Toddler Bed Dilemma

I moved my son from a crib to a twin bed when he was 18 months. We just got the mattress and put it on the floor with a under mattress rail. I told him just like a crib he had to call us when he was awake. I did put up a baby gate in front of his door just incase. However he called me every morning from his bed. He loved feeling like a big boy. So maybe you could skip over new crib and toddler bed to the regular mattress. Unless however you plan on having more children.

I have always just moved my kids to a twin bed around their 1st birthday and they have all been fine. There are guard rails that you can get for twins (they slip under the mattress) if you're worried about her rolling off the bed. If you are moving, it might be the perfect time for her to move to a big bed- all the excitement of something new in her new room in your new house. Good luck!

Hi L.,
Just a suggestion here:
why can't she just stay in her pack and play?

we got a mattress for ours when the boys were still crib-aged, and they slept just fine whenever we traveled.

She'll be toddler-bed age pretty soon: don't waste the money.
t

Is your daughter likely to wander once she has the freedom of a bed? If she is, you may want to keep her in a crib so that the temptation is not there.

i say get a crib that can be made into a toddler bed or a twin bed (they do make them have seen them online) and see if where you are moving you can have it picked up in store by a family member or by you guys when you get there and put it together the day you move in so she has her crib to sleep in my daughter is 28 months and will probably not be out of her crib until she is closer to 3 unless she starts to climb out

Keep a crib until she's 3 if she's not climbing out. Longer is OK too. I'd keep her in a crib because it's familiar and she'll feel comfortable.

Is it easier to assemble the crib to a toddler bed then to assemble it to a crib? If so, you could just take it with you and assemble it as toddler bed. But my vote would be for toddler bed or regular bed. Toddler bed would be less expense right now (I'm sure you have enought other expenses with moving), you have the bed, mattress and sheets. You could do the regular bed in a few months after she's adjusted to the move. Good luck.

If you plan to trash the crib, since it is illegal now to sell the drop sides, even at a thrift store or garage sale, you should keep the crib mattress and let her sleep on it with all the sheets and blankets shes used to. A toddler bed is under $30 at Target or Walmart or Kmart. Its not that big of a deal money wise if you get one that fits the crib mattress you already have. Shes not even 2 so she will not be too tall for it for a couple years. Our grand daughter is almost 4 and tall for her age but she still could fit in her crib if she had it. Her room is so tiny theres barely room for a twin bed, dresser and anything else, so her mommy is right now, today, putting the toddler princess bed together for her. It should last her for a year, and then we will go for a twin bed. You will save money now to just use her crib mattress tho and it will be familiar to her for a few months after the move.

Toddler bed!! We transitioned our daughter at 23 months right after moving back into our house in Tucson (had been in Vegas with hubby for 6 months of training for the Air Force). She did great! And then spontaneously potty trained (herself) about 2 weeks later :)

My son was in a twin bed by her age because my pediatrician suggested moving him but 18 months due to the risk of falling trying to climb out. You won't know she is going to try until she does and then it might be too late and falling out of a crib accounts for a lot more injuries than those associated with a drop side crib.

You know your daughter better than anyone else, I think the bigger question is how she will handle the transition. My son was so excited to be in a big boy bed that he didn't care at all that we took his crib out of his room. Some kids do really well with the moving transition and it's easiest to just change it all at once. If you think she can handle it I'd make her new room her big girl room with a big girl bed. If she really struggles with it you could go back to the pack 'n play until she adjusts to the transition to the new house. I wouldn't buy a new crib and in my opinion toddler beds are a waste of money. A twin mattress on the floor or a twin bed with a bed rail works just fine and lasts much longer. Good luck with your move!

Never did the toddler bed thing. Went right to a twin bed. All my kids were
in beds by the time they were two. Use the pack and play until the move
is done and then get a bed.

It really depends on your daughter. My youngest was in a twin bed before her 2nd birthday (probably around 21 months but I can't remember exactly) because there was an extra bed in her room and she wanted to be like her sister (who moved into a bed right before 2). We never had a problem. If you do go that route, I'd make a big deal of her new big girl room and her new big girl bed, etc starting soon so she'll be excited about it. We never did toddler beds, they are a waste of money IMHO because they move out of them so quickly. A twin (or even a full) they'll use for years. Get bed rails or start with a matress on the floor if you are afraid of her falling out. Good luck!!