Best Time to Move Toddler Out of Crib

Yes, do it before the baby is born. I did it 6 months before. I first went on vacation-- she was used to sleeping in different beds. While we were gone I had a friend take down the crib and set up toddler bed. Worked great for me. You might need to transition. Mine was 2.5 yrs at the time.

C.

Every child is different, but had wonderful advice from my daughters Doctor. He advised to keep children in the crib for as long as possible with the help of a crib tent. Once the child can figure out how to get out of the crib tent, then of course move them to a toddler bed. He told me that he found accidents at home with young children are often preventable if people would keep the children in the crib for a little longer.

We took his advise and bought a crib tent. My daughter did not move into a toddler bed until she was 3 1/2. When my second child was born, we used the crib tent again. He figured out how to unzip it by the time he was 2 1/2, so he is now in a toddler bed.

Crib tents are easily found at stores like BabiesRUs, or shop online. I bought ours through Ebay.

Hope this helps!

Since I responded to your other request about the toddler's room, I think this will be a perfect opportunity for you to transition your 15 month old to a bed. You can start by allowing her to start with naps in her bed and if you make her bed as comfy and welcoming as her crib, she should transition alright. Having the crib in the same room will not only make it easier, when the new baby comes, she will have probably already made the transition and your new little girl will have her own little space ready and waiting. You may want to keep a little bassinet in your room for the first couple of months, but she too can have her little naps in her own room.....AGAIN CONGRATULATIONS

I am certainly no expert on the matter, but I would not put a 15 month old or any child under two years old in a bed, even if it's a toddler bed. I would get another crib, which I know is not always practical for everyone, but a child under two is just too young to not be contained in a crib while sleeping in my opinion. My twins (who are now 4 1/2) stayed in their cribs until they were three years old, and even then, I worried about them being able to freely get out of bed and wander around without supervision. We waited until my daughter started climbing out of the crib, and at that point, we just lowered the dropside down so she could get out easier. I had a gate on their room for a bit so she could not come out at night or too early in the a.m., but eventually she got over that too, so off it went. Eventually my son got out too, and that was it for the cribs.

Good luck whatever you decide.

The age difference between my kids is almost 4 years which is quite a bit of a difference compared to yours. My issue when pregnant was when to start preschool. I started my son before my baby was born so he would not feel as if he was being "sent away" because of the new baby. He would already be established in the new routine. It worked out well for us.

Having a second baby is a new world for the first child as well as the parents. I think that it is easiest for transition to keep everything as normal as possible. If for instance, you wait until your baby is born to move your toddler to the big bed then they are dealing with two big life changes at once. However, if you gradually transition now by the time your little one comes your first child will already be used to their new bed. I would ease into it, but as soon as you can so you have a successful move before the baby is here.

Good Luck!!!

Hi,
This is actually the first post I have responded to. My daughter just turned 2 in Jan (1 week before my son was born). I had the same concerns about moving her out of the crib before the baby, etc. but decided it would be best for her to stay in the crib for as long as possible and worry about making the transition a month or so before we decided to move our son into the crib (we plan on keeping him in the pack-n-play in our room for 4-5 months).

Well when our son was 3 weeks old, our daughter learned to climb in and out of the crib so we didn't have a choice and had to move her to a "big girl bed". She LOVES her bed so that wasn't a hard transition, but it has been a struggle at nap time. She is a busy girl and a climber so naps have been a bit of a challenge since she can now climb in and out of her bed as she pleases.

If your child is not climbing out of the crib I would highly recommend keeping her in the crib for as long as you can! That being said, if you plan on putting the baby in the same crib that your 15 month old is currently using, I would recommend moving your child out of the crib at least 1 month before putting the baby in it so your 15 month old doesn't feel like she is being "kicked out" by the baby.

Hope that helps! Good luck!

15 months may be too young to safely sleep in a bed unless its a toddler bed. Even then, some toddlers regress when a new baby is born, they dig in their heels and dont want to give up their baby status.

Why not just get another crib for the new baby to avoid having to deal with a toddler who is not ready to sleep in a bed yet?

I do not think the American Association of Pediatrics recommends moving a child out of the crib at younger than 2 years old.

definitely take this transition time now. like other folks have said , we did it and started with naps or reading books in the bed. i'd hang out with her etc. maybe let her "help" setting up the big kid bed - at least with putting sheets on. who knows, your baby could come early like mine did and you'll be glad you started now. have your child fully in her own bed though well before the baby arrives so that she doesn't feel like that's her crib. also set up the baby room well ahead of time too so there's obviously no going back.