Tips on Transitioning Out of Crib

Hi

Ikea , Target , Walmart all sell beds that require a crib mattress so take a look online at what is available. If you are concerned about her wandering the house then you could use a safety gate across her door so that she cannot get out of her room. For actually putting her in the bed you could just go all out and put her in there when it is all set up and ready (this is the way I did it) , or you can introduce it gradually , by letting her take her naps in there , or if the room is big enough have it set up as well as the crib and just let her explore it.

Good luck

the way we did it...my son was almost 3 years old. we ordered his bed. when it arrived, we left both in his room - crib and twin bed (with just a bunkie board - no boxspring) and had the bed on the first lowest setting. the first night he decided to sleep in the bed and he woke when he fell out of the bed. so he decided to sleep in the crib for the rest of the night. the next night he went to the bed and slept the whole night through and pretty much every night since then. a friend of mine put the child proof handle on the inside of her son's room to stop the open door and wandering until it stopped and then removed the handle.

With mine, I skipped the toddler bed and went straight to a twin, but that's just b/c both times I needed the crib for the next baby, LOL. I pretty much just set up the new bed, with the box spring and mattress on the floor, and bed rails on the bed. That night Mommy and Daddy got in bed with them, and read books. They LOVED IT that Mommy or Daddy could actually get in bed with them. I stayed the first night until they fell asleep, and from then on I stayed a little while, and then left while they were still awake. I must note that my kids both moved into big kid beds when they were less than 18 mos old, b/c my kids are all really close in age. There wasn't much of a "transition" to it -- I just moved them and waited to see how they dealt with it, and then adjusted from there.

As for keeping them in bed, I am personally not comfortable closing their doors or locking them in, so I used a baby gate at their doors. That way I could still hear them if they woke up at night and needed me, and I didn't have to worry about them wandering through the house, or into our room.

Kids are pretty resiliant -- I suggest you just give it a try, and then adjust your expectations from there. If she takes to it right away -- great. If not, you can always put her back in the crib for a little while. Each child is different, so you'll just have to see how she does. Good luck!

If you are not ready to buy a big bed then a toddler bed is the way to go. They are just a foot or two off the ground, fits a crib mattress and usually have some side rails.

As for transitioning - Is your daughter climbing out of her crib? Or are you expecting another child? If she is still safe in her crib, fits in her crib then there is no reason that you need to move her just yet and you dont need the crib for another child then there is no reason to move her out of the crib just yet. My daughter was three before we moved her to a toddler bed (and even that was only because we are expecting a second baby).

However, if you do decided to move her, then just make a big deal about a big girl bed and get her some fun sheets, etc. We told my daughter that just like with the crib if she wanted something to call out for mommy/daddy and we would come. This way she doesn't feel the need to get up. I don't think she wanted to get up and walk around alone at night anyway because it was dark. And she doesn't nap anymore during the day so that wasn't an issue for us.

If your daughter does start getting up and walking around, one idea is to put up a baby gate in front of her room. That way she can't get into anything outside of her room. Also make sure her room is completely safe (Nothing heavy that could fall on her, wires that are accessible, etc.)

Good luck!