One of the enduring debates among our readers is whether to transition a child from their crib to a toddler-size bed or go straight to a twin bed (or bigger). It's a decision most parents will make at one time or another and there are a multitude of competing factors to consider. This debate has come up time and again on Apartment Therapy with hundreds of comments on the topic. To make your decision easier, I've distilled this reader feedback into the primary pros and cons for each course of action.
If your crib converts to a toddler bed (as many these days do), that seems to be the first post-crib choice of many parents. But if yours doesn't, you don't have a crib or you now need the crib for a second child, you will probably be deciding between using a toddler bed (typically in the 50" - 60" inch range) or a twin bed (typically around 80").
Let's look at some of the reasons some parents like toddler beds, starting with perhaps the best argument in favor of toddler beds: their small size. Many parents choose them because they
• fit in smaller rooms
• leave more floorspace for play
I was inclined to skip the toddler bed altogether until we moved into our current (amazing in every other way) apartment. The nursery is so, so, so small. And now with baby #2 on the way, there is no way we could fit a twin bed and a crib in there. Heck, even the toddler bed will be a squeeze.
We debated for a long time, and ultimately went with toddler beds, for which I am so grateful, because we've since moved twice, and neither place would have fit multiple twin beds.
I have a toddler bed for my 3-year-old but it is a space issue more than anything else. If I had 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.
My daughter has been sleeping in the Ikea Vikare (a toddler bed that can be extended to a narrow full-length bed) for two years now. She's four and I expect we won't have to extend it for another year or so. The toddler size beds allow for some much needed play space in their tiny room.
We lived in a really small apt, so keeping my son in a toddler bed freed up some space in that room for me to have some office space. It was safe and sturdy, and I paid $8 for it second-hand. He slept on it for 2 1/2 years.
I love having my kids in toddler beds because it makes it much easier to fit everything they need into a shared room. I can see plenty of reasons why a toddler bed is worth the money even if you could move straight from crib to twin bed.
I got lucky and "Grandma" made my son a toddler bed. It looks great and it fits the crib mattress and is not too big in his room full of toys.
I just think kids have too much furniture/toys and need a place to play (out of the living room). So a twin would not work for us.
With the toddler bed, we were able to fit more stuff in and still give my daughter a nice little space to sit on the rug and read or play or whatever.
I got a toddler bed off Craigslist for around 20 bucks, and we love it! The smaller size is something I want to take advantage of until my son doesn't fit. His room is not exactly small, but the smaller bed leaves a lot more room for play.
A must have? No, but a great idea for those who don't have a ton of extra space.
Another reason some parents opt for small toddler-size beds is they feel they are more cozy for young children and potentially easier to transition to from a crib.
I don't regret buying a toddler bed. My daughter finally moved into it at 2.5 and she loves it because the sides are high and she feels safe.
We actually went ahead and bought a toddler bed...The biggest consideration is HOW your child sleeps - my son loves to be surrounded - he wanted the rails all around and sleeps comfortably that way. Just putting a small temporary rail on a big bed was not the answer. This was.
Guess we're in the minority...we have a toddler bed and really, really like it. We were in a very small space when our first child outgrew his crib, so we bought [a toddler bed] and it worked very well with our space limitations. Our son slept in it from age 2 to 4.5 -- easy to get in and out of, no rolling out or falling, and a cozy feel.
My almost 4-year-old sleeps in a crib sized toddler bed and loves the coziness of it. I like that it is low since she has fallen out of it even with sides that come half way down the side of the bed. She is a VERY active sleeper
One parent noted that she thought changing the bedding of a toddler bed was easier and she could continue to use her crib bedding:
We went back and forth on the toddler bed thing and ended up getting one for our son...the toddler bed has been great because it is sooo much easier to change the sheet and mattress pad on a small little toddler bed than a twin bed. Our son has been pretty good at potty training and we'll go weeks without an accident then have 2 back to back. In a 3:00 am stupor it's a lot less stress to have a quick bed change. Our son was really attached to his crib bedding and it had a lot of good use left in it. So the toddler bed allowed us to maximize that purchase.
Another parent has an aversion to twin beds and used a toddler bed as a transition to a full-size bed:
We decided to go with a toddler bed and hopefully skip the twin bed! I absolutely hate twin beds. (They're more expensive than toddler beds and we'd have to buy a mattress and boxspring)! We have a mattress for the toddler bed and we bought the toddler bed used. So hopefully when my little guy grows out of this bed we can put him in a full bed (which we already have)...and he can use the full bed until he's an adult. And our second son can also use the toddler bed when he's ready.
In many different posts over the years, many, many readers took strong stances against toddler beds and argued to skip the toddler bed and go straight to a twin. Some of their arguments were:
• financial - toddler beds are a waste of money
• longevity - toddler beds are used for too short of a time
• comfort - kids will sleep better in bigger beds
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 removable rail, which was used for about 2 months. After the first child turned 3, we added the box spring.
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 2-3 years max only to spend more on a "mini" bed & bedding they'll outgrow quick and then to buy another bed & bedding a year or two later.
[Toddler beds are] totally unnecessary. Go straight to a twin bed you can ship them off to college with.
We went straight to the twin bed with a rail when my daughter was 20 months. It took about a week to convince her it was awesome but ever since she loves her bed and does just great in it. I think the toddler bed is unnecessary and am glad we went straight to the twin bed.
Completely and totally unnecessary piece of furniture. It does not make sense to me to go from crib, to crib mattress on frame (aka toddler bed.) A twin sized bed is not too big, I repeat, not too big, nor too high for a 2-year-old who is transitioning out of his crib (or out of your bed.)
To each their own, and I generally try not to pass judgement, but for the most part toddler beds just seem like a stop gap and given their short time span of usage almost disposable.
We went right to a twin from the crib and are really happy we did it this way...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 hesitated with a toddler bed, our little guy's very tall... and it just seemed another thing we'd be replacing in no time at all.... the twin is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Seriously. Just get a twin bed...Toddler beds are the biggest waste of money. I don't recall them existing until about 10 years ago. Totally unnecessary and just an excuse to sell you more crap you don't need.
We got a cheap toddler bed from IKEA in the hopes that we could transition him to that, and I now totally wish that we had just bought a regular twin bed or maybe even a full instead. One of us almost always ends up lying down in there with him and that dinky hard toddler mattress leaves much to be desired!
While toddler bed advocates sing the virtues of beds not taking up space in a room, twin bed devotees praise the benefits of having a big bed - and those benefits extend to parents, too: more room for sleeping (more comfortable) and room for parents during storytime or to comfort at night.
The best thing in the world is a twin bed for a three year old - they get sick and need help sleeping for a series of days, and like magic there is room for you.
If you have the space, I'd always opt for a real twin (or bigger) bed. We went from cribs to twins and our kids sleep well. Plus, no one has mentioned too that often times you want to crawl into bed with them, after a scary dream or to get them off to sleep when they're sick, etc. and you can't do that in a toddler bed.
A big bed makes a good play space, too, and one that parent and child can cuddle in together.
Depends a lot on size and temperament. My son was very large and we kept him in a toddler bed until 3. He looked like it fit. But (annoying) as soon as we switched to an adult he started sleeping SO MUCH BETTER. Clearly the old bed wasn't big enough.
I have done both options - a toddler bed first and 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 too 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.
Some notes on longevity: We asked readers last year at what age their child outgrew their toddler bed. The majority said at three years old, although the next most popular answer was five. So, it depends on the size of the bed, the size of your kid and your kid's preferences. Many parents also mentioned getting a cheap toddler bed secondhand or using them for multiple children which gave the beds an overall longer lifespan.
We just went straight to a twin in order to save money, but honestly, both my girls are still so small and they are 5 and 4. I could definitely see them being able to fit into a toddler bed until at least 6 years old.
Our 4-year-old comfortably sleeps in a toddler bed, and I anticipate she'll use it until age 5 or so. We have the Pkolino toddler bed, which converts to a youth chair, so it should have a long life in our household.
We went from crib to toddler bed at age 2, only because I got one for free from my sis. It ended up being a really nice transition and we were able to move her into a loft bed at age 4.
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.
Well my second was born just over a year after my first and I refused to buy a second crib, so my eldest went into a toddler bed as she was just too little for a single bed. All my kids since have slept in toddler beds after their time in the crib. We bought toddler beds that could turn into twin beds, which will hopefully be handy!
A common alternative for parents worried about transitioning from a crib directly to twin bed arose in many of our posts on this topic - using a mattress on the floor before using a true twin bed:
If you're thinking your kid is ready to be out of a crib, but not sure how the bed thing is going to go, try a week of crib-mattress-on-floor. If it goes well, then get a twin bed.
I agree with those who've suggested skipping the toddler bed. My daughter transitioned from crib to a double bed with no problem. We started with the mattress on the floor, then moved to box spring/mattress and finally to the set with the bedframe.
In all of my info scavenging, one good alternative I saw was to put the twin mattress on the floor. That's the 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.
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 frame when we got her night-waking (ahem.. sleeping) under control.
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.
Then again...
The decision between the twin bed and toddler bed was difficult. We finally decided on a very inexpensive toddler bed which also doubles as a chair!...A mattress on the floor just wouldn't work with a 100lb dog waiting for the right moment to claim it as his own.
Believe it or not, we have a few moderates in the crowd ;) Here's what they had to say:
I think it depends a lot on the child's sleeping style. Both my very tall kids slept in toddler beds until they were nearly 5, but they both tend to be the scrunch-in-a-ball style of sleeper -- not sprawlers unless they're in _my_ bed.
I think the "no toddler bed" argument is getting so tiresome. Everyone is different. I thought I didn't want one for my son and then the time came and I totally changed my mind. To each his own bed!
I think it really depends on the kid. My twins are in toddler beds and they love them...They are now in their own rooms, and my daughter's room is tiny, so the toddler bed doesn't take up much space and, in my opinion, looks nicer than a mattress on the floor.
There is no right answer. Just play it by ear. Different kids like different things.
To sum up, here are the pros and cons readers have given for both toddler and twin beds for young kids:
I hope this helps! Here's some recommended further reading:
• Good Questions: Montessori Floor Bed Logistics?
• Consider a floor bed
• a $20 DIY Toddler Bed (by a parent who never thought she'd have a toddler bed)
• Knox's "Yes" Room (another example of a DIY toddler bed, this one on the floor)
• Turn a Day Bed Around for a Safe Toddler Sleep Spot
(Images: 1. composite of Savannah & Isaiah's Sunny Shared Space and Ethan & Oliver's Shared Space 2. Sophie's Bright Closet Room 3. Kristin Loffer Theiss/Sayer's Big Boy Room With A Side Of Vintage 4. Tysha Carter/My Room: Sawyer & Aspen 5. Parker's Big Boy Bedroom 5. Jaime Scott/Peyton's Soothing Charmer 6. Jenica/Pastels with Pop for Magnolia & Boothe
MY ROOM 7. Kati/Penelope and Sabine's Shared "Sweet" 8. Green Eyed Monster/A DIY Upholstered Floor Bed 9. Carrie McBride)
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Nikki’s Sweet and Cheery Print Studio
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The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Stanley Console by ...
5 Things Paris Taught Me About Travel
Recipe: Ham, Cheddar & Chive Egg Bakes
A mattress on the floor can be a good idea, but really should be lifted enough to allow for airflow. If not, a mold problem can develop in no time.
This is excellent!
Now for a post with advice on transitioning a toddler to a bed (whatever kind of bed you choose) from a crib!
@Eliza good idea!
When I was a tot, my parents lowered one side of my crib and set it up next to a full bed. The crib was just a little lower than the bed, so the bed served as a guard on the opened side, but I was still able to get in and out independently to get water, use the bathroom, or show up in my parents' bed if there were monsters. I gradually transitioned over to the bed, and I don't think we had any safety issues with that setup.
Although my parents did frequently find me sitting up in the bed reading well after I was supposed to be asleep. When they pointed out that I didn't yet know how to read, I'd respond "I'm readin the pictures, mama." I think I had just decided that bed + lamp = you should really be reading.
Both my kids went from crib to full/queen-sized beds, largely because we had a full-sized already as our rarely-used guest bed, then for the younger one we got a great ($30!) deal on a never-used, returned-to-store queen-size. They love it-my eldest is very tall for his age so even at 9 years old he almost fills the bed length-wise, and my little one loves being in the center of a big plump bed...she says it makes her feel like 'the princess and the pea'.
Another vote for transitioning directly to an adult bed when you live in a small space: you can use the bed as a guest bed, even if it's a one-person bed. Children learn to give their space to guests for a day or two, and they have fun sleeping with their parents (we didn't sleep as well as usual, but that was fun anyway). We found it very useful, since we don't have a guest bedroom and our small house can't accommodate guests in the living room.
My wife and I have two kids ages two and three (yes, I know). They never liked sleeping in their toddler beds. Their bedroom was left unused at nights. They slept with us in our bed after they stopped using their cribs. We thought it would be a good idea to get them an adult bed, queen size. One of us would put them to sleep by laying next to them in their bed. They slept through the whole night with no issues. Now they refuse to take naps in anything other than their bed. They also love the extra jumping area a queen bed gives them. It worked perfectly.
I am for just transitioning the child to a twin bed. From experience with family, the crib is usually up to 12 months to 2 years of age tops - a toddler bed might make it another year (maybe two if the child is shorter)......but at that point you have to upgrade anyways.
If the room for the children is too small to fit a twin and a crib, then that just means the room is too small for two children to share. I get the whole smaller spaces are easier to take care of - but if you're cramming 3+ children into one room, get over yourself and get a bigger place (or move to a cheaper city).
I'm also with the first poster above - mattresses on the floor can seem like a wonderful idea until you get an ant problem or mold grows under the mattress.
i don't know if you can imagine this... but i didn't do either. I created a toddler bed by removing the front section from the crib, lowering it to the floor, and sliding it to one side about 2 feet. Then I zip-tied the heck out of it to keep it sturdy. Instant toddler bed. It's very safe, comfortable for him, and cost nothing (i had the zipties in the basement). I should upload a photo at some point, but it really works well for us and our little guy.
Thank you for taking the time to compile all of this feedback into one convenient source!!!
One thing I didn't see mentioned anywhere is a bed that grows with the child. Ikea has one, it's the width of a twin but starts out at crib length and as the child grows you lengthen the bedframe and add up to two extra sections of mattress at the foot end. It has all the pros of both a toddler and a twin bed, except for being big enough for an adult at the shortest configuration.
My son was not even 2 before he'd figured out how to escape his crib (an Ikea Sniglar, i.e. regular size). I turned it into a toddler bed by simply removing the sides, keeping the slats-bottom and the mattress, and adding short legs (5 cm). That took like 5 minutes, and he used the bed for another year. We've since made him a junior bed (160x70cm) by the same concept - mattress on slats on short legs. Since it's low he's not going to hurt himself by rolling out, and he can get back up by himself. (Now that he's 5 it rarely happens anymore).
I'm sure this is something I'll put off on deciding until I get around to kid-having, especially since I hope to own a home by then (or at least be out of a duplex and maybe renting a standalone home), as I'm certain the situation and the child will dictate how things go more than I could ahead of time. I suppose the only thing I could contribute to the debate is my own life experience, where I don't remember my crib one bit. We didn't have toddler beds in our house back in the early '80s either - the first thing I remember (Christmas when I was 2, a month shy of my 3rd birthday) is being on the bottom bunk of some railroad-tie bunk-beds that my grandpa made us with my big sister on top. That was a twin-sized bunk bed, and then at age 5 my parents got me the full-sized bed that I kept through the rest of my time living at home, and none of that big-bed-ness seemed to royally mess me up - I even keep to a full-sized bed to this day, despite almost everyone I know going "How can you stand that? It's too small for two people!"
Just wondering - I'm in Europe, and we have a standardized intermediate bedsize between cribs (60x120cm) and adult beds (200cm long, with varies) - junior beds (70x160cm). Does the junior bedsize not exist in the US?
Another "pro" for toddler beds that fits in the "helps with the transition" category is that for our co-sleeping boy, there was no way we were going to get him to go from our bed to his own bed in his own room. The small toddler bed fit across the foot of our bed and helped him make the transition out of co-sleeping. We wouldn't have been able to fit a twin in that spot and besides, the toddler bed matches up nicely with the height of our futon-mattress-upon-platform bed.
For Anna, yes, the toddler bed is the U.S. equivalent--our cribs are 52" long (~132 cm) while toddler beds are often 63" long (160 cm), though you'll also see some sized to take crib mattresses. We have a small kid and not much floor space in a small house, so we'll definitely go the toddler bed route! Hoping to get through kindergarten with it...
We transitioned our then 3 yr old to a twin-sized bed and it worked well. We used swim noodles under the mattress pad for awhile as bumpers to help him keep from rolling off.
Now at just-turned 6, given how fast (and tall!) he's growing, my wife insists that we should've bought him a double-sized bed instead of the twin! Seeing how quickly they outgrow the toddler-sized bed, I'm just glad we skipped right to the twin.
On a slightly different tangent, what I think is especially crazy is that 3 couples we know STILL have their daughters co-sleeping at 4 yrs old!! I'm SO glad that we resisted the urge to ever start down that path!
for parents weary of their child falling out of bed, i saw a great idea the other day (http://s565.photobucket.com/albums/ss98/RainyDay1235/?action=view¤t=noodle.jpg)...put a pool noodle under the mattress pad near the edge of the bed! that creates a slightly raised barrier to help kiddos stay in. i thought it was ingenious!
If putting the mattress on the floor is just a transition period that lasts for ~3 months or so, you should be ok with the mold problem if you remember to flip the mattress and stand it up on particularly humid days (this is assuming, of course, that you don't live in the middle of a rainforest!). I slept on just a mattress pretty much my entire college life and never had a problem. Granted, I lived in a city where snow was really the problem and we needed humidifiers in the rooms, so that may have just been climate related.
Also, I think a great bed for that transition after the matress on the floor for a while is the ikea Fjellse bed frame - it's cheap and untreated pine so you can stain/paint to your heart's content. It's also quite low to the ground. And while this is slightly annoying to me as a 5'10" tall adult that needed a cheap bed (seriously, even craigslist was expensive!) I think it would be great for a kid as if they did fall out, it would be about a foot drop to the floor.
Junior beds are not common in the US. Ikea has one or two Junior bed models but they are also the only retailer that sells mattresses for them. I won't let my kids sleep on that toxic nonesense (Ikea sells better quality matresses in Europe) so that size wouldn't work for us.
And almost all toddler beds fit a regular crib matress. The majority of toddler beds are from crib conversions. Only ikea offers other sizes.
@Artoak -- thanks, I was wondering how big/small a toddler bed was exactly. I'd think a child should be able to fit in a 160cm/63'' junior/toddler bed until 8-10 years of age, i.e. for 5-8 years after they outgrow a standard crib - 120cm/52''. (I notice the size of the Sniglar crib is a little big bigger in the US than in Europe - different regulations, probably).
Like another poster we have ikea cribs that turn into toddler beds, nothing else to purchase and hopefully will work long enough till the boys are ready for bunk beds in their shared room.
We briefly put my son's crib mattress on the floor and let him sleep on that, when he was about 12 months old. He hadn't slept much in his actual crib prior to that because we were bed-sharing and using a co-sleeper for the first year. He walked at 9 months, so by 12 months he was stable on his feet and able to get on and off the mattress easily. Shortly after that we picked up a futon mattress and eventually an IKEA bunk bed to go along with it. He's three now and still sleeps with us half the time anyway, but we don't mind. The futon mattress has been helpful, because we can lay next to him when we try to put him to bed in his own room... it's really nice for reading books together at night. I personally wouldn't bother with a toddler bed unless someone gave me one for free. The "falling out of bed" stage doesn't last long and can be addressed by either putting a regular mattress on the floor for awhile or by using a bed railing from Craigslist.
I've never even heard of a toddler bed until now. (I'm in Australia.) All the kids I know have gone straight from a crib to what we call a 'single bed' - just an adult-sized bed for one person, as opposed to a double/queen/king bed for two.
It also depends on the child's own development. Our eldest has always been a small child and used his crib-to-toddler bed from 2-5 years. Our second is a taller child and went from crib-to-single-bed from age 22 months. When a child is sick/sleepless, one of us can go into the single bed comfortably.
my reason for getting a toddler bed is really simple. kids grow up too fast. it is nice to give them a bit of a longer childhood. It slows up the growing up and that makes me happy. Also, I like that she's comfortable getting in and out of bed vs getting in and out of our much higher bed.
When our child started vaulting out of her crib we got an inexpensive toddler bed to save space in tiny house and to $$ in the short run -- it was about $125 at the time, and we could use the same crib mattress/linens. In retrospect I'm happy we did for another reason -- it accidentally transformed her space into a very toddler/prek - friendly room because it shrunk everything down to her level, if that makes sense. To balance the low-to-ground bed we ended up hanging pictures and a mirror and some art lower, at kid level, and kept bookshelves and toys at her height so everything was accessible. I think one of the reasons she loves playing in her room is because everything is her size. It truly is her space.
With my kids now out of this stage for several years, I am very glad we never did the toddler beds. The pros list for toddler beds makes no sense to me:
I don't see why people think they save space-I use the space under the bed to store all kinds of things like toys, clothes, etc and THAT frees up play space.
A twin bed also allowed us to read in bed with our kids at the age they started to really like it. I don't know many kids who can't play ON their bed as easily as on the floor.
If your room can't fit a twin bed-what in the world will you do when they outgrow it, which will be soon? Move again?
Crib bedding used again? Since when does crib bedding include a flat sheet or pillowcase?
An easy transition is to just use the twin bed with only the mattress, not the box spring. If your child can crawl down off your couch, then they can get out of the bed as well.
Reading through the comments, it seems that most that feel the need for a toddler bed are currently using one and most parents that have gone through this stage are in the twin bed camp. Maybe it has more to do with the security of the parents, not the kids. A child in a twin bed hasn't lost any childhood time.
@AmandaSG -- Funny enough me and my husband share a full size bed. Both for the reasons the room is small and secondly because we find we like sleeping close to one another. At least it's cheap when getting new sheets. We just tend to toss a queen sized blanket over the whole thing.
On my childhood about the same. I don't remember my crib. My first memory of a bed is sleeping in my mom's bed when I was around 2-ish. Then I had a twin in my sister's bedroom (the desk chair got pushed up against my bed and since the other side was along a wall I didn't fall out). Next move we made I had two twins in my room until I was 12 or 13 when I got a hand-me-down full size bed. I had it until I moved in with my now husband and use his old bed.
@Pelicolinia - I don't get it either. It seems like people (well parents) are still renting apartments they love the look of without even considering the floorplan. Nothing else, why not use the small room for the parents and give the bigger room to the kids. Afterall, how much time do us adults really spend in our bed?
Try what fits. Buy what you can afford.
we got our daughter a toddler bed when she turned 2(the bed only cost $50 brand new!! thats not expensive at all!!)..she had a easy smooth transition from her crib..took only 3 nights for her to get the hang of sleeping in it..shes 2 1/2 now and i just switched to a ikea kritter bed..its larger then a toddler bed but smaller then a twin..only lame thing is since its smaller then a twin but larger then a toddler bed the mattress only takes ikea bedding...plus side is im still using her crib mattress,but there is about a foot of extra space which i shoved stuffed animals in...she still had plenty of room to grow in her toddler bed but i kinda wanted to get her a new bed to go with her new decor for her room...im glad i got the kritter bed since its larger but doesnt take up too much space like a twin would..its not too high off the ground but it is higher then a toddler bed,still easy for her to get in and out of and it will last a long time since its almost the size of a twin..i think by the time we switch her over to a twin bed we will have moved apartments anyways and hopefully she'll have a bigger room :)
@greenwoodgal- thats what we did..our daughter has the bigger room and we have the smaller room.. our room fits a queen bed and a dresser, thats all it will fit...my daughters room is about 2x's that size (which still isnt that big) but it fits her bed,dresser and toys..we only sleep in our room so its not a big deal..she plays in hers all the time.plus we dont have to have nearly as much toys&stuff out in the living room
but honestly i dont know what the big deal is...if you want to get your kid a toddler bed cool..if you want to switch them to a twin first thats great...whatever works for you and your child is awesome..if you have a small space (i know how that feels,chicago apartments are not big!) i think a toddler bed works great..it normally last you a few years(depending on your childs growth) if you have the extra space in the room then go with a twin! might as well it'll last you longer! since were having #2 by the time this new baby shares a room with our daughter(whos 2 1/2 right now..she'll be atleast 3 1/2-4 by the time they share a room) we'll 1:hopefully have moved to a bigger apartment and 2: will have made the switch to a twin sized bed(looking at the ikea kura loft/bunk bed...seems to fit the best..its a twin sized bed and its not nearly as high as normal bunk beds)
from 4 to 7 my bed had 4 matresses (family hand me down thar for a better place to store ended up in my room) i loved it¡¡ I know many people would freak at putting a small child so hight but it made me feel so safe.... and make me able to turn on/off my cealing fan.
As a grandparent that lives a couple of continents away from my children, I made a toddler bed for my grand-daughter's visit.
It is small enough to keep in Mummy's room so she won't feel alone, it was one of my first furniture projects and it was something that can be useful in years to come (assuming regular fecundity with my three children!).
I like the idea of a toddler bed, even though we didn't have one for any of our children, but more from a 'granddad project' perspective.
As to cost, it came to about $70, uses a cot mattress (which we bought not having any to hand) and my wife made the bedding as her contribution.
If there were such things 25 years ago, it would have been a nice transition and may have saved a few nights of broken sleep/tears.
My son had a themed toddler bed when he made the transition from http://www.toyzworld.co.uk/kids-bedroom/children-s-beds.html. Problem free and he loved it. I think because i let him have the choice between a couple of themed beds it made it a lot easier.