Toddler Bed Time?

Donna - posted on 05/19/2011

I thought the same with my daughter too as she is the same. Tall for her age and climbed and fell out of the cot. I have started the transitioning but daytime sleeps only and still in the cot for nights. I found she did not try and climb out again as she learnt her lesson first time round. People say that is it no more cot after that one time but i dont think that has to be the case at all as they learnt that hey if i do that again i will hurt myself again.

Laurie - posted on 01/25/2010

MY 17 month is doing the same we are going to get a twin bed for her and use it without the box spring so it is low to the ground. In addition, I have read that once the little ones are 34 inches it is not safe for them to be in their crib any longer. We have heard horror stories about transitioning but we hope to work it into her bed time schedule maybe read a book on the bed with her to get her feeling safe there. Good luck!

Wilma - posted on 01/24/2010

When my son was 14 months I took out the crib and just put a matress on the floor so he cannot fall. It work very well, Don't get that frustrated scream because he wants to get out of the crib. If he does get up too much we just close the door and let him scream for a bit, he normally goes to bed easy enough and we can leave the door a little bit open so he can come to us if he wakes up :)

Nikki - posted on 01/22/2010

My crib instructions say that once they reach 35 inches or start climbing out of the crib it's ok to change to a different one. I just turned B's crib into the transitional bed thats not to far off the ground. I'm with you though, now all he does is climb out of it when he wakes up and comes to my room. I have yet to determine how to keep him in there all night.

Belinda - posted on 01/22/2010

My son is also 17 months and he started climbing out of his crib, so we made him a transition bed. It is sorta hard to convince him to stay in bed some nights, but he is learning.

Chrystal - posted on 01/21/2010

You can purchase a crib tent that won't let your little one get out. And, make sure there's nothing in the crib that she can stand on to boost her height. I can't imagine putting my 17mo old in a toddler bed. Sometimes we use his pack n'' play for sleep--it's a little taller than the crib--might work for you too. Good luck!

Lauren - posted on 01/20/2010

they sell a little net tent thing that you attach over the crib so they can't escape.

Maria - posted on 01/20/2010

Both my kids are off the charts for height and we've gone through the same thing. Our doctor told us once they climb out of the crib, you need to move to a bed to prevent any future accidents that could really harm them. My son was about 20 months when he transitioned to a regular bed. We started with a full size bed so my husband or I could lay with my son to help him fall asleep and stay in bed. Only took about a week to train him to stay in bed. We also put gates like ones used at the stairs on our kids bedroom doors so they wouldn't roam around. We bypassed the toddler beds because they mattress is the same size as the crib mattress. Too small for very tall toddlers. Good luck and she'll do fine in a regular bed. Another tip is to put the mattress on the floor instead of in a bed frame.... that way if they roll off, its only a matter of inches.

Laura - posted on 01/20/2010

What I did with all 3 of my kids was put the toddler bed in the room before taking out the crib so if she is not ready then you have the crib still and then she will get used to the bed being in the room with her. My youngest lasted the longest in the crib and he was 14 months old when he went into a bed.. He had the worst time sleeping at night until then. Since we have put him in a bed, he sleeps great at night. Just make sure the room is baby proofed and after time she will learn it is bedtime and stay in bed. Being in a bed is a freedom that they need to get used to. No matter what age they are. Good luck...

Kristen - posted on 01/20/2010

Have you tried a crib tent? http://www.pickyguide.com/babies_and_kid...

Rena - posted on 01/20/2010

I have to say that my little guy has been in a twin bed for months now. Mostly because of space reasons but he loves it. I have a bedrail on his bed. I try very hard to stick to a bedtime schedule. When my 8 year old goes to bed so does my 17 mo old son. For a while I would sit at the opening and tell him it was time for nigh night (thats what he calls it). He would lay on the pillow and go back and forth with that and me. I would hold him for a few minutes and then put him on the pillow. After a while he just did it. I hope this helps.

Sara - posted on 01/19/2010

Hi Lisa, I put my daughter into a toddler bed at 12months, mainly because i was expecting and need the cot! But she has been really good in it, she can get in and out on her own... and the best thing is she can't hurt herself really bad! She went thru a stage where she continually got up, but i simply closed her door completely and now she stays in there with the door ajar. Good Luck

Lesley - posted on 01/19/2010

My daughter did the same thing, and at 17 months as well. She actually did it several times and after a couple of bloody lips/noses, we went ahead with the toddler bed. We put a gate up in front of the bedroom door, latch locks on the closets, and bolted all of the furniture to the walls so it was kid proofed. We learned that we had to remove most of the toys from the room for a while (or they'll run around forever playing with them), but she adjusted right away and loved the freedom. Yes, she did get in an out of bed a lot for the first couple of nights (and slept on the floor a portion of the time), but got the idea quickly. Just put her to bed a little early, let her run around and do whatever, and she'll eventually pass out -- probably on her bed. If not, move her to the bed once she passes out on the floor. She'll get the idea very quickly and will probably LOVE it! The other great thing is that, in the morning, they can get up and play in their room for a while and don't feel the need to cry out or call for mommy. They can go get a book or a toy and play quietly by themselves.

Chantal - posted on 01/19/2010

my son is 17 months. we changed his crib to the toddler bed after finding that he was climbing out of the crib. He is doing great in his new bed.When he does wake up in the middle of the night or in the morning he comes right into my bedroom and wakes me up. I don't really suggest the mattress next to the crib. She could still climb out and land on her neck wrong and still break it.My son hated going in his crib at night or for naps. He doesnt fuss at all now when I put him in his bed. Good luck!

Rebecca - posted on 01/19/2010

My daughter was 16 1/2 months old when we switched her to a toddler bed. Her brother and her used to share the same room and he used to climb into her crib to sleep with her. They are 19 months apart. Anyways, the doc and us didn't think anything of it until she started climbing out of her crib. So now they are in separate rooms and she is in a toddler bed. I think they are both sleeping better now and really appreciate the time that they do have together :) We moved her to the toddler bed so that she wouldn't hurt herself. I remember having the discussion with the doc when her brother started climbing out of his and he told us that it was time to swtich to a toddler bed granted he was older, but safety comes first. We still have problems with her sleeping in her bed, but I usually go in after she falls asleep and move her into her bed. I hope this helps you.

Maggie - posted on 01/19/2010

my son is 17 months and has been in a toddler bed for a few months! He does really well with it. The first few nights he got up a couple times but I just put him back in the bed and he went right back to sleep. Now he stays in the bed all night. He even lays down by himself to go to sleep - something he never did in the crib. If your child is tall enough to fall out of the crib then it's time to switch!

Aimee - posted on 01/19/2010

get a bed guard and a gate for the bedroom door to make sure they don't fall out of bed and to keep them safely in the room but be prepared for a couple of sleepless nights until they get used to it!

Sally - posted on 01/19/2010

We are starting to get Nick ready for a toddler bed, so we've started by taking the mattress out of his cot and putting it on the floor. That way if he falls of the edge, it's only just onto the floor beside the mattress. We'll progress onto a toddler bed when we know he won't fall out!



So far he has gone to sleep ok on it 3/4 times we've put him on it - the 1 time he wouldn't go to sleep he kept coming out, laughing etc, so after a couple of warnings we put the mattress back in the cot and he had to sleep in there again. I guess that's not a great solution in your case because of the climbing (I imagine she'd just climb out) but we've made a big deal about how he's such a big boy and how special his "new bed" is, so he often just goes in and lies on it with a big smile like he's really proud of it, and was NOT happy about it when he had to go back to the cot.



If I were you, I wouldn't put your daughter back in her cot if she can climb out - it's not worth the risk.

Alison - posted on 01/19/2010

hi i dont think its to early to put your daughter in to a toddler bed im oldest was in a bed at 11 months with a bed gaurd cause he kept doing the same thing also my other child was also it a bed at 11months cause needed the cot for my baby hope this helps

Andrea - posted on 01/18/2010

My 17 month old is a climber and I am waiting for the day that she climbs out of her cot. When that happens it will be straight to a big bed.

Ashley - posted on 01/18/2010

I know this sounds crazy but if you take everything dangerous out of the room and change her bed to a toddler bed. When it's time for bed put her in bed tell her to lay down and then shut the door if she knows how to open the door then lock the door so that she can't get up in the morning and go play in the kitchen or something.once you hear no noise and think she is asleep go check on her she will probably have crawled up into the bed when she is tired enough because kids know it's more comfy than the floor.

Trisha - posted on 01/18/2010

get one there the best thing ever my daughter did the same thing but at 15 months she has had one since and no problems at all

NICKI - posted on 01/18/2010

I AM GETTING READY TO TRY THE TODDLER BED WITH MY 18MTH OLD...HE IS NOT MUCH OF A CLIMBER YET, BUT HE HAS STARTED HAVING AN ISSUE WITH WAKING UP AT NIGHT, WHICH HE USED TO NOT DO...LIKE SOME HAVE SAID, IT MAY TAKE A COUPLE OF NIGHTS TO GET THEM USED TO IT, BUT IT IS MUCH SAFER THAN HER FALLING OUT TOO MUCH...ITS WORTH A TRY...

Kelly - posted on 01/18/2010

I think im almost in your situation. My daughter is a little climber i know im not ready for a toddler bed im not sure what to tell you, yes for the safety issue i would say its time to get her into a toddler bed. I know my daughter will NOT stay in it so good luck!

Eva - posted on 01/18/2010

oh my! Scary! I've no suggestions, my kids sleep with me. You may want to switch her to a toddler bad just to be safe.

Amanda - posted on 01/17/2010

I'm headed in the same direction he climbs EVERYTHING!!! It will be fight for a few days and you'll have to go in and pick her up off the floor and put her to bed a few times but once she learns it's bedtime and thats what you put her in there for she'll hope fully say " why sleep on the itchy carpet when I can sleep in the cushy bed." As we know every one is different and here here to the first response and take everything humanly possible out of the room she can get into trouble in or get hurt on...good luck

Natalie - posted on 01/17/2010

Is your crib on the lowest setting? If it is, you might want to try a toddler bed for safety's sake and your sanity. I would just make sure the room is baby proofed and headache free for you -- my daughter has a tendency to empty her dresser drawers if left to her own devices :) Better that than a broken baby though.