Berkeley Parents Network: Toddler Beds

Berkeley Parents Network

Toddler Beds

Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > Sleep > Toddler Beds

Toddler Bed vs. Twin Bed

June 2004

Hi Everyone, Would you give me advice on transitioning from crib to bed? Lily is 2 1/2 now. We are considering getting an inexpensive fun toddler bed (with fun characters or fun design) for Lily. We wonder the kid's bed might be too high for her even though we can install rail. When she sleeps, she moves a lot. She can end up at the bottom of the bed. Besides, when she wakes up in the middle of the night, she might be a little disoriented and get off the bed on the wrong side which does not have the rail guard. If we get her a toddler bed, how long will she be able to sleep in it? Any experience or wisdom to share. Appreciate it very much. Teresa

Hi, I was just looking at my 3.5 year old daughter last night and thought she was getting too long for her toddler mattress. She isn't especially tall for her age. Just my experience. thinking about the twin bed

Why we just did this 3 weeks ago with our 26 month old! I always thought the concept of a toddler bed was a waste of money (we didn't have them when we were kids). Instead, for our daughter, we bought rails for both sides of the bed we were going to put my daughter in (since the bed was not flush against the wall), to minimize her falling out. So far, so good. The first night I laid in bed with her rubbing her back for about a half hour while she scratched the mesh net the entire time (then I gave up and put her back in her crib). The next night, my husand laid in bed w/her for about 45 mins. doing the same. That's all it took! After that she went to sleep alone in her (as we keep calling it) ''big girl'' bed. Also, my sis-in-law has been having a real tough time trying to get her 4 year old out of his toddler bed and into a regular bed. So I say don't waste the money on a toddler bed! barbara

With a regular twin bed it is easier for you to lie down with your child and read stories and cuddle. This makes the big bed even more attractive than the crib. You can get fun characters on the sheets, comforter, pillows, etc. (BTW, when our daughter moved to a twin bed at 2 1/2, we forgot to get the rail so we just put chairs with their backs against the bed to prevent her from falling out. It turns out she never even needed them as she somehow knew where the edge was, just as grownups do. You can also put cushions or pillows around the bed until you are sure she won't fall off.) Good luck!

For what it's worth, we moved our 2 year old into a regular twin mattress on the floor. He kind of fell out on his first night in it - but it was no big deal. The transition was easy and he loves it. Good luck! anon

We moved our now almost 3-year-old into a twin bed in January. I definitely am glad we skipped the toddler bed. The toddler bed is not bigger than a crib, and our daughter is very tall and was simply too big for a toddler bed. It would have been one more thing to buy (and eventually get rid of), and I hear that finding bedding for toddler beds is difficult. We have a twin bed against the wall with an average-size bed rail and it has been great. She has to climb to get into it, but if that is a concern you can put the mattress on the floor until your child is taller. I would say get a twin bed and place it against a wall, get an extra-long bed rail (I've seen them online), and if you need to, put something soft on the floor at the end of the bed. Liz O.

You might want to consider just a twin sized mattress on the floor. That's what we did for my son. I was also concerned about the chances of his falling out of a big bed. I didn't want to get a toddler bed because I figured that he would grow out of it so quickly. With a twin mattress, you can always buy the bed frame for it later. Ruth

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