Should we let our toddler sleep in a double bed? We kept asking ourselves that, but we did and it’s amazing! As lovely as the idea of bed sharing with a (frankly very cute when sleepy) small child is, the reality is always rather horrific. He writhes around, throws his legs on top of the quilt, steals my pillow and has a tendancy to karate chop my neck at various points. So whilst I love the thought of waking up with his face smushed in to mine – who needs personal space!? – we needed a more viable option than three of us, plus a baby at various points, in the bed.
When we did the toddler’s room one of the most talked about features was what bed we were going to put in. The cot that we’d bought had the capacity to turn into a bed but as we needed a cot for the new baby, that removed that option. Plus we needed something that would help with that co-sleeping nightmare, especially with another baby in our room After plenty of debating, we decided to give our (then two year old) toddler the ultimate luxury… a double bed! Think we’re mad? Here are our reasons as to why giving your toddler a double bed is a great idea.
There’s Room For You
When they’re sick, when they can’t sleep, when they want you to lay there and read a book. The true beauty of a double bed is that space for you to join them. No propping your body half in and out of the bed or laying on the floor, you can get in and get (relatively) comfortable. We found this a particular godsend when we had our second child – if our eldest woke in the night, Dave could take him back into his own room and sleep in there with him to re-settle him without having to sacrifice an entire night’s sleep. Meanwhile I could feed the baby half the night in peace without worrying about disturbing an already sleep disrupted toddler.
It’s Harder For Them To Fall Out
A double bed means double the space so in theory, it’s harder for them to fall out. We’ve still used foam bed guards that sit under the sheet to help prevent this but so far, so good. Nine nights out of ten I’ll go in to find him asleep sideways on the bed and all limbs are still perfectly supported which hopefully encourages less wake ups.
You’re Saving Money
As tempting as it is to put a single in, if you have the room I would always go straight to a double bed. Why? The chances are that at some point in the future, your child will be hoping for a double bed to sleep in… whether that’s the teenage years or earlier. Whilst a single frame is undoubtedly cheaper than a double at the start, you’re likely to get more long term use from the double, same with the mattress. We did some research into mattresses from Bed Guru and found double mattresses to be very reasonable compared to their half sized, single counterparts.
You may also find yourselves in our position. We already had a double bed in that room as it was our spare bedroom. It seemed silly to get rid of that to then purchase a single bed, and then potentially want a double again in the future! Instead, we decided to keep what we had by way of frame and put a new mattress on, helping to save us money in the short (and hopefully long) term.
Flexibility For Guests
If you’ve not got a spare room or you want the future flexibility then putting a double bed into your child’s room makes sense. Yes, it will mean turfing your child out for the night but it’s often far easier to find room to fit a single lilo or make a bed out of sofa cushions next to yours than it is to house a couple of adults on the floor.
6 Comments
We totally did this a couple of years ago with our, now 4 year old. We had another baby too & my husband often settles the older one & promptly falls asleep next to him! The day will soon come when they don’t want to be anywhere near us so I try to just go with the flow & enjoy it while it lasts!
Same! The number of times I wake up in the morning and Dave’s disappeared in to settle the toddler in the night and dropped off himself is unbelievable! Hoorah for double beds!
Couldn’t agree more! Our little one has been in one since he was very small as he refuses to sleep on his own! Hoping when his brother is big enough he can join him as he’s another one who is a big cosleeping fan!
I remember you moving out of your room! It’s so much easier isn’t it? He only uses his bedroom to sleep in so I’d rather go big on the bed than lots of room on the floor! Oooh they can get their co-sleeping fix together!
I’m with you! My girls have never had cots even – they’ve gone directly from a basket or bedside cot, directly to a double mattress on the floor. It’s made nursing at night so much easier! And the transition to a bed frame safer too, as you say.
Wow, I’d love to have moved mine straight from the basket to a mattress on the floor but I think my husband would have imploded at the thought! I do love having them in a double though, it makes everything simpler for both parent and child!