Is It Safe to Put a Toddler on the Floor Bed?

If you’ve ever wondered “Is it safe to put a toddler on the floor bed?” or if a Montessori floor bed would be suitable for your child, here are the benefits and three available beds to consider.

Kids’ floor beds have exploded in popularity in recent years, and you can find them all over the internet, from TikTok to Etsy. “A floor bed is a simple bed consisting of either a mattress or a mattress and a legless frame that lays directly on the floor,” says Junnifa Uzodike, co-author of The Montessori Baby: A Parent’s Guide to Nourishing Your Newborn with Love, Respect, and Understanding. A crib mattress or a full-size bed mattress are both acceptable.

Get some floor bed inspiration and learn all about them, including how to determine if they are perfect for your kid.

The Background of Montessori Floor Beds

The concepts of Montessori education were founded by an Italian physician named Maria Montessori in the early 1900s. These principles emphasize the importance of active participation, freedom of movement, student choice, and classroom organization.

Uzodike defines “Montessori at home” as the practice of a parent who adopts the Montessori approach to raising their children. She explains that this means providing an environment that fosters each child’s unique growth and development by treating them with dignity, helping them find their own way, and letting them know they can do whatever they want to in the house.

A floor bed, according to Uzodike, is a logical development of these principles because it encourages a child’s self-reliance by allowing them to get in and out of bed without help.

The Montessori method may contribute to the rise in popularity of floor beds, but they were common in many civilizations before the 20th century. In Japan, for instance, using the floor as a bed surface dates back to at least the 10th century.

Advantages of Using a Floor Bed

There are numerous advantages to providing your child with a floor bed.

They promote gross motor skills and body awareness in children.

She continues, “From birth, the infant makes little movements and can spin almost 360 degrees.” “Observation may reveal that when they encounter the edge of the bed, they retreat and do not fall off. Using a floor bed enhances this perception of their body inside space.”

Uzodike elaborates by saying that a youngster might have a more emotional experience of their environment when sleeping on the floor.

They facilitate the development of sleep independence.

Dr. Whitney Casares, FAAP, explains, “Proponents of floor beds note that they provide children with greater access to books and quiet toys as they prepare for sleep and when they first wake up in the morning or from naps, giving them more independence.”

Your kid’s self-esteem and confidence can both benefit from them.

Uzodike explains this perk by pointing to the kid’s freedom of choice regarding naptime. “They also have a positive link with sleep because their bed is not a prison from which they cannot escape,” she says. It is a spot where people can rest and go when they are done.

They make room for intimacy to blossom.

Uzodike adds that, depending on the size of the bed, the parent can sit or lie with the child if necessary. “Maybe to read to them or nurse them or even just to soothe them without having to move them out of bed or change location, which can further interfere with sleep,” the article suggests.

They are cheap and simple to put together.

You can construct a floor bed as basic or complex as you choose.

At What Age Can a Child Use a Floor Bed?

By the time most toddlers can lift one leg over the top of the crib rail, they are ready to make a move. At this point, according to Dr. Casares, you can feel comfortable sleeping on the floor.

She notes that switching your child to a floor bed will reduce the risk of injury due to falling out of the crib and will also make it less likely that your child will get hurt when playing on the bed, such as by rolling about.

Yet, as Dr. Casares points out, every child is unique. “For a toddler who is ready for a bigger bed but doesn’t want to leave the crib, a floor bed can be a transitional step,” she continues.

Safety Standards for Floor Beds

Dr. Casares cautions against using a floor bed for children if the room is not adequately childproofed and the bed is not installed properly. The following are some precautions she suggests taking:

• Position the mattress away from walls or furniture, preferably in the room’s middle, so that if your child rolls over while sleeping, they will not become trapped against a wall.
• Attach the furniture to the walls, cover the electrical outlets, and eliminate small objects that could cause choking.
• Do not leave any toys lying around that could cause choking or other injuries.
• If there are steps outside the child’s bedroom, you should think about putting safety gates.

Furthermore, Casares suggests that your child becomes used to napping on the floor bed throughout the day when they are more likely to feel at ease exploring their new surroundings. It’s true that “offering positive reinforcement and praise can enable toddlers to stay in bed for increasingly longer amounts of time without reaching out for a parent,” she says.

Floor Beds to Test

There are a few different choices available if you’re looking to sleep on the floor.

1. Sprout Montessori Floor Bed

Sprout emphasizes that their floor bed may grow with your child. It is reversible to facilitate the transfer to a larger bed. The frame is available in crib, twin, and full sizes. It is designed to accommodate a parent, so if your child awakens from a nightmare, you can cuddle them back to sleep.

We appreciate that this bed is constructed with quality in mind and can accommodate multiple children. When you’re finished with it, you can quickly store it out of the way by flattening it.

2. South Shore Sweedi House Bed

You may use your child’s crib mattress on this floor bed, which is shaped like a colorful house. This bed is ideal for children who have outgrown their cribs but are not yet ready for a full-size bed. The house-like design produces a charming and amusing space. We appreciate that the crossbar is detachable so that parents will not hit their heads while playing with their children.

3. West Elm Tent Bed

This tent-shaped bed, designed in tandem with Pottery Barn Kids, sits low to the ground to give kids the impression that they are on a real camping trip. The canopy can be removed and reattached in seconds with the help of the velcro straps, giving you more options for your personal style. This bed is great because it is simple to put together and feels quite comfortable once it is.

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