Quick Answer: A new adjustable base needs four accessories most buyers don’t think about until something goes wrong: deep-pocket sheets rated to stretch through recline, a mattress protector or topper flexible enough to bend at the hinge without cracking, a wedge or leg-elevation pillow that won’t slide off an inclined surface, and — if the base sits low — heavy-duty risers rated well past the standard 1,300 lb combined capacity. One accessory belongs on a “skip” list instead: Sleep Number’s own support page warns against plugging a FlexFit 1, 2, or 3 control box into a surge protector at all, the opposite of the generic “always use surge protection” advice most buying guides repeat.
Most adjustable-bed shopping guides stop at the base itself, which leaves buyers improvising the rest with generic bedroom products that weren’t built for a hinge, a motor, or the extra weight of a steel frame. Below is the accessory list organized by what each one actually solves, with links to our full picks where we’ve already tested a category in depth.
Adjustable bed accessories at a glance
| Accessory | Why it matters on an adjustable base | Full guide |
|---|---|---|
| Sheets | Standard flat-corner sheets pop off during recline | Best sheets |
| Mattress protector | Needs to flex at the hinge without bunching | Best protector |
| Mattress topper | Rigid foam cracks at the fold line over time | Best topper |
| Pillow / wedge | Flat pillows lose shape and slide on an incline | Best pillow |
| Bed skirt | Standard skirts block leg movement or hang unevenly | Best bed skirt |
| Risers | Standard risers are rated for a static frame's weight, not a motorized base's | Best risers |
| Headboard bracket | A freestanding headboard needs a bolt-on kit matched to the base | Covered below |
| Power protection | Not every base tolerates a surge protector — check first | Covered below |
| Remote replacement | Lost or dead remote, base still works fine otherwise | Remote replacement |
| Motor replacement | Base won't move at all, motor or actuator has failed | Motor replacement |
Headboard brackets: the accessory most buyers forget to check
Most adjustable bases are sold as a bare frame, which is a problem the moment you want to keep a headboard you already own. The fix is a headboard bracket kit — a pair of steel brackets that bolt a standard headboard’s mounting posts to the adjustable base’s frame instead of a fixed bed frame. Several manufacturers sell kits matched to their own base: Sealy publishes an Ease Universal Headboard Bracket compatible across its Ease 1.0 through 4.0 lineup and the Tempur-Ergo base, and Ergomotion, Reverie, and iDealBed each sell model-specific kits through their own stores or retailers like DealBeds and BedPlanet.
Universal Adjustable Bed Headboard Bracket Kit
- Bolts a standard headboard's mounting posts to most adjustable base frames — check your base's bolt spacing before ordering, since "universal" kits still have a compatible range rather than fitting every frame.
- A brand-matched kit (Sealy, Ergomotion, Reverie, iDealBed) is the safer first check if your base is one of those — it's engineered to that specific frame rather than a compatible range.
If you’re choosing a base specifically because it has an integrated headboard slot rather than needing a separate bracket kit, our best adjustable bed frame with headboard picks skip this step entirely.
Power protection: the one accessory that isn’t a blanket “yes”
Most furniture buying guides tell you to put anything electric on a surge protector and move on. Adjustable bed motors are the exception worth checking first. Sleep Number’s own support documentation specifically warns that its FlexFit 1, 2, and 3 control boxes should not be plugged into a surge protector — the base can draw more power on startup than a standard protector is rated to pass, which can trip the protector or stop the base from working rather than protecting it. Sleep Number also notes using or skipping a surge protector doesn’t affect the base’s warranty either way, so this is a functionality question, not a coverage one.
For bases without that specific warning, general guidance for protecting a motorized bed base calls for a protector rated UL 1449, 15 amps or higher, with a joule rating of 3,000 or higher — a spec most generic power-strip buying guides skip entirely, since it’s built around a motor’s startup draw rather than a typical electronics load.
Belkin 12-Outlet Power Strip Surge Protector
- Multiple outlets cover the base's control box plus a lamp, phone charger, or CPAP machine on the same nightstand circuit.
- Confirm your specific base doesn't carry a Sleep-Number-style warning against surge protectors before adding one — check the owner's manual, not just general accessory advice.
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What to buy first vs. what to wait on
Buy sheets, a mattress protector, and a pillow or wedge before the base even arrives — you’ll use all three the first night, and a standard flat-corner sheet or flat pillow will show its limits immediately on an inclined bed. Risers, a headboard bracket, and power protection can wait until the base is set up and you know whether you actually need more clearance, want to keep an existing headboard, or the base’s own manual flags a power-protection concern. A remote or motor replacement is the one category you only shop for reactively, once something’s already broken — our remote replacement and motor replacement guides cover OEM and universal options for both.
The bottom line
Sheets, a mattress protector or topper, and a pillow that won’t slide are the accessories worth buying alongside the base itself — everything else is situational. Add risers only if you need real clearance and buy a set rated well past the standard 1,300 lb combined capacity; add a headboard bracket only if you’re keeping an existing headboard and your base doesn’t already have an integrated slot; and check your base’s own manual before assuming a surge protector is automatically safe, since Sleep Number’s FlexFit line is a documented exception to that default advice. For the base itself, start with our best adjustable bed roundup.