Twin or Full Size Bed for Toddler...

We got a full size for my daughter and I'm happy we did. If the room can accomodate it, get the bigger bed. It's great for me lying down with her or her brother climing into bed with her. She's also got more room to move around (not that she does!). The other recommendation someone gave us was to put the mattress on the floor when you first transition.. that way not far to fall should he/she roll out. Great idea and I've done it with both kids.

in my sons room he has 2 twin beds and in my daughters room she has a full sized bed. I like the full sized bed much better. It makes her room the hang out. They both pile on her bed to watch v. Mom or Dad sometimes go and lay with her, can't do that on the twin bed. The only downside to the fullsize bed is if you want themed bedding. It's a little more difficult to find.

We got my son a twin with a trundle underneath! I like the idea of that because when he gets older and has friends stay the night they can have their own bed and not have to share! :)

We absolutely love our son's fullsize bed:

- Harder to fall off of while sleeping
- Easy to lie down with them for nightmares, stories, when they're sick
- Great place to play (make a blanket tent and read stories, etc.)
- Great for sleepovers later
- Easy to stash a twin mattress or trundle underneath them and still have storage room (also for sleepovers, guests, etc.)
- The don't outgrow them. You keep them until the mattress wears out / no furniture to buy.

PS: Whatever you do, don't get suckered into a toddler bed. They don't support adult weight (or the weight of 2 kids) so for the 50 or so nights a year that you *have* to go in there, you end up sitting on the floor or taking them out of their room entirely (nightmares, illnesses, etc.) which is just needlessly disruptive (instead of just being able to sit on the bed with them and hold them, check their temp, etc.), and forget laying down with them completely. They outgrow them in 1-2 years (all new sheets and furniture... new blankets as well if you buy the "cute" ones that fit the bed), or LESS. Toddler beds are a marketing ploy. A complete and total waste of $500-$1500 dollars not to mention the daily hassle of their 60-100lb weight limit.

If you have the space absolutely go with a full size! We went through the same thing and then one day someone suggest it and I thought...well sure, yeah, that makes sense...and it does! It's been fabulous! There is enough room to cuddle, read books and have a friend or cousin sleep next to them! My son's room is pretty small and I'm afraid the full won't fit in his, so we may be stuck with a twin for him! :(

It depends on what size bed you want him to grow up with. Most of my nieces have gone into Queens. We have one in a full and one in a twin.

Full makes sense if you have the room and the budget and don't mind having a hard time finding kid bedding. We have twin beds (2 sets of bunk beds) for our crew of 4 and they're fine. Kids don't "grow out" of twin beds (unless they're overweight I suppose). My adult brothers are both over 6 feet tall and 200 lbs and they both sleep in twins, and that's what kids get in college dorms too. So don't go with a full because you think they'll need the room to grow, but for the other reasons listed below, full can make sense.

FWIW we always did toddler beds. They sell cute ones at Target or Wal-mart that are $50-$60 and you use the same bedding and mattress that you use in your crib. Not sure where the poster who mentioned $500-$1000 toddler beds is shopping but they're not that much at all! We used them because we always had a younger one in a crib and waited until they were both big enough for a bunk bed to invest in real beds.

I got my kids both twin sized beds when they were 3 & 4 years old. They're now 10 & 12 & still in the same beds without any problems. A kid will sleep in whatever is available to them, so if a twin sized makes more sense for you budget wise or based on the size of the room, I'm sure you won't have any issues for quite some time.

I didn't see any need for a full bed -- the twin bed was the only bed I was willing to consider. Why take up more floor space with a larger bed? And you can't outgrow a twin bed, at least until you're married ;)

Also...if your child goes away to college, most dorm rooms are equipped with twin beds!

We also did a full size bed for our son, he's had it since he was 3 years old and hasn't grown out of it. The best thing to invest in would be a full size bed then you won't have to worry about him growing out of it. We also got the one with the drawers on both sides of his bed which works great for extra clothing. We got his bed from Harlem furniture and I believe they still have it! Theres even a little door at the end of his bed and that's where we store his toy's! Go fo the full size bed! You'll save alot more money! Good Luck!

Ok, this is completely anecdotal and maybe just my wacky logic, but I want my kids to sleep in a twin bed. I feel if they get used to sleeping on a smaller bed, they will be better bedmates for their future partners. If they have room to roll all over a bigger bed, when they have to share as adults, I worry they'll be bed hogs. My husband grew up sleeping on a full sized bed, and he absolutely kicks, flops all around, and steals the covers.

Again, I know it's not very scientific, but that's why we're sticking with twin beds for our kids.

Our first toddler had a full and it was great for comPany, then our next child got a queen because it came from our guest room. I wish our full was a queen as well. We have family come in a few times a year and we put the adults in all the kids beds and they sleep wonderful. So if you have family that lives out of town go for the full! As for how the kids react to twilight or full doesn't matter to them I dont think.

I had a full but bought a twin because of space. My daughter loves having room to play in her room. Plus the full was so big, I jumped ahead 15 years and did not want her to have more room than she needed when interested in boys! HA.. I was surprised how big the twin really was, I can lay in there with her and we have plenty of room. good luck

If you have the space and money, get a full. We were fortunate enough to have someone give us a full sized bed when we were ready to move our son from the crib. He went through a stage of needing me to sleep with him, that lasted about a month and I was pregnant so sleeping with him was no big deal, I had plenty of room! But if he had a twin or even worse a toddler bed, that would not have worked out very well! Just something you might not have thought about.

Mikey went into a full size bed at 18 months old !!! He would have NEVER made it in a twin, so that would have been a huge waste of $$ for us !!! he moves around A Lot!

*oh yes we dont have his bed up on the frame, the box spring and mattress are on the floor !

We got my son a twin sized bed. I had a twin up until i left for college...I felt like he needed the floor space to play as opposed more bed to sleep in. So, I suppose it depends on how big the room is!

My daughter will be two in September and has been in a queen size bed for a few months. She loves it. I can sleep next to her on those nights when she's not feeling well or cutting teeth. It's great! Get the full for sure! When our second child arrives in September they'll eventually share this room and there's plenty of floor space with crib and "big" bed! The full bed will be good longer term as a guest bed when your child(ren) are out of there.

We put out little guy in a twin only because it would give him more room to play in his bedroom. We got a rail that slips in between the matress and the box spring so that he doesn't roll out. I think it really just comes down to what you prefer.

We put my oldest son in his toddler sized car bed at 18 months old, and he moved out of it at 4 1/2 years old, so it was worth the $75 for those 3 years, the extra metal grated support, and the same crib mattress and crib sheets (toddler bed is crib size mattress/sheets) that he already had, lol. It was that cute Little Tykes blue race car, in GREAT condition, bought off craigslist. (Plus it was handed down to the next son).
Now at 4 1/2 years old, he's got the twin bunk beds. First, boys don't sleep together in the same bed. I don't know why, we girls did all the time. But my brother, my friends' sons, etc....they just don't sleep together. So maybe as little children fine they can share a bed, but at some point in elementary school that just stops and someone feels uncomfortable about it. Not saying they should, but it is what it is. If he didn't care about bunk beds, we would have gone full size and had room for a dresser, but he has the T shaped bunks with book shelves, a headboard with 2 shelves, a dresser, 3 drawers on the bottom bed, a desk, and a cork bulletin board all built in together. We couldn't pass that up! It works beautifully in his room, and he has a display shelf for trophies and the collectables, and a toybox in his room with plenty of room to play in. That wouldn't have happened had we had to buy a full size bed and separate dresser. Besides, all that rustic wood goes beautifully with his cowboy themed room but could change to a "cabin" or "pirate" room easy enough in a few years if he wants to change his theme. He's still small enough that I can lay on my side in his bed and cuddle him (and little brother somehow squeezes in too!) But the chair for his desk is what I use if I need to sit down and talk to him. Incidentally, I got the bunk bed on craigslist from someone who's room was too small for it, and paid $130 for it. Just bought 2 new mattresses during a memorial day sale and that was that. Someone else made a good point: twin beds are what you get if you stay in a dorm. Or the army. So no, a quality twin bed is fine as far as "size" goes.
Another mom posted about being a better sleepmate later if you sleep in a twin. I laughed at that! Reason: I had a king sized water bed starting at age 8, and I AM the worst sleepmate in the world. I roll, flip, flop, sleep diagonally if possible, etc. My husband grew up in a twin bed, and he doesn't even wrinkle the sheets! He just lays there, and sleeps. There might be something to that theory, Jae.
Now my youngest is 19 months old and LOVES his toddler sized car bed (handed down from big brother) and his transportation themed room which is so cute it's ridiculous. We keep a beanbag chair that matches one of the colors in his quilt by his bed so I can flop down and read, pray, take temperature, and all that mom stuff.

When our daughter was ready, we got a full sized bed. She has always been tall and moved a lot in her sleep when she was younger. She would sleep sideways & sometimes completely turn around and end up with her head at the foot of the bed. The full sized bed allowed her the room to move and she didn't wake up as much in the night due to being "out of room". Good Luck!

If you have the money, get a full sized bed. This bed will "grow" with your child. Our son has been in a double since he was 3 and loves it! :)

I went with full size beds for my kids...their rooms are slightly cramped because of it but they love their beds :). The extra roll around room means that they will be happy with these beds for at least 8-10 years! Good luck finding the right bed!

I would say if you want your son to keep it when he moves out, go with a full. Sorry, I tend to think very long term. If he has roommates in college he would probably be made fun of for having a twin bed.

We bought a used race car bed for my son but quickly learned he was an active sleeper & the plastic was loud when he banged into it so we got rid of it. He was 3 when we moved into our new home & we gave him our queen sized bed! At 3 he looked so little in it but we used bed rails & he never rolled out. His twin sister sleeps in a full sized bed. My kids are 5 now & Hailey sleeps with no bed rails & Danny sleeps with one bed rail.

If you think your kid is going to be tall go for the bigger sized bed so you don't have to buy another mattress!

L.

My boys have twin bunk beds. My youngest son who will be two soon, sleeps on the bottom bunk. He loves it. A full size bed is great and it can last all the way up through high school. A twin could be just as beneficial as well. Is his room big enough for a full size that will also allow room for him to play? That would be how I would consider what to buy.

I agree that, if you have the space, a full sized bed would be better. If he has somone to "sleep over", a twin is too small. Or if he is hurting, and you want to lay next to him, a full will make it more comfortable.