Does this come in an extra-large? We loved this toddler bed when we saw it on Dooce, and wondered if we could find something similiar but in a twin size bed, for older children.
We see so many uses for that bench at the end - as a place for all of one's stuffed animals, a cozy seat for two to read together, a handy spot to lay out the next day's clothing, etc. At $199.00, this toddler bed is a great deal. Surely, there must be a similiar twin bed out there?
I have just lived through this phase of toddlerhood.
I scoured online for a cool platform bed for months (that I could stomach paying the price for) and ended up so frustrated that I just borrowed one from a friend. I was glad because my son was out of it three months after we started using it.
And of course thus began the search for a cool twin platform bed. I decided to save the $700 and ended up getting a hand-me-down twin that I spray painted a crazy shade of blue. The bonus is that we can change the color on a whim and if it gets scratched or ends up with Thomas the Tank Engine stickers all over it, no big deal.
Can anyone tell me how long a child typically stays in a toddler bed? Is it better to just go straight to a low twin? My daughter's not a big kid and if she's like me, she will stay relatively (though still average for) small, so if it's a size/weight issue, I don't want her stuck in her convertable crib having dreams of a cool bed forever!
I also need help with this issue. I have been trying to decide whether to go to the toddler bed or straight to the twin? I am leaning towards the twin bed as my son is very large for his age.
In all of my info scavenging, one good alternative I saw was to put the twin mattress on the floor. That's route I'd go if I had to do it again. He loved the toddler bed but he was only in it 3 months. He would have loved a twin mattress on the floor just as much.
I have a toddler bed for my 3 year old but it is a space issue more than anything else. if Ihad the space I would go with a twin. My sis-in-law put both her kids directly into double beds. Again it is more about the space in the room.
Thanks for the advice. I also thought about a double or a queen bed for my son. It would be nice to have a larger bed because we could use it for a guest room if we needed and he could sleep with us while they were in town. I think I will skip the toddler bed.
Toddler beds are a waste of space and money! Get a twin bed. Better yet, just get a twin mattress. Put the mattress on the floor. That way they can learn to sleep in a big bed (useful for if you travel) but if they fall off there is no danger. Then later on if you want to, you can buy the box spring and slip it underneath. The other good thing about a twin mattress on the floor is they can jump on it without danger of injury. With my first kid I was so afraid I only got him a twin aerobed (but he and his sister jumped on it too much and after a year it developed a small leak). That was a really good cheap solution and he liked being able to inflate it. Now he has a regular bed and we save the aerobed for guests. (The leak is slow, it takes about 3 days to deflate and makes it through one night for guests just fine.)
Daddytypes was making some cool bed for his girl, similar (probably, can't find the link right now) to the twin shown. It all slotted together. We could all gang up on him and insist that he start marketing it ;0
As a parent who has been there, done that, and is about to do it again, I agree with Kim. Toddler beds are like dry clean only baby clothes-expensive and useful only for a short term. We used a hand-me-down twin with the box spring removed and bought a small removeable rail, which was used for about 2 months. After the first child turned 3, we added the box spring.
Now faced with the second child outgrowing the crib, I'll do the same. If your child can crawl in and out of chairs and couches, they can handle the height of a twin bed. My youngest has no problem finding a way to crawl up onto my high, pillow-topped bed, so I think he'll handle the twin fine.
My 27 mos old just moved a twin bed. We used the trundle bed from one of our guest rooms for her. No rail is needed since it's low.
Ditto on the toddler bed. Don't do it! But, I'm still looking for that nice, but not too, too expensive twin bed. I've been lusting after that $990 version, too. Any more ideas?
Kim
I know I'm way late to this thread, but I just thought I'd share something that we are considering as a crib-to-bed transition for our daughter. It's this beautiful neoclassical daybed with a trundle from Ballard Designs - http://www.ballarddesigns.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=1046 . We're not big on most of the things that are marketed as children's furniture, and this piece really fit in with the aesthetic of the rest of our apartment. We think the weathered white finish will look great in our daughter's room, and will transition later on as a piece in a guest room or whatever. Oh yeah, it's not cheap, but it is what it is.
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