I'm afraid to put my son in a toddler bed.

Jen - posted on 11/08/2010

wow i just changed me 2 yr olds son into a cot bed today he didnt cry or anything he went straight to sleep n is still fast asleep. i must be doing well.

Laura Zoey - posted on 09/28/2010

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
If it's working well in the crib, if he and you sleep well, if it's not a safety hazard by him climbing out. Don't change it! Some kids sleep in the crib till 3,4 years cuz they like it and their patents like it. Don't rush it without a good reason. Leave him in there until there's something wrong about it. Age shouldn't matter as much as if it's working well.
It's nothing you should rush into! Let him be until there's a reason otherwise!

Debbie - posted on 09/28/2010

Mine sounds just like yours, he's very active. I put my son into a low bed at about 2 yrs 4months because he started climbing, and he did get up to mischief at first because he loves being up and he loves playing and jumping etc. We had a bedtime routine which we tried to stick to as closely as possible so that he would know it was bedtime soon, then I put him to bed at 7:30. It actually took my husband and I a few months of perservering because he would get out of bed, run around, switch on his light and play with toys, run between rooms etc, and each time we go up and take him back to his bed and tell him its sleep time now. He would get up at night and come through to our room and each time I'd put him back in his bed and tell him its sleep time. He would sometimes still be awake at 9:30 trying it. It was a very frustrating time, but perserverance has paid off. We changed his bed time to 8pm, and he doesn't have an afternoon nap anymore, and now he actually gets into bed and stays there. He's 2yrs 9months now. It may take time for you to work out how best to do it, and it may be a bit stressful at times but it will definitely be worth it in the end. Good luck.

Angie - posted on 09/22/2010

No I thought the same exact way. My son is soooo active, won't sit still at all. I was scared to switch him, but he'll a tall 2 year old, now weighs 33 lbs, it was just too much to be putting him in the crib. We switched him over to a toddler bed in the summer and he did just fine. The 1st acouple of nights we had to stay with him to fall asleep, but now he's fine to do it all by himself. Yes on the weekends he gets up and plays in his room that she shares with his sister, I won't lie he does get into things. But for me it was time to get rid of the crib. Do what is comfortable for you and what's safe for your son. If you do switch it will be okay. Good luck.

Tina - posted on 09/21/2010

I feel your pain...we moved our little monster when she started announcing "Baby show mommy how baby climb"...she was GREAT the first 2 nights and after that realized she could get out...I ended up getting a gate that can be easily snapped in the doorway to keep her out of trouble...worst case scenario she plays in the dark in her room. We removed all safety hazards and tucked them away neatly in the closet. After about 2 weeks she got much better. Depending on how much cuddle time we had before bedtime she may try to coaks me up the stairs to see her one more time...but after that she is fine...
Think about it that way: 2 Weeks Pain= Long Term Gain.
Good Luck~!

Emma - posted on 09/20/2010

I think if he's not climbing out don't rush to switch him to a big bed. We put our sons big bed in his room at about 2 and a half, after about amonth he decided he wanted to try sleeping in it, he did and the transition was pretty easy, we left his cot in his room for a month or so after too. Hope it goes well

Joli - posted on 09/19/2010

I have that fear, too. My biggest concern...my son will roll off the bed in the middle of the night. He came very close to climbing out of his crib at the age of 13 months. Since then, he has been sleeping on pillows that are placed on the floor. I wish to find a solution to this problem. I do agree with Sherri...if your son is not climbing out of his crib, then it is not necessary to move him into a toddler bed just yet. Good luck!

Sherri - posted on 09/19/2010

So if he isn't crawling out yet don't switch him there is no reason too. My kids where in there cribs until they were 3.

Danielle - posted on 09/18/2010

I am in the same boat. My son is 22 months and we have a race car bed for him. I don't think that he would stay in there if he woke up in the middle of the night. I put him in it one night and he slept well in it. but half way through the night he wanted to get in his crib. I think that he will stay in his 'big boy bed' when he is ready too.

Chelsea - posted on 09/18/2010

i just switched my little girl who is 18 months into her toddler bed, she does get out of bed, if i put her to bed when she isnt ready, if she is tired she doesnt get out. When she does get out i leave her, she stands at the baby gate in herroom and cries for about 10 minutes then tired she crawls back up in bed and goes to sleep

Hannah - posted on 09/17/2010

You are NOT selfish.
To start with I put a baby gate at the doorway to my son's room. I only keep a couple of low stimulation toys and a handful of books in his room. So if he gets up and wanders around he isn't bored, but there is not a whole lot for him to do either. And the entire room is baby proofed. Sometimes I would go in an hour later and find him asleep on the floor, but most times he was in his bed.
Recently, at 2.5, he has figured out the baby gate, so now he gets to choose each night, door open or closed. I told him he has to stay in his room - it is now mommies "alone time". The first several nights I sat just around the corner, out of easy sight, and each time he stepped out of his room I immediatly turned him around and sent him back in. I didn't say anything. Yes he cried and screamed sometimes. yes there were tantrums, trying to teach a lesson at the end of the day is never fun. But now he knows. and he doesn't set foot outside that room.

Angela - posted on 09/17/2010

We were worried we'd have the same problem with our daughter and she actually did surprisingly well. Naptimes are difficult - she gets out of bed and plays with her stuffed animals/puts her shoes on/reads her books. We do keep her bedroom door closed so that she's not wandering at night (she'd just try to climb over a gate). She was 18 months old when we switched her over.

Deirdre O - posted on 09/17/2010

what ever is his favourite character get that in bed clothes and say look what i found and tell him this is his bed. make it out that its a big boys bed i no he is just 2 but the earlier you do it the better. if he gets out of bed have you got a stair gate if so put it across the door of his bedroom then when you go into him he hasnt left his bedroom and go into the bed with him and wait till he is asleep it will take a while to get him use to it but he will if you keep telling him he is a big boy. i hope it works for you good luck please let me know how you get on

Darline - posted on 09/14/2010

We put our litttle girl in a toddler bed at 15 mo. we also put a gate up in the hall where she could get to us, but not get all over the house and possiably get hurt.

Jessica - posted on 09/14/2010

I dont think that sounds selfish at all. I am with my daughter all day every day and she I love it. She too is my world but when she goes to bed thats MY TIME. Its the only time I get to myself and am able to get things done. My daughter went to her toddler bed right after her first birthday because she is a climber and we were afraid she was going to get hurt in her crib. She is also very very active and I was afraid she would get up all the time but she never really did. I'm sure I probably just got lucky with that. Now naptime is a whole different ballgame. She is constantly up trying to play and its a battle to get her to take a nap even though if she doesnt she is a nightmare later in the day. We have figured out that by taking all her toys out of her bedroom and just laying her back down everytime she gets up eventually got the point across. I'm not sure if this will help since your son is older but just thought I would share. YOU CAN DO IT!

Kelly - posted on 09/14/2010

I was terrified of this too. I finally had to give in when my son was about 2 1/2 because of the climbing thing. Funnily enough when I transferred him over we didn't have the trouble we thought we would. Yes he got out of his bed, but he never came out of his room. Instead we would always just find him asleep in his doorway. That was a night anyway. Day time naps were a different story and took a lot more persistence.

My sister-in-law left my nephew in his cot till he was about 3 1/2 because he just never tried climbing out. The benefit of that for her was that at that age he was able to take direction better and more often then not stayed and bed when he was told.

If there are no safety concerns then just do it when you're ready. There is no hard and fast rule that says they have to be out of the cot by a certain age, and as long as you apply common sense there is no need to feel pressured into doing it before you are ready!

Bonnie - posted on 09/14/2010

Erin, I know how you feel. Both my boys in general are usually in bed by around 8:30pm and then all I want to do is get a couple of things done and put my feet up as it's 'MY TIME". It is difficult to tell when they are truly ready to switch from a crib to a toddler bed. People always say one true sign is if they are climbing or trying to climb out of the crib. I never had that with either of my boys. I switched my first son to a toddler bed at around 20-21 months and my second son at around 18 months. It was just an instinct and they both seemed to take to it well. Yes, they are able to get out of bed very easily when in a toddler bed, which could cause some problems, but as Sharon said, he can't be in a crib forever so there is no time like the present to try. Just be sure to be consistent with it and get him use to it. If you have one bad night with him, try again and he will realise that this is how it is now.

Diane - posted on 09/14/2010

I know the feeling, I was not ready to switch beds with my oldest but in the end, it wasen't near as hard as I thought it would be. It took a couple of nights but we got. I put a baby gate up on her room when she fell asleep, that way I knew the only mess she could get into was in her own room.

Sharon - posted on 09/14/2010

Getting your son to sleep in his toddler bed is going to require consistency. Does he normally wake during the night? He can't be in the crib forever so you might as well give it a try. Talk to him and make him feel that he is a big boy for sleeping in his new bed. Although you want to baby him, let him know you think he's a big boy and give him praise for sleeping in his bed. It may take a little getting used to. My daughter did not care for the toddler bed, but moved into a twin when she was 3 and loved it. Good Luck