Recommendations for a toddler bed please.
March 27, 2010 9:41 AM Subscribe
Toddler Bed recommendations?
Our 16-month-old will likely be getting out of our bed and into his own room when we move in the coming months. He's never been one for the crib - at home, at daycare - so we're going to move him straight to a bed.
We have a crib mattress, but we'd be open to a twin sized bed too. (It seems that toddler beds come in these two varieties.) Maybe a twin would be better if we're going to have some time where Mommy might be in the bed with him. But then we'd have to buy the twin mattress.
Rails would be good, but we do own 2 sets of bed rails already if the bed didn't have built-in rails.
We'd either like very cheap that we wouldn't feel bad giving away to a friend when we move in another year, or we'd pay for a nicer bed if it is awesome and then it would move with us.
While we have an Ikea, Target, and Wal-Mart within a few hours driving distance, we'd prefer to order online (and we have Amazon Prime.) But if the Best Toddler Bed is from Ikea, we could go get it.
Our 16-month-old will likely be getting out of our bed and into his own room when we move in the coming months. He's never been one for the crib - at home, at daycare - so we're going to move him straight to a bed.
We have a crib mattress, but we'd be open to a twin sized bed too. (It seems that toddler beds come in these two varieties.) Maybe a twin would be better if we're going to have some time where Mommy might be in the bed with him. But then we'd have to buy the twin mattress.
Rails would be good, but we do own 2 sets of bed rails already if the bed didn't have built-in rails.
We'd either like very cheap that we wouldn't feel bad giving away to a friend when we move in another year, or we'd pay for a nicer bed if it is awesome and then it would move with us.
While we have an Ikea, Target, and Wal-Mart within a few hours driving distance, we'd prefer to order online (and we have Amazon Prime.) But if the Best Toddler Bed is from Ikea, we could go get it.
Best answer: We also went straight from a crib to a twin size bed. Mostly because those toddler beds have very low weight limits -- check the labels at the store or online. It seemed like most we saw had a 60-75 pound limit, and obviously that's not going to make it possible for an adult to lie down with a child. We got an Ikea one similar to this -- (with a mattress which is futon-style, meaning no springs) which worked great for transition because it's not super-high off the ground. My son is now 7 and it's still working fine, and we also use it as a guest bed for adults at times.
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:57 AM on March 27, 2010
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:57 AM on March 27, 2010
Oh, right. I completely forgot about the weight limits. We had a big toddler (he's 13 now and WAAAAAYYYY taller than me) who would've grown out of the toddler bed in a matter of weeks.
posted by cooker girl at 9:59 AM on March 27, 2010
posted by cooker girl at 9:59 AM on March 27, 2010
Response by poster: Weight limit!!!
You all are so smart.
Or, question is now - what's a twin bed frame low enough for a toddler to crawl in and out of?
posted by k8t at 10:12 AM on March 27, 2010
You all are so smart.
Or, question is now - what's a twin bed frame low enough for a toddler to crawl in and out of?
posted by k8t at 10:12 AM on March 27, 2010
Ikea has a ton of very low twin-sized bedframes. It's worth going there with your kid and trying them out (and fun!). At the very least you could get a feel for a bed height that works best for him, to use as a rule of thumb if you choose to order something online.
We did have a toddler bed (Pottery Barn via Craigslist) for a while, because our girls shared a very small room when one was bed-aged and the other crib-aged, but once the younger one outgrew the crib we just went to two twin beds.
posted by padraigin at 10:51 AM on March 27, 2010
We did have a toddler bed (Pottery Barn via Craigslist) for a while, because our girls shared a very small room when one was bed-aged and the other crib-aged, but once the younger one outgrew the crib we just went to two twin beds.
posted by padraigin at 10:51 AM on March 27, 2010
Best answer: i used a twin bed mattress and boxspring on the floor at first, then bought the bedframe later.
posted by Ochre,Hugh at 10:57 AM on March 27, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Ochre,Hugh at 10:57 AM on March 27, 2010 [1 favorite]
I did mattress on the floor first too, straight to twin mattress, and then with my twins to a double mattress on the floor and then later bunk beds. If you're cramped for space, you can use the crib mattress on the floor.
posted by kch at 11:08 AM on March 27, 2010
posted by kch at 11:08 AM on March 27, 2010
Seconding the low Ikea bed. I got that for my son before he turned two, because he never liked his crib either and was too tall to stay in a toddler bed for long. We used a bed rail for awhile and never had a problem with him falling.
Also, because we got a foam mattress instead of a mattress and boxspring, we didn't have to worry about him jumping on the bed.
posted by saffry at 11:10 AM on March 27, 2010
Also, because we got a foam mattress instead of a mattress and boxspring, we didn't have to worry about him jumping on the bed.
posted by saffry at 11:10 AM on March 27, 2010
We got a cheap Ikea twin bedframe and mattress, and it's worked great. Whole shebang was under $200, I think. It's definitely low enough that my 20 month old has (and has had) no trouble crawling in and out of the bed.
posted by leahwrenn at 12:32 PM on March 27, 2010
posted by leahwrenn at 12:32 PM on March 27, 2010
Some of the Ikea beds can be lengthened, (like this model), so it can be used for many years to come, and be a spare adult sized bed in a pinch. Odds are you'll have to lie with him on occasion, so this makes it much easier for you.
posted by Chuckles McLaughy du Haha, the depressed clown at 1:15 PM on March 27, 2010
posted by Chuckles McLaughy du Haha, the depressed clown at 1:15 PM on March 27, 2010
Baby range went directly from cosleeping to a low Ikea twin bed. The bed is awesome for all the reasons people have stated above. Came in to say that while the beds are great, the Ikea bed rails are complete crap (in my experience) and also unnecessary -- when we realized it wasn't going to work out we made sure that the foam rubber tiles already in his room extended all the way to the bed and called it a day. It's been a year, he has fallen out of bed one time while asleep and while he wasn't thrilled it wasn't exactly a disaster
One thing I would mention is that his bed, at least, has a platform base with raised sides. We were tempted to put the mattress as low as possible for safety, but realized (one injury too late) that it's less safe -- if the top of the mattress is level with the edge of the platform, then a jumpy toddler can bounce from the mattress BANG into the edge. (If it's my child, this will happen headfirst at bedtime.) If you raise the mattress up a few inches the edge of the frame is protected.
posted by range at 5:05 PM on March 27, 2010
One thing I would mention is that his bed, at least, has a platform base with raised sides. We were tempted to put the mattress as low as possible for safety, but realized (one injury too late) that it's less safe -- if the top of the mattress is level with the edge of the platform, then a jumpy toddler can bounce from the mattress BANG into the edge. (If it's my child, this will happen headfirst at bedtime.) If you raise the mattress up a few inches the edge of the frame is protected.
posted by range at 5:05 PM on March 27, 2010
Futon directly on the floor. Great for sleeping and playing, and you don't have to worry about the little one falling out in the middle of the night.
posted by alms at 6:19 PM on March 27, 2010
posted by alms at 6:19 PM on March 27, 2010
Our little guy went right from the crib to the single bed, with a regular add-on side rail that slid between the matress and boxspring (purchased at Walmart or some such.) He had no problems climbing on or off the bed. We couldn't see a reason to buy a bed (toddler or exta low) that wasn't going to see him through the next 15 or so years.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 6:50 PM on March 27, 2010
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 6:50 PM on March 27, 2010
We got a nice toddler sleigh bed for my niece and it looks really nice and is sturdy. I can't remember exactly which one since my cousin bought it but it wasn't more than $150.
posted by thorny at 8:56 PM on March 27, 2010
posted by thorny at 8:56 PM on March 27, 2010
I have my eye on this Ikea reversible bed for my toddler. Flip it one way for a low bed that you can make more fun with a canopy, curtains or other cool stuff. When he/she gets older, flip it over to make a loft bed with playspace underneath.
posted by Joh at 4:28 PM on March 28, 2010
posted by Joh at 4:28 PM on March 28, 2010
We did one of the Ikea extendable beds. They grow as the kid grows and will take the weight of an adult. The one we picked also had decent railings but was low enough for our girl to get in and out of.
posted by Pollomacho at 1:21 PM on March 30, 2010
posted by Pollomacho at 1:21 PM on March 30, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
So my recommendation for a toddler bed is to go out and find a good-quality twin bed frame that will last your kid until he leaves for college.
posted by cooker girl at 9:52 AM on March 27, 2010