Toddler Bed!

They say not to move them to a bed until they are either 1) climbing out of their crib or 2) asking for a big kid bed. My 3 year old is still in his crib!

I would tell you to do it when you feel she's ready..every kid is different. We switched our little girl about a month before her second birthday. We also moved to a new house at this time and figured we'd get all of the changes over and done with at once. It was tough at first with her getting up and coming to find us at will. However, after some tough love (shutting her door and letting her cry it out a little longer each time) she got used to it. If she continued to get out of bed I'd tell her that I would need to shut the door... she didn't want this to happen and stayed in bed. For about the past six months *she's just over two and a half) she's been sleeping without a problem. We put her to bed, read her two stories, kiss her good night and off we go. Like everything else with parenting it took time and it wasn't always easy but I now look forward to her 7:30 bedtime knowing that it can be a real bonding time.

My son HATED his crib (he must've been in jail in another life:) and he was out of it at about 14 or 16 months - so we got him a toddler bed that had the railings built in and he was the happiest little man! The toddler beds will fit the crib bed and they are very low to the ground. It worked great for us, just be sure to check on him at night and as a safety tip, put pillows on the floor - just incase... (my little guy was a wiggly sleeper and I would find him half hanging out of the bed - so pillows were my safety net - so to speak. Good Luck!

H.,

We have just been through a week and half of total %*(&$**(! My daughter is 19 months old and is able to climb out of her crib in about 5 seconds flat- no bumper, mattress on the lowest setting.) I was totally nervous that it would happen at 2 AM when she was groggy and looking for us, so that made the "crying it out" strategy no longer an option. My husband said we should just put her mattress on the floor, but NOOOOOO- I insisted that she needed her own space, so I bought one off a craig's list for $65 (my advice to NOT spend a lot of money if you go the toddler bed route) She wanted nothing to do with it and ended up spending a few night on a papizan pillow on her bedroom floor. However, being a restless sleeper she would work her way around the room and then wake herself up when she bumped into things... To make a really long week short, she is back in her crib and we are dealing with it very carefully- she is sleeping SOOO much better, although now has a really bad cold, I'm sure in part because she hasn't been sleeping so her little immune system is way down! We even tried the crib tent, but I just wasn't able to do it to her... she freaked out inside and kept saying mommy, mommy, all done, all done. My heart was breaking- it does seem a bit claustrophobic. I guess if she has a fear of elevators, we can save the therapy money and I can tell her the reason! BUT that being said some kids LOVE the tent- they have their own little space and it feels safe for them. I wish I had used it sooner- but how could you know!

I suppose the lesson to be learned from this "vent" is to HOLD off as long as you can- the younger they are, the more worms will come out of the can!!!!

And of course- Every kid is different!

Happy Holidays,
K.

We bought my daughter a single bed (don't waste your money on a toddler bed). She picked out the sheets and we put it up in her room next to her crib. We left the side down on the crib because she was beginning to climb out at this point and it's a little safer w/ pillows on the floor too. We read on it, played on it, etc. She tried napping on it first with no real major problems but the night sleeping took longer. I kept her crib up for awhile and gave her a choice each night. She was allowed one change of mind too. It took awhile but finally she started using it consistently and after a month or two of that, she helped me take down her crib and we moved a train table into her room. I wouldn't rush it unless you've got a new baby coming and need the crib. Invest in a bed rail and push the bed against a wall.

It totally depends on your little one- I have two and the first was in a regular bed at 15 months and my second was in one at 9 (yes 9) months. They both *HATED* the crib from day one so if they had been happily sleeping in a crib I don't think they would have gotten their own beds so early. The transition that was made w/both was from our bed to their own bed. They both did wonderfully and neither got out of their bed during the night, even my 9 month old. We used a full size bed without the frame so it sat low to the ground and put body pillows along the edges in case they rolled off (which for some reason they never did). My 9 month old was crazy strong so we were not worried about the pillows and sids, though we still kept pillows off the actual bed. Their rooms were 100% childproof with a pressure mounted baby gate in the doorway and a monitor that was placed out of reach. I was almost a little sad when my youngest slept better/longer by herself than with me :) Good luck!

I would keep your little one in the crib until he or she is crawling out of it. We moved our daughter to a bed when she was 26 months because we were having another baby and wanted the crib for him.

Honestly, I wish that we had just bought another crib! She was so happy in her crib and once we moved her she had some anxiety and then of course there was the getting out of bed episodes to contend with.

As my grandfather used to tell me "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

My son is 28 months, and i wish i would have left him in his crib. He would have gotten to sleep earlier and on schedule. His schedule is all over the place, basically he gets up when he wants and sleeps when he wants. In his crib, he had no choice, i would put him in and walk out, eventually he would fall asleep, now its caios. Good Luck,
A.!

I switched my oldest at 2 and 2 months. I was pregnant with my second at the time and didn't want her to get upset if the baby was sleeping in her bed. The transition was fine. Plus she was crawling out of her crib at age 2.

Good Luck!

it might not be too early-i bought one for my son the day after he climbed out of his crib in the middle of the night-he was 2. if your baby is climbing out of the crib-or close to it, it might be time. try and take your cue from your baby-and make sure his/her room is set up so if they do get out of bed in the middle of the night-they can't hurt themselves.

My oldest was 14 months. She was so cute and I thought it was really fun to have her on her mattress on the floor. She did so good for about..... a month! Then she started screaming and banging her head on the wall becuase she didn't want to go to sleep. Before this she was the easiest baby to put to bed. Yikes. It went from heaven to hell in one months time. And by that point there was no going back in the crib for her.

Our second was 22 months when she climbed out for the first time. She was 22 months and 1 day when we bought the crib tent. And I agree with Kristen, I wish I had gotten her used to it sooner, she cried and it broke my heart but we stuck it out the first night. She cried less the second night, and by the third night she wouldn't say goodnight until it was zipped up all the way. The one we have is mesh all over so she can see everything. She is now almost 2 1/2 and we will definitely be using this for at least 5 more months. We'll see how the move goes but I'd like to keep her in it for a while.

H.

The time to introduce your child to a toddler bed is when they start scaleing the crib. They all do it and once they learn they can, it becomes a game to them. Believe it or not when they are about 1 1/2 to 2 they are very good climbers and stronger than you think. I have three (2 boys and 1 girl) many times I have awoke from a dead sleep with the feeling someone was stareing at me...come to find two little eyes next to the my bed. by that age, make it exciting for him that he is going to get his own "big boy" bed.

My advice is to leave your child in the crib as long as possible. I know some whose 3 1/2 year olds are still in the crib. As long as your little one isn't climbing out and endangering themself, don't mess with something that is working. Many kids don't transition well and they realize they now have the freedom and power to get out of bed whenever they want. Plus they feel snug and secure in the crib. I had to tranisition mine at 2 because he was climbing out but if not, don't be in a rush to do the big boy/girl bed.

P.

I never bothered w a toddler bed. My friend told me a story about his nephew, who's friend came over and saw his bed. He was teased about it, and then refused to sleep in it. What I did was just go straight to a mattress and box spring and put it on the floor in the corner. That way it's not too far off the floor.

Hi H.,

I switched my son to a toddler bed just before he turned 2. He refused to sleep in his crib anymore, so it seemed to be what needed to be done. Although, I have friends with kids older than mine who still sleep in their cribs. I think it's been a good thing, though he hasn't slept through the night on a regular basis since. I think he's just going through developmental stuff. And as you know, each baby requires different things. So, I think you just have to read your babies ques and you'll know when it's time. And F.Y.I., Ikea has some wonderful toddler beds for very affordable prices!

Good luck,
M.

Our older daughter got switched when she was 22 months. Our little one was considerably earlier because she started climbing out of her crib. That is a thud you just don't want to hear in the middle of the night! I think you can let your child take the lead on this issue. You may want to consider though, once you do make the switch, keeping the crib up for a couple of weeks, just to have something to fall back on in the middle of the night.

we switched our daughter at about 22 mos. BEFORE she could climb or fall out of her crib. Good luck!