Toddler bed vs. Big Bed

Silver Member Joined: Jan 07 2009 Posts: 961

I am looking into buying a toddler bed now for ds.
He is 2 1/2 and hes still in a portable crib!!! (yes you read it right!!)

Would I be better off just buying a crib, or would I be doing a good choice with a toddler bed?

Posted: Thu, Dec 10 2009, 11:51 am Post subject: Re: Toddler bed vs. Big crib

Posted: Thu, Dec 10 2009, 12:05 pm Post subject: re: Toddler bed vs. Big crib

there are cribs that can be converted to toddler beds. so you have the choice of what to use.

will your child stay in his room for the night? did he climb out of his porta crib. a regular bed might be a good choice. some toddler beds only work until a certain weight. if you have the space a big bed should be ok. I moved dd into a big bed when she was 2. I put on bed rails so she can't fall off. she walked around at night for a while and then she got used to it.

Posted: Thu, Dec 10 2009, 12:10 pm Post subject: re: Toddler bed vs. Big crib

IMO a toddler bed is a waste of money. Why spend so much on something that will only last a year or two?

Silver Member Joined: Jan 07 2009 Posts: 961

Ok I'll explain why im even thinking of a toddler bed.
My apartment is very small & I was looking comparing with my upstairs neighbor about how every cm. is taken in the house. (her house layout is exactly like mine).
So she told me how her baby room is set up. she has on 1 wall a big crib & a toddler bed (no place for anything bigger) & on the other wall she has a hi-riser (that you can't pull out the bed underneath, cuz there is no place)

So I figured that if might need it anyways I might as well start off with that.

Platinum Member Joined: Aug 29 2007 Posts: 12057

My oldest dd started off with a twin bed at 2.5. But my mother bought her a toddler bed for when she slept over. I borrowed it when DD#2 started climbing out of her crib (just before she turned 2). I like it better than the twin. DD is such a climber, I would be afraid that she would hurt herself. Also I don't need to use side rails which are really suffocation hazards. I have a gate on the door & I keep her clothes in my baby's room so she can't get into them. It works very nicely. I'm very happy we have it. I have room to store it though. Where would you put it when not in use?

Silver Member Joined: Jan 07 2009 Posts: 961

storage is not a problem, I can keep it by my mils' attic.

Moderator Joined: Dec 04 2005 Posts: 6169 Location: israel

My son is still in his crib. Every month that passes leads me toward buying a regular bed with a guard rail and skipping the toddler bed stage.
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Diamond Member Joined: Dec 28 2005 Posts: 4653

http://www.littletikes.com/toys/sports-car-twin-bed.aspx

We got the little tikes car bed for my 2.5 year old son from craigslist. Uses regular twin mattress and high walls make bed rails unnecessary. What should I say...he LOVES it and is very excited to go to sleep. I should say, though, that it is big and takes up a lot of space.

Platinum Member Joined: Oct 27 2005 Posts: 6730

If you are tight on space it is worth it to get a toddler bed.

Moderator Joined: Mar 29 2005 Posts: 18276

Buy a crib, use it as a toddler bed if you want, but that way you'll have the option of it as a crib for future kids IY"H.

Honestly, when my kids were done with cribs, they went to a crib mattress on the floor...my 4 year old is still sleeping like that; I might transfer him to the hi-riser soon, but I don't want to give up that guest bed yet!
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Moderator Joined: Mar 29 2005 Posts: 18276

Silver Member Joined: Jan 07 2009 Posts: 961

Thank you all for your replies.
He is 2 1/2 & still in a portable crib (not a reg. big crib)

If I put him into a toddler bed, how long can he still be in it?
Would I be better off putting him straight into a reg. bed?

Platinum Member Joined: May 06 2007 Posts: 8512

I also think a toddler bed is a waste of money. Just go with a big bed, you'll have it forever.

Otoh, if you're going to IYH have a few kids who will all use it, why not?

At 2 1/2, ds went into a reg. twin bed. We have a railing and a wall on either side and he still sometimes rolls off the end. We just have to check at night (at 3 1/2) and pull him back up to the top. But that's just a really active kid - and it runs in the family.

Either way, the bed will be used, so, do what you think is best for your space. But let the kid stretch out!
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Platinum Member Joined: Oct 27 2005 Posts: 6730

Posted: Sun, Dec 13 2009, 10:28 am Post subject: re: Toddler bed vs. Big Bed

We bought our toddler a regular bed that has a headboard and footboard and a sideboard... so we turned it around to the sideboard is a guardrail.

Here's what I mean (both boys are in the bed playing but only the bigger one actually sleeps in it)

He doesn't climb in or out by himself and once we start toilet training him we'll turn it the right way and possibly buy a guardrail for half the bed.
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Diamond Member Joined: Dec 28 2005 Posts: 4653

My 2.5 year old son is tall and would never still fit or be comfortable in a porta-crib mattress.

My 1 year old daughter was in a porta-crib and we felt she needed the crib and were worried how my son would feel "giving it up." As mentioned, we ended up getting the car bed used from craigslist and we switched around the rooms to place the car bed in the spot where his crib was. So he had the consistent spot/room. It was a great move for us. He only came out and downstairs the first night, and it was not coming from a naughty place at all...he just didn't chap the concept that it was to sleep in! Literally from the second night on, he slept wonderfully in it. He can probrably use it until age 8/ 'til he thinks it's too babyish as its twin size and it disassembles for storage.

I like not having to use a guardrail as I think they can be un-safe.

If I didn't already have a full-size crib, I would really hesitate to buy one just for a toddler bed conversion use. Why not put a twin size mattress directly on the floor? That's what we were thinking of doing?