Toddler bed versus regular bed

amother

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 11:05 am

18 month old is ready for a bed. Would you get a toddler bed, or regular bed with bars? What are the pros and cons? Any other recommendations appreciated as well.

amother

Hyacinth

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 11:08 am

I have a floor bed. I love it but it's not for everyone. I've had it since baby was 10 months.

Ema of 5

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 11:39 am

amother OP wrote:

18 month old is ready for a bed. Would you get a toddler bed, or regular bed with bars? What are the pros and cons? Any other recommendations appreciated as well.

I have never used a toddler bed, and don’t plan to when my baby’s is ready for a bed either. I think it’s a waste.

amother

Blushpink

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 11:41 am

All my kids were in a cot that converted into a toddler bed.

Around age 4 + they moved into regialr bed.
( but then, none of mine managed to climb out their cots)

Whats a floor bed?

amother

Hyacinth

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 12:40 pm

Ema of 5 wrote:

I have never used a toddler bed, and don’t plan to when my baby’s is ready for a bed either. I think it’s a waste.

Depends on your set up. We live in Israel with small apartments. You can keep a kid depending on the size in a toddler bed until 4 even. Takes up less space than a full bed.

happy chick

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 12:44 pm

amother OP wrote:

Mine tried climbing out of the crib today.

That's not a reason to move your kid to a bed.
Until your child is toilet trained at night, there's no reason for a bed. If you need the crib and have space, get a full size bed.

I have an almost 4 yr old still in a crib and a 5 yr old in a crib-turned-toddler bed.

amother

Royalblue

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 1:43 pm

We got a toddler bed and I was really glad. My toddler was too little to climb in and out of an adult size bed safely in the dark (or even in the light) - she couldn't reliably climb into bed in general. I wasn't worried so much about her falling out while sleeping because the bar protects against that, but I wanted her to not fall while getting in and out or not get stuck in the bed because she can't get down or get stuck on the floor because she can't climb up to her bed.

I would say this is the main reason we got a toddler bed.

In addition it is smaller and cozier, our daughter slept better in a smaller space (in a big bed, she would curl up on her pillow to get cozy enough to sleep, the bed was just too big and bare).

Ema of 5

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 1:44 pm

amother Hyacinth wrote:

Depends on your set up. We live in Israel with small apartments. You can keep a kid depending on the size in a toddler bed until 4 even. Takes up less space than a full bed.

Even in a small apartment I never used a toddler bed, I find it’s just a waste of money. We had beds in our guest room, and when my oldest, the only one to live in that apartment, was ready to be out of the crib, I just moved him to the bed, with a rail. My others also went straight into beds.

Ema of 5

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 1:45 pm

happy chick wrote:

A child who can climb out of a crib can badly injure themself.

shabbatiscoming

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 1:49 pm

amother Hyacinth wrote:

Depends on your set up. We live in Israel with small apartments. You can keep a kid depending on the size in a toddler bed until 4 even. Takes up less space than a full bed.

But to me its just a wasted expense. A regular bed will have to be bought at some point. So why an added peice of furniture that wont have use for all that long?

Ema of 5

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 1:50 pm

shabbatiscoming wrote:

But to me its just a wasted expense. A regular bed will have to be bought at some point. So why an added peice of furniture that wont have use for all that long?

And if you get a regular bed, you also have an extra bed if you ever need to move kids around a little.

amother

Copper

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 1:54 pm

I moved my kids out of their crib around that age. For one I used a toddler bed and for one a twin mattress on the floor.

True a toddler bed is an “extra” piece of furniture but at such a young age I found they appreciated the protective bars and smaller space. Most 18 month olds or even two year olds can’t climb onto a regular bed by themselves. You can get good wood toddler beds for less than $100 on Amazon, and use it for all your kids. It uses a regular crib mattress which you already have.

amother

Whitewash

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 1:56 pm

Toddler beds are really inexpensive and save on a lot of space for a few years. If space is NOT a constraint I'd skip it as well but for someone that needed the space, having a toddler bed for a few years (and then passing it on to the next kids) was extremely helpful. I have a bunch of kids about 18 months or so apart so we got a lot of use out of ours and gave it away once our youngest outgrew it. I bought it secondhand for under $50 (even new ones are under $100) so it was well worth the money.

amother

Dahlia

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 2:09 pm

shabbatiscoming wrote:

But to me its just a wasted expense. A regular bed will have to be bought at some point. So why an added peice of furniture that wont have use for all that long?

A toddler bed can be used for 2-3 years depending on the size of the kid. That’s a long time if the alternative is not ideal. Think pushing off moving a kid up to the attic or to the basement because they’re still too young or having to use ehats currently a dedicated guest room as regular sleeping space for your kids or buying another bunk bed and having to deal with who sleeps on the top or giving time to do construction in the house.

amother

Arcticblue

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 2:23 pm

I found our toddler bed worthwhile. My tallish kids fit until age 6, less chance of kid getting hurt while climbing out, & way easier to change in case of potty accidents.

I know you didn't ask but I wouldn't change an 18 month old out just yet. They need a level of maturity to understand the concept of staying in bed. You can say good bye to any naps for sure.

amother

Dodgerblue

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 2:33 pm

The main reason for why I would get a toddler bed is for space reasons. My oldest dc, we bought a toddler bed because our apartment was tiny and we needed to fit a crib and bed into the second bedroom.
Once we moved to our house, we never bothered with a toddler bed again. We had a full sized bed where one side was against a wall and the other had a rail/guard. My kids never had any issues climbing in or out of bed.
Does your crib convert? For my next baby I'm thinking to get a crib that converts to a bed. So once they are at the climbing out stage, then I can just take off the side and it's inbetween.

Moonlight

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 2:35 pm

happy chick wrote:

My pediatrician says 36 inches height OR ability to climb out, must switch out of crib for safety reasons

amother

Copper

Sun, Nov 12 2023, 2:37 pm

amother Arcticblue wrote:

I know you didn't ask but I wouldn't change an 18 month old out just yet. They need a level of maturity to understand the concept of staying in bed. You can say good bye to any naps for sure.

I found the opposite. The younger I switched my kids the easier transition they had. An older toddler who already knows how to “make trouble” will keep coming out every 5 minutes while most 18 month olds rarely will (I’ve seen this play out many times).

If the only way you got your toddlers to nap was by sticking them in a crib they couldn’t climb out of till they fell asleep then you had bigger issues. My kids all napped in toddler beds because they were tired. Not because they were jailed bored in a crib.