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I am curious to hear what readers suggest as I too have this problem. I sometimes wonder if I couldn't have just went from co-sleeper to twin mattress on the floor and not wast the money (or resources) on a crib! Right now I have a crib that turns into a toddler bed which I guess will work since we already have it.

Grace -what about getting a little step stool in order for your son to reach his higher bed?

we pulled our daughter's crib mattress onto a quilt on her bedroom floor. a couple of months later we went to a twin size mattress on the floor and then finally bought a twin (IKEA) frame when we got her night-waking (ahem.. sleeping) under control.

I got lucky and the "Grandma" made my son a toddler bed. It cost a total of $30 including wood and paint. She got the plans online. it looks great and it fits the crib mattress, so Not to big in his room full of toys.

I just think kids have to much furniture/ toys and need a place to play. (out of the living room) So a Twin would not work for us.

Put the crib mattress on the floor next to the twin bed. It will provide a cushion if the toddler falls, and it slides under the bed to hide during the day.

Use just a mattress instead of a mattress-and-boxspring, which can be too tall for your toddler. You can always add a boxspring when the child is older.

My son went right from his crib to the bottom bunk of bunk beds (obviously) at around 18 months in order to help make room for a new brother on the way (I didn't want him to feel like the baby was 'stealing' his bed, so we put the crib away for a while until the baby needed it). It worked out great for us. We put up an extra long guardrail, which almost made it seem like an extra large crib. He had a little trouble at first climbing into the bed, but you'd be surprised how quickly a kid will get the hang new things like that if they're just given the chance to try it supervised a few times.

We went right to a twin from the crib and are really happy we did it this way. We got a platform frame with a natural cotton futon-style mattress, so including the mattress B is only about 15-18 inches off the floor. We got a long bed-rail for safety and it is working out great. B was THRILLED to have his own bed and he is more comfortable than he ever was in the crib (ergo he is sleeping better). We got both the frame and the mattress at White Lotus (whitelotus.net on recommendation from another post on AT) and I am really happy with everything. We got the Freeport bedframe and it is lovely and simple and was easy to put together.

My thinking is that it seems a bit silly to buy a toddler bed. If you have the kind of crib that converts, then it makes sense. But to purchase a whole new piece only for a short time doesn't make a lot of sense to me. On the other hand, you can get them pretty cheaply, so it's not too outrageous.

We moved our son out of his crib six months ago at age 2 and into the Ikea Kura bed. It's a twin-size bed and is flippable, so when he's older, it will become a loft bed for him (but only about 4 feet high). With the mattress near the floor, it's only about a foot off the ground. Our son fell out twice in the first two weeks we had it but hasn't since. And one day years from now our next child (due in two months!) will be on its own mattress on the floor under the loft.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10123996

And don't forget the chalkboard paint hack!

We went from crib to mattress and box springs on the floor. Our daughter is a heavy sleeper and rarely moves in the night, so she adjusted quickly and we added the bedframe. I've never understood the appeal of a toddler bed, aside from having a smaller footprint within a room. Even more than a crib (which we received as a gift and used for 3 years), it seems like a waste of money.

We face a similiar issue soon. I know I read somewhere that are reasons for keeping a child in a crib as long as possible, even if they can get out. Can someone remind me?

"I know I read somewhere that are reasons for keeping a child in a crib as long as possible, even if they can get out."

We kept our guy in the crib till he was a few months shy of his third birthday. He wasn't a climber, though. The upside seems to be that, even though he's now in a real bed (the bottom bunk of his bunkbeds), he seems to perceive an invisible fence around the bed and doesn't get out and wander around on his own. Thank god.

I haven't tried the IKEA toddler bed, although it looks interesting. I have done both other options though - doing a toddler bed first or putting them directly into a twin bed (I have 5 kids). The toddler bed seems like a bit of a waste to me. My kids grew out of the toddler bed way to quickly. Plus, they move around quite a bit and the toddler bed didn't provide enough room for them to move around, which would end up waking them up at night. Maybe that's just my kids' problem, but there's my 2 cents.

We went with a toddler bed mainly to save room, as the room my daughter was going into was not large to begin with. With the toddler bed, we were able to fit more stuff in and still give her a nice little space to sit on the rug and read or play or whatever.

we went from crib to toddler bed at age 2, only because i got one for free from my sis (my nephew's hand-me-down). it ended up being a really nice transition and we were able to move her into a loft bed at age 4. it's an ikea adjustable bunk (that they don't sell anymore) with only the top bunk, set at the lowest level. This allowed her to have a "lounge" underneath her bed, which she still loves (at 8.5).

im dealing with a somewhat different situation in my house.. my son is suck solid on nursing to sleep, in our bed, at 17 months. he will have nothing to do with his crib. although, we do have it lined up next to our bed converted to a toddler bed in hopes that hell eventually get use to sleeping there. of course, the first issue isnt that he wont sleep in his own bed, but that he wakes up several times a night and cant put himself back to sleep. if anyones got some tips or just wants to share what youve been through with your own kids, id LOVE to hear em! thanks.

as for which of the two beds id pick.. twin or double just makes sense, unless youve already got a convertable crib. just put the mattress on the floor till hes able to sleep without falling off. for that matter, you could just put your crib mattress on the floor as well...?

"I know I read somewhere that are reasons for keeping a child in a crib as long as possible, even if they can get out. Can someone remind me?"

No, if a child can get out on his own, there's really no difference between a crib and a toddler bed.

Parents like to use the crib as long as safely possible because transitioning to a bed can be hard. The tot realizes, "Oh neat, I can get up whenever I want." You have to turn the whole room into a giant crib and childproof things that could fall over when climbed on. You have to keep putting the child back to bed. You put up a gate at the door. Etc. Etc.

We have the Vikare bed pictured above but painted white. The mattress is fine for kids because they don't weigh much. I sit and sometimes stand (to reach the curtain) on the bed and it has held up fine. We started transitioning him into it at about 18 months when we were pregnant with the next kiddo and never needed the rail that I bought to go with it, so I ended up just returning the rail. Back to the mattress, my plan is to replace the matress with a normal (thicker) twin size when he is older and the bed is fully extended. Then it will look and feel like a normal twin bed and we can add a heaboard or not. It's great because I can use regular twin sheets on the bed, extended or not, and won't have to buy new bedding. I plan on getting another one for my 7 month old in another year or so.

We bought a toddler bed that will convert to a double bed when she's older. She loves being able to get into and out of her own bed by herself (she rejected her crib nearly 6 months before she turned 2...so glad we didn't spend any money on our crib!) and I love that this will be her bed till she graduates from high school or beyond.

deeboyayay, I was in the same boat as you with my older son. He'd wake up a couple of times a night and needed to be nursed back to sleep (which only took a few minutes, but still). He didn't sleep through the night till he weaned himself at around 20 months. Sorry I don't have any tips, just commiseration.

We went with a convertible crib - it was one of the better purchases we made. The front of the crib removes to become a daybed, and later the front and back become a headboard & footboard for a full size mattress. At 18 months the front came off, and at 2 each boy moved into a twin size bed because the crib was needed for a new sibling.

I just moved my son into a twin bed two days ago, and he just turned five! We had a good 3 years with the toddler bed, which I found at a garage sale (beautiful condition) for $25. I see a lot of them on Craigslist as well.

There's also the option of starting out with a twin mattress on the floor and easing up, or finding a low twin frame platform and surrounding it with pillows.
Good luck!

We have the convertible Ikea bed and absolutely love it. My mom gave it to my now 14 year old for his 5th birthday. It was used for two children after him, and is still going strong all these years. Our 5 1/2 year old currently sleeps in it. We've never heard any complaints about comfort. In fact, I've even napped on it myself.

We had a beautiful, vintage "youth cot" which an ikea mattress fit. It is as long as a twin, but not as wide or as high. Very shortly after, we built a loft to make room for #2 and he was happy to climb a ladder to his bed; quick learner and adept climber, so the youth cot was retired after only a couple of months.

We don't have Ikea :(

We went from crib to twin bed. We bought the cheap metal frame put a bunky board (the thing you would use in bunk beds) and put the mattress on that. The bed is low like a platform bed without the platform cost.

We used a really cheap, but pretty, toddler bed, because our daughter loved it, so it made her stay in bed longer.

SKIP the toddler bed. Such a waste of money. Both my kids went from crib to twin/full with no problem. Put one side against a wall and/or add pillows or big stuffed toys on open side(s). They may fall out a few times the first few nights, but they figure things out pretty quick. It's silly to spend a lot on a crib they use 2-3yrs max only to spend more on a "mini" bed & bedding they'll outgrow quick and then to buy another bed & bedding a yr or 2 later.

I agree that going for one of the twin beds is the best thing, you can by attachments to protect your child from falling out and they have extra room for when they grow up. Simple logic.

If you didn't get a convertible crib (why not?! it's such a smart buy), definitely go straight to a twin bed. I even know of some kids who have gone straight to a queen or a double! A low-profile platform bed is best, but a higher bed with a side-rail is a good option too. Especially if there is a trundle or storage underneath.