First bed

[TigerFeet]

Any recommendations on a first bed? My ds is still in his cot - just - at 2years 5months and am now thinking about moving him into a 'big' bed. Is it preferable to go for a toddler bed or straight to a single? Any recommendations where to buy one (Edinburgh area)?

A friend of mine opted for one of those toddler car bed for her ds when he was ready for a bed, he is only three now and quite a big lad and has outgrown it already, however I have a cot bed (still with bars up at the moment as hes only 23 months) and its quite roomy and i imagine a toddler bed is similar in size. My mum and dad want to buy him a bed for their house and they found one in Argos with small sides to it which was nice about £70 I think.

Im dreading it when my ds is ready, he constantly bangs his head at the top of the cot, the sides, the bottom, he just doesnt lay still of a night - I think Im going to have to line his floor with pillows!

Good Luck

TigerFeet, our cot was the cotbed type, and because of lack of space in our old house dd we took the railings off and dd slept in the small bed for quite a while. When we moved we put her (aged 2.5 yrs) into a proper sized bed (as we had done from the start with our ds previously) and were amazed at how much better she slept. I think that in the small bed she was getting disturbed every time she wriggled because she was getting to the edge of the small mattress too quickly; we also found that the duvet stays on much better in the big bed, which also helps her sleep better. If I were you I would buy a proper bed - this will last him longer so will be more economical, an adult can sleep in it (e.g. your dp/dh or you if your ds is ill and has to come into your bed), and you may find (like us) that your ds sleeps better in it than in a small bed.

We went straight for a proper bed at 18 months (needed the cot for DD). I didn't see the point of buying a smaller bed that would be outgrown quickly, especially when you have to buy the right mattress etc as well. We used one of those bedguards you can get (they are about £30 from mothercare) and DS never ever fell out (doesn't stop them climbing out if they want to though!).

DD went through the same thing and we removed the guard by the time she was two. She has only ever ended up on the floor a couple of times. I sat a bean bag by the bed at first and now we just have a thick rug.

If space is tight then a toddler bed takes less space but thats the only advantage I can see. Also with a bigger bed they have more room to wriggle around.

DD has just gone into her first bed. It was the top half of bunk beds so has a removable bar along one side, just high enough to stop her falling out and put her off climbing out. She can climb over it but is too lazy most of the time. To be honest I cannot see the point of toddler beds, they seem very expensive, we all managed without them.

I agree with Lollypop. I initially wanted a toddler bed because I liked the idea of having a 'car' for ds to sleep in but soon realised that he would grow out of it quickly and it would be a waste of money. We bought bunks that could be beds on their own from Ikea - basically they will last ds and any other children we have until they are grown up.
DS does look very small in his bed though (sweet!)

Meant to add that I wouldn't rush putting a toddler in a bed as once they are in a big bed they have an annoying habit of getting out of it again at all hours of the night! We would have left DS in his cot for much longer if he hadn't learned how to climb out of his cot at just 2 years old. My next child will stay in his or her cot until he or she is about 10 if I can help it

Tigerfeet,

My ds was 2 at the end of July. This weekend we put him into his new 'big boys bed' and he loves it! I was terrified he would come into us in the middle of the night, but he slept right through.
He woke up at the usual time and I heard his squeals of delight as he realised he could get out of bed and play with his toys - that bought us another hour in bed!!

We tried using a normal single bed but it was too big for the room due to the radiator so we had to get(second hand)a child's bed. All I have done is put a double duvet on the floor in case he falls out and we just checked him a few times during the evening to make sure he was ok.

Argos do a 'kids starter set' of duvet/pillow and bed protector for £14.99

If you have the room, I would use a normal single bed and put the cot mattress or duvet on the floor in case they fall out.

Problem with child's beds is you need special sheets - does anyone know where I can get some??
(I have just used a single one for now and folded it over)

Hope that helps - Good luck - let us know how you get on.

Noisy

Noisy, Ikea sell toddler beds so may well sell the bedding that goes with them. Personally, I'd just stick with single sheets - or maybe cut one in half to get 2 out of one?

Thanks Soupdragon

Noisy

Hello all.

Just to say that I tried the cot bed route for a year (at 2.5 years) and found that we were woken up quite often by a cold little boy who had lost his duvet in the night. I recently invested in a boy's bed from funbeds (based in Guildford - there is a website) and he absolutely loves it and now sleeps for 13 hours every night - and it isn't such a struggle to put him to bed as it used to be. I would definitely buy one again. it's adult size but shaped like a racing car. It has his name on the number plate, which he loves, but more importantly its sides are shaped like a chassis and so you have your side guards automatically built in. They are quite expensive (about £240) but because it's a standard single will last him until he outgrows his love of cars!!!!! 65 then?