Because every child is different, there is no one simple answer for everyone, but here are some important things to keep in mind when making that decision:

1. Keep your child in the crib as long as possible (usually 2-3 years of age). If your child has learned to climb out of their crib, it's time to move them into a bed or convert the crib into a toddler bed.

2. Most cribs are designed to convert into toddler day beds by simply lowering the crib mattress to its lowest level and removing the front drop gate. Most children are quite comfortable in their cribs until age three.

3. Newborn crib sets usually include a blanket or quilt that are not used with the newborn, but are really intended to use with your toddler in a converted crib or toddler bed.

4. When shopping for a first bed for your child, consider a full or even queen size bed if you have enough space in the room. A larger bed will allow your child more room to roll around without fear of falling out of bed and will also allow you enough room to lay down with them to read a story or when they are not feeling well.

5. With most beds, there is no reason to use a box spring as this will just make the bed more difficult for your child to get in and out own on their own. If you need extra support to protect your new bed from damage, consider a bunkie board, which is a slimmed down version of a box spring designed especially for kid's beds.

6. Bunk beds are not intended for children under the age of five or six. Even if you plan to store the ladder while your child is younger, kids will find a way to climb up to the top bunk when you are not looking creating a safety hazard. Most quality bunk beds are designed to be set up as two separate beds or as a bunk. Consider assembling the bunk as two separate beds until your child is five or six and bunking the two beds later. Be sure to take your room's ceiling height into account before buying a bunk bed because head and neck injuries can occur not just by a child jumping or falling to the floor, but also by jumping on the top bunk and striking their head on the ceiling. You also need to make certain that the bunk bed is not near a ceiling fan.