Choosing the Right Kind of Bed for My Toddler and Preschooler

V.,
A friend of mine had a similar situation. They ended up moving all 4 children into the master bedroom and taking the smaller room for themselves. It seemed to be a good temporary solution. I don't think they needed any bunkbeds. She moved all of their toys into the walk in closet to help eliminate clutter in the rest of the house. They used it as a little play room.

have you thought about maybe a captains bed with the trundle under it, that way it comes out only at night? and also have you thought about maybe putting the dresser inside the closet if it's big enough to give more space in the room?

What about a twin size trundle bed? You pull out the bottom bed when they sleep and push it back under during the day to have some floor room for them to play. The dresser can go in your room if necessary (where the toddler bed or playpen are now)

Trundle beds are definitely the way to go. They are much safer than bunk beds. But if you decide to go with bunk beds, Rooms to Go has some that have stairs on the side instead of a ladder. Plus, the stairs have drawers in them for added storage. They'd be great for older kids.

Hi V.! I was in Ikea a few weeks ago, and I actually saw REALLY low bunk beds. The bottom was right on the floor, and the top bunk was super low. Check it out...maybe you can find it on their website. Their prices are really cheap as well. Good luck!!!!
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10123996
okay...I just saw this on their site...I guess in the showroom they had another mattress on the bottom as well. You should check them out at their sunrise location. They have a TON of bedding options in the store..more than the website!
A. C.

maybe you & your husband go in where the girls are- just to sleep- maybe have a tv in there if you watch tv in bed-
then you have your bedroom for either all 4 kids & you can make the 3rd bedroom a 'library' w/ books, small table for homework, art projects, etc or even make it a playroom...or then the 3rd bedroom is for the girls & the second is for the boys...switch things up a bit?

The only thing that came to mind is utilizing the toddler day bed by putting it in the 3rd room and having an additional toddler mattress underneath it. The additional mattress could then be used during nap and bed time and stored away under the toddler day bed when not in use.

I hope you could understand that and that the idea may help.

I am a WAHM of 4 too. Message me if you want to see about meeting up. My kids are 6(girl), 4(boy), 2(boy), & 3 months(girl).

Although space for us has not been an issue, our boys request to sleep together. They are now 4 and 2.5 yrs old and ever since the youngest could crawl out of the crib (at 15 months old) and into big brothers bed we've allowed them to co-sleep. I'm not sure how much longer we can milk this "bonding experience" but they seem to really enjoy it. In the meantime, the other bed in the other room stays vacant until a guest comes. At one time, we did consider a murphy bed and that might be something to consider.

while they are still small (and too small for bunk beds) what about just using those little foam"couches" you find at department stores- they seat part unfolds to about the size of a toddler bed. I only suggest this, because when my girls were 2 and 3, even though they had their own beds, the BEGGED to sleep on those instead. They are really small, and if you unrolled them side by side, they wouldn't be much bigger than a twin bed. I know it isn't a "bed" but it is a fun temporary solution until they are old enough to bunk.

V.,

Amanda had suggested those foam pull out couches. That is a great idea, however there is something a little nicer available and a bit bigger that I actually had at one point. I don't know if they are still available but you can check Rooms To Go Kids out. They are little pull out couches that convert to little beds, I had one in denim. They came in 3 different colors and if I remember correctly they weren't that expensive. They other thing I was going to suggest is maybe switching up the rooms a bit or possibly getting a twin size trundle or even a futon. The nice thing about a trundle is the bottom bed slides in and out and doesn't take up much room.

I hope this helps.

Good luck.

S.
35 y/o SAHM of 3 boys
14, 6 and 3

I would, personally, keep the little one in his playpen for a while longer. I would put the toddler bed mattress on the floor in that room and when they're not sleeping, pick it up off the floor and prop it in a corner or against the wall. I don't think I would be comfortable with my kids that young in a bunk bed. (I've got 4 too) The truth is that they're really only going to be in there when they're sleeping, so just try to make them comfortable and they won't care about lack of space. A new bedding set and pillow can make them really excited about their own room.

Hi V., I know what you mean about a small place. My home has 900 sq. feet, three bedroom. Here is what I would do. Take out the dresser. Buy a single bed with a pull out trundle bed under it. Then replace the dresser with floor to ceiling shelves. You can put doors on the bottom half ro cover it with curtains. You can use cloth with their favorite cartoon on it. That way you can put both boys in the same room and leave the girls in their room and mom and dad can have a room all to yourselves. I hope this helps.
Good luck,
M. H.