Which Bed for Eleanor?

Mel

The Minnen looks like a pain in the butt to put “make,” even if you don’t do it every day. You’ll have to tuck the sheets and blankets behind the curls on the side.
I just got a real frame a few years ago, but before I had a headboard and a basic frame ($30) and it didn’t really pull away from the wall. Putting a thick rug under it might make it more secure.
Both super cute though!

Diana

I think for now the Minnen would be the best option. I think she may be a bit too young for the BEAUTIFUL peacock headboard, and as you mentioned, may be a bit rough with it. Might be best to wait until she’s a bit older and can really appreciate and cherish it.

Samantha

If I was a little girl, I’d love the minnen bed. For sure. If I had kids, I would also choose the minnen. As an young adult though, I would love the peacock bed.

Allison

I always lean towards using what you’ve got rather than buying something else. My five-year-old daughter has a headboard that’s butted up against the wall with a simple bed frame and mattress and she’s yet to have any problems with lost pillows.

Michelle

Get the ikea bed and upgrade to the Minnen later on…

NancyV908

On looks (not the durability issue–I don’t know about that) I like the Minnen too, but I share Mel’s worry that it will be annoying to make every morning. I think it generally will be hard to keep looking nice & neat, with sheets not hanging down–you’ll notice that more with this style, no? Especially if you have Eleanor make her bed when she’s older, which is often one of the first chores kids get. My kids do their beds (box frames with skirts) & they do a terrible job b/c they are still too young to do it well–I live with that b/c the lesson is more important than the results. But I think it would look a lot worse on the Minnen than on the style we have.

Kelly

PEACOCK! The minnen is great, but its Ikea and will always be available. If you do have more and they need to share a room, address it then. Plus, it does look like it would be a huge pain to make every day.

Janice

I’m shocked anyone would want the metal one. It’s so cold and hospitalish. And I think you would regret it every single day when you were making it, having to tuck sheets & blankets into the sides. And then the kids getting hurt on the sides & footboard. The Peacock has such flair, and is just so you! It’s so beyond perfect for a little girl, for the short period of time she gets to be over the top girly.

Mara

The Minnen bed seems a bit dangerous, little arms and legs wedged between the bars and getting jammed up at their elbows and knees. Also their clothing can catch on the metal curlicues. Your daughter is going to be in a twin bed before you know it and the peacock headboard is so much cooler and unique.

I mean, c’mon… Ikea vs. Vintage? Is there really any competition?

Katie Campbell

I have two little ones, and my vote would be for the minnen bed. We’ve experienced that it only takes one mischievous moment and the “cool” things are ruined. Better to have a bed you’re not super attached to while Eleanor is little, and then bring out the cool stuff once she’s old enough to understand. Either way, Eleanor is a lucky little girl to have such a great mama!

Tara

Could you not get the Minnen and attach the peacock higher up on the wall, above it? Maybe in a nice, bright color to attract some attention. Then you could use a quilt or pillows up against the headboard of the Minnen to detract from the difference in design. Best of both worlds? :)

Also, we have used IKEA beds with slats with no problems before, with 3 highly jumpy kids. ;)

Anna

I think the peacock might be better. Kids jumping on the bed might hit themselves on the footboard of the Minnen and/or get their little arms/legs stuck in the spaces between the bars. I had an Ikea bed as a kid and (1) it wasn’t very comfortable – though that largely depends on the type of mattress you get and my parents just got the little foam one, (2) one of the slats did break as the result of bouncing on the bed.
But I agree with everyone else that it would be a shame if the wicker on the peacock got damaged! It’s such a beautiful frame.

Stephanie

I love the peacock one… I had one as a kid. But I did break off all the circles.

Kelsey

My son is 21 months old and we are currently transitioning him to the big boy room. I would recommend just biting the bullet and buying a twin mattress and box spring because Eleanor will be able to use it for much longer. Eventually you’ll HAVE to make space for it, so why not now? Because our little guy is especially small for big boy beds, we just put the box spring on the floor to reduce the height. This would actually work really well with the pictured headboard because it wouldn’t push out like something on castors would.

Allison

How many beds do you plan to buy for Eleanor? It sounds like the Minnen would be something requiring a new, longer mattress as she grows. In contrast, I slept on a twin bed until I went to university. I’d pick the twin bed just for that reason.

Juliette

I had a peacock headboard just like that for many of my pre-teen/teen years (inherited it from my mom’s college days in the 70’s). Mine wasn’t painted. I thought it was so cool looking, but I totally picked/pulled at it and I remember many phone calls/slumber parties where I had that reed/basket stuff in my hands, or it unwound (maybe this wouldn’t be a problem if yours is painted?).

Pillows falling down? No, but I do remember being annoyed at the headboard not actually being attached to the bed b/c if I ran and jumped on my bed (as I was often prone to do), the bed would slide just enough so that the headboard would tilt a little forward a smidge. Later, when I would prop up my pillows and read in bed, the headboard would slap against the wall. That used to bug me, but a young child probably wouldn’t notice.

If the slates in the other bed concern you, maybe just shove a sheet of plywood in there instead. Or a ‘bunkie board’. Both are certainly cute, though!

beth

As a child of the 70’s, I didn’t have the peacock but many of my friends did. I was always so jealous. If I had a little girl, I would choose the peacock in a heartbeat. So feminine!!

Stephanie

I vote peacock because I just loved it when you posted it earlier. I’m sure you could rig something to make it stay in place. The Ikea bed is also nice, but the black seems a little hard to me. Perhaps if it was painted a different color?

Molly

Both are cute… but as a mom of 3, I’d say save the peacock for when she’s older and look for a different bed for right now. Your little one is bound to jump on the Minnen, and the headboard, footboard and side rails are NOT forgiving! Trust me, I know from personal experience, and now my toddler has a huge welt on her forehead. :(

h.

That peacock blew me away when you posted it the other day. So beautiful and unique (which Ikea is not).

Morgan | Mrs. Priss

Gosh, both are adorable! My daughter is just a few months older than Eleanor, so we’ve been in the market for a toddler bed as well. The Minnen is SO adorable in person and I’m pretty sure it’s wider than the normal toddler beds, but don’t quote me on that. My niece has it in her sweet little room and when my daughter goes over to play, she immediately runs to the bed and just sits in the damn thing all night. She loves it.

Looking forward to seeing what adorableness you have up your sleeve for the kids’ room! I’m about as far along as you are with a boy this time too, so I’m familiar with the challenge of making the room appropriate for both!

rachel

i have to say, reading this, it sounds like you’re really leaning towards the ikea bed. if that’s what you’re envisioning right now, go for it. you know you’ll be upgrading to the other eventually, so this is your chance to try the ikea bed out.

Georgianna

I have an ikea bed and it has totally fallen apart, the slats underneath dumping us to the floor on a regular basis. I don’t think the kids will appreciate this, neither will you, every night as you go to bed.

kat

I like both – so i can’t really decide – but can’t you change the slats in the minnen? it seems like it’d be safer to put something else underneath it. My brother has had an ikea bed since he was 1 and he’s now 14 and in the same bed (which I’ve slept in on occasion when I visit)

Esther

Don’t see a point in toddler beds as it just seems like one more transition to make. That said, it’s a nice bed. I prefer the peacock bed because it is more girly but I think the other had that sort of high end orphanage charm that would look cute in a girls room (especially if you eventually had two in there)

Lisa

The Minnen only fits with Ikea mattresses, so you’ll have to buy the frame, the slats, the short mattress and then the longer mattress eventually, and then probably a real twin someday. I think Ikea mattresses are crap, having slept on them as a kid and as an adult. Lastly, that peacock headboard is just so cool. I vote for the peacock.

Amanda

Save the peacock for when she’s a bit older, maybe?