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Floorbed?

1K views 8 replies 9 participants last post by  peacenclarity 
#1 ·
My DD will be starting the Montessori toddler program next September, but we are trying to implement what we can at home. I was reading the reasoning behind the floorbed and I understand it, but I am skeptical. My DD is 10 months old now and I wonder (even if her room is 'childproofed') if I'll ever get sleep knowing that she could be cruising her room looking for trouble. Do they actually sleep and stay in bed? At what age did you all go to the floorbed and how well did it work?
 
#2 ·
We aren't very strict Montessori adherents, but we do like the "Montessori" room ideas. We've done a floor bed in dd's room since she was about 3 months old (sometimes she's in there only for the first 1/2 of the night).

We bought a double size sofa bed mattress from Ikea, so its not too high and we bought a full-length shatter proof mirror from Ikea too that's on the wall next to her bed. We've tried to keep her room very plain.

When she does wake during the night (usually 1-2 times), it doesn't seem like she is playing, she's mainly fussing/crying and just waiting for me. One of the best things about the floor bed is that I can lay down with her until she goes back to sleep.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone else's responses since we're pretty new to this too!
 
#3 ·
My DD has slept in a floor bed since she was 6 months old and moved into her room. She never went out wandering around her room at night. She wouldn't even really get out of bed, even in the morning, till she was much older. She would just sit in there and wait for us. When she was bigger (1 year +), she would play in the morning or after nap. It was easy.

She is three now and we're going to get her a bed. The floorbed was nice because she never had to switch to a big bed. Now, she has asked for a big bed, and there will be no drama, only excitement.

My oldest, a son, didn't have a floor bed and neither does my younger daughter. DS was happy in his crib till he was three (which is why my DD had a floor bed - I was not having two cribs) and my youngest sleeps in the laundry room, which I just cannot babyproof well enough for a floor bed.

Hope that helps
 
#4 ·
We aren't strict floor bed folks, but both kids have had free access to their rooms from around 10 months old. Mostly b/c they are super early walker/climbers and it was safer to put them on the floor. Until they handle the stairs well, I either keep their door closed, or gated. Once I can feel safe about them crossing the hallway to my room in the night if need be, then the door gets opened at night for them. If they wake and want us, they come get us. If they wake but don't want us, I have no idea what they do as I'm sleeping!

Up till about 2 years of age, my ds would spend roughly 1/2 the night in his room, then finish out with us. Once the new baby came along, my dh would try to head him off if he woke up, going to my ds's room if he woke - so me and the new baby were left in peace in our room. However, the only truly scary time was when we woke up to find our ds downstairs already. For a brief time, we had sliding bolts on the doors to the outside that we put way up high so he couldn't reach, to ensure that he wouldn't leave the house while we were sleeping. In reality, this was probably overkill, but made me sleep safer.

We tend to allow our kids into everything anyway, and only have 2 cupboards really locked off. Most everything/place else, they are permitted to get to, and all large furniture is securely attached. It really works out well...
 
#5 ·
We have a floor bed in dd's room, but unfortunately, she wakes up so much at night we've put another in our room on the floor. I wasn't worried about leaving her there alone though. Do you leave your dd in her room alone? It might be good for your peace of mind to put a gate on her door so you can see in and let her play on her own so you see what she does. Or, try it out for naptime.

I love the idea of it, so I hope it works out for you!
 
#7 ·
I just saw one of these at a consignment shop today...they are pretty small. We put our own mattress on the floor and then our ds's toddler/crib mattress on the floor next to us. He slept on that until he was 2 and then we moved that in with our dd when he weaned and was sleeping through the night... and he still sleeps on a mattress on the floor at 3, coming in our room most early mornings around 5 or so to get warmer.
 
#8 ·
The Michael Olaf frame fits a crib mattress. I think it looks great, but we chose to go with a double futon mattress. We've used the floorbed idea since our babe was a couple months old, although he spent most nights in our bed. His floorbed was mainly for naps and used half of the night. Even now at 20 months he sleeps about half the night on his floorbed and half the night in our bed.

As long as the room is child-proofed with a gate at the door, everything works great!! Well, now we don't even have the gate at his door, we put it in the hallway, so the only place he can go is in our room, and he does, LOL.


I love the floorbed idea and we'll use it right from birth with our next babe. Now we have the bed, a plexiglass mirror beside it, the first shelf from michael olaf, and 3 picture frames from michael olaf with butterfly pictures in them that get changed/rotated every so often. That room is my favorite room in the house.
 
#9 ·
We have a low level bed (was a crib now a toddler bed) for our 18 mnth old and shortly after a year, she would use a two- level steeping stool we got from Target to in and out of it (the stool is also great for washing hands/ brushing teeth at sink). Mostly, though, her bed is for play, since she co-sleeps with us.


What's the reason for the mirror? I'd love to see some photos mama's.
 
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