How to stop my kindle from falling out of bed

May 22, 2024 2:42 PM

I read on a kindle in bed most nights. Every few nights, my kindle falls out of the bed and crashes to the floor. My wife is not pleased. Solutions?

I use the kindle because the backlight allows me to read while my wife is asleep, so ditching the kindle isn't super viable. The only thing I have so far thought up is trying to attach the kindle to a wristband/lanyard of some kind, to keep it attached to my wrist when I sleep (like a surfer's ankle strap). But, the kindle does not have a hole or loop for attaching a strap. I could buy a cover and then try to attach a wristband to the cover, though this seems kludgy. The cases that have a strap for your hand do not seem to do the trick, because the kindle would probably slip off my hand while I slept. I have put a small mat/rug on the floor near the bed to catch the falls, but this has not reduced the crash sound enough.

Any other ideas?

posted by Mid to Technology (32 answers total)

Response by poster: Reading this over, I guess I skipped a step in explaining that the kindle falls out of bed because I fall asleep and then toss/turn somewhat and the kindle falls out. Remembering to put the kindle on the nightstand before falling asleep isn't viable because I drift off while reading.
posted by Mid at 2:46 PM on May 22

Mount it on an arm and use a remote.

Other benefit: you're free to move your arms and the kindle stays in place. You can turn onto your side or snuggle your wife. I don't have a specific product recommendation but I found this reddit post, which should illustrate.
posted by meemzi at 2:49 PM on May 22 [9 favorites]

Over on r/kindle I see people recommending various tablet stands and page turners for reading in bed.

On preview, exactly what meemzi is recommending.
posted by ralan at 2:51 PM on May 22 [1 favorite]

Why exactly is your wife not pleased?

If it's because the sound of the crashing Kindle wakes her up, you could put a very fluffy rug or even a couple of towels to muffle it.

If it's because she's worried the Kindle will get a cracked screen or something... again, the fluffy rug/towel method will work but it might be better to get yourself a good lightweight-but-sturdy case which will keep your Kindle safe.

It's okay to let the Kindle fall. Stop fighting against gravity, you will always lose. Just solve the underlying problem your wife has and you'll be set.
posted by MiraK at 2:54 PM on May 22 [9 favorites]

A cushy case and a cushy rug would make the crashing less awful.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 2:54 PM on May 22 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: She's not pleased because the crashing kindle startles her awake. She could care less if my kindle breaks - she would probably celebrate. I put a floor mat down but the crash is not muffled enough!
posted by Mid at 2:56 PM on May 22 [4 favorites]

Maybe you just need something a lot softer than your small mat for the Kindle to fall onto. How about a big pillow or a soft dog bed or some folded blankets? Whatever it is could live under your bed during the day and get pulled out at night.
posted by Redstart at 3:01 PM on May 22 [11 favorites]

Searched for [crocheted kindle tether], but apparently the concept is original to me. I think you see where I'm going, though.

If the frame of the kindle is too slender to make a crocheted holder work while reading it, you could perhaps make another kind of frame for the Kindle and then tether that.

I realize that making a tether that's long enough to be comfortable while reading, yet short enough to keep it from hitting the floor, isn't necessarily easy. Try attaching the kindle tether above the bed, making it long enough -- and mounted high enough on the wall -- that you can gain side-to-side movement without letting it hit the floor. If that won't work, the ceiling is a vastly underused option!
posted by amtho at 3:04 PM on May 22

Redstart's idea is good! Explore memory foam bathmats (or other rugs). You might even find one or two at a thrift store.
posted by amtho at 3:05 PM on May 22 [2 favorites]

I tuck mine under my pillow, but that only works if I'm awake enough to. :)
It's in this style of case, and I rarely hear it when it falls on the floor. (Top of bed is about 3.5 ft from floor.) It also seems to protect it pretty well.
My phone, it its shockproof case, makes a lot more noise.

I wonder if this sort of case, with the floating bubble frame - if they make them kindle-sized - would be quieter? Granted, it's not what they're for, but might be worth a try?
posted by stormyteal at 3:07 PM on May 22 [1 favorite]

Fastest solution: waterproof case with neck lanyard

Probably more comfortable solution: wrist strap run through a case with a built in hand strap (I actually use these on all my e-readers and little tablets).
posted by Lyn Never at 3:11 PM on May 22 [1 favorite]

I like the idea of a thicker rug or mat - though I'm personally pretty good at knocking mine down at the head of the bed, too, not just the side.

It should be possible to attach a short wrist strap to those cases with the hand strap, too. Or loop a lanyard around the strap? (Might depend on how often you smack yourself in the face with it when you drop it, too... or am I the only one that does this?)
posted by stormyteal at 3:11 PM on May 22

I solve this with a tablet holder that mounts to my headboard.
posted by Aleyn at 3:27 PM on May 22

The wrist lanyards give me visions of you rolling over in the night - or, worse, stretching your arms out with a morning yawn - and absolutely braining your poor wife with a Kindle to the temple.
posted by Klipspringer at 3:31 PM on May 22 [19 favorites]

A "headboard" holder, either gooseneck or arm. You can also get tripod stands or such. Same idea.
posted by kschang at 3:38 PM on May 22 [1 favorite]

If none of the other suggested options work, a bedrail might. They make mesh ones intended for kids.
posted by metasarah at 4:10 PM on May 22

Similar to what redstart suggested above, get an anti-fatigue mat. It won't make a crashing sound. Maybe a thud. Added benefit is that is will protect the kindle too.

I think the holders are good ideas too.

Quite frankly, I would solve the problem by switching to audio books and either headphones of ear buds.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 4:22 PM on May 22 [1 favorite]

I recommend you recognize when you’re falling asleep and just set the kindle in its place on your night stand or in a drawer or what have you.
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 4:49 PM on May 22 [13 favorites]

Instead of a bed rail, how about part of a pool noodle tucked under your sheet to form a barrier.
posted by poxandplague at 4:58 PM on May 22

I read in bed using this book pillow as a Kindle stand. It pulls snug enough that I can keep the Kindle securely in there and I have knocked it over without the Kindle falling out. Could cushion the sound significantly.
posted by brook horse at 5:09 PM on May 22

Maybe a Strapsicle?

I haven’t tried one, but it seems as though, with two straps, it might be less likely to fall off your hand.
posted by elphaba at 5:52 PM on May 22

Get a small rug and put it under the crash area or put a rubberized case on the kindle.
posted by zippy at 6:11 PM on May 22

Just an observation: you don't need the lanyard to attach tightly to your wrist or even other parts of the body. You just need to prevent it from hitting the floor. So one end would be attached to the tablet, then measure it to be short enough so it cannot hit the floor, and "anchor" that somewhere to the bed, but with enough slack so you can hold it up.
posted by kschang at 6:12 PM on May 22 [2 favorites]

Seriously just put a pile of laundry by your bed and call this problem solved.
posted by MiraK at 6:22 PM on May 22 [11 favorites]

So I guess a bungee tying it to to the ceiling is right out?
posted by coberh at 6:38 PM on May 22 [4 favorites]

I can't imagine putting a pillow or two on the floor where your Kindle typically lands would be too much of an effort. It seems to be a completely obvious solution, and it what I thought of before even finishing your question.
posted by lhauser at 7:15 PM on May 22 [2 favorites]

I have a kindle strap, and I love it so much! I used to fall asleep and drop my kindle on my face, but now I just fall asleep and jerk awake with the fear of the kindle hitting my face! Get you one.
posted by nadise at 7:24 PM on May 22 [2 favorites]

Mount it on an arm and use a remote.

Tablet holder plus remote is a game changer, especially when it's cold and you don't have to put your arms outside the blanket to turn pages.
posted by betweenthebars at 8:07 PM on May 22 [1 favorite]

My partner props his mini iPad on a pillow or headboard, which he reads while laying on his stomach facing it. He has another pillow #2 he tucks under his arm or chin. If that makes sense. So when he falls asleep while reading, his head is on the #2 pillow and a little distance away from the iPad. Even if he rolls around, the iPad mostly just scoots on the first pillow.
posted by inevitability at 8:26 PM on May 22

Oh, hello me.
I hated jerking out of a deep sleep hearing the crash that I just knew was going to eventually crack the screen. For a while I had a piece of foam that came in some packaging, but that was a pain because I kept tripping on it. I made a home-made bed rail out of pvc and fabric, and that worked best of all to keep my apnea hose up, and the extra pillow and tablet on the bed.

I took the rail off to change sheets one night and was too tired to put it back up. Sure enough, that was the night the tablet fell and broke the corner of the case, the glass protector, and cracked the screen. You will eventually crack the screen if it keeps hitting the floor. Sods law.
posted by BlueHorse at 9:31 PM on May 22

Here is how I made a DIY Kindle handholder-strap, no case needed:

1. I took some elastic ribbon and tied it in a loop.
2. Then I placed the loop behind the Kindle and hooked two edges over opposite corners of the Kindle.

It makes a nice stretchy thing to slip my hand into, but you could also attach a tether this way…
posted by wyzewoman at 11:55 PM on May 22

Get a removable bed railing like they put on kids' beds, and throw a blanket over it so the kindle can't slip through.

Or put a bulky winter weight comforter on the floor on that side of the bed. Or a dog bed.
posted by Jane the Brown at 6:54 PM on May 23