I plan on moving my son to his big boy room after our daughter arrives which would make him around 18 months. My question is should we get him a toddler bed or a twin mattress lay it on the floor with bars so he can't fall out? I know that the twin bed would be a better investment but I am not sure which option would work best for the transition. If any one has tried the twin bed I would love to hear how it went and the same for toddler beds and transitioning so young.
Thanks in advance for any help,
T.
Thanks for all the advice! You have all been a great help, I think I have a plan now. :0) Thanks Again
We used a toddler bed and wished we had started on the twin instead. We only used the toddler bed for a few months, but we transitioned him to it at one year old. Here's another thought...There is another bed that is inbetween the size of a toddler bed and a twin bed. IKEA makes some and some allow the bed to adjust with growth.
I moved my oldest from crib to twin when he was 18 months. I put the twin on the floor and kept both beds in his room for a short while. He would sleep nights in his twin and naps in his crib.
I'm also a believer that you should remove the crib several months before #2 is born so that #1 doesn't feel like the baby is sleeping his HIS bed. When our #2 came along and we set up the crib (at 22 months) he didn't even blink twice about the crib.
We just moved #2 to a twin bed too. No toddler beds for us!
Good luck!
we used a toddler bed for about two years, it was great. He is now on a twin bed and it works fine too. You should check around to see if any of your friends have a toddler bed you can use for a short while. If it doesn't work out at least you won't have spent any money on it and then you can switch to a twin if you need to.
I got my daughter a Toddler bed at toys r us when she turned 2.. It was nice for her cause she got to pick out which one she wanted to sleep in. She is now 3 and she still fits perfectly fine. I am thinking that she can still be in it for a few more years. The price was only $50, so you really can't go wrong with that. The thing that gets you is all the bedding. That is a little pricey! But if you already have crib matteress sheets you should be fine. We just wanted to match the Dora bed with sheets, blankets, and pillows. I think that it is the best investment for our family! She feels like a "Big Girl" cause she has a bed that is hers and it is just her size...
T.,
I really don't think there is a need for you to use a toddler bed unless that is your preference. I have known several parents who used a twin mattress on the floor to transition their children to a bed from the crib. I would recommend just getting a quality mattress that will provide good support for him. If you put the mattress directly on the floor you can put a bed guard on it to prevent him from rolling off. They have nice mesh ones at Babies R Us and other stores that are soft and will not contstrict his air if he sleeps near it. I am sure you know that all you need to do is act like it is the greatest thing in the world to be sleeping in a "big boy bed" and will just eat it up! Especially if he gets sheets with his favorite character! The kids always loved that part! Very cool to decide to be a stay at home mom. I did, too, and I wouldn't trade it for the world!
-Jen
We transitioned our daughter to a toddler bed at 18 mos and it was great. I really thought it was a good thing and we figured even though it was a short term investment your new one can use it when she gets old enough. Just get something that is wood finished so it would be neutral. I would really recommend the toddler bed. It is nice for them to have the small bed just their size to feel like a big kid, but not too big. Remember, they can get up anytime they want to when you transition him so be prepared!! Our daughter got up and wandered in the middle of the night and also during bed time if she wasn't ready to go to sleep she would just get up and come on out. We ended up putting a baby gate in front of her door so that she could open the door but know that it is time for night-night. If she wasn't ready she could just have some quiet time to herself before she was ready for bed. Just a side note, but I think worth while to think about. Good luck!
Hi T..
I just have my 2 cents to add:
I started my first son in his "big boy bed," 4 months before his little bro was born (he was 23 months at the time), and totally dismantled and hid the crib until just before baby #2 was born.
Call me silly (many do!), but I thought my first would'nt like seeing "his" bed being taken over by the baby. He had 4 months to get totally used to the new situation before the baby showed, and I think it helped.
I think which type of bed you pick is your choice, based on your son's sleep habits.
Good luck!
T
My son is 2 and 1/2, he has been sleeping in a full size bed for over a year now! He went straight from crib to full size. It is up off the floor with the typical stuff, and he does fine. I have one of those railings on his bed to catch him from falling off. I also just make sure that his room is always clean before he goes to bed, so that if he does fall off, he doesn't fall on anything! Good luck!
I have two boys 16 months apart. We decided that we were not going to have two cribs. Also, we did not want the oldest to feel like he was being kicked out of his room when the baby came (there is already enough to adjust to when the baby comes home). We bought him a twin race car bed. We wanted him to love it and not miss his crib one bit. We moved him into the twin race car bed at 14 months old (2 months before baby arrived). We did not put up bed rails, we simply put a bunch of pillows next to the bed in case he fell off. We did not want him to rely on bed rails to keep him in and wanted him to learn the boundaries of the bed on his own. He fell out only once, he was just fine and never fell out again. Save your money and go directly to a twin bed and use pillows. They are always trying to sell unnecessary stuff to new moms. Good luck!
