Extending Toddler Beds

[nunheadmum]

Has anyone tried the Ikea extending beds? Are there any issues with them? We're thinking in particular of the metal one Minnen - not sure if it'll just be squeaky.

It just seems a little strange to me that Ikea are the only ones to do them. If it is such a good idea, why don't others do it?

We're swithering about our options so any past experience would be welcome.

[clux]

I liked the idea of an extending bed, until my husband pointed out that it means you have to buy different sized mattresses and then find somewhere in our already too crowded house to keep them!

With daughter number 1 we bought a john lewis toddler bed, which we were really really happy with and is still under her current bunk bed as I can't bring myself to sell it yet! Daughter number 2 went straight from her cot to the bottom bunk bed.

[nunheadmum]

I thought the Ikea ones come with a mattress which extends with the bed?

I got a toddler bed for no 1 but need an option for no 2 and can't fit a full single in the room they currently share but not ready to decamp them to the bigger back room just yet (as hubby works there & has other problems). I don't want to get ANOTHER toddler bed for no 2 when no 1 will grow out of hers soon so thought an extending one would buy us some time till hopefully they're both a bit bigger and can see going to the back room as escaping the parents rather than feeling like they're being banished. And by then no1 will probably want to have more say in what we get.

Dreading giving no2 the freedom of a bed though.....I just know she'll give us so much more grief than no1 did!

[clux]

God,that will teach me not to listen to a word my husband says! I just believed him without even questioning it!! What a wally!!

[nunheadmum]

Don't beat yourself up - given all the things we have to get our heads around, sometimes I just want someone else to make the decision for me. Even if it's the wrong one, it's nice when someone else makes it!

[Aisling]

Hi. My daughter has the minnen bed. Its really good and not at all squeaky, as it has wooden slats. I've had it for a couple of years now and just reccently had to extend it as she's six now and has grown loads in the last few months. There is one big mattress bit and two smaller sections that you add as you extend the bed. I've just stored these under the bed. The mattress is really comfy too. It is ideal for girls as it looks very pretty and my daughter calls it her princess bed.

I think its a good investment as it will last for years.

[snss75]

Our son has the minnen bed, as do a son of a friend of ours, and as Aisling says they are very good and not at all squeaky. We've both had ours for about 4 years now. My son was under a year old when we moved him into this bed and he's loved it ever since (he refused to sleep in the cot after 10 months...) I think minnen works just as well for boys as it does for girls :)) We started off with the 3 piece mattress as well but as we extended the bed to its full length (not because it was necessary yet for a 4 year old but because we wanted to) we bought a nice thick Ikea sprung mattress for it and now it's comfier than ever! Definitely good value for money!

[Aisling]

Sorry, I'm sure its great for boys too:-$ My little princess has a white one and has decorated it with pink fluffly fairy lights, so it looks very much like a little princess bed!

[nunheadmum]

Thanks for the feedback. Got it just in time yesterday to convince my hubby that we should get the Minnen. Looking forward to seeing DD's face when she sees it at the weekend.

Not looking forward to trying to get DD2 to stay in her 'new' big bed tho! She'll love having a bed - and the fact she can get out it, I suspect!