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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To buy my 3 year old a double bed

123 replies

Mikamee · 08/04/2021 09:24

We’re moving DS to a bigger room in the house and I was wondering if I would be unreasonable to buy him a double bed. My reasoning is that if he needs me in the middle of the night it would be easier for me to slip in and out of his big bed rather than bring him into mine and disturb DP, the room can fit a double comfortably and he’s going to want one when he’s older anyway. DP isn’t sold on the idea.

OP posts:
anunexaminedlife · 08/04/2021 09:25

I don't see why not

sleepwhenidie · 08/04/2021 09:27

Do it, we had 3 kids and played musical beds for years, getting them double beds improved our lives immeasurably and makes life much easier if you have guests. Unless the bed is going to uncomfortably take up all of the floor space why the hell not?

Aprilshowersandhail · 08/04/2021 09:27

Wet beds and sickness? Juggling double sized bedding half asleep won't be fun...

PoptartPoptart · 08/04/2021 09:28

I would yes,
As long as he still has enough floor space for playing in his room

sleepwhenidie · 08/04/2021 09:28

I missed a bit..’had 3 kids who woke regularly at night for years’..I still have 3 kids!

Coulddowithanap · 08/04/2021 09:30

What age do people normally buy their children a double bed?

I'd stick with a single to give more floor space for playing with toys.

Lockheart · 08/04/2021 09:31

If you can afford it and you have room why would you be unreasonable?

Same4Walls · 08/04/2021 09:31

Will it massively impact upon floor space? That would be my only concern. If he doesn't have much room to spread his toys out in the floor e.g set up a train track or a playmobil village then this stuff will inevitably instead end up cluttering up the living room.

KitchenWarrior · 08/04/2021 09:32

We'll be moving ds into the current spare room when dc2 arrives and that already has a double!

It's a bit higher if he falls out, and it's harder to find double duvet covers with diggers on, but otherwise i'm sold on the plan.

PrimeraVez · 08/04/2021 09:32

My 2 year old sleeps in a Super King (and has done since he moved out of his cot at about 15 months)

My 4 year old sleeps in a King.

For us, it works really well as if they are ill or not having a good night, one of us can easily get in there with them. Also, if we have visitors (we live overseas and pre-COVID had a lot of people come to stay), we can easily give them one of their rooms, and then that kid either comes in with us or shares with his sibling.

They do have decent size bedrooms and a separate playroom, so bedrooms really are only used for sleep but for us it really works. The only downside, is that it can be hard to get nice bedding for them that is big enough! Most kid stuff stops at a double.

Dollywilde · 08/04/2021 09:32

We have a 2 bed house but both bedrooms are really big (annoyingly too awkward to split though thanks to fireplaces/windows etc). DD’s room currently has both a cot and a double bed in it, when she’s old enough to move out of the cot she’ll just be going into the exiting double in there. DH and his mum think its normal (he was in a double from day 1), my parents think it’s odd but only for the unspecified reason that ‘doubles are for grown ups’ Hmm Grin. I vote go for it!

Emeraldshamrock · 08/04/2021 09:34

A 4ft small double is perfect. We play musical beds in this house most nights my two DC have small double beds.
They're great for blocking in less roll time for a fall plus all DC duvet overs are available in doubles.

Suzi888 · 08/04/2021 09:34

We did. DD is in a king size, because thats what was there already and it’s a big room.
Washing can be a pain when they’re sick though. We’ve been lucky and only had two bouts of vomit that I managed to catch mostly in a towel! Get a a couple of waterproof mattress protectors though.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 08/04/2021 09:35

I wouldn’t personally because:
1- id rather have the floor space
2- it’s not necessary, 10yrs in a single bed is a lot of
Time, not like he will outgrow it in a year or 2
3 - too easy to get into the habit of sharing to help him to sleep, not a habit I want to get into personally with my children.
Obviously there is no real issue with buying whatever bed you want!

Anon778833 · 08/04/2021 09:36

It’s a great idea (maybe I’ll do the same for my dd).

Bluntness100 · 08/04/2021 09:36

We did this. It’s fine.

RubyFowler · 08/04/2021 09:38

I would put in a double if you can. They're good for things like sleepovers etc and give you more options when guests come as well.

BluebellsGreenbells · 08/04/2021 09:38

My daughter had a double at 2 because the room was a spare and already had the double bed when her siblings were born.

Don’t see the harm.

Plus they never played in their rooms, only slept or got dressed in there. Toys were downstairs.

Original poster
Mikamee · 08/04/2021 09:38

It wouldn't impact on floor space that much. He'd still have more room to play than he did in his previous room. He also has a playroom downstairs so he has plenty of room to play in all around the house

OP posts:
TastefulLiving · 08/04/2021 09:42

Both ours have had doublebeds since they went out of their cots. Reason being that they each went into one (formerly) spare guest room which already had double beds.

It works really well for reading together and when someone needs me in the night. You can get some lovely double duvet sets also for kids (pirates and the like) which oddly enough was my main concern!

FrankButchersDickieBow · 08/04/2021 09:42

Why does your partner have an issue with it?

Sounds like you have the space, so why wouldn't you. Do people see it as a luxury only afforded to adults or something?

A pp who said you can't get double duvets with diggers on them (🙄 sexist much), you can get loads of kids double duvet sets now, even in b&m

Hardbackwriter · 08/04/2021 09:42

@Dollywilde

We have a 2 bed house but both bedrooms are really big (annoyingly too awkward to split though thanks to fireplaces/windows etc). DD’s room currently has both a cot and a double bed in it, when she’s old enough to move out of the cot she’ll just be going into the exiting double in there. DH and his mum think its normal (he was in a double from day 1), my parents think it’s odd but only for the unspecified reason that ‘doubles are for grown ups’ Hmm Grin. I vote go for it!
I have the same instinctive response as your parents - I only discovered that I even had an opinion on this when I read a MN thread on people buying double beds for primary aged children and felt myself getting inexplicably judgemental. I can confirm that it is entirely irrational, I can think of no logical defence for my instinctive response that there is something wrong or spoilt about putting a young child in a double bed, and that everyone should entirely ignore my and your parents' odd hang-up about this!

Maybe it's just jealousy, though - there are DC on this thread who are in much bigger beds than me and DH have to share!

TastefulLiving · 08/04/2021 09:43

YY to waterproof mattress protectors also. Only needed it once, but once was enough!

Astraturf · 08/04/2021 09:45

Mine had a double from 4. It has a double waterproof cover on it under the sheet. I worry less about her falling out of it. Her room is big enough to play in.

User135792468 · 08/04/2021 09:47

Ours have double beds as they like having their teddies in there with them and plenty of space to read books before bed. Kids bedding only really goes up to a double so I wouldn’t get bigger for that reason.