Toddler bed or Twin for a 2 year old?

Tima - posted on 01/06/2009

We made a huge deal about Daddy "making" the big boy bed. And getting big boy sheets. Then we let him chose which one he wanted to sleep in for about 2 weeks. He mostly picked the crib. One night he peed in the crib and I stripped the sheets. I left them off and told him that he couldn't sleep in the crib because there weren't any covers. He never asked to sleep there again.

Only problem with this is that he's getting almost too big for his toddler bed now. He was so small for his age when we chose that and then he hit a growth spurt. So now his little sister is in the crib and we are looking at twin size beds. Sigh! Kids can keep you guessing.

Jenny - posted on 01/05/2009

I'd skip the toddler bed and start with twin mattresses on the floor. That's what we did with our daughter at about 19 months. She rolled out once or twice in the first week, but wasn't hurt at all, just a little confused in her sleepy state! After a few months we moved the mattresses onto the real bed which is actually very high, but she's never had a problem. Of course, if you're daughter tosses and turns a lot, you could always add the railing for extra peace of mind.

Our second baby is due in February and to conserve space in a small room we're planning on transitioning them both to bunk beds when he outgrows the crib.

Shaunna - posted on 01/02/2009

Our 18 month old daughter sleeps on a low futon -- about 7 inches off the ground. She loves is. We didn't buy a toddler bed, simply because it would mean buying another bed in the next few years... seemed like a bit of a waste to us. We got ours a WalMart -- just a full-sized futon, that sits low to the ground. Eileen loves to run up to it and sort of lean onto it and roll... that's how she gets in bed. It sounds weird... but it's really cute.

Jennifer - posted on 01/01/2009

Our crib converts into a toddler bed but we haven't had a chance to do so. DS went into a twin bed with rails. DD is still in the crib. We have another twin we could set up but I am not sure what I will do for her yet. We'll eventually need the crib again when we move the baby out of our room.

Kristin - posted on 12/31/2008

We bought a toddler bed from Craigslist for our 2 year old son and used his existing crib mattress in it. he did fine with it but crib mattresses are uncomfortable (or the one we had sure was!) we moved him to a full sized bed and put on a safety railing and he loved it! We made sure he felt really important that he is getting "new big boy bed" so he felt like kind of the castle in it. I had SOOOO much anxiety about wether or not he would stay in it or fall out or the like, but we tucked big ole spongebob next to him and he didnt' budge ;)_ I'd save the expense if I were you and go straight to a twin or full size!!!!

Jennifer - posted on 12/31/2008

I have two boys ages 31 mos. and 15 1/2 mos. They are both in toddler beds. We just put our youngest in a bed at Christmas and our oldest got his around 20 mos. Both are average size for their age and the beds are PLENTY big enough. They like the freedom of getting in and out by themselves and I don't worry about them falling out. They share a room and often sit on their beds to read books and play with toys. I'm due again in March and it is easier to change the toddler bed sheets than a twin. Also the beds don't take up much room, they have plenty of floor space to play!

Elsa - posted on 12/30/2008

My daughter will be 2 in May, and my 3rd will arrive during that time. I plan on keeping my daughter in the crib while the baby is still in the basinette. Then, I will move my daughter into another room which already has a queen sized bed in it. Guess she will be the princess. lol.

When my daughter was too big for the basinette, I was still not ready to move my son out of the crib, so I had her sleep in the playpen for a few months. When my son turned 2 and daughter was 7 months, I moved him straight into a twin sized bed. I didn't want to spend any money on another crib mattress. If my son didn't take to the bed, I was going to just place the twin sized mattress directly on the floor-- but that was never a problem, he loved his new bed!

Tanya Bauer - posted on 12/30/2008

our little girl will be 2 in March with a 2nd due in March. I would say go with a toddler bed. Our little girl is on the smaller side also and has trouble climbing into it. At least when your 2nd is ready for a bed you can more your youngest to the toddler bed and the oldest to a twin. At least if she falls out of a toddler bed it's only about a 6 inch drop, that's not enough to get hurt if there is a rug there. We got ours at Walmart and it was only about $60, which isn't bad and it's really nice looking. Make the switch to the new bed, whichever you decide early enough as she might have trouble adjusting even if you don't think she will. Our little girl who I used to be able to lie down awake for her nap now needs me to stay with her until she falls asleep. We've only had the bed for a week so I know it's all part of the transition. The best part is the toddler bed uses the crib mattress, so at least you don't have to buy another mattress until May. Good luck which ever you decide.