If you used a toddler bed

[NanceXToo]

As opposed to just skipping from a crib to a "regular" bed, then at what age did you get your kids a "real"/regular bed instead of the toddler bed?

[Carrie12345]

#1 got a "real" bed when he was 3.5.

#2 and #3 got their "real" beds when they were 6 and 7 (yeah, we were lazy.)

#4 sleeps wherever he crashes, and won't get a "real" bed until we get another bedroom.

[TKDmom]

Mine have moved up to real beds when their younger sibling starts climbing out of the crib. So with my little stair-step children, they moved up to real beds around 3yo.

[Brigitte]

Toddler beds at 2.5 and big beds at 3.5 (almost 4).

[Suzanne in ABQ]

As opposed to just skipping from a crib to a "regular" bed, then at what age did you get your kids a "real"/regular bed instead of the toddler bed?

 

 

My youngest just went from her toddler bed to a twin bed when she turned 5.

 

Her siblings were between 4 and 5 (don't remember exactly).

[NanceXToo]

OK, thanks! My son is still in a toddler bed but I was wondering if a "real" bed might make a good 5th birthday present in November. I think it just might!

[LibrarianMom]

We had used a crib that turned into a toddler bed. My children are both also quite small (ds 5 is a smidge over 30 lbs; dd almost is less than 50 lbs). My son received his big boy bed in August before starting kindergarten.

[Starr]

We moved him into a twin when he turned four because we didn't want to move the toddler bed.

[Parrothead]

Dd's crib converted into a toddler bed then into a full size bed. She has new bedroom furniture now but she was in the crib/toddler bed arrangement from birth to abut 4 years.

[dcurry]

It depends on the child. If they didn't need to move because of a younger sibling, I kept them in it as late as 5 years because of lack of space. But one of our kids skipped it all together and went from crib to bottom bunk (with a rail) at just under 2 years old. He was pretty attached to the crib, so it was a hard move for him. (This particular child never tried to climb out).

 

If you have the room & money, and the child is asking for one, you could move them sooner or skip the toddler bed altogether.

 

If they are fine with the toddler bed & space is an issue, you could wait until they outgrow it (their feet hit the bottom of it).

[Miss Sherry]

I really do not remember exactly. My youngest is 15 years old now. I think she was around 4 or 5 when she out grew her toddler bed and we bought a bunk bed for her and her older sister to share.

[NanceXToo]

Thanks for the replies! Here's another question. Would you consider a "loft bed" safe for an about to turn 5 year old? It is NOT as high as a standard bunk bed. It's pretty much just high enough for an adult to sit under. It's got a good sturdy guard rail so I'm not worried about falling out while sleeping but more about getting hurt while climbing on or off or playing! But it looks really cool, and the underside is big enough to put another bed in if you wanted- but I thought it would make a REALLY cool play/fort area, like if we hang a sheet or some such.

 

I found it on Craigs List and I love it! I spoke to the seller and it was still available so I made arrangements to go on Wednesday morning.

 

What do you guys think?

[zaichiki]

As opposed to just skipping from a crib to a "regular" bed, then at what age did you get your kids a "real"/regular bed instead of the toddler bed?

 

Toddler bed when they started climbing out of the crib -- usually about a year.

 

Regular bed for 3rd birthday.

[zaichiki]

Thanks for the replies! Here's another question. Would you consider a "loft bed" safe for an about to turn 5 year old? It is NOT as high as a standard bunk bed. It's pretty much just high enough for an adult to sit under. It's got a good sturdy guard rail so I'm not worried about falling out while sleeping but more about getting hurt while climbing on or off or playing! But it looks really cool, and the underside is big enough to put another bed in if you wanted- but I thought it would make a REALLY cool play/fort area, like if we hang a sheet or some such.

 

I found it on Craigs List and I love it! I spoke to the seller and it was still available so I made arrangements to go on Wednesday morning.

 

What do you guys think?

 

Yes.

My oldest got a loft bed when he turned 3: he could go up and down the ladder fine when half-asleep (we checked). I have to admit to covering the floor beneath the ladder with every spare pillow in the house for the first week, though. :001_smile:

[abbeyej]

Ds was in a toddler bed 'til he was turning 5. At that point, dd was 2 and she moved from her crib to his toddler bed. She slept in the toddler bed 'til right after she turned 7 (though she was the *size* of a small 5yo at that point).

 

I don't think a toddler bed is "needed" at all. But space was an issue for us, and as my children are small anyway, the toddler bed was a good choice for us.

[Sahamamama]

Oldest

 

• 0-3 years old -- Crib (because she shared a room with her baby twin sisters, and we didn't want her to be able to get out of her bed and cover them up with blankets! :001_huh:)
  
• 3-4 years old -- Toddler bed (with a guard rail on the non-wall side, because she fell out without the guard rail)
  
• 5-present -- Regular bed (never with a guard rail)
  

Twins

 

• 0-3 years old -- Cribs (This was hard on my back -- lift out, lift in, lift out, lift in -- but worth not having them get out. But we started to notice Tickles putting her leg over the bar, and that was the end of the cribs. We went on vacation right after they turned 3. On vacation, they all slept on a mattress on the floor. When we came back, we made the switch from cribs to toddler beds.)
  
• 3-present -- Toddler beds (their cribs converted to toddler beds, by taking off one side. They had a guard rail for a few weeks, but Tickles was doing gymnastics on it, so that was the end of the guard rail.)
  
• Hopefully, by the time the twins are 5 (or whenever they are too long to fit into the toddler beds), we will be able to move to a bigger home and/or afford twin beds. We don't want bunk beds, but that's all that would fit into the 12 x 12 room all three girls share.
  

HTH.

Edited September 17, 2010 by Sahamamama

[TKDmom]

Thanks for the replies! Here's another question. Would you consider a "loft bed" safe for an about to turn 5 year old? It is NOT as high as a standard bunk bed. It's pretty much just high enough for an adult to sit under. It's got a good sturdy guard rail so I'm not worried about falling out while sleeping but more about getting hurt while climbing on or off or playing! But it looks really cool, and the underside is big enough to put another bed in if you wanted- but I thought it would make a REALLY cool play/fort area, like if we hang a sheet or some such.

 

I found it on Craigs List and I love it! I spoke to the seller and it was still available so I made arrangements to go on Wednesday morning.

 

What do you guys think?

 

Yes. We bought a bunk bed when my kids were 5, 3, and 1. They've never had any problems playing on it. Right now I have to keep the bedroom doors closed b/c my 1yo doesn't have any common sense to go along with her climbing abilities (she climbs up and gets stuck). But for anyone over the age of 2 or 3, I think it'd be fine.

[Aubrey]

I thought ds9 really needed a toddler bed because he started climbing out of his crib so young--11mos. Then we moved him up when dd was climbing out of her crib--he was about 3. We had a daybed that he sort-of just adopted for himself, so dd got his bed.

 

W/ #3, though...she sees big bro & sis in big beds & slips over into them when no one's looking. So...she's adopted bigger beds since...1 or 2ish. LOL

[jenniferlee]

We got a bed from ikea that is bigger than toddler but much smaller than twin. We put my dd into that when she outgrew the toddler bed at 5yo. She's still in it at almost 9 - probably will need a twin in the next year sometime. But i've loved it - takes up a LOT less room than the twin! I guess it wouldn't have mattered as much if we didn't have more kids, but I have 2 more behind her that will be able to use it.

 

Jen