Moving Your Toddler to a Regular Bed Instead of a Toddler Bed

Many parents grew up with a twin bed or larger and used it until they moved out or went on to college. So they prefer twin beds because there is a long term advantage, rather than having the expense of buying another bed later on. By transitioning from a cot to a regular bed you eliminate the extra step of moving the child from the toddler bed to the regular bed. By going straight to a regular bed you only have to deal with any emotional attachment the child has with the bed once. Many people feel it is a waste of money to invest in a toddler bed and therefore go straight for the regular bed. The regular bed may also slow the child down in getting in and out of the bed since it is higher off the floor.

For safety reasons, and for your child's feeling of security, you will want to place the bed against a wall. Some people will do this out of necessity for space, but for those who have the space and like the looks of a bed centered in the room this may be considered a disadvantage. There is the expense of buying guard rails and the need to make sure the bed can accommodate bed rails to help prevent the child from falling out of bed easily. These beds are a bit higher off the floor and the child may have farther to fall, in which case you may want to place pillows on the floor to help soften the blow if they do fall. Some parents start off with the mattress on the floor so they don't have to worry about their child falling out at night.

As you can see there are advantages and disadvantages to the regular bed. Every family has different space issues, sleep issues, preferences and budgets to deal with so there is never one solution that is right for everyone. But there is a right bed out there for you.

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