Toddler bed

Lesleyjking

So who is in a toddler bed now? I think we are going to convert Ks this week. My question is, how hard was it to keep your child in the bed? I envision my daughter jumping right out right when I put her in the bed.  Also, do you use a pillow on the bed?

Mrs MoJoRisin

We have been in a toddler bed for about three months now. The transition was actually pretty smooth and he does not get out of bed after being tucked in. He does also have a pillow, our old king sized one so it takes up the whole width across but is not too fluffy. Good luck!

nah82

We've been in a toddler bed since mid November because he was climbing out of the crib.  He uses a toddler sized pillow.  He stays in bed after he is tucked in most nights, although we do have those nights when he is up running to our room 3+ times a night every once in awhile.  Naptime is a different story; sometimes he completely skips his nap because I can't get him to stay in there long enough to fall asleep.

nunzchucks

namcgee said:

We've been in a toddler bed since mid November because he was climbing out of the crib.  He uses a toddler sized pillow.  He stays in bed after he is tucked in most nights, although we do have those nights when he is up running to our room 3+ times a night every once in awhile.  Naptime is a different story; sometimes he completely skips his nap because I can't get him to stay in there long enough to fall asleep.

This scares me about the transition.  Luckily, C has not climbed out of her crib.  I loooooove nap time.

lindslalala

We are going to switch DS to a twin bed within the next couple of months. Nighttime doesn't concern me too much since he's out like a light instantly and never (knock on wood) wakes up in the middle of the night. Naps scare the crap out of me though. I wish he could stay in the crib forever!

krispy83

We are planning on skipping the toddler bed and just moving DS to a twin mattress (on the floor to start, then we'll get a frame when he's a little older and doesn't move SO much at night) but I'm worried about him getting up and wandering at night.  Naps don't worry me because he sleeps pretty well, but I worry if he wakes up during the night he'll get up and play or something.  He's never attempted to climb out of his crib (knock on wood), but I'm sure he'd be able to if he tried.

He uses a pillow in his crib now.  We started it when he had a cold to keep him propped up a little, and even after he was better he wanted to sleep with it, so we never took it out.  He has a light blanket as well.

Zimger

MIL gave us a toddler bed when we moved. DS was around 12 months. It worked out well because we shared a room in the beginning. He does well and does not climb out and wander around.

At this point we have hit a bit of a bump. I think he has baby radar and is very much about wanting to sleep with us. So we have begun room sharing again and will do so until he feels more comfortable.

ETA: He has a small pillow, blanket, and his teddy bear. We also keep a Thomas the Train flashlight by his bed (which he does use).

[Deleted User]

We are keeping DS in the crib as long as possible. He has sort of tried to climb out, but hasn't been successful yet. I am not ready for him to be able to wander around while we're sleeping!

JENandJEH

rocknrollfriend said:

We are keeping DS in the crib as long as possible. He has sort of tried to climb out, but hasn't been successful yet. I am not ready for him to be able to wander around while we're sleeping!

We're in this boat.  I'm in no hurry to move him to a real bed.  He sleeps great in his crib and I don't want to mess with that.  DS1 was in his crib until he was 3y 3m and he went from taking daily 2 hour naps to falling asleep only if he was flat out exhausted at naptime the day we switched him.  I know DS2 may not do that, but knowing his personality, we're just asking for trouble if we change him over now.  I actually dread the day we have to and not because of sentimental reasons....he is a wildman and we will most likely have to remove everything from his room to keep him from "exploring".

Lesleyjking

3 yrs old? WOW- I would love that! Yeah, I am NOT looking forward to the tot bed. K will be all over the place

LuckyNumber16

Glad someone posted this because I was about to post the same thing...except I am looking for toddler bed recommendations/advice when it comes to purchasing. We have a new baby coming in August so DD will need to give up her crib (not about to pretend we can afford a new crib!) I have no idea what to look for in tws of a "toddler bed" though. Is a twin bed essentially the same thing?

nunzchucks

@luckynumber16 Our crib converts to a toddler bed. If it didn't do that, I would probably just buy a twin or full size bed and use the safety railing.

https://m.toysrus.com/skava/static/family.html?type=TRU_family_us&url=/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2256226&domain=http://www.toysrus.com

JENandJEH

A toddler bed is the same size as a crib but you basically just take one side off (many have "conversion kits" that put a little half rail up that is about a 2 feet long).  If you need your crib and are getting a new bed, I would just go straight to a twin size because the toddler bed won't last you as long.  

nah82

JENandJEH said:

If you need your crib and are getting a new bed, I would just go straight to a twin size because the toddler bed won't last you as long.  

This.  When little brother was on the way, we moved the crib into his room and moved big brother (2 at the time) into a cheapo plastic toddler bed ONLY because my cousin handed one down to us and the mattress for it for free.  I got rid of the thing shortly and we moved my childhood twin bed and mattress into his room.  The crib was convertible, so we just took off the side and little brother has his "toddler bed" now.

They sell character toddler beds for around $50 at Kmart/Walmart, but you have to use crib mattresses on them, so you would be forking out for the bed plus a second crib mattress, and only use them for about a year or so.  I know other people who just got a twin mattress and put it on the floor for their toddler so no rails even necessary and it gives you a little extra time to get the bed frame.

Lesleyjking

Okay so we converted into the bed- no issues with her climbing out! Only thing is the blankets never stay on her, and this am she must of fallen out at some point as I found her curled up on the floor next to her bed shivering with her love. Poor girl:/

nunzchucks

@lesleyjking Interesting about the blankets! Maybe we will wait to transition until it is warmer. How are naps?

Lesleyjking

Naps were going well until this week. She now runs out turn back into her bed- so skipping naps and proceeding to meltdown all day from exhaustion. Weeee! Fun fun:/