Toddler Bed?? - Green Bay,WI

You could use a crib tent. My daughter started climbing out at 11 months so we attached a crib tent and zipped her in at night.

He is not too young. I would say he is just the right age. My daughter was 16 months when we moved her to a twin bed and my son was 2 years old when we moved him to his twin bed. He would have been sooner but we knew we were about to move and so we just waited till then. I would skip the toddler bed too. Save the money and just go straight to a twin size that way you don't have to keep buying new beds.

He may not try it again. Do not rush to put him in a bed. He may try and
get further but get scared. Take it one climb at a time.

I put another separate crib mattress I had under my baby's bed when I was worried.
I would not rush it.
I made sure everything in his room was safe.
If ou put him in a toddler bed right now, there is nothing that will actually
keep him in there.
A battle I would not be ready to fight.

Many cribs have a transition - I would see if your crib comes with a rail where you can take off the "drop side" - if you are worried your child will have free reign of the house baby gate the bedroom door.

We transitioned all our boys into toddler beds around 21 months. The first two were because we had another baby on the way and needed the crib, but we just put our youngest into the toddler bed at the same age since the olders ones did pretty well. We are also moving soon and we didn't want to change everything at once, so we changed the bed now. We actually keep the bedroom door shut and keep a video monitor (mounted near the window so we can see some of the room, and hear what's going on). We made sure the closet door locked and of course, everything else in his room is safe. I do think it is harder to switch the older they get, my kids usually had one or two rough nights, but overall did really well with the switch.

My son did climb out at 15 months. We lowered the mattress all the way to the floor. He didn't do it again until he was 21 months. Try lowering it! Worked for us. Believe me, you want to keep him in there as long as you possibly can.

He may not try again or you could tell him not to do it firmly and see if he listens. I would keep him in the crib as long as you can.

My kids were climbing out younger than out. I would babyproof that room like crazy and put the mattress on the floor. The only other option to prevent climbing is to use those crib tents... or tie his feet together, ha!!!

Our pediatrician recommended transitioning our son at 18 months because there is no telling when he'll try to climb out and the first time might result in a fall. We moved our son at 20 months and it wasn't really that bad. We went straight to a twin bed with a rail. He got to pick out new big boy sheets and was very excited about it. The first night or two required a little more time with him at bedtime because he was scared being in a big bed all by himself and then after he got more comfortable we had 2 nights were he got up in the middle of the night and tried to come into our bed. The first night I took him back twice and the second night once and he learned that getting out of bed doesn't get him anywhere. That was the last time we had a problem. How difficult the transition will be for you probably depends a lot on the personality of your child and how good of a sleeper you have. Although, I really thought our son would be much more difficult to transition.

If he comes walking out of the room and you take him back and put him in bed and sternly tell him NO, he might not do it again for a while. Also, stand at the doorway with the door opened slightly and watch. As soon as he starts to get his leg up, open the door and tell him NO. and lay him back down and walk out. He wont keep trying if you keep at it for a few nights. I sure wouldnt want a child that young loose in the house at night. It wont be long and he will be in a big boy bed. (o:

I had to transition my daughter to a mattress on the floor at 16 months because one day she just decided she HATED the crib. My son is the same age now, and I know that pretty soon he will start trying to figure out how to climb out. Once they start, there really is no stopping them, I would transition him before he falls.

Toddler beds are for toddlers. That is ages 12 months up to 24 months. If the child is smaller they can use the bed a bit longer but truthfully, they are too big for them very quickly.

I think that the kids do much better the younger they are moved. It's just a bed, a place to sleep, not a doorway to freedom. Lots of people wait until the kids are too old, they would be running around and going nuts at bedtime whether they were in a toddler bed, baby bed, or a regular size one.

I say get him moved sooner rather than later. All mine were moved by 18 months and non of them wandered at night. I had a gate up in the doorway though.

Make sure the bathroom doors are secured at all times though, don't want them drowning in the toilet.

You may be surprised at him handling a big boy bed....we moved my son at 20 months and he spent about a week getting out at nap time but that was it!

I agree with Candice. I don't think 20 months is too young. Just make sure there isn't anything he can swallow or whatever. We put up a baby gate so ours couldn't roam the whole house freely...but we could still hear what he was up to with the door cracked open.

Ha, our daughter could get out of her crib so fast right before she was a year old.. Scared us to death. I just knew she would get hung up and break her neck. She was like a monkey.

She did drop to the floor twice and that is when we put the mattress on the floor until we could purchase a bed. We placed it in the corner of the room.

You may be able to turn his crib into a toddler bed by taking off the front rail and lowering it all the way to the bottom.

Purchase a gate for his doorway. Some people actually stack 2 so that it is also too tall to climb over.

IF you are going to purchase a bed.. go ahead and purchase a twin, dbl, or queen mattress (what ever he is going to end up in..)and place it in the corner of the room until you purchase the actual bed. .. Toddler beds are a really a waste of money,. They use them for such a short time. You can purchase a bed guard if you are worried about him rolling onto the floor, but when the mattress starts off on the floor, there is not far to fall.

Your little boy is not a baby anymore! He is now a little boy! Very exciting!

Each parent has different ideas, do what is best for you and your situation. I have four kids and they were all out of their cribs and in beds before 20 months. With two I used a toddler bed, with the other two I just put the full size mattress on the floor. We put the baby gates in their doorways until they were a bit older so they wouldn't get out and wander/fall down the stairs. The only downside to taking them out of their cribs early (for me) was that they woke up earlier in the morning (wouldn't go back to sleep for that last hour or two because they could be up wandering around their bedroom at the first sign of morning). Good luck with your decision.

If you're deciding between a toddler bed and a twin bed, think about your child's size. Mine was able to stay in a toddler bed until five, gave him more room to play and store toys in his room and then he went straight to a loft bed.

I would by a twin bed and two bed rails. My kids were both younger than yours and they both did fine. Everyone worries so much about too much freedom but if you wait too long I think it makes it worse.

It might just be time. My oldest was in his crib until almost 3, but my youngest jumped/fell/climbed out (however he did it he landed with a thud) at 18 months and we were forced to move him out of the crib. It was sad, but required for his safety. We started with just a mattress on the floor and then ultimately transitioned to a toddler bed. We had one from our older son so it was convenient, but you don't need to buy a toddler bed. You can use a mattress on the floor or a regular twin bed with rails. It was a difficult transition, but we had to do it. Good luck.