Sadie Fenton Hunt, 10, has a rare form of epilepsy and can’t be allowed out of bed at night in case she hurts herself.
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The little girl, who cannot speak or communicate, was given a special customised bed with padded sides by her local council when they lived in Northumberland.
When the family moved to Edinburgh, the city council promised to provide a special chair and bath for Sadie - but not a bed.
This has led to mum Effie using a dog cage, propped up around an inflatable mattress, in a desperate bid to keep her daughter safe.
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Speaking with The Daily Record, Effie said: “Sadie doesn’t sleep well and can be awake a lot during the night. She needs a bed where she can’t get out.
“The dog pen was basically a metal cage with mesh panels which you link together. It was horrible to see my daughter in a dog cage but we didn’t have any choice.
“Social services said they didn’t think it was safe. But what was the alternative?”
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She added: “Special beds are essential for someone with needs like Sadie. It’s so difficult caring for her and doing that without sleep makes it so much harder.”
Children’s disability charity Newlife said there was a “postcode lottery” in the UK when it comes to the provision of special equipment.
Operations manager Stephen Morgan said: “It shouldn’t matter where a child lives – we should be making provision for equipment like this on a national basis.”
The charity have given Sadie a bed on a temporary basis - and are helping the family to raise the £4259 needed to fund a permanent replacement.
A City of Edinburgh Council spokesman, when asked about Sadie's case, said: “Sadie didn’t meet our criteria for a cot bed. However, we’ve supported the family by helping her mother apply for charity funding in a bid to get one.”
If you would like to help Effie raise the money needed to buy her daughter the bed she needs, visit their Just Giving page now.