Davie's First Special Needs Bed

Before Davie was born I had his nursery completely figured out and decorated. He was my fourth baby so I didn't even go with a crib. I had a pack-n-play with a nice, upgraded mattress and added bassinet. I also had a twin bed set up in his room for when he outgrew the pack-n-play. Plus I anticipated co-sleeping/nursing while he was tiny. Little did I know that one pack-n-play would be his primary bed for almost THREE years! Davie's main pack-n-play stayed in our room because he slept with a monitor for almost 18 months. We had another in his bedroom for naps and trips. He was over two years old before he left our bedroom. When we transitioned to nighttime sleeping in his own room, I purchased a joovy room2 with a nice mattress to use. Shortly after that time, Davie started standing and bearing weight! This was a great accomplishment for him, but it also meant he could easily flip out of his beds due to his height. During this time he also started climbing; so could climb into his twin bed with no way back down. It was then we decided to completely redo his room for safety. I took his twin bed frame down and put just the mattress on the floor. Then we installed an extra tall baby gate to his bedroom door. We added plenty of cushions and pillows to his entire room to make one big, soft, safe place for Dave! Here's where the fun really started! Davie loved his room; loved it so much that he struggled going to sleep at night. He was used to always being inside his pack-n-plays so he just didn't understand that lights out meant bedtime. We tried laying with him in his bed on the floor with lights out, but he would always get up later and start playing. Not getting good sleep was a small inconvenience, but we feared if we left him alone he could start trying to climb on his dresser (which he did) and get into other dangerous predicaments while we were sleeping. It was at this time that we realized Davie still needed a "bubble" to sleep in. He was always comfortable being contained at nighttime. Being placed inside something also gave him a visual cue that it was bedtime.

After researching for a bit, I came across a website called safeplacebedding.com. They offer special needs beds for children up to adults. They also had permanent beds and travel beds. I wasn't sure we were ready for the permanent bed, so I took my chances on the travel bed. Even though it is labeled a travel bed, I had all purposes and intentions of using it as a permanent bed. It took a few months to get to us, but when it finally came we were pleasantly surprised. The travel bed itself is twin size. Instructions said it needed to sit on a larger mattress so we went with a full size mattress on the floor; then we strapped the travel bed to the top. It airs up like a blow up mattress and has a water-proof layer inside. This bed zips up and can lock on the outside so your child cannot get out at night. The first night we tried it had Davie a little confused. He fussed for about 8 minutes. Then he Slept. All. Night! And he has been sleeping great ever since we purchased our safeplace bed! I feel like this bed is going to work well for Davie for years until we know for sure that he needs a more permanent option. It's cute, matches his room and he LOVES it. He even plays inside his bed during the day. We highly recommend this bed if you're not sure that you need to go all out on a permanent special needs bed. We haven't even used it for travel, but I know it would be worth it to take it for peace of mind on vacation.

We are still thinking of the future and are interested in a permanent special needs bed should we need one. If you or anyone you know has a permanent type bed I would love to hear how you went about getting one and how the process went regarding time, insurance, out of pocket cost, etc. Let me know! Here is my dude in his sweet bed:)

FYI we use waterproof bed pads in his bed and have used them in the past for his larger play pens. There's no way to put a waterproof mattress cover in this bed so we layer with a soft quilt then the bed pad on top. They're so cute, easy to clean and great for all types of beds...and children of all ages whether you're potty training or just need a layer of protection. Here are the ones we use!