A Toddler Bed

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about taking the side off my daughter, Ella's, crib and making it a toddler bed. Well, that worked, in the sense that she would sleep in it just fine.  She didn't get out of bed and wonder around like I feared. What didn't work was her new idea of jumping around and attempting acrobatic moves from the sides of the crib.  Now that she was able to get in and out by herself, she treated it like her own personal trampoline.  We bought that crib for our older daughter more than five years ago. Back then, it was legal to have a drop side crib.  Although the crib was still in pretty good condition and we've never had a problem with it, I was uncomfortable with the amount of "action" it was seeing.  I've got a pretty active two year old and I was concerned that the way it was set up was an accident waiting to happen.

I had had my eye on some antique headboards at a little shop in Old Fair Oaks, but the problem with that was, number one, they were expensive, and number two, did I really think my kids would like to share a room?  You see, I couldn't really justify spending that much money for just one bedroom remodel, but if I moved the girls upstairs, to our room, the biggest room in the house, and had them share a space with twin beds, then perhaps I could justify spending that much money...

But I just kept rehashing the shared spaces thing in my head and I was unsettled about it all.  My girls are almost 4 years apart in age and they are very different children.  My oldest is very quiet and she likes her alone time.  Somehow I just couldn't picture them sharing happily.  Lily Claire was pretty against it anyway. She loves the antique bed she sleeps in that I inherited from my grandmother and she wasn't interested in having a new bed at all.

Which leads me right back to the dilemma of needing a bed for my two year old that will function well and be safer for her acrobatic antics.  I had been pinning like mad on Pinterest and I searched all my favorite blogs for toddler bedroom ideas.  I stumbled across the Minnen toddler bed from IKEA.  I liked this bed for three reasons.  First, it has the vintage feel of an iron bed, which I thought would look perfect in her room. Second, it was very low to the ground and easy for her to get in and out of safely.  And, third, the frame is extendable and can adjust from a toddler sized bed to a regular twin size bed with just a few small adjustments.

After much deliberation, about three weeks ago, we went ahead and purchased the Minnen bed.  So far, I'm quite happy with my choice.  I feel like it is built to hold a toddler.  It feels sturdy and she loves to sleep and play in it.  She hasn't been able to perform nearly the number of acrobatic moves that she could manage with the crib because it is built differently and doesn't have a high back or high sides.  She can climb over at the foot end of the bed and flip on to mattress, but so far she has managed to do it without injury.

I have been wanting to write about the Minnen since right after we bought it, but I am using bedding on the bed that doesn't match her room!  I know, major faux pas for a design addict like me, but let me assure you I am working on that!  I always loved the crib bedding that I found for Ella's bedroom.  Since I already had the valances and rug that matched, I decided to go ahead and order the twin sized quilt and sham to match. I lucked out and actually found a gently used set on Ebay for much less than I would have paid at PBK!  Let me tell you how happy this made me!!!  Really happy!!  :)  So... bedding has been purchased and hopefully will be arriving any day.  I already have plans to re-home the nursery rocker, and I have my eye on an extraordinary fuchsia velvet chair... Plans are in the works for a little reading nook as well...

Here's a little sneak peek at the bed with the "wrong" bedding {grin}.  I know there's really nothing "wrong" with it, it just something I already had, and it doesn't match as well as I'd like. I promise to take lots of pictures of the finished room soon!
  

And here's the little miss snoozing away on the first night in her new bed.  No, she's not tied to the headboard, that's just how she happened to be sleeping! :)

Hope you are all having a happy Tuesday!