Getting my 15 month old to sleep in her toddler bed

Monica - posted on 08/29/2012

My daughter is 15 months and i just bought her a toddler bed. She climbed out of her baby bed more than once and hurt herself so it was time... She loves her new big girl bed. We set it up and put it right next to our bed, She likes knowing that shes sleeping right next to us. She did try to climb in our bed a couple of times but we dont allow her in our bed, not even once because then its just going to make it that much harder on us for her to stay in it. Its seemed to work so far, she's been sleeping in it now for 5 nights.

Carissa - posted on 07/30/2012

my daughter is 16 months old as well i have gotten her a toddler bed but have not had her sleep in it yet i did try a couple times. i put her in it gave her her milk n left the room she got out of the bed n ran to the door crying after about 3 mins everytime so i gave it a rest for awhile now i would really like for her to sleep in it n do not know what to do. she never slept with me in bed always in her basinet then crib. she never screamed or cried at bed time i would just give her her milk and tuck her in with her favorite stuffed animal leave the room n she would either go right to sleep or talk herself to sleep it was adorable. now every now n then she crys when i put her to bed i know it has a lil to do with the new baby my son is 3 months . she doesnt act jealous tho even kisses him n talks to hm or trys to pick him up i dont know what to do tho she went from no problem to 3 times this month screaming when i put her to bed

Angie - posted on 09/19/2010

I see no reason to put them in one unless they are crawling out of their crib I guess I don't understand why people are in such a rush for their children to grow up

Bronwyn - posted on 08/16/2010

Alana i leave the door open for her i normally pull it closed just a little bit as it wont close very far because of the gate.

Patricia - posted on 08/13/2010

Wow, great question, and it helps to know we are not alone, moms have been there or ARE there, and are doing different things. Ours is a crazy story too, can't say that its gonna help much, but just another option....we have loved napping and sleeping with our baby. I used to nurse him at night, and take him out of crib at 6 months and nurse on the queen bed in guest bedroom. We set up barriers w pillows under the main blanket so that if he rolled the pillow mountain would stop him and it was under the blanket so he wouldn't get stuck under it. We moved From GA to TX and he was very sick so he got used to the queen bed, when he started rolling, and crawling, and walking, 10 months - we took off the bottom part so he could climb up into the bed. I set up barriers with pillows under his fitted sheet and he likes it and does sleep on his own when he's not sick, teething, or scared. We used the baby sandman techniques to get him to sleep and left the room after he was asleep. We are still working on , my boy will be 16 months in a few days. :), thankfully little kids are resilient. A mom friend told me: do what works for your family, what helps him sleep, and what gives you less stress, so i wish you the best, how wonderful to hear all the stories out there, thanks all for sharing...i'm learning so much from you all.

Teresa - posted on 08/13/2010

lots of good advice. I will try the gate thing as well. it is very frustrating when they don't sleep well like my 16 month old

Bronwyn - posted on 08/13/2010

i put a baby gate up on her bedroom door (but she can open it when she really wants to) its just there as a guideline sort of thing to her so she knows that when the gate is shut she needs to stay in bed... ive only had my daughter in there for 4 nights now and she seems to be sleeping so much better... not that i have ever had a problem with her sleeping.
my daughter was climbing out of her cot thats why i had to put her into the toddler bed, but i also understand that some kids just need to be in a toddler bed earlier than others. i was told to put her straight into a single bed but decided that because of her age i would stick to the toddler bed.
you yourself personally will know if your child is ready for a toddler bed you shouldn't listen to anyone else when they say that your child id too young. there could be so many reasons why u need to change the bedding situation.
for example im a single mum so when my daughter goes to her dads house she behaves differently and doesnt climb out of her porta cot there. but at my house she would climb out of her wooden cot as well as porta cot.. my daughter is very independent and seems alot more happier now that she can get into bed herself and go to bed throughout the day when she is ready to. its been great since she has been in her toddler bed.

Katherine - posted on 08/12/2010

Why are you rushing to get her into a toddler bed? We didn't put my daughter into a toddler bed until she was 2 and a half and we had no problems at all with her getting out. Unless she's started climbing out of her cot and causing danger to herself I don't see any reason to rush a young toddler into a bed. She's probably not old enough to understand the concept of staying in bed when there are no bars to prevent her climbing out.

Alana - posted on 08/11/2010

Did you leave the door open too? or just have the door closed and the gate there so she couldn't get out?

Bronwyn - posted on 08/11/2010

i have put my 15 month old into her toddler bed only 2 nights ago.
i have a gate at her bedroom door that i lock when she firsts goes to bed. just so she learns that she needs to stay in her bed.
the first night she cried at the gate for about 15 mins then went and fell asleep on her bed then last night she followed me to the gate and when i kept walking away from her she cried for maybe 20 seconds then went and climbed onto her bed and fell asleep there where she slept for 15 hours :) ive had no problems with getting Emelia to sleep in her toddler bed... but i find the gate is very very handy and i will continue to use it until she knows that when i put her in bed that means its bed time and once i know that she will not follow me out of her room

Christy - posted on 08/11/2010

There are alot of great ideas here!! Try what you feel comfortable with and remember that you know your child the best and when she is ready. My older daughter didn't go into a toddler bed until after 2. But that's because she liked her crib and wasn't climbing out and if it's not broke don't fix it. My other daughter who is 16 months now i think will not wait quite as long. Every child is different, it is important to remember that. She will adjust in time. Good Luck!

Amanda - posted on 08/11/2010

My son just turned 16 Months & I still have him in a crib cause I don't think he would understand to stay in bed cause even when I put him in his crib he throws a fit cause its bed time so I would think I would have trouble putting him in a toddlers bed

Alana - posted on 08/10/2010

15 months is not to young for your kid to be using a toddler bed. Not everyones child develops at the same rate. Some develop faster then others.
I have also heard of children sleeping with their parents until after they start school... so waiting until "she doesn't want to sleep with you" might never happen.
If your child can climb out of the crib, it's time to get her into a bed. If you're worried about what she can get into then take every thing out of her/his room. Minimalistic. Bare bones. Put in the bed, some books and a few stuffed toys. Kids are happiest with less.

A 15month old is NOT to young. Only YOU know when they are ready.

Claudia - posted on 08/10/2010

I agree that 15 months is too young. And I personally don't like the baby gate at the door idea; I'm sure it works because they have no choice, but emotionally, it must be hard on them and make them feel bad or as though they're being punished. (these are the years where it's all about emotional development so I think these are all serious things to consider). What's the rush? If she's climbing out of the crib, perhaps the toddler bed in your room safely wedged between a wall and your bed as someone else suggested. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Jacquellin - posted on 08/10/2010

15 months seems too young to give your daughter that kind of freedom. Eventually she will wake up and not wake you up and who knows what she can get into unsupervised for who knows how long. Even baby proofing things, it's amazing what they find to play with. I waited till my daughter was almost 2 before we put her in a toddler bed and we had no problems with her getting up, or sleeping through the night.

Sheryl - posted on 08/10/2010

I agree with Cheshmak, it may be a little premature for a toddler bed. I just purchased the bed for our 15 month old, but I'm not planning to move her until she's 18 months if possible. I got it now because she's had two incidents of climbing out of her crib after waking up, but we're working on teaching her to be patient and wait for us to come get her. I don't think she's ready for a toddler bed yet becuse her emotional maturity is not there yet. (For instance she also tries to stand up in her high chair when she's ready to get out). I think every child is different but if you're struggling so much, I'd go back to a crib or pack and play and wait until your little one is a bit older and able to get excited about moving to a "big kid bed". Good luck!

Cheshmak - posted on 08/10/2010

I just had a chance to read the other contributions ... very helpful info for when our turn comes. Thanks :)

Cheshmak - posted on 08/10/2010

Hi Storee, wondering why you decided to switch to a toddler bed at such a young age? Were there signs that your daughter was ready to move on to a toddler bed? Were you concerned about safety issues (ie was she jumping out of her crib?) From what I've heard they should stay in their crib until they indicate readiness for a toddler bed and have the language and comprehension development to enable you to guide and encourage them to stay in their toddler bed. Maybe try going back to the crib until her sleep habits are solidified (ie she doesn't want to sleep with you) and she indicates a readiness for the move. Your pediatrician should be able to provide some thoughts on signs that it's ready to move on :) Hope that helps. good luck

April - posted on 08/09/2010

All of this is very good information. My Son's toddler bed is being delivered today and I am so nervous for bed time! My husband is going to be leaving for training because he's in the military and I find that it is easier to train and transition while daddy is away this way mama is the boss and my 16 month old doesn't run to daddy's soft heart. Wish me luck!

Louise - posted on 08/05/2010

For my own boys it was 2 years. They need to be old enough to understand that they have to stay in their bed and I don't think a 15 months old can grasp that concept. My little man loves to climb onto his brothers bed and climb back off it again. (it's a foot high). So I'm not going to move him till I know that when he's put to bed he won't be climbing in and out.

The general rule of thumb for me is 2 years or when they can climb out of their crib, whichever comes first!

Melanie - posted on 08/04/2010

I have a cot that turns into a toddler bed so I dont know if that kept a sence of familier to my daughter or not but she has been in it for about a month now and has only gotten out once.

Rebecca - posted on 08/04/2010

My daughter LOVES dora. So we got her a Dora toddler bed and she LOVES it. I was expecting her to run to my room after her bath the day we bought the bed, but she ended up running the other way to lay down in her dora bed. (almost broke my heart!) haha but she also has the dora bedding as well.
I was very surprised with this because my daughter has always woke up in the middle of the night and thats when i put her in our bed then she's fine. but now that she's in her dora bed she's actually been sleeping through the night! Also, when i say its nappy time she runs to her dora bed! its amazing!!
So.. try giving the bed a bedding set of their favorite character or something and act really excited about it like its the coolest thing in the world lol.

Alison - posted on 07/30/2010

I agree with the baby gate idea, that worked for my other boys. Really though, neither of my sons took to the toddler beds right away (the car bed did help a little) and a lot of times they would lay right on the floor. It was so funny to see that they would empty their bed and set it up on the floor instead. Once they each upgraded to a twin bed, it was easy to get them to stay in bed. Good luck!

Sacha - posted on 07/30/2010

we put our son in a toddler bed at 13 months and had a bit of a problem in the beginning too... after a week we put up a babygate on the door. He learned faster that way that his room was now like his crib, we spent a lot of time teaching him that his bed was a good place to sleep and that he was safe. He now goes in his room with his milk, will play a bit, and then goes to bed on his own.

don't get discouraged, just keep trying to get her to feel comfortable with her bed! She will get it soon enough!

Storee - posted on 07/30/2010

Thank yall so much for the advice. I will deffinately try it out and see how it works.

Danielle - posted on 07/29/2010

Every child is different...maybe it is a little bit too early for your daughter to be doing the toddler bed thing. I would recommend babygating her doorway though. She can't run into your room into bed with you that way and maybe she'll give up and try sleeping in her big girl bed. I haven't transitioned my son to a toddler bed yet because I know I'd have the same problem you're having. Best of luck!

Maggie - posted on 07/28/2010

my 15 month old has been in a toddler bed since he was 8 months old. he's gone through some phases where i had to put him to sleep in my bed and then move him.

because this is a new thing for your daughter, she needs to learn that it is a safe and happy place to be. spend lots of time in her room with her. read stories in bed before lights out time. take her back to bed when she wakes.

we have always had a "light outside" rule in our house ... if it's light out he can stay in bed with us, but if it's still dark in his own bed. this of course changes with the seasons but as a general, it has worked great for the transition. he now sleeps from about 8:30-7:30 in his bed in his own room.

We started out with the toddler bed between our bed and the wall ... but for us that was because he was so young and falls were a concern. But, might work for her to be close but in her own bed.