When we moved to our new home in December, we toyed with the idea of not moving A’s crib at all and moving her straight to a toddler bed since she had just turned 2.  I felt with the new surroundings and having stairs for the first time, I didn’t want her to experience a sensory overload so, we decided to wait until we were well settled in.  Over the last month or so I had been looking online   for the perfect bed and was really having commitment issues!  Surprise, surprise!  I found several on the ikea website that I liked but it was so hard to decide without seeing them in person.  Her room has an ice cream shop theme so I wanted a cute little bed that would work with that but be versatile in case I decided to change themes on a whim.  A friend who was also shopping for a toddler bed had told me that the Ikea beds were oddly shaped and thus normal bedding would not work, you would be restricted to their bedding so I had to see how big of a difference the sizing was and if it was a problem easily rectified.  I had finally decided on the OVERE bed with canopy so my mom and I decided to make the drive to Frisco to check it out in person last Saturday.  It was so super cute but we were going to have to change the colors of the flags for the canopy and in the end I thought we might like a bigger bed.

You can find the OVERE bed here:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S59012280/

The mattress size appeared to be that of a standard twin mattress if not a hair smaller.  I honestly think normal twin bedding would fit it alright but you’ll have to check the dimensions on the website and compare with another manufacturer if you’re considering it.

We fell in love with the Minnen bed which isn’t available online apparently but you can always google it!  It reminded us of an old fashioned wrought iron bed that was perfect for our ice cream shop theme!  We chose it in black but it’s also averrable in white. The frame itself is adjustable and so is the mattress.  I wondered how this would be accomplished initially but it’s a pretty neat little system!  The mattress is the width of a twin sized bed because the twin sheets fit perfectly that way.  At it’s smallest size, it is about the length of a crib mattress.  I used her crib mattress to show you the difference in size here:

 

To extend the bed, you simply remove the bolts and slide the frame out and then replace the bolts.  The mattress has 2 extender pieces that almost look like pillows.  One for the head and one for the foot so when you’re ready to add on you just add one piece at a time.  I figure I will add on next year and then again the next.

this is one of the the mattress extender pieces.  When all 3 pieces are assembled, it is about the size of an extra long twin.  Think your old dorm room bed!  lol

I bought regular twin size sheets rather than purchasing from ikea because their selection left something to be desired.  I found 2 fabulous sets at Ross for $10 each!  I was super excited because they matched the ice cream treat printed comforter that my mother had made her when she was born perfectly!  One was a polka dot print that reminded me of sprinkles and the other was a coordinating stripe print of the same brand.  My intentions were to alter the sheet to fit but it really only needed a little tucking at the foot and it worked well without moving so I decided to let them be.  I used the flat sheet to cover one of the mattress extenders to fit at the head of the bed so the little darling wouldn’t whack her head on the metal frame behind her.  Again, I intended to sew this to fit but I just wrapped it on snuggly and secured the edges with rubber bands.  Really, I just wanted to see what it would look like before I got to cutting but it looked so cute like a big piece of candy or something so Mom and i decided it should stay that way.  I’m going to tie some bows for extra cuteness.  Then when she gets older and no longer needs the bumper, she can still use the flat sheet as intended since it hasn’t been cut.

I’ve tucked the other part of the mattress securely in a plastic bag for protection on the top of her closet.  Today, I’m going to go hunt for a fabulous tiny nightstand to put the ice cream lamp I ordered her on next to her bed.

It should arrive in the next day or so from one of my favorite websites of random home decor ever:

Ice Cream Cone

The first night she got out of bed once and then slept soundly till morning and has slept in it without incident since.  She loves her big girl bed and I can’t wait to finally get her room finished in this house!  More pictures of her room to come once I get it all settled once and for all!  For now, I’ll leave you to enjoy her cute bed and her extra cute face!

 

Overall, the bed was easily enough assembled (I think so anyway, I was more so supervising as my dad assembled it!  lol).  It is sturdy and adorable and my little sure enjoys it so far!  I like that it’ll last her a little longer too.  Don’t forget you need TWIN size slats if you are purchasing this bed at ikea.  I accidentally grabbed the wrong kind and dad have to have wood cut for the bottom for me!  Ooops.  Thanks Daddy!