As with many other families we have had to cut back due to the economy. Both my husband and I have had to take wage cuts this year. Our youngest is climbing out of her crib and we would like to move her to a toddler bed. I have not had much success finding one in my price range on craigslist or local resale shops.
Does anyone have any ideas for where I can find a sturdy but inexpensive toddler bed? While I prefer wood or anything Dora related I am not picky at this point.
Thank you!
It's not super-inexpensive, but it's good for long term: we bought a twin mattress from Sam's Club, that would eventually fit his "real" bed, and simply laid it on the floor (so he wouldn't have as far to fall) for a while, until we knew he wasn't falling out of bed. The mattress was between $150 and $200, i think... But I do think that Walmart sells cute little toddler beds for around $40?
Instead of a toddler bed, we put a futon or twin mattress on the floor for awhile and then add the frame when we are ready (or have the funds). This also allows us to lay down with the child comfortably if needed.
I agree with the person about just putting a mattress on the floor for the time being. Kids don't care if they have an actual bed and you don't have to worry about them rolling off too far!
You could also try garage sales... there are lots of them this time of year. Check the garage sale ads on craigslist every Friday/Saturday to see if anyone specifically lists a bed for sale.
Also the Saavy Sale is coming up in February if you can come up with a temporary solution until then. It is a large children's consignment sale. Here's the website: http://www.thesavvysale.com/
What about just putting the mattress on the floor. You could still get a mesh guard so your daughter doesn't roll off. We put our 4 yr. old from a crib right into the twin bed with a guard. She has had no problems. I have seen the guards at garage sales and at thrift shops so I know they are available.
Good Luck!
What we decided to do, since a toddler bed is such a short transition time, is to take the front off the crib. If your crib can do that, it's actually very sturdy and it doesn't cost anything. I did find some cheap $5 bedrails at a garage sale that have flat ends that will go under the crib mattress. Also, my son is now in a twin bed, and he doesn't seem to need the bedrail anymore. Feel free to email me if you decide to go this route and need a bedrail but can't find one.
Hi J.,
I would check both freecycle and craig's list as well as local resale stores. I've had really good luck at Other Mother's in Albuquerque. You could even call before you go down to check on prices and one of the yellow pages books that recently came out had a coupon for other mothers.
E. C
We use Craigslist.org and find tons of gently used stuff at great prices! Good luck!
I'm not sure if you saw this ad or not but it is a really cute bed for $40.
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/bab/1493722236.html
You can read about the item on these links. They say it is a wooden bed. The Kohls ad gives you measurements. Good luck!!
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2903479
http://www.simplybabyfurniture.com/bb86901do.html
www.kohls.com - type in "dora toddler bed"
We were in the same position and just got lucky. My sister-in-law's neighbors had had a garage sale and had the toddler bed leftover. We only paid $10, sheets included. I don't know if it's really worth all the time searching, but garage sales are a possibility.
I have seen inexpensive toddler bed frames advertised at Target and Wal Mart. I know I've seen "cars" themed beds and I think Dora and Princess themed too. Good luck on your search!
Keep looking, why don't you try putting a want ad on craigslist? You never know, seeing your ad might remind someone that they have one put away that they would be willing to sell to you.
In the mean time, it would not make you a bad parent to break down her crib and put her mattress on the floor, it may be better for her to get used to the idea of a toddler bed that way anyway. I looked on walmart.com and amazon.com already and didn't see anything too wonderful. You may want to try overstock.com, their shipping is always really cheap. Good luck!
Once Upon A Child children's consignment shop carries toddler beds (and lots of cute clothing and toys as well).
I know Wal Mart had a Dora bed set for about $39 at one time have you tried there?
Is it possible that you could get a twin with a metal frame and a separate bedrail? It may be a slightly larger investment upfront but they don't stay in toddler beds long and you'll have to purchase it anyway. I think we set ours up for about $150 ($100 for mattress, $20 for bedrail, $30 for frame) I realize it is a little pricey but as a long-term investment it made more sense to us.
Have you looked at ikea ? Also, if things are really tight .. you can just put the crib mattress on the floor and have her sleep on that.. We skipped the toddler bed with our boys and just put them in a regular bed with the box spring and mattress on the floor (no frame) so it wasn't that high off the ground.. just in case they rolled off ! We also put the crib mattress on the side of their bed so that if and when they did roll off.. it was just onto the crib mattress.. We didn't do the toddler bed b/c friends told us they didn't use theirs that much and they kids seemed to outgrow it fast ... Hope that helps !
I found a wonderful bed for my son at IKEA alond with sheets, etc. Take a look there.
IKEA has some really cute toddler beds. Pretty inexpensive, as with all their stuff. Good luck with your search.
I have one word for you-----"CRAIGSLIST"!!!!
We use it all the time and have never had a bad exp. selling or buying!!!
I would look at IKea and see on line if their style and price appeals to you.
Money was an issue for me, so I jumped straight to a big girl bed at Costco Home store.
We got a trundle bed as our daughters room is small and for sleep overs etc we would need the extra bed that pulls out. We put rails on the side of her bed for awhile so she would not fall out. good luck
I bought a toddler bed at walmart for $59. It is wood and it has held up to my little boy just fine. Have you thought about maybe also putting a matress on the floor for the time being??
After searching for an inexpensive toddler bed oruselves we decided to opt for a twin mattress on the floor for awhile, which our daughter really liked. We now have a box spring and frame underneath. Some good prices on twin beds can be found at High Life Furniture. Good luck!
