Toddler Bed?

[mrsv98]

So last night DH and I tucked DD, 28 months, into bed and she proceeds to put her foot up on to the top rail and states that she doesn't want to go to bed now the question becomes, what do we do? The crib we have converts to a toddler bed, but the mattress is still a good 18 inches off of the floor and the rail goes the entire length of the bed. I think switching to this would entice her to crawl out even more and fall because there isn't a low place for her to climb over (is that as confusing as it sounds?). Today, I went and looked at a Graco toddler bed at TRU for $49.99. Is it a waste of $$$? I should say that she is a little pixie, only 33" and 25lbs, so a regualr twin bed is way too big for her.

Ideas? Suggestions?

TIA!

 

[Talking Hands]

Yes it is a waste of money. What we did with both our girls was put the crib mattress on the floor and let them sleep there until we felt they would be safe in a regular bed. Once in the regular bed we left the crib mattress on the floor by the bed for about month just in case. Never did they fall out.
Used a gate at the door so they didn't wander at night and made sure the room was baby proofed.

 

[janette]

I had a toddler bed for my 1st DD and she used it until she was about 4. If kids are small they can use them longer.

If she is trying to crawl out of the crib it's time to switch. 18inches is better than 4ft. You'll want the rail so she doesn't fall out.

The worst part is getting them to stay there My youngest was out of a crib at 13mths. My oldest was still there until almost 3.

 

[nativetxn]

This is going to sound tacky, but when dh reached the point where we couldn't get him to sleep in his crib, we bought a twin bed for him but put the mattress on the floor. We left it that way for a few months and I never found him off the mattress in the am, so we went ahead and put the mattress on the bed frame. He didn't fall out. It wasn't a "beautiful home decorating" solution but it worked for us.

 

[nativetxn]

Ooops, Lisa, didn't see your reply when I made mine

 

[glo]

My twins are six...They are tiny to say the least...they only weigh 39 pounds. THey are getting out of their toddler beds this Wednesday when their new bedroom set somes in. They are going into bunk beds.

I loved the toddler beds. We got ours at a TRU sale and they are the little Tykes ones. I found them very safe and had no problems at all with them.


I am scared of the new arrangement, but have no choice as we are limited in space.


Good luck!

 

[aahmom1]

All of my kids had toddler beds, both the boys had racecar beds and Holly had a dollhouse bed.

 

[PandyPaws]

Ryan just turned 5 a couple of weeks ago...he's been in a toddler bed (Little Tykes race car bed) since age 2 years. In our case, not a waste of money as his older brother used it for approximately the same amount of time. I'll be replacing it with a new twin-bed set next month. The worst part in the beginning was keeping him in there, the new-found freedom was a game to him ....and also, he'd lay on the bed at night drumming his feet against the wall so I had to turn the bed out from the wall
It's a 50/50 choice I think, I've known many kids who transitioned with toddler beds, and probably just as many who went straight from crib to twin-sized. Good luck, whichever you choose

 

[snoopy]

We bought the toddler bed for our first child, who only used it a couple of months, the second one used it slightly longer - maybe for about 6 months. Bothy of my boys are bigger though, I would think it would be a good investment for a child who is small in stature.

BTW, I sold mine at a yard sale I had for about 75% of what I paid for it. These are the type of things people would prefer to buy used, so you could probably turn around and sell it again if you wanted to and recoup some of your investment.

 

[Evil Princess]

Personally, I feel that they are a waste of money. I know that no one in my family used one, and we were all quite petite. My sister was so small that we tested her to see if she had a growing disorder, and she was in a twin bed right after the crib. The twin bed will likely last until they go off to college, but the toddler bed is shortlived.

 

[KimRaye]

I've gotten over 2 years' use out of a toddler bed for DD. She's 4-1/2 now and, her twin bed is being (re)delivered next Tuesday. I spent about $30, I think, at Walmart, on sale. The savings 2+ years ago, was on the whole mattress size changeover, bed frame, headboard, etc. The crib mattress fits the toddler bed until they're older and, in DD's case, bigger finally, to warrant a 'real bed' purchase.

FYI, cost me $445 for headboard, mattress, box spring and bed frame, ALL on sale!! Not to mention all the new bedding I need to get, etc.

 

[Pin Wizard]

DS had a toddler bed and he loved it! It meant a little more independence for him (which was a good thing.) I bought it at Target for just under $50. He used it until his feet were hanging off at the end.

 

[believe]

Both of our DDs' cribs convert to a toddler bed as well as a twin or full size bed, depends on what you want it to convert to. We have not had any issues with them falling out of the toddler bed. DD#1 was shown how to properly get out of her bed before sleeping in it and still would not get out until Dad or Mom got her out. DD#2 is the same way, waits for us to come and get her. I would not spend the money for a toddler bed, but if your bed converts to it then I would convert it.

 

[debster812]

I used on for DS, but only because I borrowed one from SIL (her oldest used it, handed to us, then we handed it back to her for her youngest, plus her 2 nephews had used it as well, I think that one paid for itself ). I don't think I would have bought one, as we were planning on doing the crib mattress on the floor for a bit.

That being said, it was really helpful. We gated his bedroom door, so he could not wander the house in the middle of the night, and he got a little independence.

I think if you can find one reasonably priced, it is a good idea, but certainly do not pay a ton for one, as you will be buying a 'real bed' in another couple of years anyway.

Good Luck!

 

[whirlsy]

I have a 28 month old son and we just bought him the Little Tikes twin size race car bed, what we liked about that is you can adjust your mattress by height so he cant fall out, it works great and he loves it the sides keep him in safe, If you buy the Little tikes toddler beds you know you can get at least half your money back in a garage sale, those things are the first too go.We went ahead and got the twin size bed because our son is soooo big I knew he would outgrow it in no time. glo~ I understand your worries about the bunk beds, YIKES, I just had a friend of mines little guy fall while trying to go down the stairs and broke his little arm now he wont sleep in the bed, they are looking into a bed with a trundle for now, cause they have limited space also, until they get their new home next year. Hope all goes well.

 

[tiggerlover]

In my opinion toddler beds are a waste of money....unless they are the Little Tykes version in the fun little shapes. But as I said this is just my opinion. My DS transitioned to a twin bed when he was 27 months old. We put one side against the wall and then a bed rail on the other side. DS was so excited to have a big bed (which we told him he could keep as long as he stayed in his bed when he was put there) that he never tried to climb out. Worked for us and made our little guy feel very important.

 

[MerryPoppins]

DS transitioned to a twin bed with a rail. I did put the baby bed mattress under the bed. That way, I could pull it out at night. I figured if he fell it wouldn't hurt him too bad that way.

DD had a toddler bed. She was in it for quite a while. I liked the fact that it was so close to the floor.

I think it just depends on what you want to do. Both ways worked for us.

 

[maleficent1959]

We have a 27 month old boy, and it is time to go to a toddler bed. He climbs in and out of his crib in a flash, and we had been keeping the side rail down to lessen the chance of injury. The crib converts to a bed, so we went out and bought a portable bed rail at TRU. We showed him how to get in and out, and we don't have to worry about him falling out. Nor did we have to buy another bed. And the bed rail will come in handy at WDW.