Generally, a full-size mattress is appropriate for children once they reach around 8 or 10. However, if you notice your child has hit a sudden growth spurt, you may need to buy a mattress for them sooner.
Pre K (Ages 1.5 – 4 years old) Beds
When transitioning your child from crib to bed, a bed size that sits low to the ground is a great option - think standard or classic twin size beds or full size beds or daybeds with a back guardrail.
Small, reliable, and affordable, the twin mattress is the most commonly used mattress for kids and some teenagers. Twin mattresses are 38” X 75” long or about six and a quarter feet.
A full bed is fine for almost any kid and will provide plenty of room to keep them comfortable as they age and grow. Like the queen, it provides enough space for night time snuggle sessions.
Best Bed Sizes for Children Aged 10 - Tween
It's usually at this age that parents begin to wonder whether they need to upgrade their child's twin to a full-sized bed. The good news is that your 10-year-old should be just fine in the twin (for now) unless they roll a considerable amount in their sleep.
At these ages, with social, school, and family activities, bedtimes gradually become later and later, with most 12-years-olds going to bed at about 9 p.m. There is still a wide range of bedtimes, from 7:30 to 10 p.m., as well as total sleep times, from 9 to 12 hours, although the average is only about 9 hours.
6-12 years old: should go to sleep between 7:30 and 8:30 pm. 13-18 years old: should go to sleep around 10:00 pm. Bare in mind that once puberty hits, it will be difficult for teenagers to fall asleep until around 11 pm.
Full size beds are commonly used in small bedrooms that don't have space for a bigger bed. Full beds can comfortably accommodate a single sleeper who wants a little more room on either side than they would get with a twin mattress. A full bed could also accommodate two children or a parent and a young child.
The easiest and best recommended age at a minimum to transfer your toddler to a big kid bed is 2.5 years old. I like to joke that you should keep a child in a crib until they are 18! This is not only for cognitive understanding of sleep boundaries and rules, but for safety reasons.
There's More Space to Snuggle
With a queen mattress, your child will have all the room in the world to toss and turn in their sleep without the same risk of rolling off as a twin or full. Additionally (and a little selfishly), some kids over the age of 4 require some parental assistance falling asleep.
A 12-year-old should ideally get 9-11 hours of sleep. If your nearly teen needs to wake up at 6:30 am for school, aim for an 8:15, at latest 9 pm bedtime. Of course, the onset of puberty can affect your child's bedtime pattern and routine.
But in general, the life span of a mattress is about 7-10 years. Of course, there's nothing stopping you from sleeping on a mattress longer than that (and many people do, because mattresses are pretty expensive), but sleeping on a worn-out mattress can have real consequences on your sleep quality and overall health.
Ask your child if they have a preference. Some children like a cozy sleeping arrangement, in which case a twin bed may be an ideal choice. Other children are active sleepers, tossing and turning during the night, and a double bed may be better if it suits your child's sleep habits better than a twin bed.
A full mattress (aka double bed) has been considered the gold standard bed size for couples, and can definitely sleep two. However, some couples may find a larger queen or king size mattress is their perfect fit.
Full: 53.5” (W) x 74.5” (L)
Beyond that, this size may be too short for some adults as it's only about 75 inches long. Full mattresses are often the best bed size for a single person, but only if that sleeper is under 5 feet 9 inches tall.
Many children reach this point at around 3 - 3 ½ years old. It simply isn't practical for them to remain in a crib any longer. If you haven't seen any of these signs yet, please delay your toddler's move to the toddler bed ESPECIALLY if sleep isn't going well in the crib.
If your kiddo is done with the crib but not quite ready for a twin bed, a toddler bed is the perfect transitional choice. It'll probably fit your child until they're about 6 years old, so you'll get a few good years of use out of it.
Toddlers. A small double bed is a great option for toddlers. Not only does the extra space allow them to move around freely, but you will also get a lot more use out of the frame as the extra space takes on the various development phases that happen over that 7+ year period.
A twin bed is best for kids, teens and adults under six feet tall. Some single adults prefer a twin bed, while others are embarrassed when friends see they use a twin. Some couples choose twins (or twin XLs) for better sleep, though it can be harder to find quality bedding for a twin XL bed.
A twin-size mattress is typically the right size for toddlers and young children and measures 75 inches long and 38 inches wide. Additionally, young children from about three to eight years old are still likely to benefit from a more firm mattress to support their growing bodies.
A double bed and a full size mattress have the same dimensions, 54 inches by 75 inches. In fact, the terms “double bed” and “full size mattress”, are often used interchangeably. If you refer to mattress sizes, both “double” and “full” are the exact same.
Nocturnal enuresis , defined as nighttime bedwetting beyond age 5, affects many school-age children and even some teens. It's not a serious health problem, and children usually outgrow it.
The answer depends on your teen and your own situation. A 13-year-old may need more help going to sleep at an appropriate hour, and parents can help. A 17-year-old shouldn't need as many reminders about good sleep habits. Rather than give an older teen a strict bedtime, it's better to educate your teen.
It is supremely selfish and could lead to major problems -- not only the most obvious, which is the opportunity for sexual exploitation (as well as the possibility of being accused of sexual exploitation), but also the suppression of the child's own emotional, physical and sexual development.