Changing Baby from Crib to Big Kid Bed

Hello,
What is the rush?? At 17 mos, keep him in a crib. Let him stay in the crib and keep the toddler bed in the room so he can get used to it. Another option is keeping him in a crib and buying him a regular bed that he can go into at 3 years old. Yes, 3 is generally the age BOYS are ready to get out of diapers and out of a crib. But if you keep him in the crib now and have that toddler bed in the room too, he will let you know when he is ready. Plus because of safety issues, a crib is much better. Do you really want a 17 mos old wandering around the house in the middle of the night. If he is comfortable in the crib, he gets a good night sleep and so do YOU.
He may be a big 17 mos old, but believe me when I tell you that crib is strong enough to hold him.

My pediatrician just informed me at his 8 month appointment that the best age to transition them to a "big boy bed" is at 2 years of age. When he starts crawling out of his crib, or you need the crib for another baby - then you can transition him. I have an 18 month old and that was one of my concerns as well.

check out the crib tents if he's not quite ready to switch...
http://www.nextag.com/baby-crib-tent/search-html

What worked for my little one was not doing toddler bed but going ahead and buying full size. I pushed against the wall and then used a rail for other side. I also did not put on slats, but just sat on floor. It was easy in and out for her during day and night I put rail up. It took about 5 nights of adjustment, but then it went great. In about 2 months I put the bed up on slats and she has never had any more problems. I also baby gated the room at night.

My son is 29 months old and is still in the crib. He moves a lot at night so he likes the boundaries of a crib. Believe it or not he has never tried to get out. Go figure.... Our doctor said it is fine because he is still within the weight limit. Good Luck!

My son acted the same way...so one day I took down the crib in front of him and told him it was broken. I found a car bed that fit a twin mattress and skipped over the toddler bed. The car bed was high enough that we could sit the mattress down only and the sides of the car acted like railings...He loves his new bed! Good luck.

it took my son some time to get into his twin bed. we but the twin bed in his room together with his crib. we just let him play in his new bed and read storys. after about two month i just left him in his bed after his story and said good night. i expected him to cry but he slept thru the night and he never went back into his crib. he just needed some time to get used to it. i hope that helps!!!

My 32-month-old is STILL in a crib. We tried a trial run one night- didn't go well, back in the crib. She's just not ready. My eldest, however, was in a toddler bed by 20 months. She WAS ready. Don't sweat it. If you can, try letting him take just his naps in the toddler bed. This will allow him to get used to the bed in the comfort of daylight.

my only daughter at the time was the same way. She would sleep in my bed with no problem so what i did I bought a full size bed and lay beside her until she was falling asleep then i would leave her in there with a night light. It worked give it a few days like maybe 4 or read to him about a little boy in his new bed. or bribe him if oyu give him something at night he will have to sleep in his own bed, I try that too with my daughter. Don't give up it takes time and patience.

I am of the mind that you keep them in a crib as long as you can :-) It is a wonderful sense of security for baby and mom
:-) However, if he is climbing out, it is time to put him in toddler bed. To go from a crib to a twin bed, I really feel is too much of a change. But if you make it a toddler bed, with a rail so he can't fall out while he sleeps,b (my daughter is all over the place while she sleeps and without the rails, she would fall right out! it is not AS much of a change and he will acclimate better. Keep the same sheets, blankets, stuffed toy, favorite blanket of his in his new toddler "big boy" bed. 17 months is still really little to switch to anything else but a crib. My daughter was about his age when she started climbing out of her crib, so we had to do it so she woudl not get hurt. Another good trick is to just make the change from crib to toddler bed NOT in front of him,,,just put him in toddler bed and don't say anything about it to him. When you make the decision to do it, just do it...back and forth sends a message to him that if he fusses enough, he will get what he wants,,,and you dont want him appilying that thought process to everything :-) And usually, they adjust, no matter how upset they are in 3-5 days. (any habit takes that long to break,,only takes three times to make a habit with a child but 3-5 days of hell to break it) Best of luck. :-)

Hi O.,

My son hated the toddler bed, too. I tried it but I couldn't keep him in it. So, I got him a big boy bed (twin) just like his brother's bed and put the double bed rails that are secured to each other under the mattress. He loved it. I knew he was safe and he felt like a big boy. The double rails seemed to be higher than the single one I had so maybe it felt more like a crib to him.

Good luck!!

Hi O.,

My friend had this same problem with her 18 month old climbing out of the crib and she too tried a toddler bed with no success. She went and bought one of those tents that fit on the crib so they can't climb out and has had great success with it. He sleeps through the night again in his crib safe and sound. I think they sell them at Babies R Us and possibly Target and One Step Ahead. I hope this response helps.

D.

have you tried letting him sleep in the bed as a daybed for nap time first, or only at night when he was really exhausted and cranky? He might need a little time to get used to it in the day light hours where he can play in/on it and check it out first.
Jen

My daughter is 2 and she is still in her crib. She is big for her age too. She has not tried to climb out yet. Thank goodness! I am in no hurry to give her the oportunity to rome the house at night. If you are afraid that he might try to climb out and get hurt, you might try a mesh tent that you can strap to the top of the crib. It keeps them from being able to climb out. Here is a link to some.
http://store.babycenter.com/p2p/searchResults.do?method=v...
Take care!
Steph

O., we just bought a house and my daughter has been sleepng in the converted crib into a day bed with a rail and now we changed her to a toddler bed. when i put it toghether she climbed right in it and said, night night. will she fall asleep in it? nope, i have to put her to sleep in my bed then carry her to her bed. its a hassel but everyday she sleeps a little longer in her big girl bed until she spends a whole night in it. good luck.

Hi. Everything I have read says that babies should be staying in the crib till they are 3 years old. You might want to buy a book on the subject to help you out because everyone has a different opinion, you know?
Good luck!