• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Factual Fairytale

  • Topics
    • Mom Life
    • Home
    • Fashion + Beauty
    • Reviews + Gift Guides
  • Shop My Insta
  • Amazon Favorites
  • Books
    • My Goodreads
    • Favorite Books
Home » Babies & Parenting » DIY Toddler Floor Bed Frame for Under $25 and Less than an Hour!

DIY Toddler Floor Bed Frame for Under $25 and Less than an Hour!

June 20, 2019 7 Comments

Pin4K
Share9
Tweet
4K Shares

When it was time to move our toddler to his own big boy bed, we decided to go with something low to the ground to avoid falls. He’s a crazy sleeper and used every inch of his crib every night. A toddler floor bed frame was just a no brainer for us. Plus, it cost less than $25 and it took no time at all! Here’s our step by step guide to building your own DIY toddler bed!

*lumber prices will vary year to year and by location.

DIY Toddler Floor Bed Frame

DIY Toddler Floor Bed Frame for Under $25!

We bought a standard Twin size mattress by Total Comfort that cost about $90 for our 2.5-year-old. We choose it because he sleeps well on firm mattresses and he will likely only be in it for 2ish years until little brother needs to transition. At that time we’ll get him a nicer, possibly larger bed that he can help pick out based on his comfort preferences.

DIY Toddler Floor Bed Frame

*As with any DIY project, it has not been tested or passed any inspections. The builder assumes all responsibility for quality and safety. Factual Fairytale is not responsible for any injury, incident, or accident resulting from this guide.

Our twin mattress measures 37.5″ wide x 73.5″ long x 6.5″ deep. Plus you’ll need a little extra space for changing sheets and tucking in covers.

DIY Toddler Bed Supplies:

Lumber

  • 1″x6″x8′ – QTY 3 – These are for the outside of the DIY toddler floor bed frame.
  • 2″x2″x8′ – QTY 2 – These are for the inner long side supports.
  • 2″x4″x8′ – QTY 1 – This is for the inner center support.
  • 1″x4″x8′ – QTY 5 – These are for the inner cross rail supports

1 1/4″ Wood Screws – for securing all the 1″ boards together

2″ Wood Screws – for securing the 2×2 to the outer frame from the inside (for aesthetic purposes).

Drill/Driver Combo – To save you hands from screwdriver cramps! We love our drill/driver combo.

Drill Bits – You’ll want to pre-drill holes near the edges of the lumber to prevent splitting. Bit Set

Tape Measure + Pen – For obvious reasons. I would also recommend a square for making straight lines easily.

Circular Saw – or any saw that will cut a straight line. Our circular saw.

Palm Sander or Sand Paper – To smooth the cut edges to prevent slivers and snagging bedding. Our palm sander

Primer + Brush (optional) – all raw wood needs a coat of good primer to seal it before painting.

Paint + Brush (optional) – I recommend paint just because it will seal in any rough areas better than a stain.


DIY Toddler Bed Step by Step Instructions

Seriously this takes 4 easy steps and probably less than an hour (plus drying time)! Just make sure your mattress measures the same as ours or adjust dimensions accordingly.

DIY Toddler Floor Bed Frame Design

Step 1: Build the Toddler Floor Bed Frame

From the same 1″x6″x8′ board, cut two pieces 38.5″ long.  Next, Cut your remaining two 1″x6″x8′ boards to 76″ long. Sand the cut edges.

Form a rectangle with the long boards on the outside (so they overlap the ends of the short boards). Pre-drill 2 holes on each corner to prevent splitting the boards, then screw the 4 corners together.

Toddler floor bed frame corner

Step 2: Add Inner Floor Supports

Cut both 2″x2″x8′ and your 2″x4″x8′ boards to 74.5″ long (or measure the inside long edge to get your exact measurement). Sand the cut edges.

Attach the 2″x2″ boards to the inside of the long edge of the toddler floor bed frame. For aesthetic purposes, we screwed from the inside out to minimize the number of screws visible on the outside. Again, it is best to pre-drill at least the holes closest to the ends to prevent splitting.

Attach the 2″x4″ board down the center of the bed frame using 2 screws on each end.

 

Step 3: Add Inner Short Bed Rails

Cut the 1″x4″ boards into 10 bed rails measuring 38.5″ long. Sand the cut edges.

Lay these on top of the long supports you just attached and space them out down the length of the toddler floor bed frame. Pre-drill 2 holes on each end of each board and 1 in the middle and screw them to the three frame supports.

DIY toddler bed frame rails

Step 4: Prime and Paint DIY Toddler Bed

As I mentioned, I prefer to paint toddler furniture because it seals in any rough spots in the wood better than a stain. If you prefer, you can simply seal or stain your DIY Toddler bed.

For painting, use 1 coat of a good raw wood primer such as Zinsser or KILZ and allow to dry. Then paint 1-2 coats of paint over the top of your primer as needed.

Primer for raw wood

Toddler Floor Bed Complete!

And there you have it, your completed DIY toddler floor bed. Super easy, really affordable, and it takes almost no time to make.

DIY Toddler Floor Bed Frame

 

Complete the look with cute bedding your little one will love. Shop our sheets here and here. Our bed quilt is from Hannah Anderson. See our full Woodland Toddler Boy’s Room design.

Toddler Bed Room

 

How to keep a toddler in bed when he has freedom is not an easy task. We ended up building a DIY toddler crib attached to our floor bed frame. It was cheap, easy, works great, and he loves it!

Read about our DIY Toddler Crib for Transitioning to a Toddler Bed

DIY Toddler Crib Rails | How to keep toddler in bed

How Did Your DIY Toddler Bed Turn Out?!

Let me know in the comments below! You can also send photos of your completed projects to meg@factualfairytale.com! I’d love to share them with our fellow DIYers!

Until Next Time,

XO,

Meg

DIY Toddler Floor Bed Frame

DIY Toddler Floor Bed Frame

DIY Toddler Floor Bed Frame

Related Posts:

  • My Covid-19 Story: Daily Symptoms, Care, and Recovery
    My Covid-19 Story: Daily Symptoms, Care, and Recovery
  • Unique Gift Ideas for Men Who Have Everything
    Unique Gift Ideas for Men Who Have Everything
Pin4K
Share9
Tweet
4K Shares

Filed Under: Babies & Parenting, Home Decor Tagged With: DIY, home, Mom Hack, toddler

Meg

This is my outlet for all things creative and informative (and sometimes just what's on my mind). As a new mom, wife, and creative woman, I spend a lot of time (my husband might say too much) on Amazon, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Google looking for tips, advice, design ideas, and everything else under the sun.

Reader Interactions

Share Your Experience Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

  1. Ashley says

    March 19, 2020 at 8:34 am

    Love the design! My husband and I are going to modify to fit a toddler mattress for now. Though, $25 seems a bit cheap for all that wood and screws. I anticipate this being more in the $50 range when buying premium untreated (furniture grade) as opposed to buying the cheapest. Excited to try it though!

    Reply
    • Linda says

      April 18, 2020 at 11:16 am

      We just left lowes and spent $92 on wood alone. Not sure how they made this in under $25!

      Reply
      • Meg says

        October 21, 2020 at 1:13 pm

        Hi Linda,
        Thanks for stopping by! Lumber prices are at an all time high right now compared to winter 2019 when we made the bed. It will also depend on where you shop, Lowes is generally more expensive for lumber in our area. We used select pine boards, the cheapest option, from Menards and it was very inexpensive (under $25) as I said in the post.
        XO, Meg

  2. Bianca says

    July 9, 2020 at 5:01 pm

    Would be nice to see the mattress only without the bedding. I would like to see how the mattress fits inside. Your bedding covers it!

    Reply
  3. Jordan says

    February 7, 2022 at 11:41 am

    Husband and I just ran to Home Depot on a fun whim to do this last night. We anticipated prices being more as it’s almost 3 years later. It came out to be $74 without paint. We adjusted size for a crib mattress and the directions were super easy to follow and it looks adorable. I just need to paint today. We had somebody at home depot cut the pieces for us and he was really off on his cuts so just make sure you double check before you leave.
    Thanks for the plans and fun craft night for hubby and I!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Toddler Room Ideas: DIY Woodland Toddler Boys Room says:
    August 28, 2019 at 12:44 pm

    […] also built a DIY toddler floor bed for his mattress so we wouldn’t have to worry about him rolling out of bed. We used a twin […]

    Reply
  2. DIY Toddler Crib for Transitioning to a Toddler Bed says:
    August 28, 2019 at 3:35 pm

    […] had already built a toddler floor bed frame for his big boy room so if you don’t have a solid wood frame that’s where you’ll […]

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

FOLLOW ME

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

LETS STAY IN TOUCH

Shop My Favorite Stores

Amazon
Target
Old Navy
American Eagle
Macy’s
Nordstrom
Kohl’s
LOFT
L.L. Bean

All my favorite store »

Search Factual Fairytale



HI, I'm Meg, this is my factual fairytale - a mom blog

Hey there! I’m Meg

Welcome to the factual fairytale! This is my outlet for all things creative and informative. It’s my real-world take on the most beautiful life. Read More


Get 2 Years for $99

Popular Posts

How to: Gray Wash Brick Fireplace | Color Washing Brick7K Total Shares
How to Mount HDTV Antenna to Satellite Dish: No Rewiring Required7K Total Shares
DIY Toddler Floor Bed Frame for Under $25 and Less than an Hour!4K Total Shares
DIY Barn Door Baby Gate with Pet Door Instructions4K Total Shares

Footer

Contact Me

meg@factualfairytale.com

Subscribe

Sign up today!

FOLLOW ME

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

FIND WHAT YOUR LOOKING FOR


The Factual Fairytale is a participant
in affiliate programs. As an
Amazon Associate I earn from
qualifying purchases. I always link
to the best product regardless of
this and I only promote products I
own or would purchase myself.


Copyright © 2023 · The Factual Fairytale
Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions