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Toddler Beds: How to Choose the Right One for Your Child
Filed under: Toddlers Preschoolers, Health & Safety: Babies, Feeding & Sleeping
Consider adding rails when setting up your child's toddler bed. Credit: Getty Images
The big move often happens when baby number two is on the way, says Dr. Paul Horowitz. That might be OK, as long as your child is 18 months old or older, and can safely get into and out of the new bed on his or her own, says the Valencia, Calif.-based pediatrician with Discovery Pediatrics.
A key issue in determining whether your child is ready for a big bed is the height of the new bed. The closer to the ground, the better, Horowitz says.
It also helps to make bedtime a regular routine with the goal of getting your child to sleep. Beds should be for sleeping, not playing, and a child needs to know to remain in bed unless they have to use the bathroom.
"A lot of families try to make beds or bedtime more entertaining than it should be," Horowitz cautions.
Other experts recommend waiting until the child is much older to transition to a toddler bed. Jodi Mindell, author of "Sleeping Through the Night," (Harper Collins, 2005) tells ParentDish she strongly recommends waiting until as close to age 3 as possible.
"It takes a lot of behavioral control to stay within those imaginary boundaries," she says. "There also has to be a cognitive understanding of the boundaries."
Even with a new baby on the way, Mindell says there's no immediate need to move the older child to a big bed. For several months at least, newborns can sleep in a bassinet and don't need a crib. Consider borrowing a crib if your child is not ready to make the move.
There are a variety of toddler bed options available, and finding the right one depends on a number of factors. Some parents may chose a toddler bed that uses the same mattress as the crib -- familiar crib sheets can provide comfort during the transition for your child. Some of these beds are closer to the ground than a traditional bed.
Parents who are moving their child to a traditional twin bed should consider not using a bed frame until the child is older, or should use removable railings for any child under 5, because they can easily fall out of bed.
"You need railings no matter what, because kids fracture their collar bone falling out of bed," Mindell says. Even if you think your child never moves while sleeping, put up railings anyway, she says.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
2-07-2011 @ 9:05AM
Dancerctry said...My 20 month old son has been on a mattress on the floor since 18 months. He's tall and was about to climb out so his doctor said to completely babyproof his room and just put the mattress on the floor since you can't fall off the floor. He'll get a bedframe when he's older. He's still waking up sometimes at night calling for us but usually just when he is having a nightmare or fell out of his comforter. He was born in June 2009 so I spent a lot of that summer outside on a comforter letting him lay, get fresh air, and see the outdoors. Later, I used that some blanket as a picnic blanket this past summer (2010). He insists on being wrapped up in that comforter. He's a Mama's boy and it was mine from when I was a little girl until I got married. He's not ready for a toddler bed but was ready to loose the crib. I'm not pregnant so there isn't a sibling on the way.
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2-07-2011 @ 3:59PM
aurora said...I have 2 kids and i never used a toddler bed or transitional bed for either of them because i believe they are a waste of money due to the fact that it usually doesn't take long for a child to outgrow them or beat them up by jumping on them . i went right to getting them twin size beds and bed frames . i would just put a few pillows or old blankets on the floor in case the child fell out of the bed. it didn't take long for them to get used to them and both my kids thought that they were just like mom and dad's bed as far as comfort went . they loved it.
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2-08-2011 @ 1:45PM
Alicia said...That's what my parents did. Just butted the bed up against one wall and piled pillows and stuffed animals on either side of me, so I wouldn't thrash too much and fall out. Granted, they stopped that when I was four or so, but by that time, falling out of bed wasn't a huge deal. Good thing, cause I did it a lot until I was 8 or so.
2-07-2011 @ 5:23PM
LindaOB725 said...My son went into a regular bed at 18m (mattress on the floor) because he would later be diagnosed with ADHD. There was NO crib or containment system that would work.
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3-20-2011 @ 1:02PM
Kristina said...Kids move a lot for several reasons. I believe piling pillows are effective than railings. They soon learn to limit their movements.
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