Toddler Bed v Twin

Updated on June 26, 2011
K.B. asks from Southlake, TX
25 answers

Looking to move my 32 lb 2.5 year old from her crib to a big girl bed.

Is it worth the hassle and money to buy a toddler bed prior to a full size twin, or should we skip the toddler bed and so straight for the twin?

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

So What Happened?

Thank you for the overwhelming feedback on 'go twin!' I was leaning toddler but ya'll changed my mind. We'll go straight to the twin. Thank you!

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

P.G.

answers from Dallas on

Twin - that way you can lie down with them to read, or even fall asleep with them if they're having a bad night.

3 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.H.

answers from Norfolk on

Both of my boys went from a crib to a twin bed at around 18 months cause they kept crawling out of the crib. We bought a side rail for the bed to keep them from falling out and they did fine. Now my daughter has one of those convertable cribs so she will just take her side railing off and then when she gets too big for that mattress we will back a full size bed but if she had just a regular crib we would do the same thing we did with the boys and buy her a twin bed.

3 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.K.

answers from Appleton on

I never used a toddler bed. get the twin and put one side against the wall and a side rail for the open side. She won't fall out as easily.

2 moms found this helpful

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

We went right to a twin bed at 14 months. We just put the mattress on the floor until we were sure she wasn't going to roll out.

3 moms found this helpful

A.C.

answers from Wichita on

.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

100% without a doubt get a twin with a rail. Our toddler bed was a HUGE waste of money!!! My boys liked the twin much better too and didn't get out like they did with the toddler bed.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.M.

answers from Miami on

Go for the twin. This is from someone with an almost 3 year old who's currently in a toddler bed. We are moving him to a twin in about a week and I can't wait! If you think you'll ever lie down with your child to put her to sleep, read her a story, or put her back to bed when she wakes up in the middle of the night, you will appreciate the room! If you buy a bedrail for the bed, she should be fine. They work great. Not to mention that a twin mattress is much more comfortable than a toddler /crib one. My daughter was a year and half when we moved her to a toddler bed. We did it because she seemed small and because we didn't want to spend a lot of money on a bed. So when we switched my son over, we used her old toddler bed since we had it. We can hear him in his room flopping around and bumping into the wall. I think he will appreciate the room and I will appreciate a more comfortable spot to lay down with him when he wakes up at night.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.W.

answers from New York on

No just go to a twin. If your crib transitioned into a toddler bed, like mine did, then I would say go for that before the twin. But certainly don't buy a toddler bed. My son was in his toddler bed for maybe 8-9 months. he could have stayed in it longer, but when we moved him into the twin he did just fine. you can get a side rail for the twin so she won't fall out.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.J.

answers from Lincoln on

I'm with a lot of the other posts on go straight to the twin if you are purchasing one. I did the same and put the mattress on the floor until I was sure that he wouldn't roll out. Later I invested in the bed base. I was also sure not to get a cartoonish type of bed so that he won't mature out later. It's just a wooden bed frame. :-)

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.M.

answers from Topeka on

Personally I Would go to a twin bed...or a full sized bed if that is what you think she will want as she gets older. A good bed can last for YEARS...so get what she is going to be comfortable in for a long time. If you are worried about the height of the bed from the floor ....skip the bed frame and put the box springs and mattress right on the floor for now...that way when she rolls off the bed or clamors out of bed in the middle of the night, she doesn't have that far to go to get to the floor!!!

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

G.Y.

answers from Springfield on

Twin! No reason to waste your money (unless your crib converts). We were nervous about how high up our bedframe was, so we put the mattress and box springs directly on the floor. He only fell out once or twice, and didn't even wake up! We left it that way for more than a year, even though we didn't need to.

We transitioned both our boys around 18 months, so really it was a good decision for us.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.F.

answers from Norfolk on

My 2 went straight to a twin bed. We set it on the floor till we knew they wouldn't roll out of it. We didn't want to have to deal with the rails for the twin beds b/c our second son was (and still is a climber). :)

2 moms found this helpful

L.M.

answers from Kansas City on

I vote for a twin. You can lay down with them, tell them stories and cuddle. You will have to replace that $80+ toddler bed soon anyway for a twin.. why even bother.

Put only the mattress on the floor for a month or so to see how she handles it. Keep the crib, for those nights she gets scared or refuses to sleep in the twin.

Once she is used to the bed, remove the crib and move in the bed base. Get those guard rails to keep baby from falling out until she is used to it. Put a stepping stool next to the bed so she can get on and off easily on her own.

good luck

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

H.K.

answers from Dallas on

I have the PERFECT solution, because I just had this same problem. Go to IKEA... they have a transition "Grow with me bed!" You buy a matress that has three parts with the bed frame. It starts as a toddler bed, then you can adjust the frame to size B and add on the 2 piece of the matress to become a large toddler bed. Step 3 is an additional and last piece of the matress and adjust the bedframe to size C (Twin Bed Size). It's perfect!
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S39827962
Good luck and happy shopping!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.H.

answers from Dallas on

Probably depends on your child (and budget - I didn't want to buy another piece of furniture that would be used for such a short time)- but we skipped the toddler bed and went straight to full size twin. My daughter was 27 months when she moved into the bed. We put a railing and never had a problem. It may have helped keep her in bed too. Those toddler beds are too easy to get in and out of! Our daughter never got out of bed. In fact she was nearly 4 before she'd get up in the morning without us coming to tell her it was ok!!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.M.

answers from Dallas on

I wouldn't waste money on a toddler bed. If you are worried, you can always put up a rail on the twin bed. All of my kids went from crib to either a twin bed or one went straight to a queen sized bed!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Your child is no longer a toddler go with the correct size bed, the twin or larger.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.M.

answers from Dallas on

No need for a toddler bed.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.C.

answers from Providence on

I think a toddler bed is a nice transition, and a little safer in the beginning. you use your crib mattress, and look on craig's list or a yard sale for a used one, since they aren't used very long. My daughter loves her bed. I would be afraid she could hurt herself falling out of a twin. I guess it depends on how big your child is.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

toddler beds are a waste of money unless your crib converts into one. Ours did, or we never would have had one. If you're worried about her falling out, get a removable rail or just put the mattress on the floor for awhile.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.M.

answers from Kansas City on

I didn't bother with a toddler bed. They are just too small--and my kids are on the small size. I would just go for the twin!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.P.

answers from Dallas on

Go straight for the twin. So much easier and you get to skip another transition time.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Go to a twin with rails when she's 3, unless she's climbing out, then go to the twin with rails now.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.J.

answers from Boston on

We got a twin bed for my daughter and just put a railing up. She is doing great with it. Skip the toddler bed, not worth the hassle and money!

K.L.

answers from Redding on

We are looking forward to the cute toddler bed we bought a few months ago. it was only $25 and has princesses on it. Shes gonna love it when her room is all redone. Her crib could have been a toddler bed and then double bed head board but mommy sold it to someone else just to get it out of the way while a room mate moved in for a while. Now that room mate is leaving, grand daughter getrs her room back all done up cute in princesses. The room is tiny, maybe 9x9, so as long as they can hold off on a bigger bed the better. And we dont need to buy a new mattress since we have a crib one to fit for now.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions