Toddler Bed v Single Bed

[Jodee]

I think this question may have been covered in another thread so sorry for boring you all! but ds (19 months) has nearly outgrown his cot and I'm not sure about the next step. He is not attempting to climb out at all but he is so long his head and feet are nearly touching the ends of the cot when he is streched out. I was hoping to wait until the January Sales to get a new bed, but what do I get, a toddler bed or a single bed?
How much use do you get out of a toddler bed before you have to change again, and is bedding etc. widely available for that size bed?
I have to bear in mind that I would like another child in the not too distant future and they would have to share the same room, which is big but not huge. Has anyone ever bought those bunk beds which are actually 2 single beds on top of one another, and if so would you recommend them?

I'd say definitely go for a single bed - in our experience it means that if the child is ever ill and needs to sleep with Mummy then Daddy has somewhere comfortable to sleep!

I also meant to say that if you do buy a toddler bed, get an adult-sized duvet. You can get toddler bed duvet's, which look nice and neat, but cost a lot if your child is going to move up to a big bed at some point and need larger bedding. Our second child is in a cot bed (which was previously the cot used by both children), but has a full size duvet and seems perfectly happy with this.

IKEA have a fantastic range of children's beds at reasonable prices. I wouldn't get their duvet though as its fine in summer but in winter I end up putting blankets on top as its too thin. We got a cot/bed and ds finds it a little small for him to stretch out in. Mind you he is larger than the average two year old and always has been.

I don't think that it is advised to have a toddler in the top bunk of a bunk bed until they are around 4 or 5 years old. We considered it but ended up buying a full size single bed which is incredibly comfortable.

we got a cot bed because ds's room isn't huge and we thought it would give him more space to play in. Also we have a two year age gap so reckoned when he grew out of it the youngest would be ready to go into it so we would have plenty of use out of it.

We have an Ikea bed which can be three lengths and with a removable side rail, extremely cheap and will last for ages

We bought ours a small single, normal width but only 5 ft long, and he loves it.

Our main concern was the height to fall off the bed, alot of singles we considered were too high a drop. When our next one will need the bed, our first will be ready for a normal single, so I guess that is just good timing!

I have to agree about bedding, buy normal size, for one thing, there is a much better choice, and jersey bottom sheets are excellent.

Hi Jodee

We bought the 2 single beds which fit on top of each version. We use the bottom bed as a spare in our office and the top one for our son. This works out well as the top bed has rails provided which means you don't have to buy a bed rail to stop them from falling out! This was important to us as our son moves around a lot at night. We were also thinking ahead as when we have another child we would like them to sleep in the same room so this way we get the best of both worlds. As an extra bonus the bed only cost £150 at Focus Do it All (special offer) although I have also seen them in Argos for about £20 more. I thoroughly recommend them. Even if you don't use the other bed straightaway you can easily store the spare mattress under the other bed and the wooden parts are all stored in a long thin cardboard box which I am sure you'd be able to stow away somewhere. The only criticism I have of them is the mattresses aren't brilliant quality so an adult probably wouldn't want to sleep on it for too many nights in a row!!

Hope this helps.

Hi Jodee

We bought the 2 single beds which fit on top of each other version. We use the bottom bed as a spare in our office and the top one for our son. This works out well as the top bed has rails provided which means you don't have to buy a bed rail to stop them from falling out! This was important to us as our son moves around a lot at night. We were also thinking ahead as when we have another child we would like them to sleep in the same room so this way we get the best of both worlds. As an extra bonus the bed only cost £150 at Focus Do it All (special offer) although I have also seen them in Argos for about £20 more. I thoroughly recommend them. Even if you don't use the other bed straightaway you can easily store the spare mattress under the other bed and the wooden parts are all stored in a long thin cardboard box which I am sure you'd be able to stow away somewhere. The only criticism I have of them is the mattresses aren't brilliant quality so an adult probably wouldn't want to sleep on it for too many nights in a row!!

Hope this helps.

What timing, I've been deliberating about this for ages!

My dd isn't yet too big for the cot (its quite a big one), but at just turned 2 she is very keen on all of the other 'big' beds in our house. We already have a spare single bed, but it just seems such a big leap from cot to full size single bed.

What kind of prices are the Ikea children's beds? Also, does anyone have any firm views about when they should go into a bed.

All advice welcomed.

My eldest boy who is nearly four has been in a big bed since he was 18 months, he's so big that he had to whether he liked it or not! My middle child refuses to go into a big bed so he sleeps in a travel cot which is'nt very practical.I agree with Azzie over the single bed option, there have been a few times when it's come in handy! I dont know whether anyone has seen the cot's which convert into beds for later on, might be worth thinking about , particularly if you have more than one child.

Thanks for all your replies, I'm veering towards a small single at the moment - can you tell me which ones don't have too much of a drop to the floor? Do all the Ikea ones come with removable side rails, and can you give me a rough idea of prices?

Tkx, J

The one we have came from a local pine shop, in Farnborough, though I know you can get it from other places, inclding from Next in a Multi-coloured combination. They sell it for £250 including mattress and drawers, we got ours for £180 including matress and drawers, and in natural pine.

The drop to the floor from the top of the mattress is 35cm, just measured it! We also lay down cushion along the side, just in case, which he has on the bed during the day.

I have to say he now falls out very rarely, mainly when ill! And even at the start he didn't roll out that much, I personally don't think you need a bed guard, just more money and another thing to have in the house.

Hope this has been of some help!

for Next have a look at this;

orders.next.co.uk/cat.asp?c=x28&s=id163

should work!