Toddler Bed or Straight to Twin Bed?

I never used a toddler bed, really for practical reasons, I just went straight to the big bed. However, when my first child was about 3 (after being in the big bed for about 6 months) decided that it would be really great to get out of bed repeatedly in the middle of the night -- making our lives very, very difficult. She had NEVER had ANY sleep problems until that point. After finally talking to the sleep specialist at St. Luke's (we were so desperate!) we worked it out, but my point is -- the crib is a security thing for them. They feel safe in it. Why rock the boat? There's no rush. My other 3 kids were between 3 and 3 1/2 when we moved them and it was pretty much smooth sailing with all of them.

Everyone is different, but I think sleep problems are one of the hardest problems to have, so why potentially ruin a good thing. You could try the big bed at nap time for a while to see how it goes. Good luck!

3 moms found this helpful

Straight to twin bed. We did that with our son at 18 months (he was a daredevil with his crib) and I am so glad. He loves having a big boy bed. He loves Wall-E so we got him a Wall-E comforter and sheets for the big switch. He loves having to climb in and out of his bed. We had the twin bed and I am too cheap to spend money on a bed that he would use for only a short while (yes, I am too cheap even for craigslist). Plus with a twin bed, there is room for the masses of stuffed animals that have to be on the bed with him.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

1 mom found this helpful

If you have extra money for a toddler bed and want one then get it. I never wanted to spend the money on a bed that I would need to store somewhere. My children went straight to twin beds with no problem.

God Bless,
L.

We just moved my daughter, who will be two on 9/18, to a full size bed about a week and half ago and it's going pretty well. So, I agree with everyone that said skip the toddler bed, BUT I also agree with keeping him the crib as long as possible. We moved her b/c we have Baby 2 coming on 9/25 and needed the crib, but she was quite content to stay in it and although we haven't had a lot of transitional drama, there are nights I wish for the crib back! ;) If you're going to buy a twin bed, I also agree with the poster who said to consider a full size...we used a full size b/c we already had one and didn't see the need to buy a twin, but now I LOVE that decision. It's easier to lay down with her if necessary and she had more room to roll so I don't worry about her falling out (she does have a rail, but still). Good luck! It's sad to see them grow up, isn't it?!

We just went to a twin bed, mostly for money reasons (there's enough you buy that only lasts a little while). The other plus is you can sit in bed with them and read easier, which I love. I think it's pretty much up to you, but I wouldn't worry about going to a twin bed at this age.

K.

First off, if I were you, I would keep him in the crib for as long as possible. My son is turning 3 in November and he is still in the crib! Whiel your son may sleep well now, as my son did around that age, shortly after 2, things have been rough! And I have heard that from other parents as well. I do have a friend who needed her crib for a new arrival and dearly wishes her then 2 year old was still in a crib. She has to put him back into bed about 20 times a night before he finally goes to sleep!
However, if you are deadset on this, go for twin bed and save the money. Just buy bed rails. Good luck!

I have four kids and went straight to twin on each of them, never had a toddler bed, and had no problems with any of them except them sometimes enjoying that independence so much that they would come crawl in mine in the night to cuddle. Don't bother with toddler bed.

"Don't mess with happy" is our motto around here. If he's happy in his crib leave him there. You will have a whole new set of issues to deal with when you transition to a bed. We have three kids and were forced to put our third in a big bed at 22 mos b/c of her daring escapes from the crib. We already had a day bed in the room so we just transitioned to that and pulled out the trundle in case she fell out in the middle of the night...which she did. Being able to climb up into a bed is one thing, but they are used to relying on the crib and will fall out of bed for awhile in their sleep. We also put the bumper pad from the crib around the daybed (fit perfect on three sides) to ensure that she didn't get trapped between the bed and the wall. You have a lot of safety concerns to consider when taking a young one out of a crib. What if they get up in the night and play in their room...is it baby proof? Our daughter would get up and climb to the top of her changing table, then cry for us to come rescue her. What if they leave their room and wander around? Fall down the stairs? Leave out the front door? Play it safe, stay in the crib until you have to move up. The baby days will be gone before you know it.

I see no reason to spend money on a toddler bed. Go for the twin. Get a waterproof mattress pad and some guard rails. You're set for many years to come.

For my daughter, we went straight from the crib to a full size bed (with the rails on the sides). A friend of mine had their son go from the crib to a mattress on the floor and then to a regular bed. That's an idea, too!

My son is 20 months and we just transferred him out of his crib to prepare for a new baby in november. We really thought about getting the toddler bed because it's small and fun but from what I've read, it's only until about age 5. So we thought it wasn't a good use of money and then there's another thing to store. So we bought a twin mattress and boxspring (it was too high when we used the frame, so it's just on the floor) and bought a removable railing from walmart. We got fun sheets and a comforter. He can get up and down just fine and has transitioned well and he will be able to use this bed forever since teenagers still use a twin mattress. We put a lock on his door (it's a lever handle lock) so when he does get down out of bed, he can't roam the whole house. Good luck!

I don't think that I'd waste my money/time on a toddler bed. When you decide to make the transition, I'd let him help you select some "big boy" sheets. Let him have a say in the linens and remind him daily how he made the choices. He will probably come into your room a couple of times when he realizes that he can get out of his bed. Quietly and firmly escort him back to his big boy bed.
My daus. would sometimes creep into our room at nite with a pillow and blanket and sleep on the floor next to our bed whenever they had a nightmare, but never were allowed to crawl in bed with us. That's another bad habit to kick.
I wouldn't rush to get him out of his crib.

Toddler beds are a complete waste of money, in my opinion. We transitioned our daughter to a big girl bed at about 17 months. She has a twin mattress on a bunkee board (if you haven't heard of those, they are like box springs but only about 1 1/2 inches thick, so the bed can sit really low to the ground) and her frame is on the lowest setting. Her bed is only about 18 inches from the ground. If you're worried about him rolling out, you can get rails for the bed that tuck under the mattress.

I wouldn't waste the money on the toddler bed, I would just get a twin bed. But, I wouldn't be in any hurry to get him out of his crib. I would wait until he is closer to 3 before transitioning. I wish I would have waited with my first and I definitely waited to transition my second.

Just wanted to add my vote to skip straight to a twin bed. We actually ended up just getting a full thinking we'll send it with her when she moves out some day (with a new mattress, of course).

Hi! You may want to rethink your transition to a bed. If he is not climbing out, leave it alone. Once they are in a bed, they will get out constantly.

We went to a sleep specialist, and she said the #1 reason kids have sleep troubles is because parents transition them out of the crib too early. She said that 3 years old is a much better age to move to a bed. They have more advanced language skills and can understand the rules about staying in bed. To test for readiness, she suggested taking the crib mattress out and putting it on the floor for a couple of nights. If he won't stay put, he's not ready.

It may save you lots of headaches and sleepless nights to wait a bit.
Best of luck to you!
C.

Keep him in the crib as long as he will stay without climbing out of it. It can be very hard to get them to stay in the big bed and get them to go to sleep. Then get him the twin bed or a double bed. In my opinion the toddler bed is a waste of money.

I went from crib to twin size beds with no problem my 1st he did use his toddler bed for a few months but out grew it quickly.If your crib doesn't convert into different stages of a bed crib to toddler to twin then I would just go for the twin size.

Maybe invest in a car bed or something its a twin I think ,and he will want to stay in it .Goodluck ,Let us know .

Hi C.,
I bought a beautiful bed for my little one that grows. It starts as a toddler bed and then expands into a twin size with one additional size in between. The mattress has two pieces that you add as you lengthen the bed. It is perfect and she loves her pretty little bed. I bought it at IKEA. If you have an IKEA store near you check it out and/or respond back and I can send you a link to the picture of it or at least get the name of it so you know what to look for.
Peace~~
A.

I would totally skip the toddler bed. It seems like such a waste of cash when they are perfectly fine in a twin bed. Get one of those raling guards that tuck under the mattress so he won't roll out while he's sleeping and he'll be all set. Now... good luck actually keeping him in any bed when the time actually comes! haha! :o)

Hi C., If it were me I would go straight to the twin bed. That's how we did both of our girls, they went from the crib to a full size bed. I really don't see the point in spending the extra money on a toddler bed, just use that towards a nicer twin bed. Good luck!!

We converted DD's crib to the day bed, skipping the toddler bed rails, and she only rolled off her bed 2-3 times in the 18+ mos she was in it. However, if her crib hadn't converted I don't think we would have bothered with the toddler bed. They are so tiny and cute, but she didn't have to have the smaller bed. She is 3 now and just recently broke her toddler size day bed, so we put her in a full and don't have to worry about her growing out of it - ever!

Good Morning C., Lovely name you have :) I don't think it makes much difference which you purchase right now. Toddler bed will or can be used for many years also. If he is good at getting in and out of bed a twin is a good idea also. Corbin (4) just went from his toddler to twin bed, it is pretty high so his dad built a rail that slips under the frame. Zane is getting ready to try the toddler bed soon. They tried once so far at nap time and he got right up and out...lol Zane is almost 21 months.
The other 3 gr children went from cribs to twins or reg beds that were given to them. Youngest son and family couldn't afford to buy new things so alot of hand me downs were welcome. We just bought Tia a new bed at a garage sale for 5$$ and the boys received twin bed from my father in laws sale.

What works for you and Paxton is good either way.
God Bless you with a Wonderful week ahead.

K. Nana of 5

If you have the room and money for it I would go straight to a twin bed. We got a toddler bed for my daughter and I regret it. By the time she has all her babies in the bed with her, there's barely enough room for her!

Hey C.,

I say go straight for the twin bed. I have a 2 year old son and we just went straight for the twin and I'm so glad we did. He is a little bit bigger for his age and seems to roll around a lot at night (which is why he was out of his crib so early) and if we would have gotten him the toddler bed i think it would have just been a waste of money. He does very well in the twin bed and loves it. It makes him feel like an even bigger boy!!! Now if we can just get him staying dry in the night with his pull ups he'll be doing really good!

T. Cogan
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"Nothing is difficult to those who have the will." --Dutch Poet's Society

C.-

Coming from a mom who has a daughter (23 months) in a toddler bed, I would recommend a twin bed instead. We did it for two reasons...mainly because her bedroom is tiny and I'm expecting a 2nd baby in 7.5 weeks and they'll eventually share a room. Second reason was it was a lot cheaper to buy a toddler bed. However, price was not a factor as a twin bed would have been too big for her room because I still have a rocking chair in there and am not ready to get rid of it yet!

That being said, I think a transition to a twin or even full is just as easy. I know some people who did not use rails, but I recommend them. Just because of the extra space they have...plus think about in a crib, your son could roll around comfortably and have the security of the rails there so it's basically the same thing.

Not sure how long a toddler can stay in a toddler bed but we're planning on adding onto our house in a few years. We may have to get a twin bed if she outgrows her bed before we add on and move her into a larger room!!

One more thought...if he's not climbing out of his crib, don't move him! My daughter was climbing out of hers which is why we switched her at 18 months. The longer he'll stay in the crib, the better (and more secure). Then when he's older, he'll understand the concept of a larger bed/staying in there/etc. better.

Good luck!

C.,
My daughter wanted to switch my grandson to a regular bed at 2 also. Instead of a toddler bed, we bought him a twin platform bed, pretty low to the ground but big enough for him to grow into.
He fell out of bed only a couple of times, but that was it.
He absolutely loves his big boy bed!
Good luck,
C.

Twin bed if you have to buy a toddler one. They are pretty much a waste of time. Start out with a twin mattress on the floor or get rails for a regular twin.