My son is 34 months old, about 36 inches tall, and has never attempted to climb out of his crib. As he approaches his 3rd birthday, I'm wondering if I should transition him to a toddler bed or leave well enough alone as long as he doesn't complain, still fits comfortably, or tries to get out of his crib. On the one hand, I'm looking forward to this step toward independence, on the other, I don't like the idea of him getting up and roaming around the house at night. He is mostly potty trained during the day and sleeps in pull-ups at night. He hasn't started to wake up at night consistently to use the potty, and even if he did, I want to be there to help him so he doens't fall into the toilet (using a step and in the dark). Thanks in advance for any thoughts that may help in my decision!
Thanks for all your input, mamas! Hubby and I decided to convert our son's crib to a toddler bed this week and put a child-proof gadget on his bedroom door handle so he is not able to leave his room at night. He has always been on the smaller side, so I"m sure he will be comfortable in the toddler bed for at least a year maybe more.
It was the "roaming around" part that freaked me as well. We used a gate at his door. Luckily, he's never been much of a climber. :)
When we switched when he was about 3 and he was already climbing out on his own. We put a kid lock on this door so he couldn’t get out without us. Good luck!
It's getting about time. My daughter was in a crib until about 3 and she was big - 95th percentil always. It won't be long. My husband and BIL built a half door for the nursery room with the lock on the outside, that way they couldn't get out of their rooms at night anyway. Our rooms are upstairs and that door wasn't left unlocked until after 5 yrs old or so.
Yes a toddler bed at that age is good. I used a gate for quite a while at his door and added locks up high on the doors to the outside that have hooks on the lock that he cant reach, but quick enough to unlock if needed to.I think at that age that it is time to be done with the crib....
My little guy is 36 inches tall, I can't imagine him in a crib anymore, I would be terrified of him falling out when he stood, being so tall. He just turned 3, but was flipping out of the crib and potty trained, day and night, by 27 months, so he went to a bed then. (BTW, I was content to diaper him at night and naps, HE'S the one who chose to get up at night to go potty, so I put a potty in his room to make it easy for him to do, he has never woken me up, he's Mr. Independent.) Put up a gate, or the half door another mama suggested, or a lock on the outside of his door to prevent roaming.
My thoughts are to keep him in his crib as long as possible. I have a son that is your sons age too. I also have a 4yo son. We didn't convert his crib into a bed until after he turned 4. We have a 2 story house & I didn't want him to accidentally fall down the stairs....we have a gate, but it broke.
My 2yo is very happy in his crib. We don't plan on moving him to a bed anytime soon.
Also, as they get older, they understand better why they aren't allowed to get out of their bed until you go in there to get them. My 4yo is really good about staying in bed until we get him or tell him he can get up.
My little guy was in the toddler bed version of his crib at 24 months because at 2 in the morning he looked like a little gymnast flipping over the side of his crib (scared me to death!!! ). What I did was take of the drop down side of the crib and put the toddler bed attachment (it looked like a 1" by 6 or 8" piece of wood the length of the crib) in it's place, then I put a toddler rail on it. He's going to be 4 in a couple of weeks and still sleeps in it. Good luck!
He is too old for a toddler bed for the future at all. They are for toddlers not preschoolers. Toddlers are 12-24 months old by most definitions.
I would already have this child in a regular bed, probably a full so that when he gets bigger he would be comfortable.
I had all my grandkids in toddler beds by 18 months and none of them wandered. They knew bed was for sleeping. They just never got the idea it was instant freedom.
If you are worried about the wandering make sure to close all bathroom doors and any doors that lead to the outside then put up gates to secure him to one area. That way if he does get up he can only go certain places.
My son loved his crib and slept great in it and was in his crib until about 3 years old. Then one day he asked to be in a regular bed, so we did. And he had no trouble transitioning.
Each child is different.
And there will be, getting used to it for the child.
Per night time dryness & toileting: this is a physiological development of their organs/brain/myelin nerve sheath development. Not per age. It is the development of the organs. Night time dryness, does not occur even until 7 years old, and is normal. It is entirely different, than daytime pottying.
Until the body's organs develops, then night time diapers are used. AND get a waterproof bed pad to put under him. Because then the sheets will not get soiled if a diaper leaks.
