When Should I Transition My 2 Year Old to a "Big Boy" Bed??

My position is, if it ain't broke, why fix it. If he's doing great in the crib and sleeping well, leave him. I didn't transition my daughter until almost three and my son will be three in April and is still in the crib. Just my opinion. Good luck.

Hi S. - My son turned 2 in December and he is still in his crib. He is alot like your son, he loves bed and loves his crib, he has never tried to climb out of it and when it's bedtime, he loves to go...My theory on this is if it's not broke, why fix it. Right now it's the only safe place to put him when I need to run downstairs and put laundry in or when I'm trying to get ready, he will sit in there and read books...Once he starts trying to climb out I'm sure it will be a different story, but for now I'm leaving well enough alone.

If he's happy in his crib then just let him stay! Why fix what isn't broken? My middle child is still in her crib for exactly that reason. She's 2.5 and very happy wiht the crib with great sleep habits. We have no intention of moving her anytime soon - she'll let us know when she's ready. I know when we moved our oldest to the big bed his great sleep habits got much worse and bedtime was a nightmare for about 2 months. We moved him a few months after his 2nd birthday because he climbed out one night.

We have the same problem our bedrooms are upstairs. When we put our son into his big boy bed we also placed a baby gate in his doorway. I was told to tie a string of bells onto the gate so if they try to climb it would gingle them. It worked and we did the same when our twins were born and I am doing it again now with my almost 2 yr. old.

We switched both boys to a toddler bed between 12 and 15 months, and then to a twin bed when they turned 2. With our oldest we needed the crib (they are only 12 months apart). The younger one we just wanted to follow the same schedule as the first, and the crib converted to a toddler bed anyway. They got their twin beds and the bedding sets as their birthday present when they turned two. They did really well after the first few days. We shut the doors in their rooms, so they couldn't get out, and used a monitor so that we could hear if they were awake. With the younger one we had to remove all but a few toys so that he wouldn't play too much. They did really well until we had to move them in the same room... now they play and talk a bit before going to sleep!

I am a SAHM happily married with a 3 1/2 year old boy and a 2 year old girl. I have found out and truly believe that you shouldn't move a child from their crib to a 'big boy' bed until he starts climbing out of the crib on his own. If he is good in the crib, let him stay there. It will make you feel better too, knowing he's safe. Just a thought, but it worked for us. Good luck.

You might put the new bed in his room along with his crib and just use it for naps at first and see how it goes.
Then he will gradually get used to it eventually can sleep there at night.

Hi S.,

Our doctor told us that if he isn't climbing out, then leave him be. That being said, our guy wasn't climbing out and we moved him to a toddler bed a couple of months ago (he turned 2 in June). No reason, we just thought it was time.

For us, it was a relatively easy move and took about 3-4 days of us having to remind him to stay in bed. He's fine now and sleeps as well as he did before the move.

Good luck.

T.

I just asked this question on Mamasource...Yep leave him be...My daughter is almost 2 1/2 and is still in her crib. Since we are still working with a routine for our 4 month old we are leaving her be until he sleeps through the night. Right now he has a cold so sleepless nights...Don't need to add to it by a toddler wandering around because she won't stay in her bed. Count your blessings...Soon enough your son will either figure out how to climb out of the crib or simply he wants to be in the big bed. Good luck

My son is 2 and 3 mo and we just made the switch (need the crib for the one on the way... not a climber either).
I posted looking for advice all scared. Huh. funny.
We put him in his toddler bed and he literally stays there even when upset until we come in there. Its almost as if he hasn't figured out he CAN get out of bed. We do have a safety door knob, so he can't get out of the room (and a camera)... Not any different than him not being able to get out of the crib. No issues. Didn't have to change a thing in his room or remove toys or anything. He loves it, and we can both lay in bed and read now!

I moved both of my kids to a twin bed at 15 months old and never had a sleepless night. You will have to transition him at first since you waited a little longer. I wouldn't make it seem like a big deal. The first day you set it up, take him upstairs and show him the bed, then play in it for awhile. You can read books, color, or just play with toys. Play in it a couple times and it may help him to feel more comfortable when you lay him down that night.

I love the easiness, security of the crib. So I didn't take my daughter out of it until she was starting to climb out, which was probably somewhere around 2 years. My son though, is going to be 3 in May and although I'm sure he CAN, he doesn't climb out of the crib. So he is still in it. He likes being in it and is a good sleeper. So I am guessing that I will just have to get him a big boy bed when I am ready! I do dread the getting up/walking around after he is supposed to be sleeping part of it though! But maybe he won't do that....haha

Well eventually it is going to happen. We started putting are daughter in a big bed at the age of about 20 months. She would get up and wonder but it was to find me. We used gates and made sure the bathroom door was closed with a hook lock on it. The wondering did not last long and she sleeps great in her big bed. The thing is she still gets up early in the morining around 3-4 am and gets in bed with us. This is something that your son might start doing once he realizes that he can get out of bed by himself and something you have to be ready to deal with. Overall I think that he would do great just make sure to shut doors and use gates and take him back to his bed if he gets up( thats where I have messed up). Good luck.