One of my friends has three children but has never bought a toddler bed for any of them. A couple of moms in the neighborhood I talk to from time to time swear by toddler beds, attesting to how much easier it made the transition from crib to “big child’s” bed for their children. At 18 months, my son was constantly trying to climb out of his crib. So he slept with us until we decided to just go ahead and buy a captain’s bed. Since it was somewhat low to the ground, we weren’t too concerned because we bought a guard rail for the bed. And indeed, there have never been any mishaps.

Next month, my little girl will be two. While she’s not currently to climb up and out, it’s obvious that she will outgrow her crib fairly soon. My son wants a bunk bed for his room but it’s not recommended until a child is at least six. Since toddlers beds are often cheaper than twin beds, I decided to buy one for my daughter. Then by the time she’s ready for a twin bed, we’ll be able to buy the bunk bed my son wants and pass along his “old” bed to his sister.
 

Toddler beds are roughly the size of a standard crib and use a crib mattress, not a twin mattress (as I found out). A toddler bed sits almost on the floor, it is that low to the ground. Even so, many types of toddler beds include some kind of railing to prevent a child from falling out of bed. I wanted a toddler bed with some kind of rail system, just to give my daughter assurance and me peace of mind.

I planned my daughter’s nursery with as little re-decorating as possible in mind. In other words, I chose not to use a theme she soon might get tired of and, excluding the crib, I selected bedroom furniture that would grow with her. (I did the same for my son’s room). I skipped the cute castle or princess themed beds and chose something that was economical and in keeping with the room’s current décor. 

Even though space-saving furniture is always a plus in a child’s room, I also opted not to include any special features like under-bed storage; since she won’t be using the bed that long, I wanted to keep costs down. However, although I could have technically continued to use her crib sheets, I did splurge on three new sets of crib bedding. I thought new bed linens would be the perfect way to mark the occasion and to celebrate the fact that my daughter was getting a new bed that didn’t have “safety bars”! 

Angie (mom to a 5 year old boy and 23-month baby girl)