My son is turning 2 and we want him to start sleeping in a big boy bed but we can't decide if a toddler bed or a twin would be better. Any advice?
If you have a crib that converts or if you think he would be more prone than normal to fall out of a bed then maybe opt for the toddler bed. I just put my 2 year old daughter in a twin bed because thats what I had. It is a day bed so it used to double as a sitting area in her room. She hasn't had any trouble adjusting, hasn't asked for her crib, and hasn't fallen out or even climbed out on her own.
If your son is already tall for his age you might want to consider a twin bed. If he seems to move around alot at night you might want to start with a toddler bed. They do have rails you can buy to put on twin beds too. Also if you do go twin bed and he is a mover just place the mattress on the floor until he get use to it.
We went with a toddler bed so my son could pick out a character design on it. It sat in his room a good while before we started to take naps on it only. From there we started to put him in it at night but left his crib in the room, comfort. By doing something like this when you do transfer beds could help the process be smoother for everyone.
Also let him pick out character sheets so he knows it's his bed.
Happy bed hunting!
I suggest a toddler bed, because its easier during potty training because the crib mattress and waterproof pads still fit. You can layer the crib sheets and waterproof pads so you're not changing sheets in the middle of night during training. I did this with my 1st daughter and it was wonderful. I had to put my son directly into a twin and its a pain dealing with the plastic mattress cover etc, not to mention further to fall out and it takes up more floor space. Whatever you choose, you'll enjoy it :-)
I know most people would recommend against a toddler bed and to go straight for the twin bed, but...
That is the advice I got from EVERYBODY when I was ready to buy a toddler bed, so I didn't get one, and now wish I had. We went for the big boy bunk beds (un-bunked at this point, of course) because we had a another boy on the way at the time, and felt that was the most economical way to go. My son does not like the twin bed, becasue it is just too big and too high for him. He is a restless sleeper and moves a lot, so I feel like a smaller bed, closer to the ground would have been the ideal choice for him. Even with the rails, he fell once because they don't go all the way to the end of the bed, and he ended up scooting down that way in his sleep. We did get him to continue sleeping in the bed after that, but it was a continuous struggle, so has been sleeping on the floor next to his bed for three months. We let it go and will try again in a month or so.
I say do what you think is best for your child. You know his sleep habits and personality the best, so maybe a toddler bed is a better choice for him than a twin bed. Anyway, don't let everyone talk you out of it, like I did. Hope this helped, and good luck with your bed search.
