When to Move to a "Big Boy Bed?"

Hi L.
My son was 3 years old before I put him in a toddler bed. I did try to put him in one when he was two but he rolled out and sometimes he got up in the middle of the night walking around and that scared me to death. Three is the right age for a big boy bed, that is just my opinion. Good Luck

I guess people are saying 3 years old is ideal which is good to know. Most people that move them out earlier, it's normally b/c they are climbing out of the crib. My son is 2 1/2 and has never attempted to climb out of the crib. People ask if he's in a big boy bed yet and I say No, as long as it's working, I'm keeping him in the crib. I get scared about the access to the rest of the house should he ever just wake up and get out of bed. But overall I still think 15 months is way too young. The earliest I've heard is around 2.

I didn't move my kids out of their cribs until they were 3 years old. With my first born I was worried about him falling out. He has other health issues and I didn't want to add injuries to our issues. With my second born, she was a climber but her room wasn't child-friendly and I liked the security a crib offered. We bought a mesh tent for the top. It worked well for us. At three years of age, both kids seemed well-equipped to understand the rules about staying in bed so we never had to deal with them leaving their rooms, etc. I know that is an issue in some families. I would suggest looking into reasons why you think he might not sleep well in his crib and try to correct them before removing him from the crib.

We moved our oldest to a big boy bed (first by converting his crib, then moving him into a toddler bed a few weeks later) at 18 months. He slept dramatically better, no screaming going to sleep or waking up hysterical like he did in the crib. We did make sure he had rails though as he found any possible way to flop to the floor without (still does in hotels and he's nearly 6). We also kept pillows on the floor where his head might hit for a few weeks until we were sure he was okay. For us it made a world of difference.

Good luck.
M.

L.,

I moved all three of my children in to a toddler bed at 14, 16 and 17 months respectively. Each was different, and not all of them were climbing out of the crib at the time. The first was and needed to be moved out for her own safety. The second was big enough to, but hadn't yet and started a change in sleep patterns like yours, and the third, well he was so easy to put to sleep that we decided to give it a shot and he did great. We did use a gate at the door for all three for our own piece of mind and their safety as well. And I continued to nurse all of them well past the change in beds.

Depending on where your room is in relation to your son's it sounds like it might be worth a try. I would definitely recommend a toddler bed. They're low to the ground, you can use the same mattress from the crib and they have built in side rails. They're not perfect and I have had a child or two roll off onto the floor, but we were only a room away to wipe away the tear and put them right back to bed. If it doesn't work, you can always go back to the crib at least for a little while longer, but from the sounds of it, it sounds like he's ready for a change.

There is NO right or wrong age for the switch. Just go with what you feel comfortable with for his safety and well being as well as your own.

Blessings,
Rolinda

the picture of him sleeping beauitfully in your bed is very sweet. why change that? they're only little for a VERY short while. cuddle up and enjoy.

L.,
I found oout the ahrd way that the best advice concerning crib to bed is "if they are NOT climbing out of the crib--leave them there til they are 3 yrs old"! When my son was just over two, everyone was saying "Is he in a big boy bed yet?...blah///blah..." I took his crib down & got a toddler bed. (Then I read the above advice--too late for us!) What a mistake! He would just get out & come out of his room at any time. His room was at the top of the stairs so we ended up putting a gate at his door so he wouldn't come out & fall down the steps. It was an awful time. He hated the toddler bed and ended up sleeping on the floor (jam packed with blankets and pillows!) for about 6 months. Horrible times! And the really sad part was that he really loved his crib.
I guess my advice for you would be to try to make the crib/his room ore appealing to encourage better sleeping there: white noise, soft music, cool night light, etc.
When they are that young, it is hard to explain and have them understand that they need to be in THEIR room, in THEIR bed. What may happen, s that you may have your little O. in your bed each and every night, which I do not think is a good habit to begin.
If you DO decide to move him, would just buy a twin bed and get bed rails. Toddler beds are a waste of money and you cannot use rails safely on them.
Good luck whatever you decide!

I moved my 4th child at that age. He would wake up screaming every time I tried to lay him down is his crib, but on the couch or my bed, he would snuggle up and get comfy and go to sleep. I use a baby gate either at his door or in the hall way if I'm worried about him roaming the house at night, but he usually wakes up crying so I hear him pretty quickly anyway. He does sleep in his big boy bed most of the night,some times thru the night, but usually ends up in my bed most days, lol. They will outgrow this faster than you think, so enjoy what you can while you can.

I don't think a toddler bed is going to help. It sounds like he just wants to be with YOU. You put him in a toddler bed and he'll just have an easier time getting to you. 15 months is young. It's recommended that children stay in their bed for as long as possible. They make crib tents to lengthen the time as well. If you do go to a toddler bed, put a gate up at the door cuz I guarantee he'll be climing out and coming into bed with you. Ween him off of being in your bed now cuz it only gets harder later.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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I waited till around 18 months old before I moved my daughter into her toddler bed. She was bad about trying to climb out of bed; until we established sleeping rules and understanding that she couldn't just get up during time out, I wasn't going to try the "easy to get out of bed." A few weeks before I moved her into the toddler bed, I started letting her take naps on the couch with the lights out and the tv turned off. Once she started understanding that she had to actually sleep before she was allowed to get up and she stopped trying to get up at will, (even if she didn't want to nap) I decided she was ready to move to a toddler bed. I wasn't going to try the whole "easy to get out of bed", till she had learned that. I'm not sure what is the norm, but those were my issues. If you feel he is ready and won't be sneaking out of bed throughout the night, then I'd say go for it. Good luck, I hope this helps.

We moved our son to a big boy bed at the same time. Don't worry what other people say about him being too young... my son slept like an angel once he was out of the crib. At first we were overally protective of him falling out, so we put him on a mattress on the floor first. He got used to that for a month or so, and then we moved the crib mattress up into the bed frame, which is no more than 14 inches above the ground. He has never fallen out, and we have never caught him out of his bed playing. We don't keep any toys in his room, his room is for sleeping and getting dressed only, so there are no temptations in there.

Try and keep him out of your bed though! That will be a HARD habit to break.

Good luck!

Hi L.,
I think each child is different. My son was less than 2 years old when he started climbing out of his crimb. One day I caught him just as he was taking a header to the floor(literally caught him by his leg.)That was the scariest thing. I put him in a toddler bed (which is normally closer to the ground than a regular size bed) he did just fine. He slept even better. I put all his toys low to the ground and did not have a free standing dresser in his room. He was perfectly safe.I was very lucky, I'm sure. I felt I didn't have any other options at that point. You know your own child better than anyone else. If you think he'd do better in a toddler bed than give it a try. If you have room, maybe you could just add the bed to his current space while leaving the crib up for a little bit just to see how it goes. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

too young and get him back to his crib.

I think 15 months is way to young to puy your child in a bed. if you do one do a toddler bed with sides to it. i would worry about him falling out of the bed when he is sleeping.

Hi L., We moved our 2 1/2yr old out of her crib when her sister grew out of her cradle when she was 4 months old. We used a toddler bed. Our middle one moved out of the crib when she discovered it was more fun sleeping in the "big girl" (twin bed at that point) bed with her sister and we had a third daughter. (#2 never did use the toddler bed, she didn't like it.) We eventually got matching twin beds for the older two as the baby moved into the crib... The best rule I ever heard about moving a child into a toddler or twin bed is: When you feel the need or they try to climb out, it's time! Best wishes!

We moved them about 18 months because they would not sleep in their crib anymore. It was our fault though, we let them sleep in our bed and they much preferred that. The "experts" would say to leave them in the crib as long as possible, but for us it just wasn't working. We went to a mattress on the floor and it worked for us. Good luck!

Every child is different, and you'll have to decide what's right for him and you. For what it's worth, though, we've successfully moved all three of our daughters to big girl beds at about 18-19 months. That was about when the first 2 started getting the idea to climb out, and when the third just seemed ready. We went right to a twin bed (no toddler one) - we put the boxspring and mattress on the floor so it wasn't too high. We also put it in a corner of the room so two sides were against the wall and then put a bed rail on the open long side. Honestly my girls never really put up a fight about getting out of bed (at least not until much older!) - they seemed to realize it was bed and would even stay in it in the morning until I came to get them. For added security, though, we did make sure the rooms were very kid proof (all outlets covered, limited furniture and that was anchored appropriately, etc.). We also put a gate on the door to the room so they couldn't get to the stairs, other rooms, etc.

Anyway, the choice is obviously yours, but I wanted to let you know that not *all* kids need to wait until they're 3 to be ready. Use your judgment and good luck!

If he sleeps well in your bed he might do well in a big boy bed, especially if you're having any sleep issues with the crib (eg. can't get him into it!). We put my oldest in a big boy bed at 21 months because he refused to go into his crib. It solved so many problems because all we had to do was lay there with him for a few minutes, he'd go to sleep and then we'd slip out of the bed. I know everyone says they should know how to go to sleep on their own but we've had no issues with him. He's 3 now and goes to sleep on his own, started sometime when he was 2 (I asked him one night if he wanted to try and he said "OK"). Good luck!

If he is not climbing out, I would wait...My daughter was a little over 2 when she climbed out a few times, so I just took the railing off the side of the crib, and put a safety bar up...other than that wait till 3 yrs old.