Is She Getting Too Old for the Crib?

I would say get one of the baby gates that have the vertical bars and that latch and swing open (only when YOU unlatch it). Put it in her doorway. I have one for my son so he can't fall down the stairs, and he's a monkey too and he can't climb over it or open it. I got mine at walmart I think for about $40-50.

I just put my 2 1/2 year old into a twin bed. I made a big deal about it and told her she is big girl now and gets a new pretty bed. I bought her cute pink sheets to go with it. She was so excited. How ever for the first week she got out of bed several times each night because she wasn't used to it. But now we are in the second week of her sleeping in the big bed and everything is just fine!

Hi!
Once they are climbing out of their crib, it is time for the toddler bed. When you think about it, she is going to escape either way, so you might as well start her in her bed. You will have to be willing to lose some sleep for a little while so that you can monitor when she gets up.

One thing that I did was each time my son got up out of his toddler bed, I would lead him straight back to bed, with no conversation at all (I didnt speak a word to him). Some nights, I had to do this 10 times, but once he realized that he wasnt going to get his way, he stayed in his bed. It only took about a week, and he was finished trying !!

I have 3 girls and with each girl we transitioned at a different time. Our oldest was in a big girl bed when she was 20 months old. We had the same concerns that she would harm herself in the night. So we put the little removable rail up on one side of the bed and pushed the other side against the wall. We left her door open only a crack at night and also put a bell on it. So if she opened it to get out we heard the bell. We also found that if she did get up she wouldn't leave her room because all the lights were out. There are lot's of little tricks you can try. Gate her out of the areas she shouldn't be in and then put bells on the gates. If she tried to climb them you will hear her.

Good luck

I have the same predicament..... 2 1/2 and using the crib tent. I'm going to stick with it for as long as I can- until he's 12 or so. ha ha I think until he's 3. There is a BIG difference (btw an 2 1/2 and 3 year old) in their understanding of consequences and dangers of things (i.e. knives, stoves)
It's just safer to wait and "err on the side of caution."
What my next step for the little one is the following: (the only reason I haven't done it yet is for the crying phase that I'M not ready to handle.)
What I did do with my two older kids Chase(7) and Zoey (5), is put a gate in the doorway that was tall enough that they couldn't climb over. You can also use the standard gate and put it a little higher in the doorway than flush to the floor. That little bit of hight difference worked for us. That was a good solution in our house:) Hope I helped!
Jessie

My daughter started climbing out of her crib pretty early too. What we did is completely baby-proof her room. We covered outlets and cords, anchored dressers, and moved art supplies and any other things that could be harmful to her. Then we took the front of her crib off and replaced it with a side rail we bought from Wal-Mart. We then put a plastic guard on her door knob. So yes, basically she is "locked" in her room. However, we only "lock" her in when its her bed time. Its never used as a punishment so she doesn't have any fear of being in her room with the door closed. I have a baby monitor in there so once she wakes up in the morning; I'm woken up as well. One thing we did do was install a fire detector inside her room. I feel completely comfortable leaving her in there. I think she will have a much easier time going to a toddler bed now that she has had this transitional experience. Don't feel guilty. Its better to have her in her room where you know she’s safe than to let her roam the house and get into Lord knows what. We had a real fun time cleaning up 4 containers of yogurt off our new sofa!

Here are some things we tried: Child-proof door handles on the inside and a monitor in the room. When she starts trying to open the door, you'll hear it. If that worries you, put up a child gate outside, but in the door jamb. She can open the door, but is immediately stopped by the gate. Make sure there is a fire alarm in the room and remove everything but the bed to rubbermaid bins that she can't get into. She should be safe. As for combining kids, you could tie a jingle bell or two to the bottom of the crib side. If she tries to climb it, the bell will ring. It will probably wake up the baby, but lets face it, she was about to do that anyway. Have hope,she will eventually get bored of him. It only took my daughter a week to sleep through the baby's crying. I just put her right back in bed when I came to feed her sister.

Hi Kristen!
As a mother of 3 grown kids I know where you are coming from!
Put her in a toddler bed! She will be fine & in there for at least 3 more yrs! Put a swinging gate on her doorway, the kind where the spindles go up and down, nothing she can get a toe hold into! And don't leave anything in her room that she can push over to the gate to climb over! My son & daughter in law put one on that leads into their kitchen for their soon to be 4 and 2 yr olds! Nana (me) even has a hard time opening the gate, it has a button to slide on top, so you know they couldn't possibly open it! It higher than a noraml baby gate! Comes in white metal! Works slick! Think Wal Mart or Target sells them! not too bad of a price if I remember right!
Her climbing into babies crib, I wouldn't worry about! Don't think she could climb the crib! Just remember to keep things out so they can't get ontop of for added height! Even plastic toy tubs or laundry baskets can be turned over and gotten up on! Ask me how I know?! lol Little things are brave now, I am telling you!
Also, slide locks or chain locks on doors leading to outside maybe a good idea as well! Better to be safe then sorry! Good luck hun!

D.

I have a 2 year old who is just the same! First we put a gate on the door so when she got out of the toddler bed and payed in her room we could hear. My daughter is really into princesses so we got princess bedding for the toddler bed so she wanted to sleep there. After the 3rd time she got up, she had to go back in the crib. So now she stays in the toddler bed just fine. Now for her safty we have put a child proof door knob on the inside of her door. I have a baby monitor in the room so i know when she gets up. I would suggest leaving the tent on the crib for your son, so when they share a room she cant get in the crib! Hope this helps!

A friend of mine is a fireman and told me that as soon as a child is climbing out of a crib, and could potientially hurt themselves to put them in a bed. So that is what I have done with my five children. If you are afraid of her leaving her room at night, you can buy a door chime. Two small plastic pieces stick on the door frame and the door and when the door opens there will be a chime or alarm. You can get them at at Menards and it not expensive.

I suggest that you completely child proof your home to give yourself piece of mind for now and the years to come. There are easy ways to child proof the nobs on the stove, the drawers that hold knive, the doors that keep poison, the stairs, the refrig., the doors to outside etc.etc. It's easy and inexpensive and will give you piece of mind during the day as well as at night.

My oldest son (now 5) did not give up the crib until he was just over three. We started by keeping the crib and the toddler bed set up in the room and he could choose. Eventually the crib was removed.

Good luck

My daughter was about 2 when we moved her to a toddler bed, because we needed the crib for my son when he was born. I had the same worries you are having! My daughter was a very busy toddler as well. We were VERY FIRM about her not getting up without us knowing about it. We made a rule that she had to call for us, and we would get her out of bed. The 2 times that she did try to sneak out of bed, my husband used an angry voice (his voice is deep, and I think it scared her)to direct her back to bed...she honestly only did it twice. I think she knew we meant business. If you don't think you can "scare her" into staying in bed (or if you think that's too mean), maybe try putting her in her room with the door closed and installing some sort of an alarm...they make ones that we used at a daycare where I worked, not sure what company makes them, but they were basically a box that installed on one side of the doorway, and a string with a coin-shaped piece of metal that attached to the door. When the door was closed, you inserted the "coin" into a slot on the box. WHen the door opened, it pulled on the string, which pulled the "coin" out of the slot, and an alarm sounded. It was simple to reset, and might be just the thing you need. I wish I could tell you where they could be purchased!

My daughter has been in a toddler bed since she was two and has done just fine. She rarely wakes up in the night and if she does, she lays there and cries until we come in (a result of a bad dream) or if she wakes up she immediately comes into our room and taps me on the shoulder. Unless your daughter has a habit of waking up in the night, I don't think it will be a problem. Since it is dark, they are usually a little bit afraid of wandering around and getting into mischief alone - just make sure she knows what to do if she is awake - she could come into your room, or you could ask her to lay in bed and call out for one of her parents. Just be sure your house is baby proof and you should be able to rest at ease. I think you have to give her a little trust and credit and try it out...that is how life will be. Scary to take the next step because we think of all the what-if's but we can't keep them babies forever (unfortunately). You know you could try the baby monitors again as well then if she does wake up - you will hear her since 2 1/2 year olds don't have much of a concept of being quiet and sneaky. Good Luck!

Hi Kristen,
My daughter switched to a big girl bed at 2.5. We also had previous issues with her climbing out of the crib. We worried for her physical safety and all that you are describing. Here's what worked for us. Even though she could climb out of the crib we first retrained her to stay in her bed. There were a few nights we had to be diligent in returning her to her bed 50+ times, but only a night or two and we had to do it without words or emotion. We simply told her ahead of time. One night she fell asleep standing up in her bed. Once she was doing well at staying in her crib (several months) we bought the big girl bed. We bought her a full size bed, instead of twin (just our preference). She already knew she had to stay in bed but we reviewed it again. The transition went very well. She would call to me in the morning and say "all done sleeping" and wait for me to come to her room and get her up. This lasted for years, she now gets up on her own when her digital clock reads the appropriate time. One of the things that helped us was posting the "Sleep Rules". They were 1. Stay in bed. 2. Be very quiet. 3. Go to sleep. We posted these on her closet door and only read them to her a couple of times, but we would stop by the sign and she would tell us the rules every night. Please understand I have a very strong-willed, impulsive daughter. She was (and is) trouble with a capital T. But, somehow this worked. I think because we had confidence. I wish you well in this new chapter in your life. I'm sure it will all work out just great.
L.

Yes, I did the gate for my kids and they never did try to climb it. It sounds like she is quite the climber, the half door sounds like an excellent idea!

What is the rush? If the baby doesn't need the crib, don't worry about it. This is not the time to lose more sleep. I have a 2 1/2 year old and there is no way he is moving out ot the crib anytime soon....if it's not broken, don't fix it. :0)

Hey Kristen,

I too have a 2 1/2 year old little girl who will be 3 in April and she is also still in the crib but we are now in transition to a big girl bed. With all of our girls (the first is always the hardest) we started with the mattress on the floor and we played a game going to sleep and staying in the bed until you call Mommy and Mommy says ok you can get up. We took turns being the mommy and it seemed to work well. Now, my friend and her husband did not like the thought of locking the door and a gate did not work for their child so as crazy as it sounds they bought an inexpensive door at menards, removed the existing bedroom door and cut the new door in half so they could leave the bottom shut and locked but the top was still open for them too see if their little darling was safe (like a door at a child care ). They also applied a latch to close the bottom and top together when they wanted the whole door shut. She said it is not the prettiest door but it sure took the stress off them always worring. Good luck on this milestone.

T.

Hi K.~
I haven't read whatever other responses you've got, but wanted to share what worked for me. When my oldest turned 2, she went into a toddler bed. Not wanting to lock her door, but also not wanting her to roam the house, We put a gate in her doorway. This way, she was safely 'locked' in, yet we could still see/hear her. I did the same thing with my youngest except she slept on a twin mattress that was on the floor instead of the toddler bed. Both worked fine for us, and I always put a pile of blankets/stuffed animals on the floor in case she rolled out. My girls never tried to climb the gate, but if yours does, maybe inch one up higher, or put up 2. I hope you can find a good solution!

I have 2 older children (17 & 14) and then the little ones, 2 1/2 and 14 months (about 20 months apart). When we found out that we were having our youngest child we decided that moving the 18 month old to a toddler bed would be a good idea. I had the same concerns about her getting up while we were sleeping but we used a gate at the bedroom doorway or the hallway which was wonderful! She would call for us if she woke up before we we did and it allowed up to get restful sleep without worrying.
Both girls are in the same room and have been since the baby was 3 months old, and even when the younger one wakes up occassionally in the middle of the night, the 2 1/2 year old sleeps right through it. The baby can also sleep through her sister fighting bedtime. I am sure that you will find the best way to transition to the toddler bed.

Hello! Well, I had my kids really close together. I had to put my son in a bed at 18 months in order for my daughter to have the crib. My son would stay in his room though. My daughter on the other hand would sneak out a nose around. So...it might sound bad, but we put a child safety lock on the inside of her door so she couldn't get out, but we could get in. At first, we kept the baby monitors in there until we felt comfortable. It worked great! She would tap on the door to let us know she was up. Before that, we baby proofed all of our house...especially the kitchen items. We also had stove protectors which they sell at Home Depot. I hope this helps! Good luck!!

S.

Kristen,

When my oldest was 1 yr we moved her to a toddler bed, because she fell out of her crib one night while we were sleeping. As soon as she could walk we bought things to go over the knobs on the stove and did all the baby proofing things. we put the knifes in a cupboard that was well beyond her reach and we let her have the run of the house at night.(She rarely if ever left her room.) We didn't even shut the door or put up a gate. I didn't want to have to be constantly on the alert and constantly worried about her getting hurt during the day, so we just baby proofed everything early on, and then when she was about 3 the things started to come off. Once we were sure that she understood the consequences of her actions we slowly started to change some things back to normal. I think as long as you are vigilant about teaching them right from wrong from the beginning you should be fine. My thought when she was little was that I couldn't watch her 100% of the time (even if I wanted to) so we tried to make it so she couldn't get to the things that could hurt her. Good Luck. BTW We will be doing the exact same thing with our newest arrival. She is 4 months now and we are already child-proofing the house. My 5 yr old asks why we are doing things and we just explain that Madi won't understand for a while and so we have to make it so she can't get to things. She is also helping us by trying to tell us what else we need to do to, "keep sister safe." I think it is completely your approach.

Hi K.,
We recently converted our 2 year old's crib into a day bed. He decided to climb out of his crib and come say hi to us in the living room one day. We put one of those plastic and mesh rails on the outside of the bed. He can still get out of it, but he will stay in there when it's bed time. We also put one of those childproof plastic knob covers on the inside. He hasn't really figured out those yet. At night, when it's dark and he's tired, I'm pretty sure he's not going to go for it (knock on wood). Good luck!

A.
MI Mom of Zach, 4 and Drew, 2

I have a 2 yr old girl the same age, 3 in April. When I was ready to transition her to a toddler bed I took her with me to the store to see the bed, she was excited she was able to participate in the process and didn't fight sleeping in it when we brought it home. As for your fears, two ideas, you could try placing a safety doorknob handle on the inside of her bedroom door(if she can't open w/those) or you could reverse the doorknob to lock from your side that way you can still get in to her room quickly if need be but would be difficult for her to "escape". Also keeping a monitor in her room for the first few nights so you could hear if she did get up... Just a couple thoughts, hope it was helpful :)

I put my girls in a toddler bed right before they turned 2. I put the baby gate in their bedroom doorway it let me know they were not wandering around. It also seemed to keep them in their bed at night. Good Luck!!

We put our now 3 1/2 year old in a bed when she was about 18 months old. We really didn't have any real problems she thought it was cool. The first couple nights she would get up and we would just put her right back into bed and then she got it. As far as the kitchen, just make sure you baby proof it. They have things that go on your stove so you "baby" can't turn it on. As the door, you can but a deadbolt lock and place it up high where she wouldn't be able to get it (that would also help in the day) or you can get a deadbolt lock where the turn part comes off. She once you lock the door you take it off and then put it somewhere you can get it but she can't. Then she wouldn't be able to get out. If your daughter isn't bothering her brother now, I'm sure she wont mind when he's in there. She's old enough to no better and if you talk to her about it I'm sure she'll understand. Just remember to make it a fun time for her, letting her pick out the bed, sheets, ect. I'm sure she'll be just fine with it all!

When my son transitioned from crib to bed we put a baby gate up in his bedroom doorway. That way I could still hear him, but he couldn't get out and wander the house. And I also never bought a toddler bed. I just bought a regular bed, but put one of those little expandable siderail things up so he couldn't fall out of bed. They're kind of L-shaped, half goes under the mattress, the other half is the siderail. I couldn't see spending the $$ on a toddler bed and then in a year or two have to turn around and buy a regular bed. Hope this helps & good luck with your decision! :)

We moved to the crib at 1 year. We just put a baby gate in the door frame of the bedroom and left the door open. They can see out, you can hear her, but she can not get out.

HI!
I think that she is at a great age to switch to a toddler bed. What I did is make sure my son's room was 'baby-proof' and then I put a baby gate across the door. His room is located by the top of our wooden stair case! I didn't want him coming out of his room at night and falling down the steps or getting hurt from something else. It has worked well. Of course, I have taught him from the start not to touch baby gates - so I never have issues with him trying to get out. I tell him to call for me in the night if he needs something. As for the second issue, I am on my second pregnancy now and haven't had to deal with that!

locking the door is NOT a good idea- what if there was a fire? your better option would be to put a baby gate at her door, she can see out, but she can't get out. We also keep mainly just books and stuffed animals in their rooms- so it really limits the playing instead of sleeping.

We put my son in a full size bed on the floor when he was 19 months old because he could get out of his crib. He is now 2 and a half. He never rolled off and when he was 2 we put the bed on the frame and he has never onced rolled off. We put a baby gate on his door and if he gets up he just calls us. It put me to ease, I was to worried about him falling out of his crib. Good Luck!

Hi K.,
I am going to check back to see your replies because I am in the same situation as you. My son is a little younger than your daughter but he is also very active and have to watch him like a hawk. We have used baby gates for things but my son will work on it until he gets through, whether he knocks it down or jumps on step until he gets it off. We have tried different kinds of baby gates and they don't work so I am also terrified to transfer him over. I plan to keep him in it until he is climbing out (which he hasn't tried yet). Good luck.
Chris

First and foremost, congratulations on getting through this long without her getting into the knives or getting outside. Get latchers put on your doors out of reach of the kids so they can't get out even with a chair. Get saftey locks on all of you cabinets that they can reach. Door safety devices on door knobs, especially the basement, your room (where there may be medications, hair porducts, etc.) any room that hase cleaning supplies and medication.

That being said, my son was out of his crib at 18 months only because he mastered the art of climbing out of his crib. We transitioned one day at nap time. We had the crib and regular bed in the room. We let him choose. It has been the bed ever since. As fas as the getting out of the room thing....we put a gate up. He can still see out of the room but didn't get out. Some people did not have it so easy but we just made it undrestood that he was to stay in the room and rewarded him upon a full night of staying in his bed. As far as the bed goes we started him right off in a double/full bed. Simply because that is the extra bed we had in the house. We put the mattress without box spring on the floor for awhile that way if he fell off it wouldn't hurt. He could also get on the bed himself. we didn't feel the need for toddler beds or rails on the side of the bed.

On the other hand our daughter who is 2 1/2 is still in a crib and has no desire to get out and we have no need to move her. Safety first, if your child is getting out and can get hurt then it is time. Good Luck.

When we put our son into a toddler bed we were also worried about him getting out of his room. My pediatrician told us it is okay to lock him in his room. You have to keep them safe. We turned the door handle around on his door so that the lock is on the outside. That way we can get in right away if there was an emergency and he can't get out and get into anything. I felt bad locking him in at first, but now we are all okay with it. He is fine and so are all of us. Good luck! J.
Mommy to Sawyer 2yrs and Casey 1yr

We put our son in a big boy bed at 2 due to a new baby needing the crib. He was fine at first and then started getting out of bed in the middle of the night--but he cries for me instead of wandering around silently. We put a gate at the top of the stairs so he can't get into the kitchen, etc. My BF put a gate right in her daughter's doorway after the door is closed to keep her in. At first we tried a safety knob on the inside of his room, but now he wants the door left open. The gate makes me feel better!

K.,
I had the same worries when we put a toddler bed in my daughter's room. When she was 18 months old, we decided to put it in there for her to get used too. I'm due to have our second baby April 4th, so we thought that would be enough time for her to transition to her bigger bed. Well, the first week we had it in her room, she wanted to sleep in it. She sounds like the little independent child you have, as well. She's almost 19 months now and her crib is turning into a small storage area! She has no interest in it. We put a baby gate outsite her bedroom door and left the door open a little bit. I just had to make sure that anything in her reach wasn't harmful for her. Now, she will wake up, crawl out of bed and we find her in there in the mornings looking at her books and playing with blocks. It's great. If you can't put a baby gate up, I suggest closing the door, but put a monitor in the room, so that you can hear what she is doing. As far as fire safety goes (my husband is a firefighter) it is the safest thing to do for our children to make sure they sleep in a room with the door closed. That way if there is fire, they will be 'closed' off to it until help arrives. Good luck. Hope you find a solution that works for you.

Hi,
I put my son in his toddler bed (that has rails) when he was 18 months. I just tucked him in and he's been sleeping there ever sense. I do, however, put a baby gate in his doorway. He is very active too. He has never tried to climb it or anything and when he wakes up he comes up to the gate and says hi mommy. Also, there is nothing in his room that he can get hurt with. All of his toys are in the playroom so he doesnt have those to play with at night. Good luck!!

As for the escaping part...my son is the same way. VERY independent at 22 months old and wants to escape each night from his room. He has been in a toddler bed for a few months now since we found him sleeping on his floor regularly and we weren't hearing him sneak out of his crib before we went to bed.

So...we purchased some of those door knob covers that you use to keep kids out of rooms, i.e. bathroom or office, and placed one on the inside of his door. Then we taught him to knock on the door as a game. With the two pieces put together, if he wakes up now he goes to the door to turn on his light and knocks on the door. We are then alerted that he is up and can deal with the situation. He has since figured out how to open the door with the cover on, but he knows his boundary is his room for the night and doesn't press the issue.

Good luck!

S.

put the crib tent on the crib for your little boy to keep her out. as far as keeping her in bed at night i have yet to figure it out myself. all i can say is mine just turned 3 and she finnaly has started staying in her toddler bed threw the night all on her own. i geuss its a new stage. I have one that just turned 2 thats running around all hours of the night and i cant keep her in her bed so i am getting the crib tent to ;)

I had some of the same concerns when we switched my son (now 5) to a toddler bed when he was 2 1/2. We have a 2-story home, so I bought a (First Years) one-step release baby gate for the bottom of our staircase. We close it at night so our son can't get into the kitchen, or (what I was most concerned about) outside. If you're worried, put a gate up at her doorway, or in the hall, whatever works. If you're concerned that she will try to climb over, attach bells or something that makes noise to it so that you will be alerted if she tries.

As far as protecting your little one, try putting the crib tent over HIS crib.

We moved our son to a toddler bed when he was 2 yrs. 2 months. It actually worked out perfect. My son gets into everything as well and I worried about the same thing, but then nothing like that happened. I think maybe since I gave him some independence, he didn't seek it out so much. However, when we first started, we'd stand outside the door where he couldn't see us and if he tried to get out, we'd say get back into your bed, it's night time. It worked!! He is 4 1/2 now and in a full size bed. When he does get out of his bed, he comes right into our room. If you're worried while you try the toddler bed, use the monitor so you'll hear if any monkey business is going on. Good luck

Maybe just put a gate up so she can't get out of her room. My daughter never tried to get in the babies crib with him, but I didn't put him in with her until he was about 8 mos. so he was a little tougher anyway. but once my kids climbed out of the crib, thats when they went to a bed. I bought a bed for my son's 2nd bday, and he was so excited, and I got him blue sheets and winnie the pooh quilt, He loves his bed, so maybe also get her like princess sheets or something she loves and she'll be more excited about being in her bed. good luck!

How about a baby gate ( or 2) in her door to keep her from getting out? When I was pregnant with my second child, the first one was climbing out of the crib onto the attached changing table. We decided to move him to a big boy room and a twin bed. Surprisingly we had no problems with him other than potty training. Put together a little box of things that if she gets up, is her nightime toys. Does she have a little play kitchen? Maybe offer her that if she stays in bed at tnight, if it turns out to be a problem. Plus go ahead and childproof your kitchen.

She's probably ready for the toddler bed. You could try placing a baby gate in her door.

Whoa, first things first - relax. I am a mom and a day care provider and so I have lots of experience with toddlers. You have to learn to look at your home from the vantage point of a toddler. And then curb any dangers that are around the home. You can buy door knob covers to keep her inside and out of rooms you don't want her in and you can buy cabinet and drawer latches. Store dangerous things like sharp objects, medicines, detergents up out of her reach. Try taking the knobs off the stove before going to bed. Locking a child into their room is the most dangerous thing you can do. If you are really concerned about your child getting up at night purchase a lazer trip wire that activates when its light is breached, you can find them for around $30-40, cheap considering how much more comfortable you will be with the transition to the toddler bed, this will also give her access to the bathroom and your room for the occasional nightmares.

My little boy would get up in the middle of the night and wander around the house. We installed cheap alarms that rang if he opened any doors. I know I wished for one of those hospital cribs that look like cages just to keep him safe.

I have started each of my five girls in a big bed just for naps before making the transition to nighttime. Also, if you are worried about her getting out of bed in the night and getting into things, you could put a baby gate in her doorway. That way you aren't locking the door (a bad idea in case of fire, etc) but she is safely contained in her room. Good luck! Sarah

I had the same fears exactly about my son--but--we found out he was actually afraid of being out in the house alone, in the dark, quiet night and while we certainly didn't encourage his fear, we were thankful, because all it did was send our son to our bed when he awoke--rather than cruising the house.

get a safety gate for the door-just tall enough so she cant climb over it. You can get one at your local Walmart or Target. Make sure the toddled bed you purchase have a guard rail.

"Safety First"
Ms. K. J.

Try putting a gate across the door frame(wooden pressure ones work good). She won't be able to get out of her room. If she needs you, she will call. I did this with my crib escape artist. All of my kids went straight into a full size bed with bedrails after the crib. It will be fine. Don't worry!

My oldest was sleeping in a toddler bed by the time he was 15 months. My youngest was in a toddler bed and then a bunk bed from the time he was two or a little younger. She should be ready. I understand your feelings. I was scared too. But I had started early. They both new if the door was shut that they could go in or leave. Yes, they played a little but they didn't leave the room. Can you baracade the doorway? I mean with a gate. She's more than ready for a bed. Good luck!!!!

I would say it's time to move her out of the crib. I would recommend gating her into her room at night. As far as her climbing into her brother's crib. It is a lot harder to climb into a crib then out of one! Either that or put the tent on the babies crib to discourage her from climbing in! It's a big tranisition, but it has to be done, and you will have to deal with it sometime...

put a gate on her door way so she can't get out, I've even heard of people getting a cheap door and cutting it in half and using it like a gate, with a child lock on the handle of course.

It does sound like it is about time to move her. My kids were about her age when they moved to the bigger beds.

Would the tent you are using to keep her in the crib work on keeping her out of the crib? Also having her help with the baby might knock out some of the jealously she may have for the baby. Not hard stuff - getting a diaper kind of thing.

You may need to buy covers for your stove knobs or remove the knobs until you use the stove. I have covers on my stove knobs they work great! No more little fingers where they don't belong. I also moved my knives to the higher cabinet by my plates. You may just need to toddler proof a little more. I am a daycare provider along with a mom of 4 and the state makes me keep everything that has any point higher than my countertop. I can be a pain but it helps ease the mind also. I also have a baby gate across the entrance to my kitchen and across my stairs to protect the kids.
A reward system may also help keep her in bed. Getting an extra story if she stays in bed or earning stickers.

Good Luck.

I had similar concerns with my now 5 year old. My peditrician suggested "locking" her in her room. I was originally horrified to hear this from a doctor. But then the doctor explained it was her safety and the method to "lock" her in was a baby gate in the doorway so the child can look out the door if she does get out of bed and not feel too isolated. We kept the baby gate up for quite awhile before she understood she was supposed to stay in bed all night. She was about 2 and 1/2 at the time.

Both of my older children were in a toddler bed by the time they were 18 months old. We would put a baby gate up in the doorway so they couldn't freely roam around the house. Another thing, as far as the "cooking" that your daughter is doing, do you have a play kitchen for her to play with? You could put it up in the dining room or somewhere near you so she could "cook" in her kitchen at the same time you're doing the actually cooking. Also, at 3, she should understand that she can't go in the crib with her baby brother. I'd give it some time after moving her out of the crib before moving him into the crib and reinforce to her that she's a big girl and in her special big girl bed and the crib is for babies. If she is tempted to climb in, couldn't you use the crib tent to keep her out? I know some people us it to keep cats out of the baby's crib.

It's definately time! You have to let go. How old does she have to be before you trust her a little? Freedom comes with responsibility and you won't know how she will handle this without giving it a try. She may do a lot better than you think she will. If you were right about her getting into things, you can always put a gate in her doorway or something like putting something somewhere so if she does leave her room you are notified. I was also worried about my son waking my other baby because they share a room. Much to my surprise, he is a lot more help than he is at causing trouble. So, give your sweet little girl a little credit and think of all the positive rather than the negative. I hope this helps (and I hope I wasn't too blunt!) good luck!
-H.

K.,

Place her in the big girl bed and place a baby gate in front of her bedroom door. She won't fall out of the crib and will be corralled in her room.

L. :)

No way! They're never too old for a crib! My son was 3 when we took him out! My mom said they used to call them 6 year cribs, because they would literally keep them in for six years! Crazy huh! So I would keep her in as long as you can! Until she doesn't want to be in there anymore or is in danger by crawling out, etc...Maybe borrow another crib if you could for your son when he's ready for it? Otherwise if you do move her to her Toddler bed, put a gate at the door. Never lock the door. You don't want her to feel "trapped" in her room. What if she would need you or you would need to get to her...fire, etc....

So I owuld keep her in as long as you can, otherwise try a gate at the door!

K., you can probably take off the tent part - she shouldn't try to crawl out now.

Then you would feel like she was in a bed but it would be safer. Where is the baby sleeping? If you need to move him into the crib, she is old enough to be moved but if you already have another crib, leave her in it and before you put her in a bed, put the side down on the crib so she still feels like she has her bed and you get used to the idea that she is going to be lose in the house. they all live thru it. you could baby gate her door way for a while so she can call to you but not escape. good luck marciab

My 2 1/2 yr old son sounds very much like your daughter. I also had to have a tent on his crib! I found when we put him in toddler bed, he had 'problems' and wanted his crib. I don't know if he liked the safety of the tent, and crib around him. We ended up getting him a twin racecar bed, and he LOVES it!! We have never had a problem with him wanting to go back to the crib, so you may want to look into a twin bed, and get the railing for the sides. We do have to put a gate up in front of his room at nights too, so he can't wonder the house.
Best of luck!

WOW girl you need to get him into a bed! I'm a mother of four and when all my kids get around 18 months they go to a bed. It takes a few days till they get that they can't come out or the door will be shut (you need some child locks) brave through the screams and just hold on for a few days and they will get it. If locking the door is what you have to do then do it. They will realize that staying in bed and having the door open is a lot nicer than having it shut. Hope this helps

We used a baby gate for the first few months of the "big boy bed," then my son started to climb over that and get into things. We really justsuper baby proofed our house. Locks on oven, knob covers, door knob covers, knives put up too high, etc. He still likes to occassionally pull a chair up to the sink and "wash dishes" but he just makes a mess and doesn't really get into anything. My mommy sense usually wakes up about 1 minute after he does anyway. We also have been telling him to come wake us up when he is ready to get up. At 2 1/2 children can comprehend this idea. As for when the new baby comes into the room, I wouldn't worry about climbing into the crib (it's pretty hard) but you coul use the crib tent just to keep your worries away. The first little bit with the new toddler bed is hard and takes some adjustment but it will get better and soon become normal.

It's all up to you. I first put the sides down and let them climb up and down with a chair when they were old enough to wear undies at night (3-3 1/2). I actually ended up with two cribs, since my 3 kids are 2 years apart. In fact, my five year old still sleeps on her crib mattress, even though we have a bigger bed for her (it's a loft bed, and she doesn't like having to climb up after she uses the bathroom at night). Like you, I didn't want them to be able to get out of bed themselves until I could really trust them. Of course, that means you need to have some recourse to stand by the "rule" (stay in bed unless you need to use the bathroom)! That's a discipline issue... so I would play it safe until you're ready to tackle it and be sure you "win"--after all it's about keeping your daughter and her new sibling safe. Best of luck!