Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Shopping

From everyday essentials to big purchases, swap tips and recommendations. For the best deals without the hassle, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Junior Beds or straight to full size?

29 replies

ellenrose · 23/10/2006 16:36

I have been reviewing the beds for little ones coming out of cots - has anyone used the junior or extending bed option or have you gone straight to full size? If so, any particularly good ones? I was looking for something still fairly low to the ground for the inevitable falling out.

OP posts:

TheBlonde · 23/10/2006 16:37

Not done it yet but I'm going for straight to full size at Xmas

notasheep · 23/10/2006 16:39

full size( we took the legs off dds)

Snowstorm · 23/10/2006 16:44

I don't really see the point of a junior bed of any type (although my neighbour's got an extending bed for her DS2 and is very happy with it so far), it's just delaying the inevitable and is an additional expense. We went straight to full size (bought one of those ones with a guest bed underneath) and then put a chest of drawers alongside it which acts like a wide bedside table and also stops them falling out on the non-wall side to begin with. IME, children LOVE 'grown up' beds!

Original poster

ellenrose · 23/10/2006 16:53

ah - leg removal, what a cunning plan.

OP posts:

Mercy · 23/10/2006 17:06

Don't bother with a junior bed! It's quite hard to find suitable sized sheets and duvets/covers, apart from anything else.

Greensleeves · 23/10/2006 17:08

Mine have junior beds, they had the cots that were designed to convert into junior beds. They are closer to the floor that an ordinary bed, which is great because ds2 likes to roll out in the middle of the night. I think they feel safer and cosier in a junior bed while they are still little. I didn't have any trouble getting bedding for them, I bought most of it on ebay.

Apronscreams · 23/10/2006 17:10

we bought cheap juniour beds from ikae and our children have LOVED them and slept in them for a good few years before outgrowing them. DD1 moved to a normal sized bed at 8 years old, now at the ripe old age of 10 she tells us she'd like a double!! She even said if you die can i have yours!

franca70 · 23/10/2006 17:22

ds is sleeping in a junior bed, as he refused to go straight into a full size one.
no problems for the bedding, we use cot bed fitted sheet (mothercare) and a duvet (120 x don't know), IKEA has great duvet covers. plus MIL made him a beautiful quilt.
ds loves it, feels very cosy. I wonder if he'll ever decide to switch to a full size one, he is quite a creature of habit...

hana · 23/10/2006 17:24

we also have extendable ikea one, dd is 5 and still in it
will get kicked out so dd2 can have it when dd3 outgrows moses basket!

ludaloo · 23/10/2006 17:25

Mine all went into full size, with bed rails. Even my 14 month old is soon to move in with dd1, and will be in a full size bed

peegeeweegeeWITCH · 23/10/2006 17:25

We bought ds the Ateles extendable bed from Ikea. He loved it and was in it for nearly 3 years. Now dd has it, she is now 4, and will be in it for at least another year.

I bought the matching sheets from ikea, so no problem finding bedding that fits...

I just felt that at age 2 they would look sooo tiny in a huge bed, and just for some reason did not want to do that..
So, much to hubby's frustration, a junior extendible bed it was...

hana · 23/10/2006 17:26

in our case not a 'waste' at all as it will do 3 children by the time dd3 gets to it. will have bunkbeds for older 2 when they have outgrown the ikea one.

ProfYaffle · 23/10/2006 17:28

We went straight to a big bed with a bed rail when dd was just 2, she has been fine.

Flamebat · 23/10/2006 17:33

Given a junior bed - toys r us did a duvet and a couple of sets, cotbed sheets fit.

Wouldn't have bought one, but I do love it

nappiesLaGore · 23/10/2006 17:52

did both:

we used to have 2 houses and live in both.
at one house ds1's 'room' was tiny so we got him an extendable junior bed from ikea for there. lovely, and cheap too. looked like it would last a while...

and at the other house he went straight to a normal divan-type bed with sides on to prevent falling out and steps to get up. we had the bed anyway and it seemed daft to go out and buy another...

now ds's 1 and 2 are both in those divan singles in one room and ds2 is still in the cot in ours. come his first birthday, mind, he'll be in with the boys in the lowest bunk with sides on and steps up if necessary (they'll all have a new room by then)

i think they need to be able to get in and out themselves and be safe from falling out. aside from that i dont think they give a monkeys! you could put a mattress in the cupboard under the stairs and they'd be alright i reckon!

SoupDragon · 23/10/2006 17:54

We put DSs straight from cot to mid height sleepers at just under 3. They have rails round to prevent falling out anyway.

princessmel · 23/10/2006 17:55

Another vote for Ikea extendable beds. The one we got for ds is cute as it has the mattress in 3 parts, so when the foot-end and head-end are up (so the bed is at its shortest) the headboard and footboard are squishy because of the mattress iykwim??? The bed is not one of the ones that pulls out to get longer but you just choose whether to have either or both of the ends up.When they are both up it looks like a bracket on its side[ .When the child is taller you have both ends down.
We use normal single sheets and put a single duvet the wrong way round so the width becomes the lengh. We tuck one side under the mattress.
HTH

twinsetandpearls · 23/10/2006 17:55

Dd used to have a junior bed beacuse she had small room and lots to fit in it, now she is in a bigger room and has become more refined in her choice of toys she has room for a proper bed

nappiesLaGore · 23/10/2006 17:56

is taking them out of cots and into beds at first birthday 'early' then?

nappiesLaGore · 23/10/2006 17:57

thats a good idea with the duvet princessmel

princessmel · 23/10/2006 17:58

My ds went into his bed at 2.5 as we were having dd and wanted him to be out of the cot for a while before she had it. If dd wasn't coming then he would prob still be in it now! He loved it.

Original poster

ellenrose · 23/10/2006 18:01

nappies galore - both of my ds were in a bed at 1 but they have bunk beds so didn't have this issue before. As dd is definitely the last wanted to buy something worthwhile but her room is going to be small.

OP posts:

hana · 23/10/2006 18:35

nappiesgalore - think changing to bed at 1 is early but what works for you really
dd1 went into bed at 15 months becoause of co sleepingn issues (!)
and dd2 is still in a cot at 21 m but is beginning to get out on her own now

Glassofslime · 23/10/2006 18:39

went straight to full size with dd's and put the cot matress underneath in the beginning, pulled out to the side at night in case of falls, which there were only one or two. DS had a cotbed and is ready to move out of it (it's in bed form), is coming up to 4.

nulnulcat · 23/10/2006 19:07

dd went into a mid height sleeper at just 2 she loved it never got up once in the night unlike the cot she could escape from! its got rails to stop her falling out anyway and a little slide for her to come down in the morning when she wants to get up, she had to climb up the slide for first few months as her legs were too short to manage the steps!

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread