Toddler Bed Questions

Updated on August 28, 2012
K.P. asks from Tacoma, WA
8 answers

Hello all!

We have been looking at toddler beds for our son (2 yr) and I see that they have rails on both sides and the bed itself is close to the ground. My son tosses and turns and sometimes ends up sleeping at the end of the bed where his feet go (no rails at that part) and I am wondering if I should be concerned about him falling out of bed?

Also, any words of wisdom or tips on how to make this transition the easiest for us? We have been trying to make things all about being a big boy lately so I am hoping that this will go smoothly. It took us a long time to get him to sleep through the night and we are hoping that this isn't the end of sleep for us all.

Thanks!

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

My DD has only once fallen out of her bed, and it is open on one side at the bottom. I would get him the bed, put his head where the rails are, and see how it goes. It took a bit for DD to stay in bed (novelty) but she did well quickly.

1 mom found this helpful

More Answers

T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

We just started with a twin mattress on the floor with all three of ours, at around 18 months. No need to worry about falling out of bed and we skipped the extra stage and expense of a toddler bed, it just didn't seem necessary :)

3 moms found this helpful
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J.F.

answers from Bloomington on

We moved the first kiddo to a twin bed mattress on the floor. The second kiddo has a lifetime crib, so the railing actually goes across the entire frame (head to toe).

I would skip a toddler bed and go straight for a twin mattress....and buy the frame for it later.

I've also seen people taking a blanket or beach towel and rolling it up and putting it along the edge under the sheet to create a soft bumper.

If he is able to open the door, then I would look at putting a gate at the door to keep him in the room during nap time/bed time.

Just don't start any new habits you don't want to have to fix later (like training them to fall asleep with you in the room, or having you lie with them, etc.)

Good luck!!!
J.

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M.M.

answers from Detroit on

We went from the crib to a twin mattress on the floor. Toddler beds don't last long as your son will grow too long for it fairly quickly. A twin mattress is a better investment and solves all the issues you're worried about -- plus one less transition down the road!

1 mom found this helpful

A.S.

answers from Iowa City on

My youngest, also 2, ends up all over the bed. She has fallen out twice. One time she cried and we just put her back in and all was well. The other time she just got back in the bed herself.

As for the transitioning...we just tried it. It didn't work the first time. We tried putting her back in over and over again but she just wouldn't stay put. We tried again a month or so later and she was all about her "big" bed.

My sister had great success with putting the mattress on the floor for a few weeks before adding the bed.

Good luck.

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N.L.

answers from Jacksonville on

We "transitioned" my daughter in the middle of moving, so she spent some time just sleeping on her mattress on the floor out of necessity. :) Once she got used to her new mattress, we talked up her new bed and she was more than happy to climb into her new bed. She did fall out once, but mostly because she was goofing around trying not to go to sleep. I think having her fall off of her mattress onto the floor (when it was on the floor) helped her get a good idea of how much she "could" toss and turn before falling off.

1 mom found this helpful
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N.I.

answers from Portland on

My son put his son on a mattress and the mattress on the floor for about a year until they were sure if he fell out of bed he wouldn't fall very far. It worked for them.

N.

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Do not by a toddler bed. A toddler bed is for a toddler, that is a child that is between 12 months and 24 months. Those beds are too late for your child. He is not a toddler anymore he is a pre-schooler. That is his developmental stage now and his age too.

I would not waste the money on them in any way. He is old enough to go into a twin, full, or queen size bed. My niece did not even think twice about buying queen beds for her kids as soon as they were out of baby beds. They went into these big beds before they were 2 years old. They had no issues.

Your child is not going to fall very far if the bed is a normal thickness, If you get a mattress that is a foot thick of course that will make the bed inches taller.

I think deciding what size bed to put him is is a big decision that requires some thinking.

He tosses and turns all night. He needs a big bed so that he can roll around in it. He sleeps every which way, he needs the biggest bed he can get.

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