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Out little girl is almost five and has been sleeping in a toddler bed. It’s been difficult to find the sweet spot for upgrading from a toddler bed to a single bed because we’ve had a couple of house moves so didn’t want her to feel too unsettled.
Her toddler bed would’ve probably lasted her another year, but I think she’s been ready for a more grown up bed for a while. She started school in September and I don’t want her to seem babyish when friends come over to play. The toddler bed we were using was very obviously a smaller size, it was super low to the ground and had rails on the side to stop her falling out, but she didn’t need any of that any more so we decided it was time for an upgrade.
We ended up choosing the Noomi Tera solid wood bed in white from Bed Kingdom. We love its simple design and the fact that it’s FSC certified (meaning the solid wood is sourced from sustainably managed forests). This bed is a full-size single (3 feet wide) meaning it’ll fit her well into her teenage years if we take good care of it.
Upgrading from a Toddler Bed
As I mentioned above, Orlaith was still in her toddler bed until recently, and it made the whole vibe of her room look more babyish. So we decided to do a little bit of a room revamp. I would have liked to strip the wallpaper and paint the room, but Orlaith was insistent on keeping what was already there when we bought the house in the summer. Still, with a new bed and freshen up, I was confident we could change the vibe of the room.
Here’s what her bedroom looked like before:
It was a cute room but definitely looks like it belongs to a toddler. The bed looks tiny and I think the fact that it’s so close to the floor and that it’s got side rails it looks very similar to a cot.
Then we put up the new bed, moved things around and added a little fluffy rug for her feet.
Here’s the new bed – I think just that alone instantly makes the room look like a more “grown up” room for a little girl.
I’m really impressed with the bed itself. It’s very sturdy and you can tell it’s made of high quality wood. It can take the weight of me or my husband sitting on the bed with Orlaith to read her bedtime story.
I’ve also noticed she’s sleeping a lot better because it’s so comfy and give her a lot more sleeping space.
You can also buy under bed storage drawers to fit this specific bed, so there’s loads of storage for toys etc. It really helps keep the room looking neat and tidy.
If you were looking to do a full revamp, you can get other pieces of furniture from the Noomi range to match the bed, such as a desk, bedside table or a chest of drawers.
We also added some finishing touches to the big girl bedroom by getting some decals for the wall. I’m desperate to paint the whole room when I can convince Orlaith so I wanted something that looked good but could be taken down easily.
As you can tell by her smile, she’s very pleased with the end results.
When to Upgrade from a Toddler Bed
It can be hard to decide when to move you child from a toddler bed to a single bed. I’ve had three children and it’s been different for each one.
The main thing you need to look out for is a level of independence that means they’ll only benefit from the transition. These are some of the things I look out for:
- Your child no longer falls out of bed.
- Your child is running out of room in the toddler bed.
- Your child is asking for a bigger bed and a more grown up room.
- Your child is confidently getting in and out of bed.
- Your child is around 5 years old.