Crib to Bed

Transitioning out of the crib was pretty easy for us. When I took my son out of the crib I put a twin size mattress on the floor. I wanted him to be able to easily get in and out bed, and I didn't want to worry about him rolling off the bed in the night.

The day I took his crib down I sat on his mattress and played with him. Because it was a fun place it was a good place (if that makes sense), so he was happy to sleep there. If he woke up at night he would usually get a toy or a stuffed animal and go back to bed. If he cried more than a few minutes then I went to check on him. A hug and tucking him into bed with a toy was usually enough to calm him down.

I moved my son right around 18 months to a twin size bed. I am pregnant and wanted to use the crib for the new baby. I was really worried about the move but he did great. I have found him sleeping on the floor one or two times but mostly he knows to get back up in bed. I have a trunk at the end of the bed and he uses that to crawl up on. I set up the bed about 2 weeks or so before I moved him. I talked about how this was a big boy bed and he would be moving there. I started having him nap on the big bed and I would play on it with him. I bought bed rails and put all his favorite stuffed friends in the bed and snuggled with him, something I couldn't do in the crib. We started reading books in his bed and made it a fun place. I think he liked the fact that mommy could get in bed with him sometimes and he could get out and get his toys or blankets if they fell. It gave him a whole new sense of freedom. He has slept better in his big bed than he ever did in his crib.
But every child is different, I've heard some fight the transition but I guess I just had a kid that was ready to move on.
Good Luck!

My daughter was a little over 2 years old when we transitioned her to a toddler bed. She had never tried to climb out of the crib so we did not switch to the bed until we needed the crib for her little sister. When we first started using the toddler bed she would get up and walk around the room for ages. She would not get into the bed to go to sleep (we started the transition with nap time first and kept her in the crib at night time).
After a few days my husband told her that when we put her in bed she had to stay in bed and she was not allowed to get out. I was shocked when it actualy worked! She climbed in bed, fell asleep and when she woke up she yelled for us to come get her while staying in bed. It was like she was relieved to not have to deal with so much freedom.
She has been in the toddler bed for almost a year now and she still rarely gets out of it and walks around her room, although we have told her that when she wakes early she can look at books or play with toys in her room until we wake up.
We put a baby gate across her doorway so that her bedroom door can be open but we have the peace of mind knowing she is not wandering around the house without us.
Good luck!

My oldest converted early to a toddler bed. When she 1st started sleeping in it i sat with her until she fell asleep. But she slept all night, depends on your child. Does she wake frequently at night? You may need to put her back to bed a few times, but with the freedom of knowing shes not restricted, she may transition okay. I kept my crib set up until i knew i wouldnt need it though. If it doesnt work out, you can put her back in the crib & try the tents for helping you keep your kids from climbing out. A good website is One Step Ahead. Lots of great items!

We put a gate on our daughter's door that way she couldn't get out of her room. The first 2 weeks she didn't get out of the toddler bed at all without us saying it was OK. Once she realized she could get out of bed she did. She would and still does cry at the gate sometimes. We treat the situation exactly the way we did when she was in a crib. We wait a few minutes and the go to her, give her a hug and kiss and walk away. If she keeps crying we wait a few minutes longer and repeat the process. If she continues we wait even longer and repeat. It's the Ferber method. She falls asleep pretty well, sometimes in her bed and sometimes on the floor. Don't worry, she'll be fine and she'll adjust. Mine is 2.5 now and we moved her to a toddler bed at just before 2 years old.

Good luck!

My DD was just 16 months when we moved her to a toddler bed and we did it because she wasnt climbing out of her crib but she kept attempting to and I was scared that she would fall out while trying. The first week was hell, especially at naptime because it was still light in the room and she could get up to play and whatnot. I know every kid is different but what we did was take all her toys out of the room because she was just getting out of bed and playing and we closed her door so she couldnt get out and just kept at it. She would get out of bed and we would go in and put her back, she would get out we would put her back, etc. Its been about a month now and she is doing awesome. She still has her moments where she decides I dont want to go to bed and plays that game with us but for the most part I think it was just a matter of getting used to her new surroundings and routine. Like any kid she was pushing her boundaries and when she realized that she wasnt going to win she just stayed in her bed and went to sleep. She never cried at the door and she would eventually just climb back into bed and go to sleep because she had nothing else to do in there but sleep or sit there all alone with no toys to entertain her
Good Luck