Transition from Crib to Toddler Bed - Bellaire,OH

I kept my 3 year old in the crib until he was able to climb out of it (which was about 16 months). The first time he climbed out and we heard the thump on the ground, I went the very next day and got a toddler bed. I found mine at Babies R Us, which had an excellent selection at reasonable prices and I got to use my crib mattress. The bed was low to the ground and came with semi rails on the bed. We haven't had any problems with him falling out but he does have a new freedom to roam around the room. I have a 13 month old now and this time we bought a crib that converts. He hasn't tried to climb out yet but I'm sure it's coming.
I say that if your child is still sleeping fine in the crib keep them there until you HAVE TO move them. I have some friends who had children that was still in a crib at 3. So do what works best for you and your little one.

Hi,

We moved our son out of his crib when he was just over a year old. He didn't have any problems with it, but he also hated being confined to one spot. He did not like to be in a playpen either so for him it was easy to put him in a bed. I think he felt more free, but I also knew he couldn't really get into any trouble. I think every child is probably different.

I had to switch my son when he was 8 months because he would climb our of his crib. I would have to put him in his toddler bed and stand in the hallway (where he couldn't see me) until he fell asleep or he would get out of bed.
My daughter was switched at 2yrs and we went straight to a twin bed. I put a rail on the side so she doesn't fall out, but she loves it. I took her to pick out her own sheets and of course she picked Dora! She loves her big girl bed!!

I think every child is different. WE had to transition our little girl early because she was climbing out of her crib when it was on the lowest setting and I was worried she would fall. She was only 23 months old. Most people will put the toddler bed in the room, and start with just naps in the toddler bed, but still allow the child to sleep in her crib at night, and then slowly as they get used to the toddler bed, then transition, but once the transition has been made, the crib should be put down, so it is not tempting to the child to sleep in. We didn't have room to leave both up so we took the crib down, and put up a daybed. We purchased one of those side rails that slips under the mattress and can swig down beside the bed or be up when they are sleeping. She did very well. Generally if you make a big deal about it they will be excited and will want to sleep in the new bed. Good luck.

I would say that the baby is too old when they can climb out of the crib or around 2 years old.

My little one liked to get up in the middle of the night. So I tried to keep her in a crib for as long as possible. I then talked about being such a big girl not needing a baby bed no more and put her in a toddler bed with a removable gate on her bedroom door. She did pretty good.

I have a toddler bed I am willing to sell if you are interested. It is in excellent condition and it was only used for 3 months. Its wood and was purchased from Babies R Us.

Email ____@____.com if you would be interested.

we moved our 28 month old into a toddler bed when he was 22 months because we were expecting a new baby and refused to buy another crib. he was a bit uneasy but we let him pick out his sheets and comforter, elmo of course, and that helped. there were a few nights of mommy or daddy sleeping on the floor in his room but he finally got it. the hardest thing was convincing him to stay in his bed at naptime since he was able to get out he usually, and still does, opts to play with his toys instead of sleeping. he really likes his 'big boy' bed especially since we have the new baby. it's a process but, within a week he was falling asleep on his own in his bed. we just kept telling him to get back in bed. also, for the first couple of weeks i had to go back into his room and put him back in bed because he had fallen out.

I am a mom of five, the last one is in the crib still. We moved all of our boys at two, that was when they all started to jump out of the crib. Our last is a girl and if she does not climb out before two she will stay until then. We are big on quitting everything and being done with it because it only seems to confuse the baby. Having the crib up and using a new "big bed" can really upset them. We bought twin beds when it was time to switch and let the child pick out their new sheets. Our two oldest sons went right in and had the body pillow next to them, other side was the wall. Our twins end up on the floor everynight and they just turned three, I think because they have a partner to be brave together to venture out. HA! I know there is a screen available, the arms slip under the mattress and it has a screen netting so the child won't roll out. I personally find a toddler bed a waste because you have to transition again when the child outgrows it and they can't roll over to much without falling off or hitting whatever you have in place for them. If your child is on the small side and timid on trying new things the toddler bed would be a good choice though, for the small confinement like the crib. It really is based on your childs own needs but definitely do something if he/she starts to climb out. Good Luck!

I put my daughter into a toddler bed when she was 17 months old for two reasons; I was afraid that when she bounced she might fall over and because my son was due and I didn't want her to associate the new baby with her loosing her crib. The only problem I had was not that she mourned her crib, but now that she could hop out of the toddler bed as she wished, she did and bed time became a nightmare. My son was a little older, but when I saw him climb out over the side, I took the crib down and put him into a toddler bed. He screamed and cried as we took the crib apart because he didn't understand what was happening, but I didn't have any problems with him sleeping in the toddler bed that night. I guess this was the LONG way of saying I waited until I saw a potential safety hazard and then put them in a bed closer to the ground.

All I can say is good luck! Looks like you've probably already been thru the transition twice though.
I have had TERRIBLE luck!
At about 16 mths, my son started climbing out of his crib! I knew this wasn't safe but thought it was too soon to transition him. So I purchased one of those crib tents to prevent him from climbing in and out. I loved it!
When my son turned 2 in June, I figured it was time to transition him to the toddler bed. BIG mistake! He gets out of his bed 30+ times a night!!! I was up every night well past midnight, trying to get him to STAY in bed! Some nights until 2am!!! I knew he was tired, he's just extreemly stubborn! So after MUCH frustration and lack of LOTS of sleep, I put the crib back together and put the tent back on. Now I an finally go to sleep when I want not when Aidan wants to!
If you receive any good advice, pass it onto me. I know soon I'll have to put him back into the toddler bed. He can't sleep in a crib tent forever!

With in the last 3wks I took my 2 1/2 yr old from his crib to a toddler bed. Wanted to move him into a twin but wasn't sure he was ready for that big of a change. I had the toddler bed from my other two boys - so I set it up beside his crib.
Let him sleep in it for a week and then took down the crib. I also made a big deal out of buying new/different bedding for the new bed. I like the toddler bed because it is low to the floor- even with the rails my boys tended to fall out - so I put pillows on the floor next to the side that is open.

I have a 2 yr old son, and he just turned it on July 15, we put him in a toddler bed, and he did just fine, but he would wake up alot in the night and come out of the room, and wake really early in the morning and not want to go back to sleep.

Hi, Have to tell you the first time one of my children flipped out the side of their crib, it is time to move them. I always had bunk beds for my older children so when my next fell out of the crib the first time she/he graduated to the bottom bunk bed. It is a lot closer to the floor and a couple of pillows or a folded blanket will ease their fall if you don't have carpet. To entice them to stay in the bed I put a piece of white laminate on the bottom of the top bunk with glow in the dark stars, care bears or other pleasant things that interest them. It works quite well to coax them to stay in the bed and drift off to sleep.

My sister-in-law made the transition when they moved to a new house - probably not an option for you. However, my 22 month old niece was able to pick out her paint colors (within reason) and some of the stuff in her room. That made the change to a "big girl" room easier.

My pediatrician told me the crib was fine until my baby wouldn't stay in it anymore. When they start trying to crawl or climb out of the crib it becomes a hazzard and they could get hurt. We got one of those beds with sides on it from The Pine Factory, it's like a Daybed with removeable sides.

We put our son in a toddler bed when he was 14 months old because he kept trying to climb out. One time I caught him just before he hit the floor. That was it for me! We bought him one of those beds that looks like a VW bug, so he was very excited to sleep in it. We used one of those mesh "railings" to help him not fall out, and we also put a gate up in the door of his room. It took him a while to stay in bed at night, but we would just make sure that his room was "baby-proofed" and treat his whole room like it was the crib. If he got out of bed, we would just ignore it. Finally, he realized that even if he was out of bed he would not get any more attention that night. Now, my daughter is one year old, and she hasn't started climbing yet, but I can see it coming. We plan to start her out in a twin sized bed. The toddler bed only lasted my son for 6 months. After all, it is the same size as the crib, and if they're too big for a crib, then they'll soon be too big for a toddler bed as well.

Hi! You have to gauge your own child as to whether or not he's ready, but my three boys all moved from crib to bed at 2 to 2 1/2. One thing that we did was put the mattress on the floor for a couple of weeks so that he'd get used to being on the mattress - but we used bed rails even then. WE also put a gate at the door to the kids' rooms or in the hallway beyond our door so that if he got up he could come to us but not go anywhere else. (We also locked the bathroom door at bedtime so that he couldn't go there instead.) Now, we have each of their beds along one wall so that we only have to use one bed rail on each. Good luck - it was a very bittersweet moment to take down the crib after nearly 7 years of pretty much constant use. Our boys are 2 years apart.

T.
mom to 3,5,&7 year old boys

Timing is completely up to you. I know some that wait 2 years, some that don't wait that long. My ped. told me that as soon as my daughter could climb up the crib then it was time to transition. Well, my daughter is WELL above average in the height department (her dad is 6 foot 6), so at 2 she was already 32 inches tall. I had no choice but to go ahead and get her a toddler bed. She will be 3 at the end of october and is 39 inches tall now and has been sleeping in her toddler bed for about a year. Just watch for signs about wanting to climb the crib..that's what I have always been told.

T.

I was really lucky with my first. She moved to a twin size bed on her second birthday. We got the bed and intended to just set it up and keep it in her room along with her crib for awhile so she could just get used to it before she switched. But, that same night she insisted on sleeping in her new bed. We actually had to push the crib up against it because we didn't have a bed rail yet. We got the rail the next day and took the crib down and never had a problem. She never got out of bed and just slept through the night as if nothing had changed!

On the other hand, my friend had 2 girls. The youngest slept in her crib until she was 3 years old. At that point, my friend made a big deal about her getting her big girl room, picking out decorations, blankets, etc, and she took the crib down then. So I guess it really depends on the child.

Good Luck!
L.

I read an article not too long ago that said when the child is 36 inches tall OR the child can climb out of the crib, it's time to transition to the toddler bed. My son will be 2 in November and we are planning on converting his crib to the toddler bed around that time. He hasn't climbed out yet, but has tried once or twice. My sister kept her son in his crib until he was 2 1/2--he never tried to climb out and she would have left him in longer--He loved his crib--but she needed the crib because she had another baby. lol

Hope this helps!
K.