Toddler beds

So far we only have one experience with our girls sleeping in something besides a crib or PNP -- when Sarah and I went to my parents' house and she hated the crib, so we wound up putting the crib mattress on the floor next to my bed. She thought that was loads of fun, and slept really well, but I had to pull her back onto the mattress 3-4 times a night. (We piled pillows up all around the edges so she didn't fall right onto the floor -- not that she probably would have noticed -- one time I found her practically underneath my bed.)

We were planning to start with mattresses on the floor rather than going straight to beds anyway, just for this reason, but it seems like it will still be rough if they are falling off the mattresses all the time. Do they get the hang of it pretty quickly, or is a flopper always a flopper? (I think my sister used to fall out of bed even in elementary school.)

 

We have rails on the girls beds. I plan to keep them on until they are at least 5.

 

Annie went straight from a crib to a twin bed with 2 side rails at age 2. We just took off the rails at 4 1/2. She has fallen out a few times, but usually she just climbs back in. Jo went to a toddler bed with a built in rail by the head only at 2. I'm not sure if Ellie will take Jo's bed this spring or if she will get the toddler bed with no rails. The toddler beds are so close to the ground anyway. Jo and Ellie like to jump on Joey's bed and once Jo jumped Ellie right off! The 3 inch fall didn't bother her at all!

 

With Caroline we started with a mattress on the floor, I don't remember her falling out, but it has been awhile so maybe she did a few times. One side of the mattress was against the wall so she could only fall out one way. Once we moved her into a bed we had bed rails on both sides of the bed until she was around 5. I do think they learn how far they can roll, that said there are times I check on her now and am afraid she will fall out she is so far over to one side, but she never has fallen out.

 

We're (hopefully) a long way from this transition. HOWEVER, I have wondered many times how my kids will ever stay in a bed. They have always cozied themselves right up against the bumper. In fact, we still have bumpers (no, they can't use them to climb out b/c they've laid on them so many times they don't retain their shape in the least) in their cribs b/c when I took them out they weren't sleeping well b/c they kept hitting their heads on the rails.

I am making special blankets/pillow cases for them for Xmas as we'll be introducing pillows to them. They know what pillows are for, they just haven't had them in bed yet. I'm hoping they will prefer snuggling up to the pillows instead of the sides and get used to that long before we are forced (no climbing yet, thank god) to switch to toddler beds.

 

We start out using a regular bed rail on the toddler bed (takes up almost the whole side) and the bed up against the wall on the other side. When they move to a regular twin bed, we just move the rail with them. My older two needed rails until kindergarten. We tried a few times around 4 to take them off and a few times a week they'd end up falling off the bed. Aaron has been in the big twin with the rail for several months now and doesn't seem to need the rail. Half the time he pushes it off playing before he falls asleep and I don't go put it back on. He hasn't fallen out of bed at all. Erick is the toddler with a rail right now and will go to a twin probably around his 3rd bday next summer.

 

I had to pick my 3yo up off the floor just this morning! :laughing: I went into the room to get one of the babies and he was sound asleep in the middle of their bedroom. He is in a toddler bed (has been since about 2yo). He still falls out, but doesn't even seem to notice or care. We will be moving soon and getting him a twin size bed....I plan on putting larger rails on it (toddler rails really are a joke). But I think a flopper is a flopper!!

 

when I put Lise and Annemé in normal single bed, they both fell off the first night onto pillows I put next to the bed, but that was the only time. since then they neve fell off. before, when they slept on a matress on the floor, they used to move and landed on the floor next to it often. I guess with the big bed" they just realised falling off is not so nice, so they sleep to the wall's side and never fell off since.

 

At 2 1/2 we switched from cribs to twin beds--platform style with drawers underneath. Both boys fell out 2 times the first night, and never fell out again. We never put rails up.

 

J&G moved to toddler beds when they were about 2-1/2 after still sharing a crib. Their beds have built-in rails in the upper half only. We put them against a wall so they would only have one side to fall out if they did. I remember how we'd listen for those thuds the first few weeks! It only happen 4-5 times tops for each of them, then I think they got used to it. Fortunately, the beds are fairly low to the ground and their room is carpeted. We have no plans to move them into bigger beds unless they outgrow or outweigh these, so we think they'll be able to stay in those toddler beds at least another year or two (they're 5 now).

A friend moved her son from crib to twin bed at age 3 and his room had hardwood floors. They put his bed against a wall and arranged pillows on the floor each night in case he fell out, but it turned out to be OK.

I don't know if a flopper is always a flopper (cute!), but I probably would have gotten them full-lenth rails or switched to mattresses on the floor if the thuds became consistent. Good luck!

 

My son's toddler bed is higher than his sister (convertible crib vs. toddler bed). He doesn't seem to fall out, he actually slides out in his sleep. We have carpet, a couple of blankets, and some pillows down. I don't care where he sleeps (floor or bed) as long as he sleeps. His sister has fallen a couple of times but she generally "dangles" off the side and then pulls herself up. The bed isn't that far from the floor so I don't worry about it and we have cushioning to catch them when they fall.