moreover, air leaks contribute to the danger of suffocating, face-down, on the unproperly inflated mattress.
Also, air mattresses are not a solution to bed bugs.
With a widespread bed bug epidemic, parents have been turning to air mattresses, thinking bed bugs can’t get on the vinyl material of the mattress.
Sure inflatable mattresses are made of vinyl or PVC, and both materials aren’t friendly for bed bugs, especially compare to foam mattresses. Also, they are easier to clean because the bugs won’t hide inside the mattress.
Unfortunately, air mattresses are not a solution against bed bugs, because those parasites can crawl on any kind of beds.
Tips for a Safe Sleep on an Air Mattress
If your kid is less than 15 months old, ditch the air mattress and use a crib or a pack and play.
On the other hand, toddlers, over 15 months of age, can have a safe night of sleep on an air mattress if you follow those tips.
- Make sure the mattress is always fully inflated
- Keep a safe distance between around bed to avoid entrapment
These simple guidelines will keep your kid safe while sleeping on an inflatable mattress.
What to Look for When Buying an Air Mattress?
Some air mattresses are specially made for toddlers. They have been designed to keep your little one safe and conformable throughout the night.
The most important features are the safety rail incorporated into the bed. The safety rails prevent from rolling out the bed, but it also keeps the blanket, and your kid’s favorite teddy bear tucked in the whole night. Therefore your kid won’t wake up on the floor or trap between the mattress and the wall.
Also, check for non-toxic materials, free for dangerous chemicals such as Phthalates, BPA, or Lead. The last thing you want is for your kid to sleep in a toxic environment.
Finally, make sure the surface is big enough for your kid to be comfortable. I always was a tall kid, and I can assure you that a short bed is very uncomfortable. Especially when you need to sleep in a fetus position the whole night. Please, check the size of the bed you are buying for your kid and remember how fast they grow.
So, is It Safe for a Toddler to Sleep on an Air Mattress?
While writing the article, I wanted to get the general opinion of other parents, so I read through many posts on parents’ internet forums, Facebook groups, and Quora.
I was surprised by how many moms and dads were using an air mattress as a travel bed for their toddlers and how they love it. Also, some parents were using it as a guest bed for sleepovers.
I would say, 95% of parents were advocating the use of air mattresses and the other 5% were not against but simply prefer not having to deal with deflating mattress.
Personally, both of my kids had many good nights of sleep on an air mattress. Especially while camping, but also on vacation or while visiting the grand-parents. We even use an inflatable raft as a bed with my daughter when she was 2 years old because it was the only solution available that night.
Therefore, your toddler can definitely sleep on a regular air mattress. But it would be more comfortable if you get a proper toddler’s air mattress with the safety rails to prevent your child from rolling or falling out the bed. This toddler inflatable bed sold on Amazon has all the essential features precisely. Check out the review, and you’ll understand why this kid’s mattress a best seller.