You can never go wrong with the snugstop mattress wedge which is firm and will give you a peaceful night sleep by filling up the space between your bed headboard and the mattress . This mattress wedge comes while it is covered in a Chemsafe medical grade vinyl cover which is easy to wash and keep clean. The foam and the covers are anti-microbial and are as per the California laws on fire-retardency and as such you need not worry about safety of using the snugstop mattress wedge.
How to fill gap between mattress and bed frame with wedge or mattress extender
Unless a mattress fits snugly into your bed, there will be a gap between the frame and the matrress. Now this gap really needs to be filled or else it could cause bed entrapment or even things constantly falling under your bed and you having a hard time getting them back. Will pillows can do the trick, they are not ideal. What you should buy is a matrress extender or a bed wedge.
We review them here:
Do you have a tall person who would not fit on the normal mattress size or are they at the risk of a bed entrapment where they tend to place their head between the edge of the mattress and the head/foot-board? Worry not because with a mattress extender block or a mattress wedge to fill gap between mattress and headboard, all your needs are taken care of.
| Item | Pros | Cons | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
Mattress Genie Adjustable Queen Bed Wedge Mattress Genie Adjustable Bed Wedge - $129.99 from: The Wright Stuff Home Health Care Products | Easily inflatable wedge that converts a normal bed to be like a hospital bed | -Needs to be used by two people on a bed or one in the middle lest it raises on one edge | $129.99 |
Mattress Extender 6"x36"x6"  Buy on Amazon | -Does not squish easily Has a non-skid bottom -Appears uniform with the mattress | Most amazon customers complain of it being expensive | $59.46 |
Graham-Field 4INEXT Foam Mattress Extender, 4" x 35" x 6" block  Buy on Amazon | -Clean -Non-allergenic since it is latex free -Has no odor -Soft material | Squishes easily and after sometimes you find that you do not have a level bed | $64.31 |
Mattress Wedge As Seen On TV , King  Buy on Amazon | -Has side pockets for storage of your valuables that you want close at night -Machine washable -Has no odor -Other than prevent entrapment this wedge holds thing from falling into the gap. | -Squishes easily with time | $44.99 |
Mattress Wedge, Queen  Buy on Amazon | -Helps those snoring since their head is raised a little up. It acts more of a pillow | -Squishes with time | $34.99 |
Mattress Wedge with Cover and Remote/Cell Phone Holder (KING)  Buy on Amazon | -Has side pockets for storage -Raises the head of the patient a little and so no need for pillows | -Lightweight in density and so would squish with time. | $59.95 |
Before we thought about mattress extenders, we always used pillows with our patients. They were however not the best solution since they were not the best mattress gap filler. They would also squish easily since they were soft and fall down necessitating the patient to get out of bed and fetch it. Getting a pillow that would fit the 35″ width of the bed was also difficult. It is then that someone told me that we could do with mattress extenders and when we bought one, we never looked back.
The mattress extender is a rectangular block of foam that is placed at the end of the head or foot board of a mattress to protect the patient from medical bed entrapment or for taller people who would not fit on the traditional mattress. The mattress extender fits seamless on the bed so that the patient will not feel any discomfort while sleeping. It also makes the mattress non-slip such that it does not move on the bed.
Graham-Field 4INEXT Foam Mattress Extender, 4″ x 35″ x 6″ block
Out of all amazon mattress extender blocks, we found the Graham-Field 4Inext foam mattress extension to be the best for all types of mattresses.
The 4″ block fits seamless with your normal 80″ mattress on an 84″ bed protecting the patient from entrapment as well as for making the mattress hold firmly into place. It would also be great for those tall residents.
Features
►The extender is latex free and as such you need not worry of any allergies or irritation caused from using it.
►Measures 35 x 6 x 4 inches
►Complies with the 16 CFR 1633 requirements
►Has a durable Chemsafe cover that is easy to clean, ant-static and bacteria resistant
♠Just like the foam mattress, the extender block comes with a easy to clean, non-allergenic cover and as such you need not worry that your patient will get infections or skin irritations from it.
♠The extender is latex free and did not have any odor. We were able to use it the very day that it arrived from Amazon.
♠Our overall objective was to get something that would stop any form of bed entrapment when the patient lies their head between the edge of the mattress and the head/foot board. We were able to nail this with the Graham extender.
♠Soft material. The tall patients said that they noted no difference since it was as comfortable as the mattress itself.
♠You need not worry about losing your pillows again since the extender fits the gap so that the pillow is yours to rest on and not to fill headboard and mattress gaps.
▼The foam material squishes easily with time. So not very durable especially for tall patients who sleep on it for the better part of the day.
Mattress Extender 6″x36″x6″
Features
►Measures 6″x36″x6″
►Covered with Chemsafe medical vinyl
►Anti-microbial
♠The mattress extender 6”x36”x6” was hard and would not squish easily. It promised of a long-lasting life. The foam was high compression polyurethane.
♠Crown Medical promises of getting you just the right fit of extender depending on your need. So you can always measure your hospital bed and send in the sizes so that they can check whether they have what you want.
♠The bottom of the extender block is non-skid and as such you need not worry of it skidding away under the patient.
♠With the right match of the extender, one needs not know that you have elongated your mattress since when I placed a bed sheet on the mattress, it appeared uniform all through from the mattress to the extender.
♠Other than being easy to wash, the vinyl top cover was durable and would stay for long before I had to buy another one.
♠Other than accommodating my tall patient to fit on the bed, the extender was also good in protecting them from entrapment as well as keeping accessories such as books, pens and phones on the bed without falling between the wide space between the bed and the headboard.
Mattress Genie Adjustable bed Wedge
Mattress Genie Adjustable Bed Wedge – $129.99
from: The Wright Stuff Home Health Care Products
If you are looking to quickly transform your standard bed into an adjustable one in the span of seconds, then you have the mattress genie wedge to help you do so.
The wedge has been found to help people with insomnia, indigestion, heartburn and acid reflux. With just a touch of a button, you are able to raise your headboard as though you were using an electric hospital bed.
PROS
- Helps people with acid reflux, snoring and indigestion
- Turn your bed into an adjustable one in the span of seconds with just a tap of a button
- Made with double welded seams for durability
CONS
- -Need two people to sleep side by side or one person at the middle so that one edge does not raise higher than the other
- Your mattress will keep moving down unless you have a good footboard
Mattress Width Extender from Queen to King, Twin to King or Full to King
Lets say that you have a queen bed and would like to extend it to a king bed since you have visiting friends or maybe you just got a bed mate and want to have a larger bed for yourselves. Do you really have to throw away the old bed and mattress and buy new ones? No, we found out that there were some bridges that can help you connect the two mattresses so that there is no disconnect or ridges.
Mattress Wedge, Queen
Check Price on Amazon
Features
►Measures 6 x 6 x 76 inches
►Machine washable
♠Easy to clean
♠Has no odor
♠Solves bed entrapment between mattress and headboard
♠Made of high density foam so it does not squish easily.
As Seen On TV FBA_MWG004KR Mattress Wedge, King
Features
►Measures 76″ long X9″ wideX6 high
►Machine washable
►Has pockets on the side for storage
►Cotton cover
♠Other than serving the purpose of preventing bed entrapment, this wedge was also good as a pillow since it was slightly higher than the mattress. The patient was therefore able to lie on it.
♠One of our patients had snoring problems and after recommending this, we found that they stopped snoring altogether due to the elevation from the mattress.
♠The side pockets came in handy for keeping the patient’s ward rounds sheet as well as their personal diaries, pens and mobile phones.
▼The cotton cover made the wedge dirtify easily. We had to clean it daily to remove the sweat and drool.
Mattress Wedge with Cover and Remote/Cell Phone Holder (KING)
Features
►Measures 76″ in length and fits well your bed width
►Light weight
♠We loved it because of the side pockets to hold your valuables in one place at night
▼The foam is light weight density and squishes easily with time
Guide on choosing your Wedge and Matress Extender
So what are the pointers to look out for as you choose your best mattress extender and wedge.
Density
High density extenders and wedges are going to last for long giving you value for your money. At the same time,they will not squish easily so the bed occupant is able to lie their head on a level or even raised ground. It would be senseless to have a high density mattress but an extender that squishes or sinks anytime you lie your head on it. It would be uncomfortable, right?
Washability
A good extender or wedge should be easy to clean. I like the vinyl covered ones since all you have to do is remove the vinyl cover, wipe it clean and then replace it. The cotton ones on the other hand though soft are not really good since you will have to clean every day off the sweat and drool. It will also take sometime for the cotton material to dry.
Durability
Get a durable one that is going to last for long. Extenders and wedges are not things that you want to buy after every one month, are they?
Efficacy
The item you buy should be working to prevent bed entrapment. If it always falls through the gap, then you got scammed and should return it.
Versatility
I like wedges because other than use it to prevent entrapment, you are also able to use them as pillows
Odorless, non-allergenic and fire retardant
You do not want anything that smells of latex or is allergenic, do you? At the same time, the material needs be fire retardant so that in case of a fire outbreak, it does not catch fire easily.
Wrap up on Mattress Extender Blocks and Bed Wedges
As you buy your best mattress as we have guided you in our hospital bed mattress reviews, do not forget to buy either an extender or a mattress wedge to prevent your senior from getting entrapped or for losing their valuables in the space between the mattress and the bed boards.
6"x36"x6" HEADBOARD GAP FILLER
Measures 6"by 36" by 6"
Used on hospital beds for larger patients
Does not squish easily
Has Chemsafe medical grade cover
GRAHAM FIELD 4INEXT FOAM MATTRESS EXTENSION
Measures 4" by 35" by 6"
Great on hospital bed
Soft and would squish easily
Chemsafe cover which is anti-microbial
Has a hook and fastener to secure extension to mattress so no shifting
GAP ELIMINATOR
Eliminates zone 7 bed entrapment
Designed to cover gap between mattress, headboard or footboard
Has removable cover which can be machine washed
