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January 30, 2017 · 14 Comments

IKEA TARVA Bed Review (Jackson’s Toddler Bed)

DIY Projects

We finally transitioned Jackson out of his crib at almost 3 years old and into an IKEA toddler bed – well, technically, it’s just a plain old IKEA bed frame! We used the IKEA TARVA bed for his room and it’s the perfect option for a toddler’s room!ย 

IKEA TARVA bed review

Can I just be honest with you for a second? Iย dreaded the transition to a big boy bed. Like, I was terrified of it. For the last year or so, every time I pictured us moving Jackson out of his crib I had visions of him wandering the house in the middle of the night, falling down the stairs, or somehow managing to drown himself in the bathtub.

I’m not always the most rational person in the world, but I sure do have a good imagination.

But unfortunately, we really can’t keep our child in his crib for the rest of his life, and we knew at some point we’d have to face the inevitable fact that it was time to move on from the crib. I thought I would have to be dragged into this transition kicking and screaming, but by the time it got here I was actually more than ready. Jackson never tried to climb out of his crib, butย I’ve been annoyed with the whole crib thing every since he got potty trained this pastย summer – I feel like most nights as soon as I lay him down in bed he’s asking to go to the bathroom, and three-year-olds might look tiny but they sure are heavy. I also began to daydream of the day when he would wake up on a Saturday morning and we could just use the monitor to tell him he could come into our room, rather than one of us having to actually get out of bed to go get him.

IKEA Tarva bed

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painted IKEA TARVA bed

What? We’re lazy. Don’t judge.

So, all that to say by the time we actually made the decision to move Jackson into a big boy bed, we were all definitely ready for the change. I began to get excited about giving his room a miniature makeover and even rounded up some of my favorite inspiration on the blog a few weeks back. I had it all designedย in my head, and I knew exactly what the room would look like.

We made the decision to go ahead and do it right at the beginning of the year, so I was all set with my plan – I’d paint the bed black since we loved his black crib so much, we had some cute polka dot bedding picked out…we were good to go. I was literally walking out the door to pick up the bed from IKEA when I mentioned to Jackson what I was doing. He said, “Okay, but let’s not paint the bed black.”

Record scratch.

Well, crap. Three-year-olds actually have opinions on these sorts of things, don’t they?

I asked what color he wanted, and without hesitation, he shouted, “red!” Of course, red didn’t goย at all with any of the bedding I picked out and was about to purchase. Just lovely. So, I grabbed the bed and duvet insert and went back to the drawing board on the bedding. Thankfully, with a bit of searching and creativity, I landed on this beauty. Iย love it with my whole heart, and it’s actually better than what I was originally going to use in his room. I guess Jackson has okay taste after all.

IKEA toddler bed ideas

Using an IKEA TARVA bed as a toddler bed Big boy room makeover

Our IKEA TARVA Bed

We searched far and wide for a bed to use in his room, and in the end, we decided to go with the IKEA TARVA bedย in a twin. Our original plan was to find something on Craigslist, and we were really dedicated to that plan but despite me checking every single day forย weeks we just couldn’t find anything we loved. We were both holding out for something in a similar style to his Jenny Lind crib, but without the Jenny Lind price point. One night I was feeling particularly frustrated, and I was browsing IKEA’s beds for the millionth time hoping something would stick out at me, and I paused at this one to stare at it for a while. I felt like it had some potential, but I didn’t love it as it was.

Corey happened to look over my shoulder and casually mentioned, “That one’s not bad. I could turn those headboard piecesย on it with my lathe.”

DING DING DING. Jackpot.

As soon as he brought up the idea, I was sold. I loved the idea of it being partially handcrafted, andย we were both excited to get the general look that we were going for at a price we could stomach. Of course, once we got the bed in our house and pulled it out of the box, Corey quickly realized that the railsย aren’t square like we thought which means they’re impossible to turn. We debated swapping them out for square pieces that he could turn but at this point, we had been hyping up the idea of a big boy bed to Jackson for weeks and he was asking about it literally every day. I felt bad for pushing him off even further, so we decided to just paint the dang bed and call it a day.

how to transition to a big kid room big kid room makeover IKEA TARVA bed in a child's roomBIg kid room makeover

I think it turned out okay.

The room is still far from finished – we have a few things left to pick up and switch around in there so we’ll have to leave you hanging there. But, of course, I’ll be back to update when we’re done…and Iย do have a quick mood board I whipped up to give you an idea of the direction we’re going. It’s whimsical, colorful, and full of fun – just like my little Monster.

UPDATE: See the completed big kid room right here!ย 

Click on any of the images in the collage below toย go to the retailer’s website for more information!ย 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Becky says

    February 7, 2017 at 2:31 pm

    I love the way this turned out and think the red bed really makes the room! I just wanted to say that after finding your site I was only looking at it semi-regularly because blogs showing beautiful homes just make me sad because we don’t have room to redecorate anything in our budget. But when I followed the links to what you bought for this room I was so surprised how affordable everything was! I’ll definitely be coming back for more ideas!

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      February 8, 2017 at 12:00 pm

      Your comment made me smile, Becky! Thanks so much – and trust, I’m ALWAYS on a budget so I can pretty much guarantee the things I link to will be affordable!

      Reply
  2. Kati says

    February 3, 2017 at 4:01 pm

    My children are also very opinionated about their bedrooms. This one turned out so beautiful! I would be happy to spend lots of time in there.

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      February 4, 2017 at 3:38 pm

      Thank you, Kati!

      Reply
  3. Rachel says

    February 3, 2017 at 1:38 pm

    So cute! I am especially inspired by the fact that you allowed him to pick out his own stuff even if it didn’t fit with your vision. What a great mom! I struggle with this because my son’s room is still unfinished after 3 years (gasp!) and we started one direction but he keeps asking for odd colors that don’t work with what we have now. I feel bad because I want to show off his creativity, but lime green, navy, neon orange, and red are a bit much together, lol.

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      February 4, 2017 at 3:37 pm

      Thanks, Rachel! And yeah, I definitely understand the odd color requests – we weren’t able to say yes to EVERYTHING he requested, lol

      Reply
  4. Ariel says

    February 3, 2017 at 8:54 am

    looking great for a little gentleman’s room!

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      February 4, 2017 at 3:37 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  5. Mary @ The Cofran Home says

    February 1, 2017 at 12:22 pm

    It looks so great! LOVE the red bed! Sometimes our kids DO know best?! Awesome job!

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      February 1, 2017 at 4:47 pm

      Thanks, Mary! He definitely has good taste! ๐Ÿ˜‰

      Reply
  6. Morgan says

    January 31, 2017 at 10:29 am

    love that this is a cute and fun kids room but that it will definitely age with him. Though I’m sure its hard to see your baby boy getting so big!

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      January 31, 2017 at 12:54 pm

      Thanks, Morgan!

      Reply
  7. Annie Thompson says

    January 31, 2017 at 10:18 am

    amanda, i think it looks fantastic! i hear ya, i am in NO HURRY to put my 21 month old in a big boy bed. i was the same way with my first and waited until she was past 2. the room looks terrific and i love the bed you chose (and the color!)

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      January 31, 2017 at 12:55 pm

      Girl, it was a hard transition to accept but holy how it’s so much better now! We waited until about 3 and it was the perfect timing!

      Reply

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Overwhelmed by DIY? Let's do it together! I'm Amanda, and I live in the suburbs of Austin, Texas with my husband and two sons. I've taught myself how to make simple updates to help make my house a home, and I want to show you how to do it, too. Click here to learn more about us.

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