Toddler Bed Vs. Twin Bed

My 2.5 year old just moved into his new twin bed. My mother has a toddler bed for him when he stays with her. Personally, I prefer the twin bed as it's big enough for me to climb in with him to rub his back and sing to him to help him fall asleep. He seems to sleep fine in either. If money is a concern, the twin bed (with a good waterproof mattress cover!) will last your child alot longer!!!

1 mom found this helpful

My boys were both really long (tall) and I found it was just easier to put them in a twin. At almost 2, your son might find it great to be able to stretch otu more. I do recommend one of those bed rails (or whatever they are called) to help him from falling out, though! My 23 month old would probably fall out of his twin bed without it!

1 mom found this helpful

Hi S.,
My son just recently transitioned to a twin bed from a crib. He was a little over 3 (he didn't want to leave his crib). Although it was tough at first we felt it would be better to just go to a bed and not have to transition again. We got him fun bedding, a bed rail that you can install and there are twin bed frames that are close to the ground (we got a captains bed so was a bit scarier/higher). I was trying to ease him into it but my husband voted for cold turkey and it worked. My friends have also said the sooner the better, I think we waited to long. Good luck. :)

S., Why move your little guy out of his crib???? You say he is not yet two. Several good reasons to continue using the crib. Safety and security are on the top of the list. You need him to be safe and he needs to feel secure. Don't do this now if you don't absolutely have to! Gran

We converted our son's crib to a toddler bed first and attached one of the safety bed rails you can buy. We put it all the way at one end, so he could get in and out by himself and that seemed to work really well. We used that for 3 or 4 months and then moved him to a twin bed. He's had no problems with it and loves his new bed! Good luck!

S.,

When it was time to move my son out of his crib, we started with just a mattress on the floor, in case he fell off. We were (still are) tight on finances, so we couldn't afford something that wouldn't grow with him. Anyway, he didn't like the mattress on the floor idea, so we moved him into a twin sized bed that had one of the removable safety railings. The one we got has a metal disk that went between the box springs and mattress and looked kinda like this: |---- (|=the disk, ---- =the straps) It's hard for me to describe, but the disk controlled the slack of the mesh railing, and prevented the whole thing from just falling off the bed. The side part was about 3 feet by 3 feet, and the metal bars went between the mattress and box springs too. I don't know if I'm being clear at all, but you can find them at Target or Babies "R" Us for fairly inexpensive.

Hope this helps,
if you have more questions feel free to send me a message,
M.

We moved both of our children from a crib to a twin bed with a rail. We figured they'd use the twin bed for several years whereas the toddler bed you'd eventually need to then move them once more to a twin bed. Our kids never were great sleepers, but they seemed to transition just fine.

I agree with most other people here...My son will be 3 in May, and I have thought long and hard about this exact issue....I am getting a twin bed (the slat kind that aren't as high up since they don't have boxspring)for a few reasons: 1) you can lay on the bed together to read books, etc...with a toddler bed, they often have weight limits of 70-100 pounds. 2) I don't want to buy new 'bigger boy" decor for toddler bed and turn around and have to re-do and spend more money in a year or so 3) The rails for twins work fine....Totally saves money. You can add a boxspring to the slat beds when the child is older, making it more like a regular twin bed...BUt for now, I only have to spend the money on the bed and a top mattress....
Good luck!

both my girls now age 15 and 11 went from crib to twin beds and had no problem adjusting. they both did very well. we had the first in bunk beds before moving her to her own room when second one got old enough to have her own room.

I have had good exprinces with just going to a single bed with both my children.my son is 7 and my daughter is 5. I moved both of then into single beds when they were 2.

I think it depends on the kid. I have a friend whose child I babysit. He sleeps perfectly under his covers at one end of his bed. He transitioned to a twin bed perfectly. My daughter, on the other hand, is 3 1/2 and STILL travels all over her bed. She falls out of her bed nearly every night and has yet to learn to keep the covers on. For her I think a toddler bed was a wiser choice to prevent injury.

My granddaugher is 4 (5 in Oct) and she is in a "toddler bed". Nice one from Ikea. Had to buy the slats, mattress and sheets but she did not have her crib anymore to convert. The Ikea bed is a lot bigger than a regular toddler bed so she will be in it for a few years. She really likes it and has a night stand, and table and chairs that match. She has a lot more room in her room too. Twin bed may need a bed rail/guard. You can get toddler beds that use the crib mattress which is great. Less to buy. Some cribs convert into a toddler bed. You replace the front rail with one that is smaller about a foot tall and the width of the crib. You still use the ends and the back and put the mattress on the lowest level. Use the same fitted sheets that you now use. Those cribs also convert into a headboard for a twin bed later on. This may work till he gets a little bigger. If you buy a twin bed I would get a good mattress because he will have it for years. I got my kids twin beds when they outgrew a crib and they stayed in the twin beds through high school. I'm glad we went with a better mattress. Don't forget the water proof matress pad!!!! Accidents happen.

We went the twin bed and one of the rails you put on the side works well only it makes hard to make the bed. My daughter has never fallen out and she moves around alot. I will check on her an hour after I put her down and she is turned around in bed.
L.

We went straight to a twin bed when my daughter was just over 2. Her new baby sister was coming in a couple months, so we wanted to give her a couple months to get used to it. She took to it great- we got a side rail- and for the longest time, she didn't get out of her bed until her dad or I got her. She could get in and out on her own, just felt like she shouldn't by herself. We were super lucky, I guess! I think with a toddler bed, that might not have been the case and we would've had super early visits from our daughter or rough bedtimes. Plus now we don't have to do another transition into another bed and have to store a toddler bed. Hope this helps!!
K.

When my daughter was 20 mo. old we gave up on fighting her to sleep in her crib (she hated it). So we put a twin box spring and mattress on the floor for about a year. When she fell out it was not a big deal and she loved the fact that she could get in and out of her bed all by herself. We will probably do the same thing with my son in 6-7 months when he is ready to get out of his crib.

My son is 22 months and adopted from India. He has slept on a twin mattress on the floor since we brought him home 4 months ago, and it's been great! He loves being able to get in and out of bed by himself (we have safeties on the door so he doesn't leave the room without permission) and it's a big enough space for blankets, animals and pillows. The best part is that when he moves to an off the floor bed, we already have the mattress!

I have 3 boys and with my first two they both went straight to a toddler bed. I just felt that they would be more safe in a lower bed and they could easily get in and out of it during the night if they needed to use the bathroom. We put them in a twin bed when they were around 4 yrs. old. They loved their toddler bed, I think because it was their size and they just loved it. Our youngest is 2 1/2 and he's still in his crib. He loves it and never tried to crawl in and out of it so we plan to leave him in there for a little while longer. He's not fully ready to be pottytrained so I guess that's why we're not in a hurry to move him out of his crib yet. I know many people have said to not waste your money on a toddler bed, but I think it really depends on your child (if they need an easier transition/pottytraining)and if you are able to buy a toddler bed before a twin bed. Have a blessed day!

Hi S.,
We just got a tddler bed for my daughter who will be 2 in May and I relly wish we would have got a twin. She moves around to much and is usually hanging half way off. My son on the other hand sleeps fine in his. So see if your little one moves around alot not just sleeping but getting to sleep as well. I wish I would have asked this question before getting her bed. Good luck. Michele

P.S. It might make a difference if it has rails to keep him in. Hers doesn't. I've wished it did.

We got those side/end "rails" and put them on regular twin mattresses on the floor. The rails were metal frame with white soft mesh material, attached with large "foot" pieces that slid between the mattresses. If you have the room for a regular bed, and aren't concerned with getting something cutesy to help with the transition--this is a good way to go.

We bought a twin mattress/box and just put it on the floor, incase of a fall out of bed incident. It worked great and we still got to make a big deal out of a big kid bed, even though it wasnt in a frame. When they were older (6th birthday) they got to help pick out a frame.
Each of my three got to do this, it was a great system.
Portland Mom of three.

Hi S.,

We moved our son straight to a twin bed (easier on the budget!) and got a side panel. You can slide two bars under the mattress and then a mesh panel prevents him from falling out of the bed. We placed the bed next to a wall so that the wall was like his other side. He did slide out the bottom of the bed one night, but it only happened once and we had put pillows on the floor there, so he did not get hurt. He adjusted really well and was soon ready to have the panel taken away. We did the same thing with both our boys and it worked like a charm!

Good Luck!
C.

When our daughter was 2, we went straight from a crib to a twin bed. I am trying to remember for sure, but I think we did start out with the mattress and box spring on the floor, in case there were any falls. She did great, and has never fallen out. We soon after bought the bed frame. She is now almost 5 and I'm glad we made that decision.

We had the convertable crib with my first son (3 1/2) and opted to just skip the toddler bed and went right for a full size. He did great. We put the bed against the same wall that the crib had always been and we used the swimming noodles instead of the mesh rails. (Put the sheet on top of the noodles so they stayed in place.) We also checked out a bunch of books from the library about "big boy" beds to read to him.

S.,
We went straight from crib to twin bed. We didn't want to spend money on something that didn't look comfortable and that we wouldn't keep for very long. We started with mattress on the floor with body pillows next to it. When he was ready we put the box spring down first. We don't use a frame, just the bed on the floor.
It worked with our youngest too.
Good luck.
A.

Twin bed would be fine as long as you place one side against a wall and butt the head or foot against a wall -- placed in corner -- or have a head and foot board.

There are several places that carry safety 'barricades' that can be hooked onto twin beds. It's just one step that you can ignore and it gets a child use to sleeping in a regular bed -- can also double as a guest bed and, if your child has problems sleeping, you can go in and lay down with them with no trouble.

I'm divorced and my four year old and I share a twin bed. I'm trying to get him back to sleeping on his own -- he started sleeping with me pre-divorce/separation (don't let anyone tell you different; children CAN sense tension and stress and it DOES affect them) -- but I going to start sleeping in the living room as soon as I can find something suitable as a bed and 'furniture.'

Good luck :)
J.

My Two year old has been in a twin bed since december and loves it. Of course we have a rail and a matress below incase she falls out but she uses it for a step stool so she can get in and back out. I simply started telling her once the bed was in her room that she would get to start sleeping in her big girl bed when she was a big girl next month (really when we bought all the needed iteams) and when she decided she had enough waiting she started crying in her crib at night and we couldn't figure out why. So after about three days I out her in her bed and pushed the crib up tp to it as rail. She quit crying and has been sleeping there since that night.

Hi S.!

A twin size bed is a great step for your child. As you know, kids grow SOOOOOOOO fast! As the other person mentioned, place the bed against the wall. ALSO! Make sure that you find a bed that has a rail to place on the opposite side of the bed, the open area, so that your little one will not roll off of the bed and get hurt.

We bought a bunk for our daughter and she was about 2 as well. She did good. The bunk bed we bought is really nice and made of a hard wood that came with a side rail, for the child's safety.

So always take precautions when it comes to your little one. He is new to this huge world and is relying on your judgement.

Oh, another thing. You should also purchase a couple of plastic bedding to cover the mattress, because kids to have "potty" accidents in their sleep. My daughter had a few accidents in her bed, but in order for me to eliminate that, I ended up waking her up in the middle of the night to take her potty. She would never remember it all the time cause she was way to sleepy. It's something I remember my mother doing to me when I was a little girl.

Happy Safety choices!\''/

You have certainly gotten a lot of advice! I won't write much. My daughter was not yet one year old when I walked into her nursery and caught her with one leg over the rail of her crib. We had arranged her room so there was no dresser, changing table or any climbing aids nearby. However, she still tried to climb out of her crib. We went and bought her a very cute toddler bed. The one we bought was very cute and only cost us $40. We were able to use the same mattress from her crib, so the cost wasn't a factor for us. It was $40!

She LOVED that bed! It was a perfect size for her. It was low to the ground so as she adjusted to not being able to roll over until the side rails stopped her, she didn't have far to fall when she rolled too far! Once potty training started, we were VERY happy to have that bed, as she was able to get up and down without any help. Because she moved into her toddler bed so early, she used it for about 2 years.

I wish you the best of luck with whatever decision you make. Please know there really isn't a "right" and "wrong" here. =)

-M.

We tried putting my son in his toddler bed and he refused to sleep in it. We have had major luck with his twin bed though. My husband built it from scratch, and put railings on the side. He sleeps great in it and loves his big boy bed.

I have moved both my children from a crib to a twin. If you have one of those cribs that turns into a toddler bed, then I would say go ahead and use it. If you're going to buy a toddler bed, I wouldn't. Your just going to find yourself buying a twin bed a year down the road.

My son was climbing out of his crib at 2 yrs old. He doesn't hit the ends, so we just lowered the rail and put a step stool along the side so he can climb in and out himself. We do keep his door shut most nights to avoid the visiting during the night.

both my kids never tried to get out of there crib and act like they did not like it so with my first daughter we did the toddler bed and with my second we tried a twin because we had just boutght bunk beds and it was to big for her comfort. we tried the toddler bed and she never got out of bed crying. so for them toddler bed all the way. my neice was a co-sleeper because she hated her crib and they tried it in the toddler bed and she still slept with them. we gave her a twin daybed and she never slept with her parents again. so in my experience you need to read your kids comfort level. good luck

When it came time for us we bought the Captains' bed which is the bed that has the drawers below and very low to the ground. If they were to fall out they would not fall far and the few times they did, they just fellright back to sleep or didn;t even wake up at all just kept on sleeping until morming. Just a suggestiion but the toddler beds are a waste of money as they are no bigger then a crib and they grow out of them so quick. You can always buy bedrails too, if you buy a regular twin bed.
Hope this helps. Good luck. S.

I agree with most of the postings...don't waste your money on a toddler bed! They aren't in them that long. We went straight to a twin bed with my daughter and plan to do the same with my son!
Good luck!

Other than our first child we have always moved our kids right to a twin bed. We really didn't see the need for a toddler bed, unless you are going for like the car/train stuff to get them used it or like the bed so they would sleep in it. Our first had a crib that made into a toddler bed, so that's what we used for her.
Best of luck

I'm not sure it matters - we took our oldest from her crib directly to a queen bed when she was two and we needed the crib for her sister. We put rails on both sides and never had a problem. She never got out either - Every couple of days I had to clear the thing off - all her toys ended up in bed with her since she had all that room. She and her sister now have twin beds and share a room because little brother needs the crib now.

A toddler bed would be closer to the floor in case of falls, and you can still use your crib mattress. However, a twin bed offers much more room for movement, and you can still use a safety rail to prevent falls, and cushion the floor, or, just put the mattress/box springs on the floor without a frame until your son is older.

I'll tell you our experiences. Keep in mind, my kids, all 3, are thrashers to this day, and sleep ALL OVER the bed!

My oldest two children went straight to a regular bed from the crib. The problem was that they could get on top of the dresser from the bed, and then jump off the dresser on to the bed(gasp, groan!)! When I moved the dresser away from the bed, they used the drawers like steps, and did it anyway, only it was a much farther jump--little acrobats! I still thank God to this day that they didn't fall and break anything in their sweet little bodies. So, I moved the dresser to the opposite side of the room. That sure fixed 'em! Anyhoo, I had blankets and comforter down on the floor always, in case they fell out, and the few times when they did, they never got hurt. Just got right back in bed.

My youngest went to a toddler bed, and she still fell out, but never got hurt because she was so close to the floor, and I put a heavy comforter down there to cushion her. But, none of them ever fell out often, and with rails and a well padded floor, I'd say he'd be fine in a twin bed.

Good luck! :o)

K. W.

I like the toddlers beds simply because if they do fall out it is lower to the ground. We were potty training when we switched beds so we didn't want to put up bed rails that make it difficult to get out of bed at night. It also helped with night time accident clean ups. The toddler bed is easier for a quick clean up in my opinion.
They got to switch to toddler beds on thier second bday and we switched to twin beds this new year (they were 3 1/2).

We skipped the toddler bed. Why spend the money on a bed that is only going to last about 6mos. That seemed to be the average after talking with other friends about it. So, then we bought a twin bed with rails off of Craigslist. It was used but it is made out of real thick and sturdy wood. Which was what I wanted. There are rails that you can buy that will help keep your son in the bed. We put pillows and blankets on the floor.....he only fell out his bed once in about 6 mos. My son took the transfer wonderfully. Good luck in your decision.

we too went the toddler bed route first. Dont waste your money. you would do much better buying a twin bed and then they have really great bed rails so that they cant roll out of bed. They just dont stay in the toddler beds long enough to make it worth money wise plus all the bedding you buy for the toddler bed wont fit onto the twin bed once you would buy one so they you are stuck with a bunch of bedding you can never use again.

When my son was not quite 18 months he started climbing out of his crib. We skipped the toddler bed and bought a twin. We got a safety gate so he wouldn't fall out and he did great!
We felt like it was a waste of money to buy a toddler bed. They don't use it for very long until they outgrow it and you're still going to end up buying a twin bed. You might as well skip a step and go straight for the twin.
If your worried about the transition from crib to big kid bed, it's going to be hard a few nights anyways . . . changes always are.
Good luck! Shopping for a bed is fun, but it sure is hard to admit your "baby"'s growing up! :)