Reasons to Consider a Floor Bed for Your Baby or Toddler

When you think about baby sleep, what do you picture? For most parents it’s a baby, on their back, in their crib. Maybe you are pretty familiar with bedsharing, and you also picture a bedsharing baby snuggled next to their parent. Many parents feel like there are only 2 choices, but what do you do when neither of these sleep set ups are working for your family?

You consider another choice.

There are many variations in sleep set ups. In my work with family’s, I regularly recommend floor beds. If you aren’t sure what that is or when best to use one, this post is for you.

What is a floor bed versus a crib?

At its most basic, a floor bed is a mattress on the floor. This can be done with a crib mattress or an adult sized mattress. You can bedshare or cosleep on a floor bed or you can have your baby or toddler sleep independently on a floor bed. Some families put slats under the mattress for air flow or use a basic low bed frame. Floor beds are very popular in the Montessori philosophy.

Are floor beds safe for my baby or toddler?

Floor beds are wonderful tools, but safety is essential. For babies under 12 months, a crib mattress makes the safest floor bed if your baby is sleeping independently. Using a larger, firm, adult mattress can work well if you are bedsharing with your baby or setting up a toddler floor bed.

Floor beds give freedom of movement to your baby or toddler, and that freedom means you need to do some very intentional safety proofing of their room. Aiming for a minimalist room with only the basics will make this easier. 

Make sure to safety proof the following:

• Anchor all furniture securely to the wall.

• Have the mattress pulled away from the wall or any furniture so that there is plenty of space around the mattress. If your baby or toddler rolls off, you want them to have the room to reposition easily. One foot of clearance is recommended. 

• Make sure all outlets are covered with safety outlet covers.

• Manage all cords with baby proofing or pet proofing cord covers so that your baby cannot get tangled in them, chew on them, or pull something down onto themselves.

• High shelves mounted to your wall can be a good place for monitors, sound machines, or other items you want out of reach, as long as you can be mindful of the cords.

• Be mindful of blinds or curtains – there should be no strings or other entangling parts.

• Keep toys to a minimum and make sure they are all 100% safe with no small pieces or other choking or strangulation hazards.

• In damp climates, consider putting slats or a mattress mat under the bed for airflow to prevent mold or mildew. 

• Make sure your mobile baby or toddler can’t get out of their room and into unsafe places. Consider a gate at the door or closing the door with a doorknob protector. Or make sure they can only get to other safety proofed places (great if you want your toddler to come get you when they wake at night).

For families that cannot completely safety proof the room, I’ve seen them securely baby gate off part of the room or use a secure play pen to create a perimeter. If you go this route, you want to be very sure there are no places to get wedged or ways the gating could be tipped on baby.

This may sound like a lot, and it can be. I’m helping you think through all the worst case scenario situations because most parents aren’t used to thinking through the safety of a floor bed. If you can get past the safety set up, they are a wonderful tool.

Pros and cons of floor beds for babies and toddlers 

In my practice, I find floor beds particularly helpful in a few key situations. Let’s go through 3 floor bed pros and 2 floor bed cons. 

Three Baby floor bed pros:

1. Easier transfers

   Transferring a baby from arms to crib can be really tricky. While there are ways to troubleshoot your transfers, they can remain a struggle for some babies. For many of these babies, the idea of falling asleep independently in their crib is laughably far away. How to Transfer Baby

   In these situations, a floor bed can be a really helpful tool. The floor bed allows you to avoid the transfer completely or at least avoids awkward crib transfers. Baby falls asleep in their sleep space. Once they are asleep, you simply shift away and get up. This is generally much more successful than a crib transfer. A bonus is that laying down with your child in their sleep space means the sheet smells like you which can help them feel close even when you aren’t there.

2. A smoother path for moving away from bedsharing.
   Bedsharing babies and toddlers often transition well to a floor bed. You can do this gradually at a pace that works for your family. The floor bed can be in your room or in a child’s own room. In my experience supporting families, the bedsharing to floor bed transition is the smoothest way to move away from bedsharing.
   

3. Flexibility with your wakeful baby 

Floor beds give you flexibility with your wakeful little when you don’t want to only bedshare. You can start a baby in their own space (without struggling with those frustrating transfers), and then have a parent join them for part of the night. You can snuggle them back to sleep in their sleep space and then get back up. Or you can choose to sleep the rest of the night in with them. You can make that choice on a night by night basis, so you aren’t committing to bedsharing more than you choose to.

Two potential cons for floor beds:

1. Rolling off the floor bed
   Rolling off a floor bed does happen, more so with some babies compared to others. The first thing to remember is it’s a mattress very low to the ground so your baby isn’t going far. If you have hard floors, you might want to have a rug next to the floor bed. Rolling off the bed is part of a child learning where those physical boundaries are. With time, most children will stop rolling off the mattress while others are simply not bothered by it. If your little one is constantly rolling off and it is disrupting your sleep, you may want to try a different sleep set up. Some Montessori beds have low sides and might be a good fit for a toddler. Montessori Floor Bed
   

2. Safety proofing logistics and energy

   Besides a baby rolling off a floor bed, the biggest con is the effort and logistics that go into safety proofing your room. This can take some creative thinking and effort. However, that effort is a concentrated investment and once you have a safe set up, you can benefit from all the positives of a floor bed. 

At what age can you start using a floor bed with your baby?

Many parents are surprised how young you can start using a floor bed. It’s important to remember the safe sleep guidelines and keep baby sleeping in your room for a minimum of the first 6 months. Most families aren’t able to set up a separate, safe floor bed in their room and choose to use a bassinet or bedshare during this time. However, there isn’t a specific guideline for how young you can begin using a floor bed for your baby. Solo sleeping infants in the first year are safest on their crib mattress while toddlers may sleep on any firm mattress. 

While floor beds aren’t the mainstream in the US where I’m writing from, they can be a helpful tool for many families. They take some intentional preparation and a bit of out of the box thinking, but a floor bed might just be the tool you need to support longer and more independent sleep.

Want help navigating the floor bed set up and decision making process? Schedule an intro call and let’s talk about how I can help.