Little Tikes Race Car Bed Review
A race car bed is the obvious choice for your little one if they’re a fan of Lightning McQueen and the ‘Cars’ movies and merchandise. It’s the perfect transition from crib to ‘big boy’ bed – fun AND practicality all rolled into one. However there are quite a few race car beds on the market, so how do you choose which one? We’ve looked into the top toddler beds on the market to find which are best, and our extensive research led us to the Little Tikes Lightning McQueen Race Car Twin Bed.
What to look for when buying a toddler bed
There are a few important things to look for when buying a bed for your child. The main ones are:
- Size
This is a BIG bed, so make sure your kid’s bedroom is big enough to house it! Don’t make the mistake of assembling it in a different room and then trying to move it into the bedroom – this could make things very awkward.
With regard to your child, the manufacturer’s recommended age for the Little Tikes Race Car Bed is 36 months to 8 years. The bed fits a US standard twin mattress (39 x 75 inches). The mattress height can even be adjusted (2 levels).
- Safety
The bed is made from strong plastic and is sturdy enough even for a parent to hop in too for story time. The sides are slightly raised so you don’t need to worry about your child rolling out (they can still easily get in and out).
How much does it cost?
The Little Tikes Race Car Bed is available on the Little Tikes website for $485.94 (the bed itself is $349.99 but they charge you a $95 oversize ship charge PLUS a truck shipment charge of $40.85).
You really shouldn’t be paying more than $430 for this bed though. The cheapest we’ve seen it is on Amazon who are selling the bed through an external seller called ToysandHome for just $429.90 (with FREE shipping & no extra charges).
Whats included?
- The bed frame
- Wooden mattress supports
- Vinyl stickers for styling
The mattress is NOT included – the bed is made to fit a standard twin mattress (39 x 75 inches).
What are parents saying?
We checked the reviews on Amazon to see what parents were saying and this bed got RAVE reviews – the average review there is 4.5 out of 5 (and 55 out of the 76 reviews are 5 star!). Here are just a few quotes from buyers:
“A young car fan’s dream bed”
“If you son or daughter are big Cars fans they WILL love this bed.”
“It’s fun and it makes the transition from crib to bed a lot easier”
“Very sturdy, easy to clean, and depending on the mattresses you purchase for it, VERY comfortable”
If you want to read more reviews we highly recommend you check out the Amazon reviews for yourself.
Any complaints?
The only issue that we could find was that a few reviewers found the vinyl stickers difficult to put in place. The easy solution to this is to put the stickers on BEFORE assembling the bed.
Another tip given by a few reviewers was to get a plywood sheet to put under the mattress for extra security and sturdiness. Some felt that the wooden supports might not be strong enough to stand up to long term wear and tear.
Where can you buy the Little Tikes Race Car Bed?
We’ve said it before, but the absolute best price we could find was on Amazon. You will actually have to click through to an external website (it’s not Amazon themselves that sell the bed), however you will get the same excellent service and FREE shipping. This is a huge saving as most sellers of this bed charge up to $100 or more for shipping such a large, heavy item.
Can I read more reviews on the Little Tikes Lightning McQueen Race Car Twin Bed?
Certainly. Visit Amazon and you’ll find there are currently 76 detailed (and unbiased) reviews from happy parents who purchased this bed.
