Transitioning to Double Bed

Updated on February 21, 2012
N.L. asks from Arlington, MA
12 answers

We're starting to think about transitioning my two-year-old daughter to a big girl bed. Right now, there's a double bed in her room that we use as a guest bed. We've got another baby on the way this June, so it'd be ideal to keep her room just the way it is and move the baby into the crib once he's here. We'd planned on buying her a twin bed, but it seems dumb not to use the double bed we've already got (not to mention the sheets, etc.) when we don't have another room to put it in anyway. But I feel like it's crazy to give a two-year-old such a big bed! Am I being silly? Has anybody else done this? I've looked online and you can get waterproof pads in bigger sizes, so that's not an issue.

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J.M.

answers from Boston on

Definitely use the big bed. You can sit together easily as you read books, worry less about falling out etc. Have fun!

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M.S.

answers from Kansas City on

She will love it! We were in the same situation and had to do the same thing and my daughter just loves being in a big kid bed . . . she is five now. Start now before the baby is born so she can jump back and forth between the big bed and her crib so she can get used to it. It took a few weeks before my daughter was completely out of her crib but we wanted to give her time to adjust before her brother arrived. Good luck!

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J.L.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I am actually planning on getting both of my kids double beds when they grow out of the crib. My daughter who is almost 4 will be getting her new bedroom set soon and my son (28 months) is still happy in his crib, thank God!! I know at two they are a L. small for a double, but if you need the crib save some money and use the double. When we go to the beach in the summer, the condo that we stay at has two double beds in the kids room. Last summer, my son was not yet two, so I put two pillows on either side of him underneath the fitted sheet. It was partly so he didn't fall out but also so that it seemed a L. cozier like his crib. I've also heard of people using the thicker pool noodles under the fitted sheet. It's something you could try to make the bed seem smaller for your daughter.

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M.C.

answers from Boston on

We moved our daughter to a double size bed right around the 2 year mark. I like the size because I can lay down next to her to read her stories at night and there's space for one of us to fall asleep with her when she's not feeling well too. The only thing we did that I haven't seen in the other posts is we just did the double size mattress and box spring, no bed frame. We put the mattress against the wall on one side and figured if she did roll out of bed, there wasn't a big drop between the bed and floor. So far, so good! Congrats on baby #2!

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K.P.

answers from Dallas on

my 3.5 year old has a queen size bed (its was my bed before i bought a king), he loves having so much space to move around without having to worry about falling off. No reason to buy another bed if you already have one thats not being used, just take her to pick out some bedding that she likes and she will be happy to sleep in her big girl bed.

T.S.

answers from Denver on

I think she will be fine and enjoy it! I never had a toddler bed (like my 3 year old does now). Always a full bed. Hand-me-downs...of course. I did fall out of the bed once and hit my head on my night stand. Ouch. Maybe get guard rails and put the bed against a wall. My parents didn't think that part through very well ;)

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D.P.

answers from Minneapolis on

We did it! We lost our guest room when we had our second and have a lot of out of town family. We actually got rid of the queen bed (it was old) and got him a double, figuring it could still be used as a guest bed if we needed it. He loves it! We still put rails just in case. My youngest got the convertible crib from our oldest that will eventually be a double as well. Worked out for us so that it will be fair. And she'll have more room for stuffed animals or for you to lay and read a book at night.

BTW, found waterproof matress covers at the time at Kohls on a BOGO and they aren't the noisy ones.

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

We had the 8 yr. old in a queen at age 2 1/2. It was avail and it worked just fine.

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K.L.

answers from Washington DC on

Yep, you're being silly :) We were in the exact situation. 2 months after my daughter turned 2 her little sister arrived. We moved the older one into what was the guest room - into a double bed! A couple of months before the baby came we painted the room and made it into her "big girl" room. We left the nursery just as it was, and put baby in there when she came! it worked out perfectly. The only snag - my daughter didn't like the bed at first (I don't think it was b/c it was double!) so she slept on a mat in the corner for the first month or two. I really didn't care where she slept, as long as she was in her room and out of the crib that we were going to need really soon! We got the large waterproof pads, too. Plus a rail for each side. You'll be glad you didn't waste money on a toddler bed or single bed :)

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A.E.

answers from Hartford on

When our 2 year old was about to become a big brother we did the same thing- moved him into the double bed we already had to make room for the baby in the crib. In the end, two years later we caved and got him a twin ( and had to buy all new sheets, etc...did get pricey!) He really seemed "lost" in such a huge bed and never slept well (even though it is very comfortable). Also, it made it a little too easy when you are sleep deprived just to lay right down with him! ; ) The last issue was that it was more difficult to change the sheets than a twin bed and though we had a great waterproof cover, it was hassle with my big 9 month pregnant belly. I hope it works out for you better than it did for us. Its not silly or unusual, but if you can afford a twin, I would do that. One last reason is SPACE! The older they get, the more toys they accumulate. We had to go to a twin to make room for the train table! :-)

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M.D.

answers from Burlington on

Hi,

We already had two double beds (one platform and one metal frame which used a boxspring) and we had two boys. They each received one after they were done with the crib. (We actually got rid of our metal frame and bought another platform bed. Platform beds don't use boxsprings. Boxsprings wear out faster than the mattress. Without a boxspring, the mattress is closer to the floor, so if the child falls out of bed it's not as far to the floor to fall.) Big beds also equal falling out of bed less, though I did use things to prevent it from occuring. If a child is ill or wakes up during the night and needs a parent to help them fall back to sleep, a double bed can accomodate both the child and the parent. When guests come over, both children can be put into one bed and the guests can use the other - that is if you have two. Twin beds did not exist until the 1890s, so no, it's not crazy to give a 2-year old a full bed.

MD

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C.C.

answers from Washington DC on

We bought a King when we moved into our new house so naturally our oldest got our Queen and middle child got her full and infant moved into the crib from the bassinet. Its not silly, why spend money when you don't have to

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