When to Move Toddler from Crib to a Bed?

I say leave them in the crib as long as you can! My first was 2-1/2 when she transitioned and I have a 21 month old that is still in her crib. (I think climbing out is not too far off for her) I know once we move her- she will be a roamer- so Im not looking forward to that. As someone else said- use a bassinet for a while and by then he should really be ready and can understand getting a "big boy" bed. That might make it easier for him. Good Luck and Congratulations!

Dr. T. Barry Brazelton recommends waiting until the child is 4 years old. I believe it's because he's concerned about the child feeling secure and also not getting out of the bed at all hours of the night. He says the only 2 reasons he recommends transitioning a toddler to a regular bed is if they are already beginning to climb or try to climb out, or if you are expecting another baby and will need the crib for the new baby. Even then, he recommends transitioning a toddler to a new bed several months before the new baby arrives so he/she doesn't feel that he had to give up his bed for the new baby.

My friends just moved there 3 year old to a big bed. He never tried to climb out, so they moved him when he started outgrowing the crib. Not for safety reasons. My 26 month old son was just moved to a bed. We moved him because he did climb out. So, I say move them when they start to climb OR move them when they can no longer stretch out comfortably in their crib.

Since you have heard awful sleepwalking stores, let me share a good story. In the two weeks our son has been in his bed, he does not get out. He still waits for us to go get him. When we put him down, he might jabber for awhile, never leaving his bed. When he wakes, he jabbers again and then eventually calls for us to come get him. I think the fact that his bed is against a wall and has a safety rail on the other side makes him still feel a bit enclosed and because he knows nothing different, he just waits for us. I have two other friends who have boys who do the smae thing! Maybe you will get lucky too.

Hi Alex,
I just responded to you other question today. I loved Maggies response and just wanted to say that if you keep his baby gate at his door you know that he can't leave his room in the night and will be able to leave his door open if this is what he is used to. Alot of toddlers and older children don't like feeling 'shut in' You will be able to hear him if he has a problem in the night that way without having to use two baby monitors.

My son also moved to a big boy bed at 18 months old. He was climbing out so i knew it was time. We got him a race car bed because it was low to the ground and he loved it! Hope that helps
have a blessed day

Hey Alex,

Karson is still in his crib and is a year apart from your son 28 months. He has not tried to climb out of it once while he is with me but has once with his dad. I am rennovating his room and will be buying his Big Boy bed within a month or so just in time for him to turn 2 1/2 cause I think he is ready since he wakes up in the middle of the night and sleeps with me. I will have a bedrail just in case he falls or tries to climb out. Plus We have enough pillows that I will put some on the floor so if he does fall he will fall on a soft place. We will be getting him a twin trundle bed just in case he needs me to lay with him, etc..

I would child proof his room completely and he already has a child proof door handle on the inside of his room so he can't get out.

Is your sons crib a convertible crib? Me personally I would wait but you could always but the baby in a basinett for at least 3 months and then the pack n play for a few months as well like you did w/your son then by that time I think he will be ready. I also put my son in his pack n play from 0-6 months then we put him in a crib and did just fine.

Good Luck to you on whatever you decide. I hope this helps.
M.

Here is our experience! We moved our twins at 18 mo which for them was too early. We moved our son at 20 mo and he loves his big boy bed. For us, in looking back at the differences, we can say that our girls never liked going to bed - they would cry, fuss, etc. when they were in their cribs, so keeping them in their beds was a task. Most nights we were rubbing feet, legs, backs etc. till they fell asleep. With our son, he LOVES to sleep! When it's time for night-night we say 'give kisses it's night-night time' and from the time he could walk, he knew what to do. For him, moving to a big boy bed was easier....much! The first few times it freaked him out more that the bedroom was different, but we bought a low platform bed, a full size, so it's lower to the ground. We put three regular size adult pillows in, thin one's, and guardrails on the sides. Some mornings he'll be sideways, some mornings he'll be as we put him in, but he's never falled off.

I am not sure what the "normal" age is, but my son moved into his "big boy" bed when he was about 18 months old. He refused to get in his crib, so we transitioned him at that time. He has been sleeping in a full size bed with bed rails ever since. He is 3 1/2 now and to this very day, he will not get out of bed unless we go in and get him. He has a train table in his room and I was worried that he would get up and play, but not even once has he done that! We did initially put a childproof lock on his door, but we quickly changed our mind took it off. You would be surprised how easy the transition can be. Make a big deal out of him being a big boy and talk about his big boy bed for about a week before you do it. I honestly think it was harder on me than him!

My two are 18 months apart, and I needed the crib for my son. We moved my dd into a big girl room at 16 months, and she took it like a champ. However, I was in tears moving my baby out of her nursery. We had a twin bed in the middle of the room with a rail on either side. She slept all night - only trouble was with naptime...getting down and playing instead. After 2-3 days of discipline for getting down, she figured it out and it was never a problem again.

My ds went to big boy bed at 2 years. Also did great...

It was always harder on me than them. GL & God bless..

We moved both of ours at 17 months. Our first got "bumped" from the crib because we were expecting the second. The transition was no big deal for either. For the first, we set the bed up next to the crib and left it there a few weeks. She played on it and got used to it being there. She was a hard sleeper, so one day I just moved her to the big bed after she fell asleep for her nap, so she woke up on the big bed. She didn't complain. Did it again the next day, then the next day put her to bed at night on the big bed. No complaints, so the next day my husband took down the crib while I took her out to play, and put a Fisher Price kitchen center in its place. She never asked about the crib. We actually used a full-sized bed, so she was literally too small to get down, and she wasn't tall enough to reach doorknobs until she was 2, so we didn't have a problem with her coming out of her room.

With our son, we had a toddler bed stage because his "big boy bed" is a captains bed, which is high off the ground. So, we took the crib down and put a big red fire truck bed in its place. I ran errands long enough for him to fall asleep in the car, then put him in the fire truck bed. He was delighted to wake up there! Just like his sister, he waited on the bed for me to come get him. It took a couple months before he realized this wasn't like the crib and that he could just get down. I was surprised he stayed put because he is a climber. In fact, we decided to go ahead and move him rather than wait any longer because I found him one afternoon trying to get a leg over the crib rail. I guess the fire truck bed was just too exciting to try to leave it!

Both times we moved all of the comfort objects to the bed with them. Blanket, stuffed animal....even laid the ocean wonders aquarium on the bed.