when is a good time to switch from the crib to toddler bed?

Alyssa - posted on 02/22/2010

Katrina, maybe you should remove all the toys from her room. If she is two she is due for a bed. She needs to learn one day. =)
I had to remove the toys from my daughters room too.

Alyssa - posted on 02/22/2010

My daughter was climbing out of the crib at age 14 months, we never let her sleep in the bed with us, I introduced the toddler bed to her, we picked it out together. A TInkerbell one. The plan was to keep the crib and bed set up in the same room, let her start taking naps on the toddler bed during the day, whereI could keep an eye on her, and then the Crib at night. I didn't know she'd take right to it. From day one she never slept in the crib again.

April - posted on 02/20/2010

As long as your baby can't climb out of the crib yet then i would stick with the crib. But, get a toddler bed and set it up in his bedroom so he can get familiar with it before you just all of a sudden one night say "oh, btw, here's your new bed that you've never seen before ...sleep in it. " My son is 15 months old and i have his crib and toddler bed set up. He naps in his toddler bed (with a side rail) but at night he sleeps in his crib. I had set the toddler bed up as soon as he started walking just so he could "get to know it" It didnt take him any time at all to learn to climb on and off it. The only reason my son still sleeps in his crib is because i've recently moved temporarily into my grandfathers house and my son and I share a room. If he wakes up and sees me laying near him then he gets out of bed a million times and wants to sleep in my bed...NOT happening! He is starting to make me nervous with his crib though. He's becoming a climber and he's getting tall...i worry that he will climb out and hurt himself...Thinking that i have to switch to toddler bed very soon and just deal with putting him back in his own bed 50 times a night :) Hope this helps

Kim - posted on 02/20/2010

My oldest was in a toddler bed at 18 months and never had a prob. He loved being a big boy!

Stephanie - posted on 02/20/2010

First Issue: My son was 17mos when we transitioned him to a toddler bed, we did it when we moved houses (and countries). It is his Big Boy Bed.

Second Issue: I breastfed my son until he was 16mos, so he would come into the bed with us to BF then I would fall asleep and he would end up staying in our bed all night. My husand and I made a game plan that we both agreed to and stuck with it. We took turns putting him to bed each night. Second, If I put him to bed then my husband would put him back to bed when he woke up in the middle of the night. We found an alarm clock that plays a CD we have it set to go off at 830 pm and every night no matter what he is in bed by 830. One of us sits with him as he listens to his bedtime music until he falls asleep. He has been sleeping through the night in his own bed, with an occasional midnight upset, for 4 months now. Every child is different. I would say the best way to do the transition would be structure, kids love structure. Good Luck!!!

Katrina - posted on 02/19/2010

I am really stuck in this situation too.... I have a four year old who sleeps in a toddler bed but in the same room as my husband and I. I have been unable to get him to sleep in his own room because he cries and screams and says he is scared.
I also have a daughter who is two (she turned 2 in January) and she is still in a crib. She doesn't try to climb out of her crib but I think if I get her a toddler bed then she will stay up and play with her toys all night, or go downstairs and get into things she shouldn't. I really need some advice too :(

Cassidy - posted on 02/19/2010

It might help. Just make sure you have a safety rail so he doesn't fall out of bed. My oldest went to a toddler bed at 18 months and did just fine.

Lois - posted on 02/18/2010

well...your problem is not from crib to toddler bed...that is simple...the very first time your child tries to climb out of the crib....time for the toddler bed. other than safety, its personal preference.....HOWEVER



you are speaking of a VERY DIFFERENT problem that I experienced until my DAUGHTER WAS 10 YEARS OLD. You have to keep your child in their own bed...somehow. the security he feels in bed with you can not be duplicated. the longer you allow your son in your bed...the harder it will be to break the habit. Believe me. I allowed my daughter access to our bed...and if you want a love life at all over the next 10 years.......find a way to keep him in HIS bed all night first....perhaps a toddler bed will peak his interest now....My grandson is already in a toddler bed at 19 months.



good luck

Rachel - posted on 02/17/2010

We moved our daughter out of her crib at 2 and our son at 18 months because he figured out how to climb out of the crib. I would suggest keeping him in the crib as long as he isn't climbing out and try to get him used to sleeping on his own and not with you. It'll be tough at first and he will cry and scream, but I really don't think moving him to a toddler bed is going to keep him from wanting to get into yours. Then at 2 get a twin like the previous poster suggested. You can get a rail that slips between the mattress and box spring or we ended up getting the board that goes with a bunkbed instead of a boxspring so his bed is lower. Toddler beds are typically only good until age 4-5.

C. - posted on 02/17/2010

Well, I have heard from several doctors that babies are not actually considered toddlers until closer to age 2. That being b/c being a toddler implies that the child can A) walk well by themselves AND B) talk is short sentences that you can understand and they KNOW what they are saying. With that being said, I know that every child develops differently, some faster than others. However, personally, I would wait until they are older. Not just b/c they technically aren't a toddler, BUT b/c they do not necessarily know not to play with certain things should they end up climbing out of bed while mommy and daddy are still sleeping (kids can be quite sneaky). I know, for instance, my 19 month old can pull electrical outlet covers out most of the way, and that scares the crap out of me. So until I know that he can actually comprehend when I tell him how dangerous it is, he won't be sleeping in a toddler bed. But that's just my personal opinion. Good luck!

Medic - posted on 02/17/2010

I moved my son at about 15 months. I never had to put a gate up in his door he was just ready for a toddler bed. He is three and a half now and still sleeps in it and hes almost 40 inches tall so I don't know how kids grow out of them so fast.

Rebecca - posted on 02/17/2010

Try him in one. Our son was switched at 18 months. Put a baby gate across his door and leave his door open so he can still hear some movement but i highly recommend you break the habit of him crying and then bringing him to your bed. You'll be in for a long ride if you continue. My son did that and one day i was like WThell am i doing and i stopped it. He cried for about 4 days after i put the gate up and then slept fine,so we took the gate down but left it by the door as a reminder and he never got out of bed again. If he is sick and can't sleep it's the only time he comes to our room on his own. I recommend a twin bed also, with a side rail. We bought a car bed and our son needed a new bed by the time he was 1 so it was only used for about 6 months and we got him a new one. Toddler beds are a waste of money to me. We bought bunk beds so we now have an extra bed for when our daughter is ready to move out of her crib:)

Good luck!

Shannon - posted on 02/17/2010

I would purchase a toddler bed and allow him to play around it first make sure he can climb in and out of it. then let him choose the bed or crib. not all babies will feel comfortable in a new bed. personally i think by age 2 they should be in a toddler bed.