Your Tot Will Be Ready to Kiss Their Crib Goodbye When They See These Toddler Beds

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When you bring your newborn home, they sleep in a little bassinet. After a few months, your baby sleeps in a crib. And once they hit that toddler age, they will start to show signs that it’s time for an upgrade again, which means getting them into a toddler bed.

Toddler beds give your little one more snoozing space, while the guardrails ensure that they don’t roll out. Amp up the excitement of hitting this milestone by bringing home a bed that’s as fun as it is safe and comfy.

We love the idea of giving this with a big bow on it for toddlers wary of transitioning to a toddler bed from the crib. It would also be nice to get them some new, fun bedding and some new jammies to round it out.

The Best Toddler Beds

What to Consider

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there are a few guidelines you must keep in mind when buying a toddler bed. The first is that it should be low to the ground, if not on the ground. Second, it needs to fit the crib mattress perfectly. The standard toddler bed uses the same size mattress as a crib, and that mattress needs to sink into the bed without leaving space around its edges. That way there is very little wiggle room between the guardrail and the mattress so that limbs do not become trapped or injured. And finally, a toddler bed needs to have rounded corners and edges with lead-free finishes. We kept all these guidelines in mind when making our selections.

Budget is also a big consideration — after all, your child will likely only be in the bed for a year or two. Based on our research on best-selling options from retailers like Walmart, Wayfair, and Amazon, $250 or less will get you a solid toddler bed. All of our picks fall within this price, even beds that double as play spaces.

How We Chose

To begin my search, I read hundreds of online reviews and found that parents were most concerned with ease of assembly and relative durability when it came to picking a toddler bed. So I focused our efforts on finding products that meet these needs. I also looked for toddler beds that fit a variety of style preferences to please both parents and kids. There are mid-century modern toddler beds, and beds that double as airplanes.

Then I personally spoke with parents of children using these beds, and tested several myself — like the Delta Children character toddler bed — from assembly to operation.

These toddler beds are the best of the best, and I know there’s something here to fit your kid’s needs.

Daybed with Drawers

Want a bit of storage and the ability to use the toddler bed as seating when your kiddo transitions to a big bed? This is the one for you. The drawers are deep and wide, and everything is genuinely solid.

Arguably, this is a much trickier build than many on this list, but the utility of it outweighs the use of an Allen key, I promise. It helps kids foster independence by letting them not only sleep on a different bed, but also put things away themselves in drawers easily accessible to them.

More: The Best Bunk Beds for Kids

Blaire Toddler Bed

On the muted, understated side of the aesthetic spectrum is the Suite Bebe Blaire. (If your kid prefers something louder, like say, CoComelon, scroll down one.) It’s a classic wooden toddler bed designed to look and feel like a regular bed.

It’s the perfect level up to a big kid bed. Transitory, yes, but it’s inexpensive for the quality, allowing your baby to get used to the idea of being in a bed without tall sides.

CoComelon Sleep and Play Plastic Toddler Bed

Oh, we’re fully aware that this toddler bed is loud and almost hard to look at. We’re equally sure that 98 percent of toddlers would lose their minds over it. Just look at J.J. at the head. You heard the chime that begins the show just looking at him, didn't you?

It’s a great toddler bed in spite of its appearance. Having put together this exact bed in another cartoon pattern, I can tell you that the low-to-the-ground model from Delta Children is quite wonderful for the price and super easy to assemble. Yes, it’s blown plastic, similar to a playground slide. But that also means that your kid can’t kill it.

2-In-1 Convertible Toddler Bed

Small flex, but I put this together while eating a fruit salad and barely glancing at the instructions. It’s up to you to determine whether I’m that good or it’s just that easy. Hint: I’m good, but not that good.

This solid wood toddler bed converts to act as a chair or sofa. And given the Scandi design, it’s good-looking enough to keep around after your little grows out of it.

2-In-1 Convertible Toddler Bed Frame

This toddler bed becomes two chairs when your tot is ready to transition out of it. They’re genuinely useful to have around, too. The bed, and subsequently, the chairs, are solidly built. In fact, this toddler bed is a bit heavier than others on this list, but I actually love that. It feels hefty, and that sturdiness remains when you convert it.

Russell Children Harrisburg XL Wooden Toddler Bed

Your baby is growing up (we know, too fast). And this extra-spacious toddler bed is the ideal next step for them.

Featuring center-mounted guardrails, the Harrisburg allows your tot to rest all night without smacking the floor. That placement of the rails offers more protection throughout the night for your wiggly-worm sleeper.

Sweedi Natural Poplar Toddler House Bed

The simple, Montessori-style aesthetic is irresistible and fits in many room themes. Reviewers love it because it allows toddlers to safely sleep low to the ground, yet it still has a certain minimalist whimsy to it.

Austin Toddler Day Bed

Some toddlers sleep like they’re being chased in their dreams. This toddler day bed will keep your wild sleeper safe on all ends while they toss, turn, and twist. It’s designed to hold up to 50 pounds, and your little one will sleep comfortably here throughout their toddlerhood.

Disney Interactive Minnie Mouse Toddler Bed

If you have a Minnie Mouse fan at home, they won’t give their crib a second thought once they see this. The coolest feature? It has an interactive footboard with an adjustable day-of-the-week counter, clock, and checklist for daily responsibilities, like brushing teeth or changing into pajamas.

Classic Toddler Bed

If you want a toddler bed with a frame that’s a fun, vibrant color, consider going with the Classic by Dream On Me. Also available in 11 other shades, this wooden frame’s wonderful cornflower blue tone will add warmth and contrast to any little one's room.

Bodhi Toddler Bed

Your child can snooze the night away in funky modern style with the Bodhi bed by Karla Dubois. For well under $300, it’s a comfortable, safe, and low-to-the-ground upholstered bed.

If you have a wild sleeper that consistently likes to cram their head up against the end of their crib, this microfiber-upholstered option will cushion the blow, at least a little bit. And when they eventually grow out of this toddler bed, it makes for a handsome seat in their room.

Disney Frozen Canopy Toddler Bed

Inspired by Disney’s Frozen, this canopy bed is serving serious princess vibes. While it is sturdy enough to safely hold your sleeping beauty, the metal and plastic construction makes for intuitive, easy assembly.

And if you’re concerned about going overboard with the Frozen theme, just know that you’ll feel better when your little one catches musical inspiration from the film to sing herself to sleep.

Toddler Solid Wood Platform Bed

This toddler bed transitions to play house without requiring much effort at all from you. And its solid hardwood design means that long after your child is done sleeping in it, they can play in its confines without you needing to worry about durability.

It’s essentially a floor bed with a super fun playhouse vibe that lends itself as well to pretend play as it does deep sleep.

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