Crib/Toddler Bed vs Twin Bed with Side Rails for 18 Month Old

with all three of my kids we used a toddler bed and then moved up to a twin bed at about 3 1/2. I put the toddler bed in the kid's room with them for a week or so so they get used to it and then did a week of naptime only on the toddler bed and then we took the crib completely out and they used the toddler bed. We explained to them at every step that now that they were big they were going to have a big bed and they responded well to that. Hope this helps.

A. crandall

I had the same problem and I ended up buying another crib that converts to a full size bed so that i could keep my daughter in her crib for as long as she needed then when she was ready all we had to do was get a mattress and that was it. There are allot of nice cribs which dont look like they are a crib after you convert it. It was the best thing I did. I moved my oldest son out of the crib to make way for my daughter when she was born and although he dealt with it really well I felt sad that I had moved him before I thought he was ready....so this time around I did it as above and like I said it worked great. The only thing I would say is to buy the conversion kit the same time you get the crib just in case you cant get it when you are ready to convert.
Hope this helps,
K.

Did you consider a 3 in 1 convertible bed? My son's crib will change into a toddler bed and then a twin sized bed when he's ready.

We used the toddler bed. The big thing for us was that we didn't want him to become dependant on bed rails in a regular size bed. This way it's a transition from crib, to toddler bed to regular size bed. We didn't move him to the toddler bed until he got out of his crib on his own. Just know that there have been many cases of kids hurting themselves very very badly by throwing themselves out of their cribs... As soon as a child gets out of a crib on their own, they should be moved to a toddler or regular sized bed immedietly. Ask your pediatrician about the statistics on this, it's scary.
Good Luck!
J. in Macomb

I would make the change as soon as possible. A new baby, new room and a new bed and seeing his crib go to the new baby might be too much all at once. Let him know what a big boy he is NOW and big boys get to sleep in big-boy beds in their own room. I think for an 18 month old, a twin bed would be overwhelming. Toddler beds are a great alternative since they are so close to the floor. They aren't very expensive and take a crib mattress. You of course can use it again and then move him into the twin bed when the new one is ready for the toddler bed. We bought one for our daughter at Target whe she had #2. It was about $80 plus the crib mattress. It worked great! Congrats on the new one coming!! Good Luck!

my kids were 20 months apart. i barrowed another crib for the new baby.(or you can buy one cheap on craigs list or a mom to mom sale) you dont want him to think the baby stole his bed. and will be easier on you if he is still in crib. transtion to a bed can be easy or hard. wait til your newborn starts to sleep threw the night, then try putting him in a big boy bed.( then turn @ an sell your 2nd crib). good luck to you

Here's what I'd do: Move the crib to the new room now. Give it a few weeks or a month, then put rails on your twin bed and replace the crib. Pad the rails and the top of the twin bed(simulate bumper pads). Put something at the foot of the bed, leaving about the length of a crib mattress for your son to move around. Extend this space gradually until it's the whole bed. Then take the "bumpers off". That will acclimate him to the size of a big-boy mattress gradually without losing the security of the crib cold-turkey. If it takes him months to transition on the twin bed, you've freed up the crib for the new one after a short period of time.

I put both of my kids in a double bed with the matress right on the floor at about 22-23 mths of age. That way you don't have another transition down the road of putting them from a toddler bed to a twin/full bed. When my daughter turned 3 and hadn't fallen out of her bed for a year, we bought her a nice bed frame with a boxspring--no siderails. My son just turned 2 and is in a double matress on the floor w/ one side against the wall and doesn't fall out.
Heads up!! The transition was TOUGH, they feel safe in their crib! If your child is sleeping in his crib I would WAIT. You life is about to get really busy and even if you have to spend a couple hundred on a crib--it will be worth getting every little ounce of sleep you can. Going from one to two with them being 21 mths apart and with a VERY verbal 21 mth old, it was so much harder than I expeced.
Congrats and good luck--mine are BEST FRIENDS now! :)

I would leave him in a crib for as long as possible. He is safer and it is less of a transition for him. The baby can go in the bassinet for at least 3 mos. That at least gets him almost to 2. We moved my son into a double bed at about 2 1/2. One side pushed up against the wall and other with a guard rail. The nice thing about the crib is they can't get out... you might not want a 2 year old running aroudn with the new baby....

Hi M.,

We went right to twin beds for our girls. Only because we didn't want to spend money on a toddler bed and then spend money on the twin bed. I didn't use side rails with either one, I put the crib mattress on the floor beside the bed a couple of weeks just in case they fell off. My oldest was around 2 when we started her in the bed because I was pregnant with our second one. We have switched her to the other room a couple of times and she adjusted fine. We now have our youngest, she'll be 2 next week, in a bed and she did ok. For the first couple of weeks we struggled because she kept getting up and down but now she's doing great.

Hi--I agree with tanyaK about skipping te inbetween beds.

My twins are 2.5 now - and moved out of their cribs at 14 mo. (due to climbing out!!)

I have had them in toddler beds, but my mom has the twin beds with the rails. they go to sleep better for me in the twin beds, I think b/c they are a lot more conmfortable. My son has almost outgrown his toddler bed, so we got a little more than a year's worth out of it.

also - we had to take the railing off of the toddler bed - my son got his head stuck in between the matress and the railing - and its the 4" regulation!! He was able to slide off the bed, underneath and get stuck! He was screaming and I came in and found him hysterical.

I dont think that can happen in a twin with the rail.

Maybe some new sheets - a character he likes. Ours was winnie the pooh. oh, prepare yourself either way you go to be consistant in taking him back to bed for a few months/weeks until he understands the routine.

GOOD LUCK!

this is what I did.....
I used a toddler bed...I put both the toddler bed and the crib in one room...when my son was ready he did the switch on his own..My son was not talking and doesn't do well with change so we let him decide when he was ready...this process took about 2 months total....we used a bassinet for the newborn and by the time he grew outta that one the crib was ready for him.

I think the toddler bed is a waste of money. I went with the twin bed pushed up against the wall with a bed rail. I bought the extra long/extra tall bed rail...very nice at Babies R Us. He has a stool at the end of the bed so he can climb down...but he doesn't even need that to get down. My son was 25 months old when we started the process. We put him in a new room also...and talked to him about it the entire time we painted and put pieces of furniture in. His little friend across the street slept in a big boy bed...so I made a big deal about that. We picked a day and put him in the big bed. We tried to let him know that he had a choice to sleep in his cribbie if that's what he wanted, but he always chose the big boy bed. We bought him a couple of books about becoming a big brother (one is called New Baby, and it's a Berenstain Bears book - it's perfect). The entire process did NOT start smoothly...but after a couple of weeks, he totally embraced it. We made a huge deal everytime he woke up after a nice nap or sleeping through most of the night (even when he woke up once, and was easy to put back down). Also, I read somewhere to consider rewarding him with something special so we actually let him put a couple of pennies or nickels in his piggy bank after a good night of sleep. He totally dug that for a couple of weeks. He doesn't even talk aobut the cribbie anymore, and he knows that room will be for the baby. If you are due in 7 weeks, I would recommend either starting immediately OR just waiting until the winter. Too many transitions all at once may throw your child for a loop. It took a solid 6 weeks before he slept through the night in a consistent pattern. I'm due in 7 weeks also, and I'm counting on a little bit of regression when the baby comes along. Good Luck!!!

I'm due in Dec. with baby #2, and they will be 19 months apart. We had the same issue, as we had planned on using our toddler's crib for our next baby. Surprise, we got pregnant earlier than expected! Since our daughter loves her crib and sleeps very well in it, we decided to buy another crib. We bought a cheap regular Jardine crib, not an expensive convertible one, that way as they grow, we can decide what kind of bed will suit them best and not feel like we blew all sorts of money on a fancy crib. We just finished my toddler's room yesterday, and she slept there for the first time last night. We wanted to change her room over early, so she didn't associate the move with the arrival of her little brother and feel like she'd been kicked out of her old room for the baby or something. I hope that helps. Good luck and congrats!

Why rock the boat? I would keep him in his crib as long as he stays in it because he sleeps well in it, because it is what he is used to, because it will in the end be easier for you if he continues to sleep well in it (SLEEP = HAPPY FAMILY) AND because he is contained. Containment for as long as possible is a very good thing --- once you let that horse out of the barn, watch out...I would get another crib, without a second thought about it. Good luck to you.

HI M.

First I can't believe people wait so long to put thier kids out of a crib, your child will adapt to whatever you decide. I have a 20 month old daughter, she is my second and at 18 months I moved both my girls out of their crib and into a twin bed with railings, my first daughter we did it cause she climbed out of the crib and hurt herself, she second one, I just was sick of the crib and already had the twin bed in her room and wanted the crib out of there for more space. the first night she kinda protested and felt uneasy but i layed in there with her and explained it was time for bed and she cried a bit I put her music box on the headboard and she eventually fell asleep and sleeps ten times better in the bed than the crib since she isnt moving as much and not smashing her head or body against the railings. it only took 2 uneasy lay downs and she was fine with the bed, especially when she figured out she could get out of the bed and play in her room. neither of mine fell out of the twin bed and its on a frame, its totally safe with a side rail, when they are about 3 take the siderail down, even at 3 if they roll out of bed it isnt going to hurt. I also put a little step stool at the end of the bed so its easy for my daughter to get up and down and she likes that. She has been walking for quite some time now so she is pretty steady on her feet but not really talking either so she just screams momma when she wants something. I think if you maybe put the crib in the new room first for about a week and then when he is used to his new surroundings then do the bed, but be consistant thats the key, dont give in when he cries in his new bed and put him back in the crib cause it will just make the transition harder, good luck!

I would go right to a twin bed with the side rails. My son climbed out of his crib right about 18months if not a bit sooner. we had a crib that turned into a toddler bed so we switched it over but he moved around so much and there wasnt alot of room. he was constantly waking up cause everytime he'd roll he'd be up against on of the sides and it would wake him. luckily we had a neighbor that gave us bunk bed the type that the two beds go opposite directions instead of both the same way because of this the ends of the top bunk ended up being sides for the bottom where he sleeps cause one end had drawers and cubbies and the other a desk with drawers but once we switched him over he had more room to move and slept alot better plus he grew alot and wouldn't have lasted much longer in a regular toddler bed had we bought one so my advice would be to go with a bigger bed so he can stay in it longer

M.,
What we do when we transfer a child from a crib to a big boy bed is put them in a twin bed but just put the box spring and mattress directly on the floor until they get a little bigger. That way if they roll out of bed its not that far to the ground. When they are ready you can always put the boxspring and mattress up on the frame. Hope this helps.

i would keep him in his crib. a new baby, a new room, it is a lot of change in a short time. my daughter stayed in her crib untill she was a little over 2 that worked best for us.

This is just my opinion, but if I were you I woulnt make my child give up his bed for the new baby, that might be asking for trouble as it will already be a huge adjustment to have a new baby in the house. However,if you chose to do that I wouldnt buy a toddler bed because then you would need another crib sized mattress for that, and usually you can buy twins cheaper(even thought I seen you already have a twin)
I do agree with you about the huge changes, you mentioned youre also changing his room..if you need to do that I would do it soon, way b4 the baby arrives so he can adjust to his new room before the new baby arrives. Good luck to you and the little guy :-)

M., Although I have not had this experience myself, I have friend (and have heard plenty other stories) that said upgrading to a bed from a crib before a child is ready is NOT a good idea. Especially since you said he only just started walking. Many people with a child so close in age want to save money by re-using the crib, but that may bring more problems than what the savings is worth! What happened to my friend is that her daughter sort of resented the fact that the baby took "her bed" and never wanted anything to do with the baby, and just yelled at her mom practically every time she was holding the baby. So, I would recommend getting another crib!

We moved our daughter into her big girl bed at this age. She, too, is a great sleeper. We had no problems. She got a new big girl bed in a new big girl bedroom for her 2nd birthday. My husband and I finished early, and were so excited with the turnout, we moved her in early. She'll be three in October, and hasn't given us any problems even once. Her bed isn't a toddler bed, though. It's a little higher, but not quite a bunk bed. It has a slide on it, and she got to play on it in the store before we even bought it. She doesn't really play on the slide, but when we put her down in it for naps and bedtime, she's out! Good luck.

We moved the crib into the new room first, so she (Anja) had a chance to adjust to the new room. Then when #2 was born (Danae), Danae slept in a cradle or swing for the first few weeks. During this time we set up the toddler bed (our girls share a room) in the room with the crib. So Anja saw it every day but didn't sleep in it yet. My mother-in-law made a cozy blankie that's the comforter for the toddler bed and we put that on the toddler bed and told Anja it would be hers when she switched beds. By the time Danae outgrew her cradle/swing and was ready to be put into the crib, Anja was into her toddler bed and loving it. When Anja was in her crib, she had "her music." We moved that to the toddler bed as well, so she could still put "her music" on. The transition went well. Hope yours does!
I glanced through some responses and should add that by the time Danae moved into the crib Anja was maybe 30 months old. I agree that keeping Anja safe and feeling safe worked well. It also depends on whether your 18 month old is a climber or likely to get out of bed--Anja did not, but it was good to know (while we were exhausted from baby #2) to know that she would be in her crib and stay there.

Michelle, We put our 20 month daughter in a double bed(old guest bed),four months before my other daughter was born. We moved the crib to the other bedroom, so she kept her bedroom. We put on the siderail, but were very concerned that she would stay in bed at night. She did beautifully, never getting up. We decided to do it 4 months early so she wouldn't feel like that new baby "took" her crib. She got new Pooh bear bedding for her big girl bed. She also was talking very little.(found out later there was a speech/language delay, NOT that that applies here).Just mentioning because she probably didn't understand the situation well either. Hope any of this helps. Best of luck with your new baby and entire family. R..

My children are 2 years apart, just 10 days shy anyway. We switched him to a toddler bed about 2 or 3 months before our child was born. He did ok but we are now wishing that we had put him in a twin. He tosses around a lot when he sleeps and everytime we put him in his toddler bed he hits his head on the rail that is built in. So he has been sleeping on the floor on an air matress. He sleeps much better with a lot of room. He is kind of tall for his age.
We also changed rooms for him at the same time as putting him in the toddler bed. We just made the room the same amount of light and he seemed to be ok with that.

I hope this help and congrats on your new bundle of joy.

Ok, I've been through this 6 times myself (most kids were all out of thier cribs around a year) and here is my advice.

1)Skip the "in between beds" there's no sense in spending all that money on something they won't want to have anything to do with in a year or two anyway.

2)Do put a twin top mattress on the ground for your little one.(Against a wall is best, but not necessary) Make a big deal out of the "big boy bed". Use this bed for a week or two, or until your child seems to have pretty much stopped "falling" off all the time.

3)Put the boxspring under the top matress for another week or two. Your child will probably still fall out ocassionally, but it's not too far so they won't be hurt, just make sure the side of the bed is toy-free :) But this will help their body re-enforce to them where the sides of the bed are. Tell your little one they're doing such a good job with their new bed that it's becoming an even bigger boys bed! And that if they do good with this one, their bed will get even bigger!

4)Put up the twin frame. Install side rails if you think your child may need them (or they make you comfortable) and place a non-slip stool by the bed if needed.

Children will adjust to the bed just fine at that age. I suspect the problem the other mom's friend had with her children is that she moved big girl out and new baby into the crib in too small a timeframe. Make sure there is a week or two in between (if you can) Either way, make a big deal out of how "baby" the crib is, and how "big" thier bed is. Leave the sheets off of the crib for a bit if you can (so it seems empty and uninviting) and when you're ready, re-make the crib with totally different sheets,etc. (at least for the "waiting for baby period" So it doesn't seem so "familiar" to the older child. Have them help you get the crib "ready for the new baby" too. You can also move the crib out of it's familiar location (and maybe the big bed into it) if you feel it would be helpful.

Good luck with the transitioning, and don't worry too much, it will work out fine! :)

Hi M.,
One solution that would give your first son more time in his crib, would be to get a basinett for the new baby. With the 7 weeks till his birth, and about 3 months in the basinett, your first son would be almost 2 years old before he would need to sleep in a bed. Those 5-6 months will make a big difference!! Fortunately, basinetts are not nearly as expensive as another crib either.
As far as the transition to a new room, whatever you can do to make it special should make the transitions easier.
Good Luck!! and Congratulations too!!

We put both our daughters in Twin size beds at 18 months. We didn't do side rails, but we did pad the floor really well in case they fell out. Because you are also changing rooms you might want to do it in stages. It may be some extra work, but put the crib in his new room for a week or two. Let him get used to it and then move him to the new bed. Our daughters were longer children, so by 18 months, their little arms and/or legs were sticking out the sides so we didn't even feel comfortable with the convertable toddler bed concept that our crib offered. They did just find though.