Advantages: Will last for years. Not too expensive. Easy to assemble.
Disadvantages: Low to ground - not good for your back!

...I bought this bed for my son about six months ago after searching high and low for a bed that would grow with him but can still have to safety rails on the sides. I didn't like any of the other beds I saw for various reasons but this one I knew was right straight away. The bed is made of thick wood and looks lovely when it is put together. It looks a lot more sturdy than some of the other toddler beds on the market at the moment. In toddler mode the bed has a small head board and foot board whick can be folded down later to make a larger bed. The advantage of this to me is that the ends have extra bits of matress in them which makes them soft on wriggly toddler heads. I bought the guide rails which come separately but were shown on the demo bed in ikea. To go the full length of the bed you need two and one has to be sawn... Read review

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Advantages: extendable, fits in small rooms, makes a nice transition from cot to bed
Disadvantages: need to purchase special mattress, not suitable for adults, not great quality

...is 152cm which is about the same as a standard sized cot although the width (which remains the same) is 80cm - much wider than a cot. The headboard height is 58cm. This position is ideal for a toddler because its really cosy and makes the transition from a cot with bars to a bed much easier and is not too overwhelming. I think the bed is quite low which is great for your toddler to get themselves in and out and means they are less likely to hurt themselves if they fall out. However if this concerns you, putting up a bedguard more or less covers the entire length of the bed and it will give added protection and security. Because there are 'mini' mattresses in the head and foot ends, it is very comfy to sleep up against and there are few hard bits - although my son has banged his head a few times when mucking about in bed. When your toddler... Read review

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Advantages: low to the ground
Disadvantages: "full" sized sheets can only be bought at ikea due to the beds features

...New baby means that toddler has to move out of the cot! We'd had our eye on this bed in ikea from a bit and my dad bought us it for Christmas, I believe it was around £80-£90 all in. Very easy to put it, with very clear instructions with diagrams to match, took us an hour in total to do every thing. The bed came with a side rail so Ewan wouldn't fall out of bed but we took this off quite quickly because he took to diving over it head first and landing on the floor, the bed is not high off the fall any way, less than a foot really, and this size of "fall" was a bit better than the one he was achiving by diving over the rail, so unless you are really really concerned about the falling on the floor thing then its not really needed, Ewans never hurt him self yet because the fall is that small. The thing is with this bed, its not just... Read review

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Advantages: Perefct height for a toddler
Disadvantages: it's not big enough if you have to lie beside them!

...When our daughter was 18 months she was a very active child in her sleep. Her cot was no longer big enough for her to comfortably move around in the cot! We had seen a small bed in IKEA which was a toddler bed which could extend with the child! It also on one side had a rail which would prevent them falling out! The bed at the time cost £65 for the base and the mattress was £45. But now I believe they sell it as a combined package for about £105! The Bed came as a flat pack which my hubby found easy to make and put together! He put the frame together in about 20 minutes and the slates took about 10 mins and another 5 minutes to screw onto the bed to hold them securely! The instructions were easy to follow and all screws and keys were there to help you along the way! The bed was up and was light to move into the position... Read review

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Advantages: Bright and cheerful, cheap and mattress included in price
Disadvantages: Tricky to put together

...My daughter has always been a bad sleeper and when she got to 18 months she suddenly decided that she hated her cot. She would scream and scream and as she was quite tall for her age we decided that maybe she couldn't get comfortable so decided to look for a toddler bed. I looked at several beds and couldn't believe the price, some were £100+ and although they all claim to last until 8 years I didn't believe them. I put a query on a baby site for advice and was recommended this bed from Kiddicare. It's only £50 and that includes post and packaging. It's red tubular metal and has a small safety rail on both sides and comes complete with a comfortable foam safety mattress with detchable, washable cover. Now I know red metal sounds ugly but it really fits in well with my daughters colour scheme of bright Winnie the Pooh and furniture... Read review

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Advantages: good sense of humour, informative, non dictative
Disadvantages: none

...with Tantrums can make all of the hairs at the back of the neck stand on end. This is who your toddler can test you to the very end. .and further. Dr green has some good idea's Time out is one of them. Ignoring them is another which is very tough. This section gives some scenario cases he had and then what he and the parents concerned and what worked for them. One toddler was referred to a GP with a note saying, " Please check the nerves in his legs ..he feels no pain" I found this really funny because I could imagine my Jess stating " That didn't hurt " if I smacked her across the leg. Sleep How to get your child to sleep in a cot, the move from cot to bed, nightmares, night terrors and other problems are in this section. " night waking isn't a problem we all do it, its training the child to go back to sleep on its own... Read review

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Advantages: Great design, very cute
Disadvantages: Not straight forward to put together

...**********Step 2 Fire Engine Toddler Bed*********** Last month I decided it was time to move my toddler into a proper bed. Having looked around all the beds available for toddlers I can across this bed in Toys r Us. *****Price***** £179.00 with free delivery from toys r us online *****Description***** This is what Toys r Us has to say about it * Cute character fire truck bed with working siren night light for toddlers * Has climb-on activity from both sides * Dashboard features molded-in steering wheel with radio and guage details * Working night light that shuts off after five minutes * Minimal adult assembly required * Foam mattress and mattress support included. *****Putting it together***** It says "Minimal adult assembly required" The instructions are awful... Read review

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Advantages: No nonsense advice
Disadvantages: none!!

...I was given this book way back in 1990, when my eldest son was just leaving babyhood. I thought the first 18 months were tough but nothing prepared me for toddlerhood; suddenly my child was questioning my every move and simple requests were met with a torrent of abuse! I put it all down to jealousy until I was given this book; once I started to read it, I realised that all of his behaviour was quite normal, and that I could look forward to it with child number two (wonderful!!). **What is Toddler Taming?** The book aims to demystify parenthood, and to boost parents' self confidence and make parenting as much fun as it can be!! The book is divided into 24 chapters, which I will list, to indicate the broad spectrum of topics covered: 1. Confidence is the key 2. What makes Toddlers Tick 3. Behaviour: What is Normal? 4... Read review

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Advantages: covers a wide range of issues
Disadvantages: none

...After just having our 2nd baby, we soon started to discover that our daughter who is 4 years old started to get a little jealous of her baby brother. Trying our hardest to get her involved with him, she loved it all but that wasnt the problem. She just wouldnt do as she was told, answering back, have tantrums in town, proberly like most 4 year old children. We tried the star charts, sending her too her room when naughty, telling her off, taking away toys, sending her to bed early, nothing was working and we was running out of ideas. Her behaviour was getting worse by the day, and having just started school, it wasnt getting any better. Whats gone wrong? Whose fault is it? What can we do about it? After running out of ideas I was told about a book that is written by Dr Christopher Green, its called 'Taming Toddler' I... Read review

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Advantages: The whole book
Disadvantages: Yet to find any

...When you become pregnant there is a host of information about how to feed, clothe, nurture and look after your baby but very little prepares you for toddlerhood. This book could very well frighten you off having kids ever but if you do have one or more of these housepets then this is the book to have on your bookshelf (or by the side of my bed as it is in this house). Toddler Taming is written by Dr Christopher Green and is 'A Parents' Guide to the first four years'. The blurb on the back of the book is: '.....many parents wonder how the sweet, chubby baby which gurgles happily at them for the first twelve months changes so suddenly into a bellowing, tantrum prone, heel drumming, carpet biting toddler. What's gone wrong? Whose fault is it? What can they do about it? Consultant Paediatrician Dr Christopher Green... Read review

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