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I would also suggest going with a cheaper mattress...I know there will probably be many theories on this, but your little one doesn't weigh much now and you will have to make it through the potty training span with that same mattress. I have ended up buying my kids a new mattress anyway around the 8 - 10 year old mark, so I didn't spend the big bucks on great quality until then. They used those mattresses until they left home for college.
I completely agree with this. We started swapping out for a better mattress around age 7, which around the time they generally start to ask for something a little nicer.
IKEA has good beds I got the sniglar one, its big enough to last her a few years and she doesn't roll out. Before I got that I just put her cot mattress on the floor.
My first went into a twin bed when she turned 2. I got a cheap mattress for her, and regret it. She was never a good sleeper with that mattress.
My second had a crib that converted to a toddler bed and then to a full-sized bed, but we still still skipped the toddler bed stage with her. We converted it into a full bed at 18 months. I bought a nice mattress for her, and she was my good sleeper.
A few years later, I ended up swapping their beds - putting the older one in the full bed and the younger one in the twin, just for my convenience when I redid their bedrooms. I found that suddenly my older kid was sleeping well when she never had before, and now my younger kid was waking all the time! I seriously think the mattress is a big part of it.
You'd think I would just go and replace that twin mattress with a higher quality one, but I end up feeling like I shouldn't spend the money because I already bought this other mattress. Which is probably stupid of me... But my point is - I do not recommend skimping on the mattress!
I would skip the toddler bed. DS is 3.5 and we converted his crib into a toddler bed (removed the front rail) a little over a year ago. It converts to a full bed as well, but his room is small, so we'd prefer to keep more space for playing. We bought a low-profile twin bed at Ikea in April, but haven't put it together. It was only $99, so figure it was cheap enough for him now and we'll invest more when he's older and has a say in what he wants.
we didn't use a toddler bed. it seemed unnecessary. we used a bed rail for my oldest, which was kind of a pain. the youngest was on the crib mattress on the floor for a while.
My son was still sleeping in my room (out of necessity) when he was ready for a bed. I did not have room for a twin bed, so I removed the crib frame and set the spring and mattress on four plastic milk crates.
It was a bit high for him, but he actually like to climb so he loved it!
We even had matching blankets (I made his out a piece of mine.) on our beds and he thought it was the coolest room in the house.
When we moved into a house and he had his own room we got him the loft bed that he used until he was 20. (We did cut the legs off that loft bed.)
I am in the minority. I did buy toddler beds. Our middle boy was only 17 months when his brother came along, and the twin looked so big. But, if I am to be totally honest, it was because the toddler bed was so darn cute, it was hard to pass up. When youngest transitioned out of the crib, I bought a second toddler bed. The bonus was that the beds were small enough to leave a lot of play area in their shared bedroom. They remained in those beds until they were four yrs old.
We have the cribs that convert into a toddler bed then a regular bed.
My daughter was out of her crib well before 2 ... she had zero interest in her crib and staying in it .... she's been in the converted toddler bed since ..... I like it because it doesn't take up a lot of space, is low to the ground, has a half rail and the mattress on it is definitely "accident" friendly ....... she's running towards 4 and after the next big growth spurt will probably need to move on though
My little guy is over 2 and is still in his crib - he digs it .... doesn't try to climb out or get impatient when he wakes up, in fact sometimes he wants a few minutes to hang out before we remove him from it ....... his will also convert and we'll probably do that when the time comes, but am not in a rush right now
If I had a crib that didn't convert, a lot would depend on the age but I'd probably just skip the toddler bed step unless I found a really good deal that would be in line with what it essentially is (a short term gap to bridge to the full bed)
I wish toddler beds had been a choice with my second one 25 years ago.....lol
We did get one with my 3rd for a few reasons mentioned here.
First, space. We simply didn't have the space for another bed at the time.
Second, it had a half rail and was low to the floor so it wasn't a worry if for some reason she rolled off the bed.
Third, we didn't have to buy a new mattress/bed or worry about potty accidents using the crib mattress. (plus we got our money's worth on the expensive crib mattress!)
Fourth, the bedding available was just perfect for her plus everything from the crib fit for extras....sheets and blankets.
She stayed in it until she was almost 5 actually because she totally fell in love with it.
When our 4th was born we did use the toddler bed for him as well, but not as long as before. We moved to a bigger house when he was 3 and sold it at that time.
We skipped the toddler bed. We also got my son a cheap mattress--but it was super soft, some kind of memory foam (not the chemical smelling kind, buyer beware!). And just recently (he is four) changed it out for a good quality mattress. Regardless, I would get a waterproof mattress cover, preferably the kind that zips up all around. We also used a bed rail until very recently for him. The bed rail was so expensive, come to think of it, that it practically would have paid for a toddler bed.
My children never liked their cribs and my belief is it was because the crib mattresses are so hard. I realize that these mattresses are hard so that children don't suffocate between the side of the bed and the mattress, etc. but they are just totally uncomfortable.
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I got the sniglar one, its big enough to last her a few years and she doesn't roll out. Before I got that I just put her cot mattress on the floor.
