My daughter will be turning 2 in 2 weeks. I've been debating whether I should turn her crib into a big girl bed. She sleeps just fine right now, has never tried to climb out of her crib or anything, but thought this might be the right time to do it. But I don't want to rush it and have it cause sleep problems. Any ideas if this is a good time or I should wait awhile longer?
If she isn't climbing out I wouldn't change anything. We moved my oldest son at 19 months because he was climbing out. My youngest is 15 months now and I don't plan on moving him until we have to since we're due with #3 in October and will need the crib soon after the baby is born.
My daughter turned 2 a month ago, and we just moved her to her big girl bed this last weekend. She was sleeping fine in her crib, but we just felt it was time. When she was sleeping in her crib, half the time, she would be sideways, all crunched up with a foot sticking out of the crib, etc...
She has been so excited to be in her big girl bed. We got a twin bed and put bed rails on it. I was going to read her a 3rd story last night, but she wanted to climb up in her bed and go to sleep instead. She has an older brother, and I didn't realize that she really wanted to be in a regular bed like him. She has been all smiles from ear to ear everytime the subject of her bed is brought up.
She's really a pretty naughty girl, but we haven't had too many issues with her getting out of bed. I just make sure that she knows how to get back into bed, and if I hear a lot of playing in her room 10-15 minutes after I put her down for a nap, I go in, be stern and tuck her back in. That's really been the end of it. I've been really surprised!!
*BTW, it isn't really too early. I moved my son at 17 months to a double bed with bed rails because we needed the crib for his baby sister, and he never had any sleep issues.
its really up to you if you want to change it or wait.
with my oldest he was in a toddler bed at 11mo. because he kept crawling out. my second was in a toddler bed at 12 mo because we had our 3rd son (very unplanned they are 11 1/2 mo apart) our 3rd was about 1 1/2 when he went into a toddler because he would sleep on his brothers bed better than in the crib. our 4th will be switching at 15mo ( in sept) because we have our girl due then. really its just a learning process for them at any age that they have to stay in bed when its time to sleep. after about a week of chasing each of them and putting them back to bed 100x a night they learned to stay in thier beds. good luck!
Getting them to sleep well is the name of the game, if that's happening I wouldn't change a thing!
I must not be the norm. Both of my girls were put into toddler beds as soon as they started to attempt to climb on furniture. This was about 14 months with my first and a year with my second. Because they were just getting to that climbing stage, it took advantage of their natural desire to climb and they loved being able to climb into their own beds. I did leave the mattress from the crib tucked in just under the toddler bed for awhile during the transition so it wasn't so high a climb and a soft place to roll onto if they fell out of bed. I never have had any problems with them not staying in their beds once they were tucked in for the night.
I would wait... they grow up so fast!
My son was 20 months old when he moved to a twin bed. He wasn't climbing out of the crib either. We started at about 18 months. We moved the twin bed in his room that way he got used to it. He still slept in his crib and we talked about the bed and how fun it would be to sleep in it. We read books on the bed, played on it. I moved the pillow from his bed into his crib after he got used to the bed being in there. Then I tried naps in the bed. First he was very scared of sleeping in the bed. So if he got too upset we said "That's okay" and we waited another week and tried again. He finally slept in it for nap around 20 months and did so for a couple of weeks before he slept in the bed at night too. Once he had been in the bed for a week at night and nap we took the crib down and put it away. I did lay down some comforters and pillows next to the bed for a few weeks in case he fell out. He did fall out a few times. We have the bed next to the wall, which I think helps. We are planning to use this same technique when my daughter gets to be close to 2. She is currently 14 months old. Good luck with the transition.
I would suggest that you let her cues guide you on this one. We converted my daughter's crib to the toddler bed setup just before she turned two because it seemed to us that it would be a good time and we thought she might like it.
Once we did that, though, she started having all sorts of sleep problems, which lasted through several years and two more beds. I would have LOVED to have been able to go back and undo it. (Unfortunately, once we decided it just wasn't working, changing it back to a crib didn't work)
My oldest I put in a big girl bed before she turned 2 as she was climbing out of her crib. Once they start climbing I think you need to get them out immediately because they could really hurt themselves if they fell. My youngest was another story. She loved her crib. She didn't even attempt to climb out but we ended up putting her in a toddler bed when she was about 2 years 9 months. She actually missed her crib. Why change a thing if she isn't trying to climb out. You get a whole new set of worries when they are in a bed and can get out whenever they choose.
why change a good thing?? if she sleeps good, doesnt try to climb out and still fits in there, I would keep her in there. If you have another baby coming, of course you need the crib, but for now leave her in there (unless you are tired of looking at the crib and want a change for her room). both of my girls were moved out of their crib around this age, but they were both trying to climb out!! It was for safety.
J. I am in the same boat with you... my daughter will be 2 in August and have started to discuss this with my hubby. My daughter loves our bed, she will crawl under the covers and lay her head on the pillow. That makes we wonder if she is ready or just playing.
My daughter does not crawl out either, and she is not trying too. My problem is that at 26 lbs and very tall my back is complaining ever time I lay her down or lift her out (I have always had a bad back). So I am thinking even though 'why change a good thing' I might change the crib into her big girl bed in August.
It will be interesting to see what other write... especially the moms who changed the crib into a bed since we won't have the option of a 'slow' transition from one to the other.
