Toddler Bed for an 18 Month Old? TOO SOON?!?!?!

My son moved into a twin bed at 18 months, but that was more about his little sister being born at that time and me wanting to convert the nursery into her room. But he did GREAT. We put up the rails on the bed and he never fell out, didn't get out of bed but maybe a couple times. All in all a great transition during a really crazy time for him.

Every child is different. I would put it up and leave the crib up just in case it doesnt work out right away. My daughter was in a toddler bed around that age because we had a new baby coming, she did great with it.

If he sleeps good in it still and doesn't climb out of it then I would wait as long as possible. My son was a little over 2 and then he figured out how to climb out of it. Thats when I got a toddler bed so he couldn't hurt himself. Best of luck to you.

My son is 38 months and still in his crib. I converted it to a toddler bed but he kept falling out. He moves too much at night. So I put the rail back on but in the lowered position so he can climb in and out easily. Since they love climbing, this couldn't be more perfect!

We ended up moving my son to a toddler "Race Car Bed" and out of his crib when he was about 20mths old because I was expecting our 2nd child and she was going to use the same crib. I wanted to give it enough time for him to get used to it. What was great about this bed (which we bought from "HomeDepot.com" is that you can start out using it with a crib mattress which sits down deeper into the bed still giving that edge on the side of the bed so they can't roll out. We are just now about to remove the crib mattress and replace with a twin mattress as he sleeps great in "big boy beds" now and he is just about to turn 3 !!

If he sleeps fine then let him stay in the crib until at least 2. My son was 17 months when I had to but him in a toddler bed because he was crawling out. I was worried he might hurt himself so I did the transition. I had to stay up about two nights in a row because he kept getting up, but after that he slept perfect and he still does today at 2.

If he is fine in his crib and there is no other reason to, then leave him. The older the better because if he gets old enough to actually help make the choice himself, the more likely he will stay in bed throughout the night. My son didn't go into his big boy room/bed until 2 months before his third birthday. About a month before that, we took the side off his crib to get him use to that first. He has never gotten up in the middle of the night yet at almost 3.5 years old. He was so proud of himself when he started sleeping there because it was his choice. The only reason I even started attempting it at the age is because we have a baby due in August and I wanted him out of the crib for a long time before she came. worked like a charm! Good luck.

We converted my sons crib to a toddler bed at 18 months and put up a 3/4 length bed rail so that he can get in and out on his own but still have the comfort of knowing he will not roll out of bed by accident. After the rail came off I took a thick comforter we no longer used, doubled it over, and place it along the length of the open bed so if he did roll out he would have a cushioned landing. We also have a gate that swings and locks to his bedroom so I do not have to worry about him wandering and it keeps our dogs from going into his room getting into his bed too.

Sounds like your son might be ready. I placed two of my kids in the toddler bed at around that time also because they were climbing out anyways. I made the transition by taking them to choose their bedding, so it was exciting for them. For some kids though, the familiarity of their old bedding is what will make it feel ok to them to switch. Good luck.
C.

In general they say kids are a little too young until age 2...like one mom posted, you want them to be able to be mature enough to actually comprehend what it means to stay there when asked and to stay safe in there room unsupervised (because they WILL get out at some point while you are still asleep). Of course every kid is different and it sounds like there are other moms on here that did it before age 2. I don't know how much difficulty it was for each of them during the transition and keeping them there, safely.

It might just be me, but I say if he is comfortable and sleeping wonderfully for you each night, then why mess with it???? You won't know if he is secure enough, emotionally ready or mature enough for 'rules' regarding the bed until you try and why open that can of worms when it could potentially be too early?? Maybe it's just me and I cherish the sleep I can get, but I would not want to welcome the problems that may come with transitioning too early (sleepness nights, crying out of insecurity, running around, safety while unsupervised loose in the room, etc). If he was giving you problems regarding the crib such as climbing out, getting stuck, etc I would do it now, but everything is happy, safe and content.... Many kids don't transition until 3....no rush!!!!!

It depends on the child really. Our oldest moved to a toddler bed at 18 months without and problems. I was worried about her wandering the house in the middle of the night so we put a gate on her door to keep her in, but she never got out of bed for a the first few months (I don't think she realized she could).

The minute my boys could walk, I put them in a toddler bed. My oldest was 16 months and my youngest was 12 months. I was afraid they would climb out of the crib and crack their heads on the tile floor. I did however purchase an extra bed rail to go on the toddler bed because the bar that went on the side to prevent them from falling off was like only an inch above the mattress. If you are concerned with him falling off, go buy the Walmart (parents choice) brand bed rail. The reason I suggest this one is because it is thin and can be squeezed between the mattress and the bed rail that is built into your bed.

Personally - I say go for it! I actually had both of my boys in twin size beds by the time they were two (with bed rails of course).

Good luck!

My son transitioned at 18 months. He was climbing out of his crib and I was more concerned about him hurting himself. He did really well in the bed. We have to take him back to it, sometimes, but overall it was fine.

I think it depends on the child for my oldest... she got kicked out of the crib when her baby brother was coming along at age 3. She was thrilled. My middle son HATED that we took his crib away at 2.5 when the next baby brother was born. He did fine in a bed but kept going to the crib when it was time for naps or bed. Then there was number three - at 14 months he was catapulting himself out of the crib. This is the same kid that a few months later was found on TOP of the refrigerator in just a few short moments while I went to the bathroom not 20 feet away!!! We had to get him out of the crib for his own safety.

I wouldn't be in a rush if your child is content, unless you need the crib for another child. Once they were out of the crib they tended to wander which isn't good! My daughter was so bad we had to reverse her door knob so we could lock her IN her room at night. She was on a different floor from us and would get up and play play play at 3:00 in the morning! So not only was she not sleeping, but the play room was trashed and she was waking up her new brother to see if at 6 weeks old he'd like to come party with her!

I don't think 18 months is too soon... I put my son in a big kid bed at 18 months, and one of my daughters at 16 months. The latest I've waited is 21 months (I have 4 kids, all about 18 months apart - we moved them up early so they wouldn't feel like the next baby was kicking them out of their crib). I agonized about it the first time - he looked so little on that big bed! But he was fine. Go for it! Good luck. :)

My daughter was 21 months old, and we put her straight into a twin bed, not even a toddler bed. The only reason we moved her so soon though, was she was climbing out anyway and we need the crib for the next one. I haven't had one issue with it. She was sleeping perfectly in it from day one. Even for naps. Sometimes she will sit and play in her bed before falling asleep but she did that in the crib anyway. We did buy guard rails, but ended up never having to use them. She does get up and open her door when she wakes up, but she comes right in and gets me, and doesn't wander the house. I think that is because they are still so young and still dependent on you to get them what they need :) Good luck and I think you will find it will be easier/better than you think!

J., I would say go ahead and make that transition to a big kid bed for your son. My daughter was 19 months when I switched her to twin bed. I also used a bed rail for the side and a pillow at the bottom of the bed too just in case. To help ease my mind, I used a baby gate at the door so she couldn’t get out in the middle of the night or in the morning when she woke up before us. She loved being in a big girl bed. A few mornings I have gone into her room to wake her up and I have found her sideways in her bed. She was so adorable. When my daughter was almost 3 years old, I took off the bed rail. She has never fallen off the bed yet.

with my dau she was 3 when she was in a big girl bed and my son sleeps with us and he will be 2 and he will be wit us another year. It really depends on your child. my son sleeps thru the night for months then every once in awhile he will wake up looking for mommy. I think I am just scared he will walk around the house while we are asleep