Transitioning a Toddler from a Crib to a Bed

I am a mom working full time, with 7 children. Take it from me: leave her in her crib as long as possible. Once you get into the toddler bed, they NEVER want to stay in it! I have kept my kids in the crib for at least 3 years. Once they start climbing out, I keep the side rail down permanently. That way they go directly into a regular bed and you get to skip the expense of such a temporary bed!

I waited until my son was 18 months and the only reason I did then was because he was jumping out of his crib. I'd leave her in the crib until she is to big for it... no rules say a child has to go to a toddler bed. Enjoy keeping her in bed as long as you can! HTH!

I moved my oldest son out of his crib when he was 18 months old because his chubby little thighs kept getting wedged between the bars of the crib. I bought a twin bed with a guard rail for him. With my twin boys, they were climbing out of their cribs at 15 months old, so I moved them to toddler beds so they wouldn't keep falling and knocking their noggins lol. My youngest boy is now almost 15 months old and has not had any problems with his crib, so I will keep him in there as long as possible!!! :)

It's time. Your toddler could have gone into a toddler bed at a year old. I put my youngest in a toddler bed at 1 yr. and he was fine with it. It may take her a little time to get used to it but she will be fine. Go get that bed!
D.

I am a 31 yr. old stay at home mom with 3 beautiful boys ages 10,7 and 4. I have been married going on 12 yrs. this Nov.

When necessary and not before. No hurry unless she is potty training (need to get out of bed to go potty), you need the crib for another baby, or she is going to hurt herself by leaping out. Otherwise, you know where she is and that she is safe in her crib. You aren't wondering if she is out and about wandering around. You should be able to wait until she is close to 3.

Hi R.,
My husband and I transitioned both our children at about age 2 my son a little earlier. My son went into a twin bed and my daughter went into a toddler princes bed. We used the mesh side rail on the twin bed for about six months to be sure he wouldn't fall out. We put an extra crib mattress beside my daughter's bed in the event she rolled out as a toddler bed is closer to the floor than a twin. We put both beds with one side against the wall making only necessary to protect the open side of the beds. They do fine now. Hope this helps.

Our oldest daughter will be 3 in May, and she hasn't tried to get out of her crib yet. We finally decided to get her a toddler bed because she is starting to wake to go to the bathroom at night. Also, the baby (6 months) is ready to move in to the crib from her bassinet.

Hi R.!

My son was sleeping in a twin bed(not just toddler!) at 15 months old. He's a HUGE tosser and turner, and when in his crib, he would get a foot stuck, bang his head, or get his arm twisted somehow. Thus, he NEVER slept through the night. I had my twin bed in his room (no where else to put it!). So I bought a rail thing and started placing him in that bed for naps. And he slept wonderfully. A week later, I put him in at night, and like magic, he started sleeping through the night.

I asked my pediatrician about it, and he said as long as my son could climb in and out on his own, he should be safe. My son was always big for his age and far ahead with gross motor. So climbing up and down from the bed was no problem. I don't think there's a "best" time to transition. I think it's when your child is ready or being in the crib is no longer safe; i.e. climbing out. Good luck!

My son is 18 months and his day care has made my job easier. They have already transitioned him to a cot at school so I'm getting ready to move him to a toddler bed at home. I have a friend who just moved their 3 year old to a big bed from a crib?! If your child isn't endangering themselves and you don't need the crib for another one, there's nothing wrong with keeping them in it!!

It's best to transfer them when they are big enough to climb out. My oldest was able to stay in hers longer than my baby. We found our little one trying to get out twice to pick up her favorite stuffed animal. We put my oldest straight into a twin bed up against the wall with the mesh railings. It works great and saves money. Toddler beds are a waist of money in my opinion. My youngest was put in a toddler bed because someone gave it to me. We were able to still use the crib mattress in it and the crib sheets, but overall it is not worth it to buy a new toddler bed. They grow out of them so fast.

Hi R.,
I agree with the other moms. If your toddler is ok in the crib and not attempting to get out of it, I'd keep her in it. I have two year old twins who are still in their cribs and the advice I got was to keep them there as long as possible becuase changing to a big bed will also affect their nap time (meaning they might not nap anymore). Our girls sleep for about 3 hours at nap time, so we want to keep that daily routine as long as possible.

There are several trains of thought on this topic. My son moved up when he was 20 mos. My daughter was 27 mos. I think it depends on their personality and tendancies. Is she climbing out of her crib? Is she potty training? Do you need the crib for the baby? We had a great toddler bed - it was a Little Tikes one shaped like Noah's ark - virtually impossible for them to fall out of. Keep in mind the things that come along with the toddler bed vs. the crib - like being able to get up and walk around. With my son we put a gate on his door so he couldn't leave his room and he was happy - he would play in his room until we came and got him. With our daughter she would cry and cry if we put a gate up or shut the door. She would fall asleep on the floor just inside the door. Some people say you should keep them in the crib until they are at least three - I think that's a little extreme, but to each his own. I don't think there is a "best time". "They" would say to choose a time for a big transition like that when there's nothing else major going on, but it seems like, at least in my life, there's always something else going on. Also - keep in mind that the "toddler bed" is a relatively new piece of furniture and not a necessary step. You can always transition to a normal bed - just take precautions like having the mattress on the floor or getting guard rail(s). Good luck!

Make the switch a fun one! We took our daughter out and picked out the whole bed ensemble down to the cute little night light. She was so excited to sleep in her big girl bed the first night. Make sure the bed has a guard rail so she doesn’t fall out of bed. You can even buy portable ones that are great when you go to grandma’s house! My friend got a small fish tank for their daughter's room and put the light on a timer. When the fishies woke up then their daughter could get out of bed! I almost wish I could do it all again. How cool is that? Good luck and enjoy those sweet girls!

We transitioned both our children at the age of 2. At that point, they can climb out of a crib. So we made it a big deal that they were "big kids" now and could sleep in a big boy/girl bed. However, at 2, they still can roll out of bed so we got bed rails with Elmo on them. After about 6 months or so, we took the bed rails off and they were fine.

I just transitioned my 2 year old into a "big boy bed" about a month and a 1/2 ago(at 27 months) and it is working out great. He actually enjoys sleeping there, we had no problems with the transition and it never affected his sleep schedule.
It all depends on your baby. If you don't think your child needs an adjustment period, then go for it right away. But, if you think she'll need some time to get used to the idea, try this. If there is enough space in her room try introducing the bed by placing it in there and letting her decide at first. Then eventually place all the stuff from her crib into her toddler bed. If she still doesn't wanna sleep there, get her used to being in the bed by reading her a nitetime story while she sits in bed and then sing songs. She might just fall asleep to the sound of your voice and get used to sleeping there.

It all depends on the child. My daughter was 18 months old when I transitioned her. She was very tall and starting to climb out of the crib so we decided it was time. However, my son just turned 2 yrs old and he is still in his crib. He shows no signs of trying to climb out so I am happy to leave him in the crib for a while longer.

With my son, I found it easiest to start transiting with naps. You can put her in her big girl bed for nap. Encourage her by giving her a new special lovey to lay with. If she is at daycare and they do cots for naps that might help the transition also. I didn't force Brody is sleep in his big boy bed, but I offered it everynight. Finally he decided he wanted to and he did. Good luck.

Most 'experts' recommend waiting until closer to age 3 for safety reasons. Of course, if your child is climbing out before then, it's time to switch immediately. Our son went to a twin bed at 2.5 because he climbed out of the crib. Our middle daughter just moved out of the crib (2.5) because she switched bedrooms (baby moved into her old room) and to make the room transition easier for her, we hyped it up as a 'big girls room' complete with new bed. With both kids, the transition was pretty easy after the first night. The first night is the hardest... each of them kept getting up and leaving their room. After the 3rd or 4th time, we didn't talk to them and just took their hand and walked them back to their room. My son was stubborn and did this constantly for 3 hours. My daughter only did this for 2 hours the first night. After that, it was just say goodnight and walk out and they would stay in bed and fall asleep.

I transitioned my son as soon as he turned 2 (he got a new bed for his birthday). I really didn't have a choice as he was always climbing out of his crib. I bought him a toddler bed and set it up in the living room for a day or two just so he could get used to it. I talked about it a lot and how he was going to get to sleep in it. I put it in his room and he has been in it ever since. I never had any problems with him at all. He was just ready to be out of his crib. I thought he would fight it, but he didn't. Your daughter may surprise you and just be ok with it. You never know until you try.

My niece is 18 months old, and she started to sleep in her big girl bed Right after christmas. So, if that helps you out... She's already in a twin bed. Just with a guard rail up.
She does really good in it!!
Im sure you could move your toddler into it any day now.

I have 4 children and each one of them were different. My boys which are 2 yrs apart had learned to get out of the crib at 12-14 mo, so immediately my husband and put them in the bed. My daughter was a different story she could of cared less we had no problems with trying to get out of the bed. Since we had the bed we put her in it at about 12-13 mo.They were all fine sleeping in the bed. Don't be suprised if you roll over and find them in your bed sometimes.

I think it depends on the child. I don't really think there is a right or wrong time, but when it seems necessary. My son climbed out of his crib and would sleep on the floor around 20 months so I did a toddler bed. My youngest is 26 months and has never tried to get out of her crib so I will be leaving her there for a few more months until we start potty training. I am not doing a toddler bed this time, but rather a twin and buying bed rails from One Step Ahead that fold under the mattress during the day.

When they're ready. M oldest was in a toddler bed at 17 months and my youngest is 21 months and still in a crib. We are moving so when we move he will be out of a crib and they will both be in twin beds. The first night or so may be long, but it gets better!

Hello R.,
We moved our son to his "big boy bed" when he was crawling out of his crib every morning when he'd wake up. He wasn't 2 years old yet when he was doing this. I didn't feel safe with him crawling out of it upstairs while I was downstairs. He made the transition very well. We bought him a racecar bed, and made a huge deal of it, and he loves sleeping in it.
Good luck!
V.