Toddler Bed - Seaside,CA

You would be amazed at how many childrens beds are in yard sells. I recently saw one that looked like a car. What a find. You might look around and not have to buy a expensive bed because he will be out of it in not too soon..

I'm sorry to hear you've had such a difficult and unfortunately common struggle with sleep and your son. First, I'd like to say that as a child not ever wanting to sleep by yourself is absolutely normal and part of human evolutionary biology. There's a great book called Our Babies Our Selves that devotes a chapter detailing the best anthropological and biological studies on infant and early childhood sleep. The US and a handful of western countries are truly an anomaly in the history of mankind. Even today the vast majority of the world sleep with their infants in the same bed or at least the same room often times well into toddler-hood.
My son just turned two and we all happily share a family bed. We have his crib mattress on the floor near our bed and plan to gently transition him into it. In Dr. Sear's Baby book, he and his wife detail the approach they took with their youngest five children. Essentially they offered the child a choice and gave positive incentives and rewards using a "star chart" for the nights the child choose to go to sleep in his own bed. Making a gentle transition makes sense for all involved.
As far as what to buy, if you have room, I'd just go for the twin mattress on the floor. That way you or your husband can comfortably lay down next to him to read stories or sing songs, whatever your bedtime ritual is.
Best of luck.

The nice thing about going straight to a twin is that you can lie down with him until he falls asleep and then move to your own bed, and if he sleeps through the night then you've got you own bed back! :)

We've decided not to bother with a toddler bed. My LO's crib converts to a toddler bed, so perhaps with #2 we'll use that option, but for now I'm thinking we'll go straight from crib to twin so we can use the crib for #2.

I would let him pick it out. My son just picked out bedding for his "toddler" bed and was really excited about it. He is still in his crib, but we are waiting for the conversion kit to come in.

Walmart and target have cute design beds that maybe he can pick out himself and the bedding. They like it when they feel like they are in charge. And make it a happy "big boy" experience.

My son is going through some sleep challenges right now so we are getting a cot (travel one for multipurposes) that I think we are going to put at the foot of our bed, so when he climbs out of his crib he can sleep there.. In our room, but not in our bed.. that is not comfy for anyone as he is used to his crib to himself. I hope that he will like his converted toddler bed and want to sleep there instead of the cot, but it will be there for his choice.. We also camp and go on family vacations to visit other family members so it will come in handy at those times hence it is multipurpose.

The ones at Target or Walmart are about $45-55 not to pricy. But you can also go strait to a twin bed with side rails. It is up to you.

Most people I know keep the kids in the toddler bed until about 4 or so. But they also have wood versions that are not "baby" like. and they also have twin versions of race cars etc.. so "baby like" might be perception.

I personally wouldn't put the money into a toddler bed. Instead, get a regular box spring and mattress, either twin or full size, as you prefer, and put them directly on the floor. When he has learned to sleep well on that, then you can get whatever type of frame you want to put them on for his regular bed. If your floor is carpeted and has a good pad underneath, it is likely soft enough in case he should fall off the mattress. If you don't have carpeting, put some sort of mat next to the bed to form a soft landing in case of a fall. Another thing is don't put any type of bed rail on the bed. Those just make something extra for him to climb over and fall further than if he simply fell from the bed itself. Most kids are climbers by nature.

I totally understand the concept that a child feels lonely in the room by himself. Have you tried playing some favorite quiet music as he goes to sleep? This usually helps. Also having a favorite soft, but safe toy he can take to bed with him may help. And do be open to him coming in to your room if he does get up. This doesn't mean not to continue getting him to sleep in his own room, but if a child has slept for most of the night in his own bed and wants to come in and cuddle with his parents early in the morning, what harm is there in that?

I totally understand your situation. We went straight to a twin, well sort of. I suggest this bed to everyone I meet. Its called an extendible bed from IKEA. It has 3 different lengths, and on the last one is a twin. I liked it because we put our baby in the bed at 1 yr, and I wanted something sort of small for her, but I did not want to waste money on a toddler bed. I'll be honest though, we spent more on it then we wanted to at the time, but we figured a twin size bed will last her awhile.

Toddler beds are a rip-off - unless your crib converts to one.
Otherwise, buy a good quality Twin bed with a "kids" quality mattress and then put guardrails on the bed - you can get them from OneStepAhead.com or Babies-R-Us.
Get a allergen-proof mattress cover - they're usually waterproof too, and a good quality mattress pad and let Jr. choose his sheets etc. to make it more appealing.
Also, does your son have a security object? Perhaps a cuddly stuffed animal or super soft blankie will help him feel more relaxed in his bed.

My daughter is 20 months. She has been in a toddler bed I think for 3 months. Her bed is butted up against ours, I make her get into her bed, then she crawls into ours, when she is ready to sleep she gets into hers, she sleeps all night. Then about an hour before she wants to get up, she crawls into bed next me me (most nights) and we co-slept as well. She would NOT sleep in a crib. I thought I was going to be an issue but she took to it right away. Sometimes if she wants something like a blanket and I dont' want it, I will tell her get in your bed then and she does.
Her bed cost us 55.00 at Walmart, and the mattress was a Kolcraft for 32.00. I do advise reviews on the mattress because we found that her crib mattress was to hard, which is why she liked our bed. Her mattress is wonderful and she loves it.

good luck..

Hi there-

You've already gotten tons of advice for deals on the toddler bed and going straight to a twin. We did the twin bed b/c we're big cosleeping advocates. We knew we had to move our son out when he was 2 1/2 b/c we wanted to get busy making a sibling. It was also important that he didn't associate being kicked out of his bed with the new baby, so we did it well before the new baby was an issue.

It was a good move, a year later, I can tell you that we went through many stages of him sleeping on his own. Originally, we had him help decorate his new room and bed, which held his interest for a while. When that wore off (6 months), there were some really hard times. I seriously considered a dog, so that he could cuddle with it. On impulse, we bought a Buzz Lightyear bed tent (JC Penny) that worked wonders through the difficult time. After that, he's been more or less fine.

One parent lays down in bed with him, reads and then cuddles him to sleep. Then parent gets up and, depending on exhaustion level, either goes to bed (in own bed) or not. Works great except for the occasional 2am nightmare. But that's what was so great about the twin, I can go in there and cuddle with him (and even sleep) until he's better. He has already asked if his new little brother can sleep with him (he's 2mo, so not yet!) We will consider it when he is at least 2yo. New baby is a big cuddler too.

The reasons I would not go with a toddler bed, are:
Can't get in there and cuddle when you need too.
Didn't want another bed transition later (they only get more opinionated as preschoolers!)

Good luck with your decision!

Greetings, I have raised 5 children and now am dealing with this as a Grandmother, or watching my children deal with it.
I have a son that bought a very beautiful toddler bed. Ofcouse the girl won't sleep in it!
We kept a pile of quilts and pillows stacked in the room. The children would build themselves a big nest and sleep-in thier nest. My 14 month old loves my quilt on the bed and will cry unitl I get it down for her so she can take her naps.
I also bought a pop up dome tent. We filled it with the stuffed animals and blankets and I have 3 grandchildren that sleep in that becasue they didn't want to feel tiet down in a bed. I have one child that is now a dad himself that was famous for taking his mattress off the bunk and putting it on the ground becasue it made it more comfortable for him.
Keep trying til you find your answers. But most toddler beds are the same if plasstic. So check out KMart ,WalMart,Target, and Sears. As for how long they last---- I know 4 year olds still using one but by 5 they are getting to big for it.
good luck

You may want to go straight to a twin.

With my first, he never spent a night in his crib so we bought a toddler bed around 18 months. He did not want to sleep in it.

At around 2, my husband and I purchased a king (we had a queen before). Well, we had to buy new sheets. We washed them before using them but when we all climbed into the bed for the first time, our son said, "I don't like these sheets." My husband said, "Go sleep in your own bed then." Guess what? He did.

I am trying to remember when we purchased a twin but it really wasn't too many years later. Also, it is much easier to snuggle with them in their own bed if the bed is larger. In fact, you pretty much can't even sit on a toddler bed. The weight limit is pretty limited (like 50-60 pounds).

Good luck!

I can't imagine hating sleeping alone, and having to do it every day. what terrible memories for you. Sorry. Could you put a bed for him next to yours until he gets used to it? My oldest slept with us till he was 4 1/2. He still climbs in with us from time to time. My youngest sleeps alone just fine and always has. Toddler beds (at least mine) last almost 6 years. Longer for littler kids.

Just a quick suggestion....maybe a crib matress on the floor (so he won't hurt himself if he rolls off). You or your husband could sleep next to him for awhile until he is comfortable. Then get a toddler bed off craigslist or something. Just an idea we are getting ready to try too. Good luck

I also sleep with my kids when they are babies and find toddler beds to be almost useless. We transition right to a twin so we can comfortably lay with them as they are not going to transition easily to going to sleep on their own. Then you can invest in a mattress knowing it will last. Just make sure to protect it against pee stains.

I wouldn't waste money on a toddler bed. I did and I'm sorry I did. I really thought they'd sleep in it a couple of years, but my daughter outgrew it in a year and my son lasted all of 3 or 4 months in it...it was just too small for my kids. I would take the $150 you would spend on the toddler bed and buy a nice matterss that will last him a long time. If you are worried about the height you can put the mattress on the floor for a while. Or what we did was buy a bed frame, had a piece of plywood cut to the size of the frame and put the mattress right on that. It's not any higher than the toddler bed.

As for the co sleeping thing. If it's not a problem for you, than I wouldn't worry about it. But if you really want to get him out of your bed, then I would take it in steps. I would start by setting him up a bed in your room on the floor, either use his crib mattress or if you have room a twin mattress. I would buy him a new stuffed toy that he can use as his "comfort" at night so that he doesn't have to have you there. Maybe come up with a little story to tell him about the stuffed toy that will help him to latch on to it. Once he's okay sleeping on the floor, then I would move him to his own room. Good luck!

You can purchase a twin bed that still looks child like at IKEA or Toys R Us. Toys R US even has a car bed. He will last in that bed for a very long time. I didn't believe in the cry method and I started with my son in a bed next to ours and then I bought a cool bed for his room and he slept in there until about 2 am and came in our room and eventually he slept in his bed longer and longer and etc. Good Luck.

My 25 month old son sleeps in a full size futon that we had as a guest bed. He cries in the middle of the night and I go in and get him a bottle and usually end up sleeping next to him. He will call and cry for me for what seems like forever if I don't stay with him. I know it's not ideal. Some nights he sleeps fine. The bottle wasn't such a problem for a while. Now, he's really addicted to his "milt[k]."
Anyway, I know many parents who end up sleeping with their kids or laying next to them to get them to bed. My neighbor ends up sleeping all cramped up next to her son on his toddler bed and he is 1 month older than my son. Sounds like your son wouldn't do that great in a bed by himself - at least for a while.
Another thing to think about,that I waited way too long on, is getting a waterproof mattress cover or two! As my son grew and was still getting bottles at night he started wetting the bed A LOT! The Huggies overnight diapers work pretty good too.
Good luck! Sounds like you're doing a great job!

We co-sleep and slept with my now 2 year 9 month old til he was 2 years. He then moved into his twin size futon. He sleeps in there most nights, but one of us usually climbs in with him and/or he with us. His 9 month old brother co-sleeps with us. He is still in our room, but in his own bed.

Why not just buy him a twin sized bed? You could start off with the mattress on the floor or put bed rails around it. We have bed rails, as my son is a crazy sleeper and needs them.

I personally think toddler beds are a waste of money.

We put the bed in our room and he napped in it, wanted to rest in it, but showed no real interest in it. Then, right when his brother was born, he announced that he wanted to sleep in it and that was that.

I know you wanted toddler bed opinions, but thought you might want to consider a twin right away.

Good luck!

HI there,

Our son co-slept with us until he was 7 months old and started to become mobile. I moved him to his crib then.

Within the last few months we have converted his crib to a toddler bed, he us 21 months now. I really wish we could have just moved him straight to a twin/full because I lay with him each night until he falls asleep and usually on the floor. Also, he is tall for his age so I know it wont be long before we have to buy one anyway.

If you do decide to buy a toddler bed, maybe you could keep it in your room while your son gets used to sleeping in a bed without you. Then after a month or so, move it into his room.

Whatever you decide, realize it'll take some time to get used to him being without you. And vice versa :)

Hi there,
I'm not sure what everyone else has said, but what about trying a twin bed? Since he is already used to sleeping in a big bed with you, this may have a similar feel to him. If you are going to be purchasing a bed anyway then a twin will last longer as well. Good luck!

I bought my daughter's toddler bed on Craiglist for $25 and it came with a mattress that we didn't need, so I sold it for $10 making the bed $15. It's most likely last her until she's 4 or 5, so totally worth it! They have cute ones at walmart and target.com for around $60 too.
I didn't do the co-sleeping thing, so I have no advice for that, but I wish you luck! God bless!

In my opinion you should go straight to a twin bed. My son just turned 3 and he has outgrown his toddler bed. We were lucky to have a crib that converted to a toddler bed so it wasn't an extra expense for us but if you are going to go out and buy a bed it may as well be something he can use for a long time. Right now we just have the mattress on the floor for my son so it is not too tall in case he falls off but you can always get a side rail if you want to get his a cute bedframe and all.