bed or toddler bed ?

[carlito]

What's the general consensus ? Am thinking about the inevitable switch to a bed for my 2.5 year old as she has started climbing over the cot rails and am wondering if it's absolutely necessary to buy a toddler bed ? Space isn't really an issue so I just figured that she will adapt to a normal single bed if I skip the toddler bed...or am I missing something ? Also can any bed take rails ? A friend of mine has just had mattresses on the floor for both of her kids for the first year or so and swears by this.. Any opinions or experiences of this very much appreciated. thanks

[snss75]

I don't think it's absolutely necessary to buy a toddler bed, I have friends who have moved their kids straight from the cot to a single bed. You may want to get a bed frame that you can attach a bed guard on though. Alternatively, we got an extendable toddler bed which goes from toddler size (leaving only small opening in the middle for climbing in/out, no need for bed guards) to full single bed and it's been great. Our son refused to sleep in the cot when he was under 1 year old at which point we moved him to the toddler bed and extended the bed to full length when he was 3 and he was really excited about his "big boy bed". I'm sure your daughter will be fine with it as well if you decide to skip the toddler size.

[prdarling]

I got a full size sin- gle bed from Ikea, which apart from being cheap, is also very low to the ground - less than a foot. My son has come out of it twice in 18 months but stayed asleep both times as it's so low down. I fail to see the point of a toddler bed. They look hilariously small at first but grow so fast!

[trinity]

We have always gone straight to single beds at age 2 1/2. A couple of pillows on the floor for the first few nights to ease any concerns but the kids have always been fine.

[The Nappy Lady]

We also went straight to a single bed at 2.5 found daughter fast asleep on floor a couple of times in the early days I think she just slid out her sleep. You can get rails that simply fit by sliding under the mattress if you are worried, and the rail bit swings so either up to keep child in or down so hanging towards the floor, but I would try without first and see how it goes.

Oh and if you have a standard single you can always put an adult up - worth keeping old cot mattress as spare on floor for child/sleepovers etc or get a single with pull out 2nd matress for long term planning - our 5 year old is sleepover mad!

Molly

[ladywotlunches]

Our son went pretty much into a full single bed (did have the bed part of the cotbed for a while until we redecorated and didn't see the point of getting another small bed).

We got the Malm bed, from Ikea which sounds like the one prdarling has - low to the ground so not far to fall - and it also has a good 10cm wooden border round it so something hard might help them to move back to the middle if they wriggle too far :)