Toddler Beds

Kat - posted on 07/31/2010

I introduced my son to a toddler bed around 19 months. He's a tall boy, but never had any climbing issues in his crib...he did, however, put up a horrible fight when it came time to go to bed in his crib. Eventually, we figured that he didn't like his crib and was ready for a toddler bed. Bedtime fighting problem: solved. I don't think there's a specific time that's good specifically to make the transition. Personally, I think a year would have been a little too young for my son. But if you cushion the floor on the sides of the bed and make sure the guard rails secure him, then there's probably no problem in it. I think, at this point, it's up to you whether you want to (and/or can afford) to put him in a toddler bed.

Darla - posted on 07/31/2010

i have a 3 year old and we switched her over right after she started walking which was a week or 2 after she turned 1 years old.

Tracy - posted on 07/27/2010

my son was one when he got his toddler bed. I got a side bar thing so he couldn't fall out of it if he moved around when he slept. He liked it from the first time he used it.

Rie - posted on 07/27/2010

My daughter is 26 months right now. I want to keep her in a crib as long as I can. We have been living with my parents since she was born and have just within the last two months gotten our own "apartment" where she has her own room. Up until that point she had been sleeping in a Port-a-crib. She sleeps in many different places. I think that it depends on the personality and receptivity of the child. If they are mellow with changes introducing a toddler bed at an early age is great, but it they are not so receptive they are not going to respond to change very well. Hope that helps.

Katrina - posted on 07/23/2010

My daughter has climed out of her crib at 11 months old. I took her to her 12 month check up today and asked when would be a good time to transition her to a toddler bed. He said if she can climb out we need to get her out of the crib and into a toddler bed so she can't hurt herself. He said she will get out of her bed and fall asleep on the floor but eventually she will learn to sleep in the bed. Also make sure their room is completely baby proof so they can't hurt themselves. Good luck to you because I know I'm going to need it.

Brittany - posted on 07/23/2010

my daughter will be 22 months on the 28th of july...she hasn't even tried to climb out of her crib yet..she's very petitie too..so she still fits in it nicely. I plan on getting her a twin size bed with the rails for christmas...I see it being pointless buying a toddler bed when U will have to buy a twin afterward...so why pay all the money when u can just get the rails which are the same things? so yeah I am going to start my daughter 3 months after she turns two. I can't believe everyone who puts their one year old in toddler beds. I never would of thought doing it that early, but I GUESS it's your preference. whenever u think the little one is ready, and climbing out of the crib or trying to is a huge sign,....if theyare not, dont bother

Ashley - posted on 07/22/2010

my son is alittle over a year and a half and I just put him in a toddler bed about 3 days ago. Some people put their kids in toddler beds after their 1st birthday, It all just depends on the baby. Some are ready by then some arnt. You know your baby better than anyone if you think their ready then try it. Just put one of the rails on the side so they cant roll out.

Alisha - posted on 07/22/2010

It's all personal preference and frankly when you can afford a toddler bed. I switched the crib for a toddler bed when my daughter was 2, for us that was the perfect age. I think he would probably be ok after his first birthday but maybe 1 1/2 would be better.

Shayna - posted on 07/21/2010

I think i changed my daughters to a toddler bed at 15 months just make sure you have the side rail cause if your son is anything like my daughter they move all over the bed and can fall off (even with the rail but not near as much) its all about your own child you know him and his actions best so use your judgement

Ashley - posted on 07/21/2010

We moved both our children into beds at their first birthdays, they both climbed out of them. Although we did not use toddler beds, because we can't afford an extra bed. We got used stackable bunk beds, that will take them through school..hopefully. We started by leaving the mattress on the floor for a month or so, then moving to a bed with rails from the top bunk, and pillows on the floor just in case

Leanne - posted on 07/21/2010

i put my little boy in a toddler bed wen he was 13 months old, it was the best thing i ever did as he hated his cot and would not sleep. as soon as he went in his toddler bed though he started sleepin through properly and he loves it.

Jessi - posted on 07/20/2010

i switched my little guy at 10mos. started him off with just naps so i could monitor him then within about 1wk he was sleeping in it at night so i took his pack-n-play out. in my opinion though unless you have a convertible crib don't go buy a toddler bed b/c you're just wasting your money. my son went straight to a twin bed with bed rails.

Crystal - posted on 07/20/2010

I think the kid will show you when they're ready for a "big kid bed". My daughter stayed in her crib until she started getting too tall for it ... I think she was almost four. My niece, however, was climbing and falling out of her crib at about 18 months, so they switched her to a bed right away. It's more preference and safety, in my opinion, than a certain age that kids should be transitioned.

Sharmaine - posted on 07/20/2010

If your son is able to climb out with the mattress all the way at it's lowest point, it's safer to switch to a toddler bed or turn the crib around if the one rail is higher than the other. My 2.5yr old started climbing out early and we probably switched to the toddler bed at about 2yrs but it is still a challenge to keep her in there for naps and at bedtime. That's something to think about because if they are in a toddler bed, they will be able to get out of bed whenever they please - especially when they don't want to go to sleep and it's nap or bedtime.

LaToya - posted on 07/20/2010

The sleeping on the floor thing is normal I guess because they have the freedom to get in and out of bed as they please. My daughter is only 14 months so she is too short to reach the door handle to open her door so I just pull it shut and use a baby monitor and check on her from time to time to make sure she's in her bed and not laying on the floor.

Brandee - posted on 07/20/2010

I converted my sons crib to a toddler bed at 20 months because he was climbing out of it.. I wish he had slept in his crib for longer.. It just makes me uneasy for him to have the extra freedom before he is really old enough to understand that he should wake up mommy when he gets up.

Amy - posted on 07/20/2010

O and we ended up just putting a baby gate right outside of his bedroom door so he couldn't get out and get into something before we could get to him. We already have the plastic things on all the door knobs but he can get those off and knows how to lock and unlock doors.

Amy - posted on 07/20/2010

you can put him in whatever type of bed you want sweety, I waited till my son was 2 only because he wasn't trying to climb out at all. I wanted to wait till he tried to cimb out but we were trying to get prego(and still are) and didn't want him to freak out thinking the new baby was taking his bed SO we made his crib into a toddler bed and will soon move him into a twin size bed. He's picked out his big boy room theme(Disneys CARS) and is very excited about his big boy bed. The first night we put him in his new(ish) bed he was just fine, didn't get up at all....we really haven't had any problems with it.
It realy just boils down to, do you REALLY want him to be able to get out of the bed at any time? Is he trying to get out?
I would say if he's trying to climb out then YES put him in a toddler bed because I have a friend who her son climbed out and broke both his arms when he fell.

Sharee - posted on 07/19/2010

You can also handle the escaping their room problem by putting a childproof door knob cover on the inside of his room door. (I've heard the argument that it's a fire hazard to lock them in their room, but i'd rather know exactly where my child is in a fire situation!) It worked great and he never got out of his room until we moved him to his big boy room when his little brother was born & he just comes and crawls into bed with us! =)

Sharee - posted on 07/19/2010

From my experience moving my son to a toddler bed at 20 months, I would recommend waiting until at least 2 yrs old, which is what I will be doing with my second son. He wouldn't go to sleep forever and lay at the door kicking until he fell asleep there. Not the way we wanted that to go!

Allison - posted on 07/19/2010

I wish any one had told me back then that the sleep on the floor thing was normal! my mother and my friends made me feel like i was a bad mom because when i upgraded my son to a toddler bed he wouldnt sleep in it

Allison - posted on 07/19/2010

Well my little one who is now 5 originally was put in a Toddler bed at a year and a half after 2 terrifying instances of him falling out of his crib, but he didn't sleep. So we went back to the crib for another 6 or 7 months i know mainly from pictures that he was fully out of the crib by the time he was 2 and a half

Agnes - posted on 07/18/2010

My little girl didnt sleep in a toddler bed until she was 2 yrs old but you can choose when its best for you little one some people do at 3 or 4 okay

Kristy - posted on 07/18/2010

With my son, he was walking at 10 months, A few weeks after his 1st birthday we got him a toddler bed from Target & its nice & low to the ground & has side rails. He never fallen out of the bed & loved being in his big boy bed. Almost a year ago we brought him a king single bed, he was 3 when we got it for him, he is almost 4 now & he loves his big bed & all the space he gets.

Sherry - posted on 07/17/2010

We moved my DD to a toddler bed at about a year old, or rather we converted the crib. I would not waste money on a separate toddler bed. About 2 years old we upgraded her to a twin bed with a safety rail, so we will have the crib available for DS when he stops sleeping in our room. I didn't want her to think we were stealing her bed. She hasn't had any big problems with either move. I rather liked converting her crib at a year. She stayed in it just fine. Over the first couple of weeks she got out of it maybe three times. She, like most toddlers went through a sleep on the floor phase about 18 months. We would always move her back into her bed when we went to bed later and she would sleep there the rest of the night. She has done really well with the twin bed too. Although like most two year old she is hard at work with her bedtime delaying tactics.

Rachael - posted on 07/17/2010

It is really up to you and the baby. We put our LO in the toddler bed right after her birthday. I know that everyone told us that they are ready when they start climbing out of the crib. Our daughter has always slept through the night too, so I was worried about that, but we have stairs so I didn't want her to go to the stairs. However, we just put a gate in the hallway so she couldn't get to the stairs. If you take all the necessary precautions for your house and situation, I think it is just fine for you to change it over.
Also, it may take a night or two and/or even a nap or two before he gets use to sleeping in it. When we changed our daughter's, she cried the first time we put her in it, and then got out came to the door, kept crying, but then went and got back in it and went to sleep. It only take that naptime, and from then on, she was fine going to sleep in it. Yes she can get out, but like I said, we have the gate up, and her room is right next to ours. I hope this helps.

Theresa - posted on 07/17/2010

We put our daughter into a normal size single bed when we moved house. She was 14 months old and she didn't make a big fuss about it. She helped us (as much as a toddler can) put it together and we had no dramas at all. Some people say put the bed in your childs room and start with day sleeps on it so they can get used to it.

Danni - posted on 07/16/2010

my daughter who is now 3yrs hated the cot from the getgo... i bought her a queen bed when she was nearly 1 put it against the wall with one of the bed guards. i couldnt see the point of getting a toddler bed, single bed then a double/king or queen bed. she has slept beautifully ever since!

LaToya - posted on 07/16/2010

I've always been told 18 months but my daughter is 14 months and I moved her up to a toddler bed about 3 weeks ago. Mainly because baby #2 is coming and I needed her crib but it was actually a good move. She loves her new bed. She climbs out of it and falls asleep on the floor but she sleeps better in the toddler bed than the crib. It is totally up to you to decide when to move your son up. If he is sleeping through the night and can move around well, he may possibly be ready. Try him in a toddler bed but keep his crib just in case he doesn't take to it. Beware, though, because as soon as my daughter figured out she could get out of the bed, she started climbing out of the bed and turning on her TV so she can watch Nick Jr ;-)

Erica - posted on 07/16/2010

Wow! I thought I moved my son early! He was 17 months. He just turned 3, and I can't even IMAGINE him in a crib! That's nuts (just my opinion)!

As long as your house/ his room is safe for him to possibly get up in the middle of the night, I don't see any reason why you CAN'T switch him. I held out till 17 months b/c I didn't want him wandering in at 2 am, but finally had to do it. We started at nap time (had both set up in his room), then gradually moved to bed time. But beware-- if your child is a big roller (my son always tossed and turned a lot) a toddler bed may be a waste of money. He fell out of it so often (not a far fall, but not a fun way to wake up either) that we got him a twin bed around his 2nd birthday (a race car bed-- which, on top of being cool, has just enough rise around the mattress that we had no need for side rails!). Fortunately we were handed down the toddler bed-- not something I'd spend money on, knowing what little use we got out of it.

Sam - posted on 07/16/2010

there is no need for a toddler bed there just a waste of money.. u can keep them in a cot like melanie said . and then go to a standard single bed and use a safety rail and have it against a wall.

Lisa - posted on 07/15/2010

i say when they try to get out of the crib on they're own. that's when it's time. my son was in a toddler bed at 1yr, but he climbed out of his crib once and that's all it took for me, my daughter is 2 yrs and 2 months and she loves her crib, i put the mattress on the lowest level it will go, she doesn't try to get out and she sleeps all night, so for now she'll stay in it.

Dorsha - posted on 07/15/2010

As for transitioning.. The first night was utter hell... for us at least.. night two.. not that bad, night three and on.. he's been fine..

Dorsha - posted on 07/15/2010

My son was in a toddler bed at like 11 months old.. Your child is concidered a Toddler at age one.. so toddler.. toddler bed.. to me, it just makes sense..

Morgan - posted on 07/15/2010

I was late switching my daughter over to a bed. It seems like though that most of my friends put their kids in beds when they were 18 months or so. My daughter sleeps much better in a bed than in a crib. You should talk to his pediatrician and then do what you feel is best for your son and his development.

Trista - posted on 07/15/2010

I actually didnt move my son into a toddler bed until a couple days before his 3rd birthday. Things in his short little life have been crazy, from his dad leaving, to moving out of my moms house, to a new place, getting married, moving time and time, so I didnt in any way want to rush things. Things had finally slowed down and we were settled so thats when I decided to convert his crib to the toddler bed. But when you do move them, make sure they have the bars so they can climb in and out, but when they roll they cant fall. And make sure there isnt anything around he can get hurt on/hurt himself with.

Mary - posted on 07/15/2010

Might be a bit early... I used a crib tent from the time my daughter was 1 1/2 until she was 3. Its a 'tent' that you place inside the crib. You place the mattress inside and then the top is like the top of a tent and zips close to keep the child inside safely. Its see through, breathable, and keeps insects out.
When she was 3 she figured out how to unzip the Crib Tent ($75 at babies r us) so we moved her to a toddler bed. Now she is 4 and is in a twin bed.

Alisha - posted on 07/14/2010

I put my daughter in a toddler bed when she was 2. She never climbed out of her crib because I put the mattress down as far as it goes. A great thing I taught her right away with the 'big girl bed' is that she needed to ask if she could get out of bed. She still asks me every time and she's 4 1/2! People wonder how I did that and I really have no idea, but she wouldn't get out w/out me there to tell her she could get out because she was used to the crib where I needed to help her.

Brandy - posted on 07/14/2010

i introduced the toddler bed to my daughter when she was 1 1/2 so really it is up to you if you feel comfortable with him being in a toddler bed.

Lindsey - posted on 07/14/2010

My son will be 2 in October.. He's still in his crib. We're going to get him a toddler bed for this birthday.

Aimee - posted on 07/14/2010

If he is sleeping through the night i would do it. maybe test it out for a couple days and see how he does before getting rid of the crib completely. my daughter didnt have a toddler bed until 1.5 but once i did it she did great, and she loved it. she felt like such a big girl and really enjoyed picking out her new bedding. I had also started potty training around the same time. all children are different. i would just try it out and see how he does. he would be safe with the railings on it also. she was also trying to climb out of her crib and that worried me, so i felt better with her in a toddle bed.

Vanessa - posted on 07/14/2010

i put my son in his racecar bed at 12.5 mths old nad he did great and he didnt even need rails.

Sarah - posted on 07/13/2010

My son was about a 1 1/2 years old when we put him in one and he liked it and it was fine. He likes to sleep in. But when we got one for our daughter she didn't like it so much at the same age because someone gave us one. I would have waited longer for her but her father inisted that she sleep in the toddler bed. She always came out of her room. It just depends on your child. But it seems like he's ready. Good LUck!

Mary - posted on 07/13/2010

My son was in his toddler bed at 11 months....he done well and at 13 months i put him in a regular twin bed, and he done well with that...I did put something soft and kinda cushioned on the floor incase he rolled out of bed in the night which he did a few times, but he done well...a lot depends on the child, and the parents comfort zone...

Rachael - posted on 07/13/2010

My guy is 13 months old, and walks and sleeps through the night and gets off the couch no problem like yours, but he (like both of his parents, lol) moves way too much in his sleep for me to be comfortable transitioning him just yet, especially since he's still so small, and I just don't want him falling. He started trying to climb out of his crib around 7 or 8 months old, so he has a crib tent over his crib. We're thinking we'll try to transition to the toddler bed when he seems a little less off the walls. I think that each child is different, and if you think he's ready, then he probably is.

Christie - posted on 07/13/2010

We put our daughter into a single bed just after her 2nd birthday and skipped toddler beds altogether. She has a guard rail, but has shown no signs of even being close to falling out. The reason we put her in a bed is she was trashing her cot every sleep, taking off all the bedding, throwing it out and trying to pull up the mattress- we got the hint ;) She slept in the bed perfectly right away and never looked like getting out when she wasn't supposed to. At two years old we were able to gear her up for the change and get her excited and involved in the decision which I think helped :)

Nicole - posted on 07/13/2010

My son's crib was transformed to a toddler bed once he was able to walk, which was 9 months of age. He liked to fall out of bed so we put a large pillow for him to fall on. He loved it. He's 15 months now and he sleeps just fine by himself.

Tina - posted on 07/12/2010

My daughter was 2 when she started sleeping in a toddler bed. We got it for her for her birthday because she started climbing out of her crib. It was a hard transition at first because she kept getting out of it but she eventually learned that she needed to stay in it and sleep. She used it for about a year and now she is choosing to sleep on the floor. I'm not sure why but we are getting her a twin bed soon to see if this will help. For right now, I'm going with whatever makes her happy, as long as she is safe. HTH!

Samantha - posted on 07/12/2010

my daughter is going on 15 months and sleeps in her own baby bed through the night.. but i worry about her fallin out of a toddler bed... any advice...

Dina - posted on 07/12/2010

Both my boys started sleeping in twin beds by the age of 2 threw the night. I started introducing them to their beds at nap time where I could keep an eye on them. Then I had them help me take apart their crib and make their new beds because they were "big boys" now.