When to Move to a Toddler Bed - West Palm Beach,FL

My pediatrician told me to take it slow, and when they start to climb out of the crib, to put the side down so that it'snot that far of a drop. My middle child took almost until her 3rd b-day to want to be in the toddler bed (we started at 25 minths), she loved her bars. Now, we are close to getting the twins(22 months) toddler beds. They don't even try to climb outof their cribs even though I know they could do it. They climb up to the top when it's time for bed. they are just good babies! ANYWAY, I really did just let the middle one set her own pace, We had it put together with new Dora bedding, and I asked her every night if she wanted to go to sleep in her big girl bed. After the first time that she tried it all night, there was no going back.

We moved my oldest to a toddler bed around 18 months. He was easy to move because he never really slept in a crib, we didn't have on til he was a few months old. Then when we went places that didn't have a crib for him he slept on a regular mattress. My youngest is now almost 17 months and he's giving us a hard time about moving to a bed. I'd say when he's starting to crawl out of the crib or if he's getting to big for it, try moving him to a toddler bed, you may even want to try just placing a mattress on the floor in his room. It worked for my oldest. I never had a problem with him staying in bed.

You can buy him a toddler bed and start off having him take naps in it to see if he is ready... but right now, if him sleeping in your bed means everybody gets sleep... I think that is the way to go! And I would not worry about what happens when he is older..... he sure won't want to be sleeping with you and daddy when he's a teenager :)
Ciao,
T.

Its probly time to move him/her to a toddler bed when they start climbing out..they could get hurt...Or like with my son, at the age of 4..when he got too big for his bed.. he just loved his crib..LOL
Not sure how to help the move from crib to toddler bed go smoother tho... mine always went right to the new bed with otua problem..
Maybe if you keep the crib up so he can see its still there but just move all his/her stuff to the new bed...
Im not sure there... GL>

At 15 mo we moved him from our bed to his, but he still comes in bed w/us most AM's, but his bed is right next to ours! lol After x-mas I plan on moving him into his sisters room.

Hi Amber,

You've heard it but I'm of the same opinion; hold on as long as you can to keep him contained, but sometime between 18 months and 2 years, your little one will be able to climb out himself and when it starts looking like he can do it, the risk and bother of the toddler bed are outweighed by the risk and bother of a crib. Talk up the big boy bed, have him help with the switch and set rules.

-Scott (Husband to S.)

A.,

Each child is different. We moved my son to a toddler bed to soon and his sleep schedule just fell apart. I would recommend trying to do so (if you think your son is ready) when you are not working (if possible). I was working at the time and after getting up and putting him back in his bed 3 to 5 times a night, I had to start getting some sleep so I just let him sleep with me. He is now 5 and I just got him out of my bed. I hope this helps.

Thanks,
A.

My son is 15 months and recently started not sleepiong thru the night (again). There were a few things we realized were bothering him. First, he can't stand the door being closed when he goes to bed (we closed it to keep the cat out, now we just keep the cat downstairs until my son is asleep and go and close the door). Second, if he starts crying and i go in there and he starts crying when I leave I stand outside his door and tell him I love him and it is time to go to sleep...that one worked really well because he knew I was there but he wasn't getting excited my seeing me. He tried to throw his stuffed animal (the one he can't sleep without) to get me to come in, I didn't. I made him sleep without it (I went in and put it with him once he went to sleep). It is really difficult to figure out sometimes what is keeping your baby awake, I have tried the cry it out too and was heartbroken to listen to my baby cry. I know it is easier to put your baby in bed with you when you are so tired but I never sleep well with him in there so I just keep trying new things and hope they work! Good Luck

Hi Amber. My twins are 2 and a half and I moved them to the toddler bed at 2. They were climbing out of the bed *yes, it IS possible....to my surprise....I woke up to find my kids in my bed one morning* I put them in it and gave them a naptime mat to lay next to their bed (to cushion the fall). We just made a routine out of it. It was hard, but once they started daycare, they were ready for bed.

Good luck!

WE MOVED OUR OLDEST ON HER THIRD BIRTHDAY AND MADE IT ONE OF HER PRESANTS WITH NEW BEDDING AND A NEW SPECIAL PILLOW IT WORKED REALLY WELL FOR US. MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER WAS TWO AND A HALF WHEN WE MOVED HER B/C SHE WANTED TO BE LIKE SISSY. I HOPE THIS IDEA WORKS FOR YOU. GOOD LUCK

I moved my daughter to one when she turned two. For the first two years of her life she did great sleeping in her crib. As soon as we put her in a toddler bed it's been nothing but problems. She is always getting up in the middle of the night and coming to get into bed with us. She never wants to stay in her bed now. We only put her in a toddler bed at that time because we had another baby and needed the crib. My advice? Wait as long as you can, probably unti he's able to crawl out of the crib or until you are potty training and he needs to be able to have the freedom to get up and go to the bathroom.

Hi Amber,

Great question. I was wondering the same thing. And to the ladies who posted here about their child "crawling out of the crib" do you mean, actual, physical getting out of the crib? Even if the mattress is on the lowest setting? How would they do that? Is it possible? Oh wow, another thing to worry about! Waking up one morning and finding my son sprawled across his floor, playing with his toys ... :) What a visual! :)

I hope you get some good answers, Amber. Thanks for letting me post in your message! And a friend moved her daughter to a "big girl bed" around 16 months because she was expecting another one and needed the crib. The daughter did fine.

Getting them in on the excitment is crucial. We let our son paint his new bed. It was wood. Then we let him pick out sheets and stuff, a new pillow as well. We also bought a fold-down rail, so that he new that he was safe in it. TWe made a big deal about how much of a big boy he was becoming. But, we never pushed the subject. Then we placed the new bed in his room near his crib. He had the option of taking naps on it, and he played on it. He slowly made the adjustment on his own. When he was sleeping in his "big boy" bed on a regular basis, we removed the crib. He said his new bed was more comfortable than his crib bed anyway. We put the old one away for a few months before we used it for his new sister. She slept in the basinet until we thought that it was time for the crib. About three months. So then putting it up again wasn't traumatic to him.

Hi Amber, The best time to move your child to a toddler bed is when you find them trying to climb out of the crib. That is showing you that they are wanting thier independence. Get a toddler bed with a removable safety guard so that during the day it is easier. Introduce it as the big kid bed. Take them to go pick out one that they like. It'll be fun. Good Luck!

We moved my daughter to a toddler bed at age 2, and she had no problems with the move at all. She never tried to crawl out of her crib, but she was just so tall that she easily could have if she tried. She loved Care Bears at the time, so I just found Care Bear accesories for her bed, and she was all set. Just a few months ago, she moved to a twin bed, at age 4. She was very excited to get a 'bigger girl bed' especially when she got to pick out a sheet set for it. Taking him to pick out sheets is a big plus. Right now I have her mattress and box spring sitting on the floor, but she has only fell out of it once, then she learned. She tosses and turns a lot, so when she first got the toddler bed occasionally we would find her in a position that looked like she was praying; knees on the floor and her head and arms lying on the toddler bed.
I actually have a toddler bed I'm trying to sell (cheap!), what area area you in? I live in Lakeland.

Amber,
We did not use the toddler bed. We went from crib to twin bed. We put the box sping under the bed on the floor and only put the matress on the slats so the bed was lower.
We took our daughter with us to buy the bed. A few weeks before the ourchase we bagn talking about her new big girl bed and how grown up she would be. When we brought the bed home she helped take her crib apart and put the new "big girl" bed together. We went to the store and let her choose her sheets and pillow shams.

We had absolutely no problems!
She was almost 2.

Our friends who did use the toddler bed said the transition between toddler bed and twin bed was the hardest. No one we know has had a smooth transition from toddler bed to big bed....

Good luck!
G.

Amber
I have heard people say try to delay moving the kids to toddler beds as much as you can. i didn't put my girls to toddler bed until 28 months and it was a piece of cake afterwards. BUT, here's the deal, i bought a new toy, each got a stuffed toy-tigger (sp?) and the first night i put tigger in the toddler bed and said to my girls tigger tired, tigger need go sleeping in pink bed (their beds are pink) and they just felt like big girls now taking care of tigger and off they went.

also, another thing, this hasn't happened to us even though i was expecting it. i have heard once you move a kid to a toddler bed they will come to your room. do not make the mistake of letting him sleep with you even for one night because that's when he will think that's what you're supposed to do every night.
Like i said mine didn't try to get out of the room, but when they're sick, i put a mattress in their room and sleep there until they get well.
also, a nightlight maybe. i have twins, they used to sleep in separate room before toddler beds. one girl slept with a light on and the other one never had a light on in her room. so now i still use a nightlight but very dim one and they are both happy.
also i have a sound machine in their room, playing the sound of waves.
good luck to you
V.

Hi Amber,

When we moved our son (he was 26 months) out of his crib he went directly to a twin bed. We made a big deal out of it because it was my husband's bed when he was a little boy and my son wants to be just like his daddy. We took him to pick out his sheets and let him help break down the crib and put up the bed. We never had a problem with him crawling into our bed unless he's sick, and then I feel better because I can keep an eye on him!

Good luck
Jen

Hi. Hope all is well. My name is B. and my son is now 15yo but i remember we moved my son to a toddler bed when we saw that he can climb over and jump out of his crib. I dont remember the exact age, but we figured the toddler bed was safer than seeing him do acrobatics. : )