Crib to Toddler Bed

Hey D.,
I'm in the same boat as you. My son is almost 2, and he's doing great--napping and sleeping great at night! I don't think I'll move him until I absolutely have to. He's a mover and a shaker, and I feel more comfortable knowing that he's in his crib. I don't think that there's any hurry--my mom said she kept my brothers and I in our cribs until we were 3!!

I was so excited to see my first child get big enough for a twin bed that I think I moved him by age 2 (and at 4 1/2 he still runs to us more than I'd like in the middle of the night). Now my 2nd child is 21 months, and I'm gonna keep her in that cage as long as possible ;) She is a much better sleeper than he ever was and I don't have to stay in her room until she's asleep (like I do with my first). Do what works for you, but maybe just make sure there are no sharp corners or toys around the crib for him to fall on in case he does get more active when you're not there...

I just wanted to say that I know how you feel. My daughter was a little over 3 when we moved her to her new "big girl" bed. I would always get pressure from other people though because they'd moved their kids before the age of 2 or around 2 and couldn't understand why we hadn't moved my daughter yet. We decided to wait until she seemed ready. For us "ready" meant she seemed to be getting too big for the crib, and it also worked out that I was a few months pregnant and we wanted to get her out of the crib several months before the baby came so she wouldn't feel like she was being pushed out. I actually disagree with the people who say that once your child climbs out of the crib they're ready for a big bed...this can happen before the child is even 2 and I don't think that they're really ready to handle that change as well at that age. My advice comes from Supernanny who I highly respect. She says at 3 a child can be involved in the process more and help pick out the bed and actually understand what is going on. Just because they've learned to climb out doesn't mean they're ready for a big bed. So anyway, I say do it when you and your child are both ready...and my advice is to skip the toddler bed as well...we did...we have our daughter's twin bed up against the wall with a safety rail on each side (they say to do that even if it's against the wall because they could fall between the bed and the wall and get stuck)...they can't be in it all that long and with the safety rails on the twin bed it's perfectly safe. Don't let other people pressure you; if your son is perfectly happy and still fits in the crib then don't rush him to move. Good luck!

I think the basic rule of thumb is that if your child can get out on their own, they need to be out of the crib. It only takes one time for your child to get hurt, I think that is a chance I wouldn't want to take.

D.,

I just converted my crib to a toddler bed about three weeks ago, and my son just turned 2 on April 11. He was climbing out all the time and I was afraid he was going to hurt himself. If your son isn't a climber, I'd keep him in the crib as long as I could. There may be some transition time for him to get used to the toddler bed. They feel free all of a sudden and therefore, get in and out of bed occasionally. My son is a good sleeper, I just lay him down and kiss him goodnight, and he usually goes right to sleep.

S.

What I have been told is that as soon as the child know how to climb out of the crib it is time to change to a bed. As the other mom said it only takes once to get really hurt (even if you think your child only does it when you are in the room). I found out the hard way that my daughter could climb out of the bed and she ended up with a huge bump and scrap on the top of her forehead, over the nose down to her chin. Thankfully no stiches were needed but scared the carp out of me.

I think we changed her to a bed shortly after her 2nd birthday. If your child was not climbing out I would say it is fine to wait no rush if everyone is happy but with crawling out I would lean towards switching to a toddler/big kid bed very soon.

My daughter moves all over the bed so we have it against the wall and a bed rail which seems to help keep her from falling out. So if that is a worry you can always make it work to help your child feel secure and safe.