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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

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February 14, 2011

Guardrails are Ugly!

There are many things that are difficult about transitioning a
child from a crib to a toddler bed.
The crying, the getting up at night, the threats, the frustration.
And don’t even get me started about what it does to the kids!
But more than anything else, my least favorite part of this transition is the necessary safety item that comes with it.
The Guardrail


And guardrails are ugly. 
No, not this kind of guardrail.
Those are ugly too, though.
 I’ll bet some of you crafty folks could have that decoupaged and lookin’ pretty in no time!
No, I’m talking about these guardrails.
Instead of buying a separate toddler bed, we just removed the front railing from the crib and added one of these.
I know it is a necessary safety item to keep our precious children from falling out of bed but I gotta tell you…I thought twice about it.
I’m pretty sure soft, fluffy pillows piled on the floor to break her fall would look better than this monstrosity!
It completely ruins an adorable room if you ask me.
Well, I wasn’t going to stand for it!
Especially not in a little girl’s room.
So I scrounged up some extra fabric.
And pieced that fabric together to make a

Guardrail Slipcover!
Ahhh…so much better.
Has anyone ever seen something like this before or can I
continue to pat myself on the back?
I’ve never slipcovered anything in my entire life and I have to tell you that I am pretty pleased with the results.
I quickly realized that it is basically making a giant pillow without stuffing it or stiching the bottom closed. And it just slid right down over that despised toddler bed accessory.
What do you think?
I love how it blends in now…or at least that it blends in as much as a weird thing sticking up from the side of a crib can!
Now…let me see…what else can I slipcover?
So glad you stopped by the Fence today!
Vanessa
P.S. Patent Pending on the Guardrail Slipcover…*wink*!
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49 Comments Filed Under: Decorating, Good Ideas

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Comments

  1. Judy says

    February 14, 2011 at 10:45 PM

    Ok you better give yourself the biggest pat on the back EVER!! I have never seen this before. I refused to put the guard rail up when my daughter transitioned into a bed. We just piled up the pillows on the floor and she did fall out of bed a few times. You could probably market this and make a fortune. I am super impressed. Love the fabric too!!

    Reply
  2. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    February 14, 2011 at 10:47 PM

    Vanessa, this is brilliant! You should make those to sell! 🙂 Love the fabric…pretty!

    Reply
  3. Cricket says

    February 14, 2011 at 11:19 PM

    You need to Patent that…you will seell a million…you are one smart cookie!!

    Reply
  4. Alison says

    February 14, 2011 at 11:20 PM

    Cute idea!

    Reply
  5. Anita says

    February 14, 2011 at 11:30 PM

    Oh my goodness I have never seen that, nor would I have thought of it!! Brilliant idea!! I always hated those things so much You should run with that one!!!

    Reply
  6. Jodie says

    February 14, 2011 at 11:47 PM

    My daughter will be transitioning to a toddler bed soon, and I couldn’t agree more, the guardrail is such an eyesore! Thanks for sharing, what a great idea! I agree with getting a patent. Fantastic job! Love the fabric you chose as well!

    Reply
  7. Debbie says

    February 15, 2011 at 12:24 AM

    FANTASTIC!!
    And I agree that you need to patent that.

    Reply
  8. michelle says

    February 15, 2011 at 1:09 AM

    Girl that is AMAZING and yes you can continue to pat yourself on the back! I have never seen this! Oh I have an ugly blue one in my sons room but hopefully we will getting rid of it soon. You are so talented my friend and the fabric is so pretty! You could slip cover the world and I would love it! 🙂

    Reply
  9. The DIY Show Off says

    February 15, 2011 at 1:17 AM

    It’s so pretty! I’ve never heard of one but it’s been a long time since I used one. You did a fantastic job! I love it – and the fabric is gorgeous!

    Thanks for sharing in the DIY Project Parade! 🙂

    Roeshel

    Reply
  10. Pam - diy Design Fanatic says

    February 15, 2011 at 1:25 AM

    I say brilliant! You should make and sell these to high end kids shops and through interior designers!

    Reply
  11. sheri says

    February 15, 2011 at 1:31 AM

    Echoing – BRILLIANT. where were you years ago when my boys were using these? That fabric is too cute. LOVE IT…you guys are doing such a great job on this site too btw!

    Reply
  12. Green Door Girl says

    February 15, 2011 at 1:38 AM

    I have never seen this before – you did AWESOME – definitely pat yourself on the back! I LOVE it – ours were ugly and blue and I took them off quickly… with this I would have kept them on! LOL Happy Valentines Sweet Friend and congrats on the awesome fix!

    Reply
  13. ⚜ ↁℯℬℬᴵℰ⚜ says

    February 15, 2011 at 1:49 AM

    Fantastic Vanessa…so much prettier now:) Happy Valentines day! XO

    Reply
  14. Pamela says

    February 15, 2011 at 2:05 AM

    That is a genius idea Vanessa!!! I would have never thought to do that. It looks sooo much better!

    Reply
  15. NanaDiana says

    February 15, 2011 at 2:15 AM

    Vanessa- What a great idea. Soon you will be covering everything with slips….your clothes hamper…your birdcage….your toilet…wait..wait…don’t do the toilet-that might not work out so great! Seriously? Great job and it looks wonderful! At my house we always went with the stacked pillows/cushions…lol…but look at what they have now…a guard. Wow! Hugs-Diana

    Reply
  16. Crystal @ Ordinary Days says

    February 15, 2011 at 2:25 AM

    I have never seen this done before. What a great idea! I wish I had seen this idea when my kids still had their guard rails! 🙂
    ~Crytal

    Reply
  17. Crystal @ Ordinary Days says

    February 15, 2011 at 2:25 AM

    I have never seen this done before. What a great idea! I wish I had seen this idea when my kids still had their guard rails! 🙂
    ~Crytal

    Reply
  18. Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. says

    February 15, 2011 at 2:28 AM

    Very pretty solution! Love that fabric!

    Reply
  19. Dee says

    February 15, 2011 at 2:58 AM

    Great idea, mommy! It looks really good.

    Reply
  20. Ashley says

    February 15, 2011 at 3:40 AM

    What a fabulous idea! We may be needing one of those guardrails for my son in the near future, so I may just have to try this!

    Reply
  21. Kelly says

    February 15, 2011 at 4:23 AM

    Very smart and very pretty!

    Kelly

    Reply
  22. A Vintage Vine says

    February 15, 2011 at 4:28 AM

    Such a great idea! Guard rails beware…..the Picket Fence crew is on the move!

    Reply
  23. Henley on the Horn says

    February 15, 2011 at 1:01 PM

    You are so much more creative than I am! What a great idea! It looks GREAT! I am excited to have found your blog.

    Reply
  24. Lori says

    February 15, 2011 at 1:43 PM

    Vanessa, That is such an awesome idea! Those guard rails are so ugly and you turned it into something decorative. Great job!

    Lori : )
    Thrifty Decor Mom

    Reply
  25. Courtney ~ French Country Cottage says

    February 15, 2011 at 6:27 AM

    Darling Vanessa!!! I love the fabric you chose! I have seen rail covers but nothing so sweet and charming as yours~ well done! What next will you be slipping a little darling cover over?! I also wanted to say a thank you to Heather for stopping by and saying hello today too! 🙂 Happy Valentines Day!! 🙂

    Reply
  26. Thoughts for the day says

    February 15, 2011 at 6:21 PM

    Awesome idea yes you should look into getting it patented or whatever you have to do and make a bundle of them in a variety of colors and SELL them. You did good. :o)

    Reply
  27. Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie Dust says

    February 15, 2011 at 7:09 PM

    Brilliant! Love it!

    Warmly, Michelle

    Reply
  28. Dear Sweet Home says

    February 15, 2011 at 7:10 PM

    Love it! Never seen or heard anything like it – and you know in blog world, people try to slip cover their dogs! haha…so, you think this would have come up by now…so, pat away sweet Vanessa, it appears to be an original idea! And, it looks great – my Hudson is out of the guard rail stage and I would have loved to have had that…actually, My kids better be glad I didn’t think of that when they were younger because I may still have their rails up if they looked that pretty! Yippee for you 🙂

    Reply
  29. Traci says

    February 15, 2011 at 8:32 PM

    That is so awesome Vanessa!!! What a great idea!

    Reply
  30. CAS says

    February 15, 2011 at 8:39 PM

    Just keep on with the back patting, because this is so clever. I’m actually bowing to your cleverness. So what are you covering next?
    CAS

    Reply
  31. Kristin @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia says

    February 15, 2011 at 8:49 PM

    This is fabulous!!!! So you need to sell these, not kidding 🙂
    Where were you when I had toddlers 🙂
    XOXO
    Kristin

    Reply
  32. Pat says

    February 15, 2011 at 9:28 PM

    Very clever and pretty too, Vanessa!

    Reply
  33. Modern Country Lady says

    February 15, 2011 at 9:42 PM

    Wow, that is such a good idea -And I just love the fabric!!You’ve made a silk purse out of a sow’s ear -as they say here!!

    Reply
  34. Kim @ Savvy Southern Style says

    February 16, 2011 at 3:38 AM

    Vanessa, how smart of you to think this up. It looks much better. Those things are kind of ugly aren’t they. Now it is beautiful. Thanks for joining the party.

    Reply
  35. Phyllis says

    February 16, 2011 at 4:24 AM

    I think that your slipcover idea is fantastic…….and I am so impressed by your creativity. Being a grandmother of older children, we do not need a guardrail at the moment, but I wish I had seen your idea a few years back. When the babies visited, I just hated the look of that ugly rail!! I give you a standing ovation !!

    Reply
  36. Lisa says

    February 16, 2011 at 12:21 PM

    I think your daughter’s room is just precious!!! I love how you made the guardrail cover…. Very creative!!! You may be on to something 🙂 Thanks for visiting my blog and for becoming my newest follower. I love my new blogging adventure. It is so fun to make new friends!

    Reply
  37. Bethany {3SonsPlus1} says

    February 16, 2011 at 1:08 PM

    So beautiful!! I did that for my daughter’s rail, too, because I couldn’t stand the ugly thing! We’re soul sisters, ha! =)

    Reply
  38. Judy says

    February 16, 2011 at 1:46 PM

    I’m telling you this is my all time favorite project. It’s just the best idea. Thanks so much for linking up.

    Reply
  39. Sarah @ Modern Country Style says

    February 16, 2011 at 5:35 PM

    Hope you’re still a-patting because I’ve never seen pne like that either. It’s a GREAT idea. You’re right – they are so ugly but I never thought to do anything about it.

    You are turning into a bit of a craft queen!

    Sarahx

    Reply
  40. Terry says

    February 16, 2011 at 6:08 PM

    Even though your material pattern is going the wrong way, I think you did a great job for the first one that you ever did. See when you think you can, you CAN do it!

    Reply
  41. Karen says

    February 17, 2011 at 2:07 AM

    Aren’t you something!!!! This is adorable & clever. We had racing car beds @ my house (that were low & to the ground) didn’t have the priviledge of pretties! Love it.

    Reply
  42. Courtney ~ French Country Cottage says

    February 19, 2011 at 5:50 PM

    Hi girls~ Just stopping back by to say thanks so much for sharing at my party this week!! Hugs to you both- Courtney 🙂

    Reply
  43. Anonymous says

    February 20, 2011 at 12:12 PM

    It is lovely but just a note of caution. I do believe that mesh is used to lessen the chance of suffocation. Not sure I would want to market and sell this for fear of liability should something terrible happen. I do think the risk is minimal but in today’s world who knows.

    Reply
  44. At The Picket Fence says

    February 20, 2011 at 2:48 PM

    Dear Anonymous. Thank you for letting us know this concern. I’ll be honest I jumped straight online when I saw your comment to research this. We At The Picket Fence would never want to promote the use of something that would be harmful to a child.

    Here was what I found and my thoughts.

    1)I actually did find one other item like this that is marketed, I think it might even be found at Bed, Bath and Beyond. It was marked as a bedrail cover and being sold commercially. It was not near as cute as Vanessa’s of course. ;o) I also found one example of a solid fabric bedrail by Summer Infant. I also found several “bolster pillow” type bedrails which were basically long pillows running the length of the bed which would have significant stuffing and fabric, these also were being sold commercially.

    2) I did some research on the mesh. It was mentioned in the advertisements that the mesh was for visibility for the child and for parent. Also the guardrail is designed to sit slightly “away” from the bed, probably to prevent suffocation.

    3) Because the bedrail is used for older children who are most likely already sleeping with a pillow etc. the risk is much slighter than say using the rail and cover with a baby which we would not recommend.

    I also would believe that using the rail with cover would be equivalent to using a bumper pad in a crib. Actually probably less dangerous as there is no stuffing used in the rail cover unlike with a bumper pad.

    That all said, we appreciate anytime someone points out a possible risk with a product we have created, recommended or are using. If we were to ever market or sell this product we would of course do extensive research before selling something that would ever be a danger to a child. That said, we hope that if someone recreates this idea for their child that they would do their own research as well.

    Thank you again for feeling comfortable sharing your concern with us. I hope we’ve helped to alleviate some of that.

    Heather @At The Picket Fence

    Reply
  45. Judy says

    February 23, 2011 at 1:17 AM

    I featured this awesome idea from last week’s party today. I hope you stop by and pick up your “I’ve been featured” button. You know I just love this bedrail cover.

    Reply
  46. Stephanie says

    March 10, 2011 at 4:18 AM

    Way to do your research on the anonymous comment. It looks safe to me, and so stylin too! Wonderful idea.

    Reply
  47. Maegan says

    March 19, 2011 at 8:44 PM

    Okay the previous 46 comments probably say the same thing as me … I don’t have time to read them all, the babe is napping and I’m sneaking in blogging time. BUT … are you going to sell these awesome covers? I want one!!

    You are genius!

    Maegan 🙂

    Reply
  48. Kim says

    March 31, 2011 at 3:39 AM

    I JUST put my son in a real bed and I was staring at it thinking the same thing. It messes up the beautiful comforter and pillows, I can’t really make the bed “right,” and honestly it has just become a new toy to catapult himself over. But I know it has to stay…for when he does eventually fall asleep, but man it is ugly. I wan to do this, but maybe I need some little ties, because he will pull that bay off and turn it into god knows what within 2 minutes!

    http://www.kim-toomuchtimeonmyhands.blogspot.com

    Reply
  49. Nan @ Playful Decor says

    September 29, 2011 at 1:05 PM

    Hey I’m all for product inventions – get the patent going! LOL! Love this! Thank you again for linking up to Tuesday’s Nursery!

    Reply

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