My grand daughter had a toddler bed and we found that it wasn't worth the time as she wanted her own regular sized bed like her older sister and so it became a purchase that they felt was a waste of money. She is now in her own big girl bed!
I had moved my children straight to a twin bed. We made it part of the growing into a big boy big girl ritual. Along with the responsibility of tidying up the bed when out of it and not wetting the big girl bed.
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Each child is different, but you do need to imagine most every way possible they can get hurt. If they are climbers, they are more likely to get hurt climbing out of a crib. If you can put a twin mattress directly on a lower frame on the floor (6" for air circulation), that could be the safest. good luck
Source(s):
Mom of 25 years!

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twin bed
Source(s):
me myself and i

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twin, but not too high
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My son really never used his toddler bed we went and got him a regular bed and he has had no problems and hes 5 this sat
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I'd say a twin bed. They grow up quite fast and buying a bed for the period of just a couple years is a hassle and waste of money for nothing. Buy a bed protector for those inevitable accidents, make sure the bed frame has no sharp edges and is low enough so that if your child should fly off the bed, She won't get scratched badly. If your worried about her falling off the bed, watch her for a couple nights, if you haven't already and see just how much she does move. If she moves alot, you could get a bed rail. If she doesn't, well she most likely won't change that over night.
Safety wise, both are equal, depending on exactly what you chose, but
Buying something that will last only 3-4 years?
Buying something that will last 10+ years?
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There are toddler beds that convert into twin beds, so that they "grow" with the child. This would be a nice middle road. At Ikea, there's a mattress you can get in three pieces, and then when the child is old enough, you can replace it with a standard American twin mattress. They're really low to the ground, too. The ones that extend are the Minnen, Trofast, and Leksvik.

If you would like to go straight in, there are the Step 2 beds, which are twin sized but offer toddler bed features, like rails. The one I looked at on Amazon looks like it would definitely keep a child in, and it also looks like something built for a kid's imagination as well. Another benefit is that it has space for storage. The links below are to the beds and the extendable Ikea mattress that goes with the Ikea beds.
Source(s):
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S39827962
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S39847516
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S99861670
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90094909
http://www.amazon.com/Step-2-LifeStyle-Twin-Bed/dp/B00078W36Y

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Twin beds is how I did it with my kids.
So my friend and I are watching Monday Night Football and keeping half an eye on my son. He's between 18 months and two years. I'm setting on my couch and my kid is next to me. My friend is setting on an easy chair. The game is getting good when I hear my friend say, "Uh...hey..." Realizing that something is wrong I look over. My son is standing on the narrow edge of our couch. As my heart rises to my mouth, he spreads his arms out sideways like any good acrobat and smiles at me.
Ta Da!
"Okay, okay, I see you," I grumbled as I grabbed him under his arms and lifted him down to the floor. "Be careful, will ya?"
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Twin Bed.

We had a toddler bed for our first and it lasted for only a short time. I think it was more for us than for our child in a way...oh well (you just want them to stay little). We have other guys that followed - but no-one used the toddler bed alas. It was so cute, but not really practical for us.

We put the twin bed mattress right on the floor for a long time so they could easily get in and out. Then when they were bigger, we set up the bed frame - it made it fun - the bed then became the big kid bed and we got new sheets/comforter etc as a celebration (whatever you want to do of course).

We have one more bed frame to set up but because we have tall 4 poster beds and the last is still a smaller child - we'll wait until they are really ready to make the giant leap UP!

Oh, bed rails are great too...try the ones that span underneath the bed - rail on each side. Nice for the child, harder tho for you guys to sit at the edge of the bed to say good night, read, etc.
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I think it completely depends on your child's size. Toddler beds can last, I have a skilled climber of my own who is 4 years old (small for his age) but the bed is lasting him! I'm sure this is the last year he will be in a toddler bed, but it has been awhile. A lot of toddler beds use the mattress from your crib, so that is one way to reduce costs. Weigh the pros and cons such as your childs size and weigh the safety issue. If you're afraid of your child falling put pillows or extra padding on the floor.
Source(s):
Myself!

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I read your kid's description, but I do not know your kid’s age and what type of floor do you have. For example, the description of your kid reminds me of my oldest kid. The only problem we had was that, at that time we lived in a house that had Italian tiles on the floor. Therefore, we decided to buy him a toddler’s bed because we were afraid of him falling down and hitting his head hard. We also bought a rug and put it in his room. At this time, he was two years old.

We have more kids. With kids #2 and #3, we had a different situation. We were living in a different house. In this house, we had carpet in every bedroom. Kids#2 and kid#3 were good climbers. Especially kid#2. When they were one, my mom got them Spiderman toddlers’ bed. They use these beds until they turn 4 and 5 years old. They really like these beds.

Hope this helps.
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