The Great Crib Vs. Toddler Bed Debate!!

First off 2yrs old is a great time to do it. I don't think it has anything to do with holding back or anything but if he's doing well on sleeping in the crib that means you will prob. have min. prob. when you transfer. If you wait until you are having trouble than the trouble will only transfer to the toddler bed. These prob. will prob. be avoided if you transfer before the trouble starts because the prob. with leaving a crib is normally started because they don't like the confines of a crib. Also they might even feel like you are rewarding them for being good or bad if you wait until trouble. Good luck.

I would put him into a toddler bed. this way he knows that he is a big boy. just put some toys near the bed when he wakes so he can play.

One day I went into my son's room and he was climbing out the crib ready to jump onto the floor which told me that he was ready to advance to the toddler bed. I think he will let you know when he is ready.

WHEN you switch doesn't really matter that much(unless he's sitting in his crib late at night trying to finish an essay on a theory of systematic mathematics in a biased society during historical political scandals and is distracted by the vertical bars that encompass him thus confusing his perceptions).

I do however strongly suggest that when you DO switch, don't switch to a toddler bed, but switch to a regular twin size bed! It's a lot more practical to do that, cause there's no need to buy another bed a year or so later after he out-grows the toddler bed.

A little info about when I switched: first born- she was about 20 months old (she hated the crib!) second born- LOVED the crib, she switched when she was about 2 1/2 (it was her idea, so we decided on that factor). third born (15 mo. old now)- we plan on keeping her in there as long as she pleases (which may not be too long from now seeing as she wants to be really big like her sisters)

Hope this is helpful!

Rebecca

The summer just before my son turned 3, we put him in a toddler bed. After just a few nights, my husband was ready to put him back in the crib. Our son, who usually went to bed with little to no problems, was now taking 30 minutes or longer to get settled and was getting up 10 or more times...often in the middle of the night to get in our bed. For my own peace of mind, I started to rock him to sleep. Big mistake!
If I had it to do over, I would leave him in the crib as long as possible. If your son is not climbing out, leave him in! I recently read an article in either "Working Mother" or "Parents" magazine which supported this.

try the toddler bed if it doesnt work out use the crib again. my friend actually had both in her daughters room for awhile using the crib at night and toddler bed for naps and then when she thought she did well in the toddler bed got rid of the crib.

Keep the crib! We transitioned our first child into a "big bed" at age 2 and she never slept in it. In fact, this "new freedom" allowed her to get out of her bed and to crawl in ours. She is 9 now...and our bed remains her favorite. Same situation occured with our second child. So, with our son, we have kept him safe in his crib and he is 3 1/2. He loves the comfort of his crib - he knows that it is a safe place to sleep. 2 year olds are far from being independent enough, careful enough to have the freedom of a big bed. Cribs are a safe and trusted place for our little ones. Soon enough, before you can blink an eye, they grow up...keep him safe, comforted and in his crib as long as you can!!

This is basically, I think, a safety issue. I'd be really surprised if you kept an active 2-year-old in a crib for another six months--soon (if not already) he'll be too tall for it and WILL eventually at least try to climb out. A friend's daughter broke her arm at about 18 months climbing out of her crib. And think about this: The distance from the top of a raised crib rail to the floor is pretty high for a toddler; that's a long way to fall for a little kid if he lands on his head or neck. I know that most objections to moving to a toddler bed, or straight to a twin bed or mattress on the floor, is that naps suddenly vanish, the child wanders around the room, etc. That's a price we all pay as our children get older. You will stay wedded to the idea of his napping much longer than he will. You will, as someone else wisely noted, have to work with your husband and day care provider on how to encourage naps if your son is able to get up and move around. But it beats keeping him in a crib until he's climbing out and possibly getting injured.

Hi K.,
My vote is as long as he's not trying to climb out, let him stay in his crib. We changed my son over at around 1 1/2 becuase we moved and the crib literally fell apart during the move so we said 'why not change now?'. Once you change out of the crib, the child can get up and go on his own, so other issues arise. Gates at the doorways and stairs, etc. My son tended to fall out of his bed. You'd go into his room and he'd either be laying on the floor sleeping or he'd be on the bed from the waist up and his feet touching the floor. Sort of like sleeping standing up.
M.

Dear K.,

My daughter stayed in her crib until one week before her 3rd birthday; she never tried to climb out of her crib. She helped put together her bed, so she was really excited to sleep in it. She moved over to it, and never looked back. We did use a very nice bed rail for 18 months (sorry, I don't remember the brand) until she asked to remove it. We also got the most comfortable mattress we could find and use high quality water-proof mattress covers.

You only need to move your son to a bed when he starts climbing out of the crib. Otherwise, leave him in there if he is happy. I don't think this has anything with holding him back from being a big kid.

It's been a couple of years now, but I was talking to the nurse practitioner at my GYN office about moving childen to beds. She said to wait as long as possible, and that she moved her son too soon and he never really slept in his toddler bed. I think the situation was that she had another baby shortly after her oldest son turned two and she didn't want to have two cribs.

I haven't read all of your responses. I wouldn't be surprised that most of them are siding with you. And to wait as long as possible.

A.

I COMPLETELY agree with you!!! Your son is only 2, he has plenty of time to be a big a kid. My son is 2 as well, and at his check up I asked the doctor the same question. He said, when he starts trying to climb out of the crib, then it's time for the bed, until then keep him in his crib - especially if he sleeps well there. I see so many postings on this website from mothers who need help getting their child to sleep better. Consider yourself lucky (as I do), that he is a good sleeper, and tell your husband you are not willing to jeopardize that. I would fight him till the end on this one - keep him in his crib until he tries to climb out, at that point you know he's ready for the big kid bed.

My son is 21 months but we moved him into a toddler bed at like 18 months because he is a monkey. He was showing us that he could get out of the crib by climbing so for safety reasons we converted his crib into a toddler bed. It was a nightmare at first. I would have kept my son in the crib as long as possible and I recommend that to you. If he is not climbing out why not leave well enough alone. He has a whole lifetime to be a big boy and sleep in a big boy bed what is a few more months without the struggle for you. Once he is in his bed and he knows he can get out when he wants - get ready - have the room completely baby proofed and a plan for when he opens the bedroom door and yells for mom or dad because he is not tired.

My husband and I have been trying to decide the same thing with our daughter, who will be 2 in August. We agreed to keep her in there for a while longer unless she starts trying to climb out, then we will switch. She sleeps great at night and we have peace of mind knowing that she is safe so we sleep great too!

Your husband is right. Don't baby your toddler, he is not a baby anymore! I learned that lesson when I had another son when my first son was less than two...he looked HUGE compared to a baby!

Anyways, I moved both of them out of the crib at about 18 months, I was SO scared that they would climb out of there and fall!!

The transition went well, with climbing out of the bed in the evening at first just because he could, but that wore off soon and he started sleeping the moment he went in. What helped with that was, my first son was a really good kid, my second was scared of falling himself...haha!

Of course I had an extra mattress next to the toddler bed in case there was falling happening...my second went down to the ground several times during nights, didn't even stir, continued sleeping right where he landed.

Both of them were really proud to be big kids in a big boy bed. They are learning with leaps and bounds, the best thing to do is to let them grow.

As long as he isn't climbing out of the crib leave him there. My son is almost 2 and half and we still have him in his crib. He is happy and sleeps well in it. I had my daughter in a toddler bed at 18 months (she hated her crib) and that was a real challenge. She rarely stayed in it which led to us co-sleeping for several years. If he is happy leave him there. He will grow up quickly enough and you are not "babying" him. He will find other ways to be a big kid like feeding himself, drinking out of a cup, and riding his trike.

Wow. Is he kidding? I am guessing this is his first child, as he has no idea that his son will be BIG KID before he can blink, and accordingly will be thundering into your room in the mornings before you can clear the cobwebs from your brains.

Keep that boy in for at least another 6 months, as long as he is happy and safe.

My question to you is...if it's not broken, why fix it? It sounds like your son is doing very well in his crib and as long as he's not heavier than the recommended weight limit for the crib, why move him?
I have 3 kids ranging from 19 years old to 19 months old and my advice to you is DON'T MOVE HIM! Keep him in his crib as long as you can, because once you move him out you'll need to deal with night time wanderings and that's no good for a restful night's sleep :) Plus, if your son is happy in his crib, he just might not be ready for a big move. He is awfully young and it probably wouldn't be safe if he woke up unsupervised! Let him tell you when he's ready. All 3 of mine started climbing out and I knew it was time for a "big bed".
I know that with my first daughter, I was always excited for her to reach the next milestone, and now that I'm on my 3rd (and last) baby I realize how fast they grow!! Slow down and just enjoy each stage because before you know it, your son will be waving goodbye and going to kindergarten!

I say if he's happy and not trying to climb out leave him in there as long as possible - he will have lots of time to be a big kid - let him enjoy being a little kid as long as possible - my DD is 2 1/2 and she still sleeps in her crib - she loves it and has yet to even try to climb out - we talk about a big girl bed with her, but she shows no interest yet - I have several frinds with DC around the same age who now have to deal with the in and out and in and out once their kids had the freedom of their big kid bed and from what it sounds like you don't want the hassle if you can avoid it (even for just a little longer) - if we had another one on the way or some other reason to rush DD out of the crib we would do it, but since we don't I don't see a problem with letting her stay there as long as she likes

I have a two year old as well and had to transition her to the toddler bed before I wanted to. She climbed out of the crib and I thought it was safer to climb out of a bed then the crib. I did not want her to be in the toddler bed for at least another year. Now she does not stay in bed and gets into everything. Worse part is she rarely naps and I have to sit with her during the day. She also gets out at night and I have to put a gate up so she will not walk or fall down the stairs. In my opinion I would keep your son in the crib until he can climb out or asks to be in a toddler bed. It will make your life a little easier and you will not have to worry about what he is getting into. Good luck.

Hi K.,

When your baby is in the crib, you don't have to worry about him getting out. He stays put.

In a toddler bed, you will have a challenge of him staying in and having him to return to bed multiple times until he learns to stay in it and fall asleep.

Will each of you be willing to work together to see that happens?

Good luck. Hope this helps. D.

I don't think there is a wrong way to go here. He will be fine if you leave him in the crib and he will be fine if you get him a toddler bed. The thing is if you want to save money in the long run you could just get him a big boy bed if he is 2yr. You may not have 6mo. with him in the crib safe. Sometimes boys esp. like to climb. My oldest son was out of a crib by 2yr. but when we went to my friends house he could climb in and out of their crib in a heart beat. Basically, unless you worried about him climbing out of the crib you are fine either way and I say this is not worth arguing about. If you usually get your way when it comes to your son then give in on this. Mom's sometimes complain that Dad's don't offer enough help or suggestions regarding parenting. your husband is showing an interest you might want to reward that. If you shut him down over and over he may stop offering suggestions and leave the whole thing to you.

If he isn't crawling out, let him stay! My daughter moved out at 3 1/2 - at our insistance because a new baby was coming! She actually didn't sleep as well at first and asked for the rails to be put back on (I think they made her feel safe.).

I don't see any reason to transition a child if they aren't crawling out constantly and at risk of injuring themselves!

I don't think either choice is a bad idea. My son's crib turned to a daybed/toddler bed so we used that. He was almost 2 when we took the rail off because he figured out how to climb out. It worked good for him because when he was tired or just wanted a break he would go put himself to bed. He only fell out a few times but we put one of those child pull out little seats on the floor next to his bed so when he fell he fell on that. Just be careful if you have stairs though and use a gate and make sure its shut because just because they should be sleeping doesn't mean they always are and aren't out and about for a midnite stroll. Good luck.

Hi K.,
I converted my son's crib to a toddler bed the first time I saw he was able to climb out of it. It was a little after he turned 2. I was nervous converting the bed to a toddler bed simply because the rail did not extend to the full end of the bed. With this in mind, I simply put the bumper pads in the toddler bed across the opening and tied them on. My concern was that because he moves around alot (i.e., from one end of the bed to the other in his sleep) I didn't want him to fall out of the bed or have his head hanging over the edge. It has been working great and he just crawls under the pad to get in or out.

Both my son and my daughter both went to the toddler beds at 18 months and they both also loved their cribs, but they also did excellant when we switched. I felt if they got to attached to the crib then we would have issues switching them over. We just took the front part of the crib off and put one of those half mesh barriers to keep them from falling out. She is now 20 months old and still waites for me to come get her unless our 3 year son goes and gets her then it's too cute to see them come in my room and crawl in my bed together. Don't be scared to let him grow up. I cried when our son wen't to the big boy bed, but when our daughter did it was fine. I know it's hard, but he will be fine.. Oh and we went to full on big boy bed at 24 months old. Hope this helps....

I am with you. Reading through some of these posts, give me a break, toddlers don't need freedom. If he is happy in his crib, why rock the boat? Unless your husband wants to take him back to his bed everytime he gets out and wanders the house, then I think you should wait. My son is almost 2 and I know that I would never be able to keep him in a toddler bed and I have no intention of moving him anytime soon. We moved my daughter at 2 1/2 because her brother was on the way. She did not want to move, she liked the security of her crib, but she did okay with it. I think that you need to look at the personality of the child you are moving before you decide. Like I said before, if he is happy and sleeping well, I'd leave him alone. Eventually he will be bigger, start to want a big boy bed, start climbing the crib or resenting it or have potty issues being in the crib, then it would be time to switch.

Leave him in his crib. He is a toddler, not a kid. He will be a kid soon enough. I think they like their cribs because they feel safe and secure there as well. My twin girls are 2.5 and I plan to let them stay in their cribs as long as they want (and are not climbing out) and it is safe. I think once they are potty trained and need to get up at night to use the potty if necessary is when you should transition to a toddler bed. Good luck.

My son just turned 3 and he is still in the crib. He has no idea he can climb out. We tried the big boy bed and it was just too much at 2 1/2. I agree with everyone else, sleep! It's so precious. When he starts climbing out then you'll know he's ready. Sleping in a crib doesn't keep him from becoming a big boy. Trust me, my 3 year old is growing and learning like crazy. He wouldn't know more if he was in a toddler bed. Let your child tell you when he's ready, not society.

My feeling on toddler beds is that when the child starts trying to climb out of his crib is when it's time to put him in a bed. It becomes unsafe at that time because the fall would be from a greater height. But it IS time to move him when his feet hit the bottom of the crib, lol.

Hi K.,

In my opinion I am going to say LET HIM STAY IN THE CRIB!!!! We have four little ones, and we are letting them all stay in the crib as long as they want too! Our daughter, who just turned five, was in the crib til 3, our son who is 3 1/2 is still in a crib! (yes, we are getting him out now into a big boy bed!) And we have twins who are just about a year old and I am not getting them out any time soon! My thoughts on it are if they are not in danger, not climbing out, or something like that why take them out? You know they are safe and you can leave them in there like you said in the mornings without worrying. My 3 1/2 yo LOVES his crib! I asked the ped. at his 3 year check up about it and she said as long as he fits and is not trying to get out let him there, and so we did. We are now transitioning him to a bed. I would definitely reccomend leaving him in there a while longer!

A.

The main reason to switch a baby to a toddler bed is because of potty training! If your child is ready to start using the potty, then he is probably ready to try a toddler bed. If not, why switch him yet?

Unless, of course, he's climbing out of the crib! That's another reason to consider the big switch...

As long as your child is sleeping why change it up? When you do decide to transition I wouldn't even bother with a toddler bed. Get a big boy bed - twin size or bigger. You'll eventually get that anyway.

I have two boys, ages 16 and 2 1/2. With my oldest, I had him in a big boy bed at 2. The result was the constant headache of trying to keep him in his room and in his bed at naptime and bedtime. He found ways to cause unimaginable mischief once he was free of the bed. It took many months to teach him to sleep in his bed, and during that time I found him asleep on furniture, under the bed, in the closet, etc. I have since read that children aren't capable of fully understanding the concept at the age of 2.

With my youngest, I was in no rush to get out of the crib. When he started climbing out on his own a few months ago, We converted to the toddler bed. He played some before falling asleep for a few days, but he returned to the bed to sleep and didn't destroy his room in the process.

A friend uses a zippered canopy over the crib for her 2-year-old who climbs out. She has found that he seems to enjoy the security of it and goes right to sleep since she attached it.

I guess it largely depends on the child, but in my experience, it is best to leave him in the crib as long as he is happy there. As long as he is not left in there during waking hours, his development will not be delayed because of it. When he is ready for a big-boy bed, he will let you know!

Good luck!

I'd say follow the instructions that came with your kid's bed. We took of the front of her four in one when Erin got to a certain height, because that's what it said to do for safety reasons. If you wait until he starts getting out on his own, well, he could end up with something broken on that first try. Does he have natural monkey-ness, or is he a bit of a klutz? Your call, you're Mom! But I think it's a bit like waiting until someone gets hurt at an intersection that's notoriously dangerous before you put a traffic light in.

I know, you loose a little more parental freedom! That's how I felt when we took the front off the four in one to make the toddler bed. But when he learns to climb out on his own anyway, which he might figure out soon, it might be a bit more of a surprise, hopefully not unpleasant.

And he should be learning how to stay in bed when you put him there! That's one area where I guess we're lucky; our kid likes to sleep! Supernanny has good advice to get them to do that. You just have to be patient, but what about kids do you NOT have to be patient about?!

Good luck and remember, safety first!

S. K

P.S Advice for brand new moms, four in one beds are nice, just make sure you buy the rails that make the full sized bed then and there if you have any spare corner to store them until you need them. I'm having trouble getting the proper rails for the bed...so if you buy them when you buy the bed, you might have less trouble(?).

Try to read a little about safety concerns for both cribs and beds before making your decision. The rule of thumb that we used was the size of the child. It was recommended that if the crib rails were at the child's nipple level, they were too big to continue sleeping in it. If he begins climbing out that would be an issue too. Otherwise, do what feels right.

I have used a toddler bed and have gone straight to a regular bed. With the regular bed, we bought side rails, and our youngest child never tried to get out or fell out. It worked great for us--and the rails went on vacation and to grandma's house so she never tumbled out there either. Our rails were made by Graco and were not very expensive.

Good luck with your decision.

We waited until our daughter was 2 1/2 but the pediatrician told me we could leave her in until 3 as long as she didn't try to climb out. I don't think leaving him in limits him at all. It sure makes naps etc. a lot easier I would leave him in until he climbs out for the first time.

Girl,keep him in the crib as along as he does not climb out. Our youngest got out of the crib at 15 months, I am so jealous:)Tell your hubby that he would have to deal with later bed time, messed up naps and all other stuff that comes with 2 years old who is "set free":), he will change his mind very fast......

You have to switch the baby out of the crib once the baby can climb out, because it becomes a fall hazard. Until then, it is completely preference.

However, unless your entire house is thoroughly baby-proofed or there is a gate on your son's bedroom, I would be worried about him wandering the house and you not knowing it.

K.,

I know I'm late on responding, but I wanted to let you know how we did it with our children. Of course, first and foremost, you & your hubby need to agree on this. As for our children, our first born was sleeping in a twin bed around the age of 16 mos. Our second born was sleeping in a toddler bed around the age of 16 mos as well. Our first 2 children were 14 mos apart, and when our son (youngest at the time) outgrew the bassinet, we needed the crib, so our daughter (oldest) needed to get out of the crib. We had a twin daybed that was mine from my teen years, and we didn't have the money to buy another crib. So, we just put her in the daybed & our son in the crib. It didn't take our son long to outgrow the crib, so we switched to the toddler bed when he was still young. The same thing will happen with our next set of children. I have a daughter that's 11 mos old, and a son on the way. They will be about 13 mos apart, so when our son outgrows the bassinet, our 3rd child will get out of the crib & move to the toddler bed, so that we do not have to buy another crib. There is nothing wrong with switching your son to a "big boy" bed now. However, if you are uncomfortable with it, then don't. I don't know how big your son is, but it may be better for him to go to a twin sized bed now. He may get better sleep if he is in a bigger bed. Good luck & God bless!

Hi K.,
I have a 3 year old boy and a 7 month old girl. When my son turned 2 we decided to make him a special "big boy" room with a twin bed with the safety rail attached to the bed. We slowly told him he was soon going to be a big brother and deserved a big boy room. He adjusted great to the twin bed. We skipped the toddler bed. With the safety rail and the other side of the bed pushed against the wall he can't fall out. We childproofed the room also so he cannot get into things and we set up a small table where he likes to read his books before bedtime. If you switch your son to a big boy bed and already he is able to play alone for 20-30 min in a crib, I suggest you keep a few toys or books in his room for him to keep himself occupied until you check on him in the mornings. This has worked out great for us so when our daughter was born she was able to use the crib. You can think of your son's new crib as his room where he can continue to learn to be independent.

My son never tried to climb out of his crib, so we left him there until he was just past 3 and ready to be potty trained( which required the switch). If your child is happy, and the situation is working as it, I personally would keep him there. My son slept great in the crib, now we have to deal with him getting up and coming to our bed a lot, not wanting to go to sleep, etc.

I felt kind of strange having a 3 year old in a crib, but I talked to a friend who told me she was jealous, because her child had climbed out at 18 months. She told me to be grateful, not feel guilty. She told me that there is not right age to make the switch, just whatever works best for your family. Once I thought about it, for me it felt better to have a reason (potty training, climbing out) to make the change.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

My oldest switched to a big boy bed (twin NOT toddler!) when he was 27 months. We actually just put the mattress and boxspring on the floor pushed against a wall without the frame and then used a guard rail for the exposed side. He transitioned very well and never had a problem. My youngest will be 27 months next week and I feel that he is definitely not ready for a big boy bed yet. It's weird but as a Mom you just know. If he's content in his crib and doesn't cry to get out and isn't trying to climb out, I'd say keep him in there a few more months. I would definitely recommend the switch before he's 3 but if he's happy I wouldn't worry about it.

Good luck to you!

K. - SAHM of 2 boys, 5 and 2

I actually moved my daughter from a crib to toddler bed around 2 1/2 years old but probably didn't need to. She did very well in the crib and as soon as I moved her into a toddler bed I would hear her getting out of bed and playing with her toys (when she was supposed to be sleeping). That did only last for about a week or so but it had me wondering why I even bothered to switch her over in the first place. I would say don't push it, if he's doing well in his crib leave him in there for now.
P.S. my daughter did get the hang of being in a big girl bed pretty quickly she would get out of bed and play but then just grew so tired she would hop right back in again and go to sleep.

You are both right.

You want to get him out before he cimbs out to go exploring on his own. Remrmber, all it takes is one time, so you may not catch him climbing out until it is too late. You need to look at his height and the height of your rails and decide when he can get that leg over the side. There is probably a guideline in your crib instructions. Aside from this, many kids that age are ready to be left on their own with in the confines of their rooms to play. Allow him to spend some time by himself in his room and see how he does.

However, two is not too old for the crib. He IS still a baby, and there is nothing wrong with the security of the crib - from an emotional/stability point of view. And yes it helps you too. He doesn't NEED the freedom to move about his room in order to develop - give him plenty of opportunities to do this outsie of sleeptime.

I think that 4-6 months from now is perfect, as long as he isn't too tall to fall out. We transitioned to a twin bed (with rails) around two and a half. Six months from now your son will be a totally different kid - six months is a huge leap at tis age emptionally, physically, etc.

It is great your husband is excited, but I would go slow as long as he is safe. Spend a few months childproofing his room (securing dressers to the wall and so on) and the house (baby gates to off limits areas, locking medicine cabinets, etc.). And have fun picking out a bed, buying sheets, making a really big deal about becoming a big boy - talk about the rules of staying in bed and how to walk to mommy and daddy's room in the dark or call for you). Make it fun and prepare him and yourselves.

PS - With a twin bed, you need rails on BOTH sides - kids have strangled by falling between the bed and a wall with no rail for protection. Many people think the bed won't move and the wall is enough - not so.

Each child is different and there is no one right answer. My son moved to a toddler bed when he was a year old. He never slept well, partially I think because he didn't like being confined although he never climbed out. My daughter successfully climbed out at 15 months old, and did so with little if any noise. The next day, we converted the crib to the day/toddler bed because the drop to the floor from the matress was much shorter than the drop from the top rail of the crib.

You need to determine what is best for YOUR son. Does he climb a lot, specifically out of a pack'n play, or even try to? How tall is he? Do you already have the crib matress completely lowered?

Good luck.

We kept our daughters in their cribs until they were 3 and 3.5. Then they were old enough to understand not to get out of bed a million times and they had good sleep routines by then. My advice is to leave them in the crib as long as possible!

Oh yes, I just remembered, when my youngest started climbing out, we just lowered the rail and she got in and out safely on her own--it worked like a charm, sort of like a toddler bed. That way she stayed in longer and the transition to a big bed was easier.

As cute as toddler beds are, twin beds are easier, just get some good rails. You won't need to get yet another bed later.

My son was climbing out of his crib before he was 2, so we transitioned him very quickly for saftety reasons.
My daughter just turned 3 in May. We tried to get her to sleep in her "big girl's bed" many times in the last 6 months but she did not want anything to do with it. She liked her crib and was not too big and she did not have any intention of climbing out. Just 3 days ago, she said she wanted to sleep in her big girl's bed and she did...all night long and did not get up once. Last night was the third night and is going great. I recommend you just suggest to him about once a week. Also, what helped her was that the bed was set up in the room as well as the crib and she got used to seeing the bed and felt more comfortable.
One of my friends said that her son would have been better off with the switch if he had actually gone with her to pick out the toddler bed. But she already had it and she had problems getting him to transition.
Bottom line: as long as there is no safety issues, I recommend that you just let him stay in his crib until he is ready to switch over. And if he gets used to seeing the bed in his room, he should get more comfortable with the idea.
Good luck.

Hi K.,

I just went through this myself. My daughter turned 2 at the end of April and at that point we had no plans to switch her to a toddler bed because she was doing fine in her crib and wasn't climbing out or anything. Then about a month ago she started climbing in and out of her crib. That was fine, it was the way she was climbing into the crib that bothered us, she would climb up and sort of fall in and would land really awkwardly usually on her head somehow. That answered our question, we switched her to a toddler bed the next day and it took about a week or so of me going in to lie down on the floor beside the bed so she wouldn't climb out and play during nap time. At night she would get out a few times but it was easy to chase her back in. Anyway, my advice is that when you feel the crib could become a danger to him, switch him and prepare for about 2 weeks of him getting out of bed during nap time and bedtime to play. Waiting a month or a so isn't going to hold him back from being a big boy!

Good luck!

I asked my doctor this just yesterday and he said, the later the better. Unless he is climbing out of the crib, leave him in there.

My daughter started climbing out of her crib at 18 months and so it was then that we decided to immediately transition her crib into her "big girl bed" all decked out in new sheets and a blanket...Dora, of course. It took her awhile to get used to it and learn to stay in it but it's much safer than having her climb over her crib rail and fall to the floor. It's really a tough choice especially if he hasn't climbed out of the crib yet (that's amazing!). :-) In my opinion, if he's not really interested in climbing out, I would just hold out until he figures out how to do it. But, if your husband thinks it's limiting him...get him his big boy bed and (of course nothing can substitute mommy) have daddy get up in the middle of the nights and put him back in his bed when he gets out of it. Just to let daddy see that maybe mommy was right. It's really just something that needs to have the situation weighed with the pros and cons. I'm sorry I couldn't help anymore. Good luck!

I have two children 18 months apart so a toddler bed wasn't an option since we needed the crib for the baby. My son now almost six went from his crib to a double bed at about 20 months. My daughter now 4 has been in a bed since 13 months. She decided that she absolutely hated her crib the minute she learned how to get in and out of her brothers bed. This is just one of those things you and your husband really need to decide together. Things go much smoother if the two of you are on the same page.

Hope this helps.

L. S.

I would worry about your child trying to climb out of the crib and getting hurt. I did it when I was a baby and ended up in the emergency room for stitches. A toddler bed sits very low to the floor so if they roll out, it's not too far to fall. If money is a concern, I would just go straight to a big boy bed. We bought my son a set of bunk beds where the bottom bunk is a double bed. This way, he has lots of room to roll around at night when he sleeps. It has worked well for us.