The Mothercare pine fold-away bed guard is suitable from 18 months to 5 years and for mattresses 54cm to 92cm wide and 8cm to 20cm thick on most beds, except upper bunk beds. It fits most Mothercare cotbeds, except Bantham, Teddy's Wash Day, Oakhampton and Hunton. It's a stalwart of the Mothercare range, and has been on the market for a significant time. It's designed to fold down when it’s not in use to make it easy to lift your child in and out of bed and to change the bed.
What we love
The Mothercare pine fold-away bed guard is adjustable. Its wooden legs rest under the mattress, while the curved blue plastic ends stick out to ensure the guard doesn’t slip off the bed.
The frame is lightweight and looks good when in place, while the fold-down position makes lifting Michela out of her bed and changing the bed linen easier. The locking mechanism is truly child resistant, as claimed in the instruction manual.
The Mothercare pine fold-away bed guard complies with the standard BS7972:2001, which relates to safety requirements for children’s bed guards for domestic use.
What to watch for
The Mothercare pine fold-away bed guard isn’t that easy to assemble. I borrowed my partner’s set of screwdrivers and put in four screws to attach the legs in an area without pre-drilled holes, which took me 15 minutes to do, turned the page of the instruction manual and realised that the previous illustration hasn’t alerted me on how to position the legs so I had screwed them incorrectly. I called my partner to undo it and re-assemble the legs as I had developed a blister on my palm! I finished off the assembly, which was easier as there were pre-drilled holes and big screws for the remaining bits. I don’t understand why not all the screws were suitable for the Allen key that was provided.
When fitting the guard, you need to leave a gap of 25cm (10in) between the headboard and the guard to avoid risk of strangulation. This is something recommended by most bed guard manufacturers.
The Mothercare pine fold-away bed guard looks attractive when fitted and does the job, but my partner thinks that it’s not as sturdy as a metal framed equivalent. He also feels that the legs aren’t thick enough to provide stability for the chunky rail on display and has complained that the locking mechanism is fiddly to operate.
Some mums who tried the Mothercare pine fold-away bed guard agree with my partner that it feels less sturdy than a metal framed one. Others say that it keeps their toddler from falling out of the bed but the frame moves around and rattles if used with a thin mattress, so perhaps it works better with a thick and heavy one.
Who is the Mothercare pine fold-away bed guard best for?
Parents after an attractive wooden bed guard that doesn't cost the earth.
The Mothercare pine fold-away bed guard is a good looking wooden option. It’s not too expensive, but doesn't feel as sturdy as a metal framed equivalent. It also isn’t simple to assemble.
