When Did You Put Your Child in a Toddler Bed?

At this stage I'd just get a toddler bed and an attachable "protector" (the thing that you connect to the bed to keep them from falling out)...all three of my boys did just fine with that. But if it still makes you uncomfortable, try just a mattress on the floor for awhile.

I have a 2 1/2 year old and he is is still in a crib, but when we go places we still use the pack -n- play. We just take out the top bassinet part and put the mattress pad on the bottom and let him sleep that way. That might be a good option, if you haven't already tried it.

T. M.

My boys both climbed out of their beds by 16-18 months of age. We put the crib matress on the floor and then a twim matress on the floor for them to sleep in so they wouldn't fall out of bed. I know many kids who stay in thier cribs until 3, it depends on the kid and the family. Do whatever seems easiest for you. One word of caution, they don't stay in their bed if it is not a crib because they can get up and wanderso it takes a bit longer to get them to bed! Once they learn to climb over the top of the crib they don't stay in that either though.

my son was 2 when i first got him into his own bed. problem was he syill had to sleep in my room with me... so i had to beds i one little room. but the move from my room to his was fun. we played " moving day" and i got some boxes, together we packed up his stuff and moved it together to his new room. i then bought him posters and pics to put on his wall and we bought him new sheets and a comforter and he's been in his own room since then. he's 5 now!

I moved my boys into toddler beds at just over 2 years old. Maybe consider buying a used crib that converts to a toddler bed then you can still keep them in the crib as long as needed and dont have to invest in a toddler bed. The only reason they moved into a toddler bed this early because they werent trying to get out of their cribs but one was an older on that was getting bad and we had a toddler bed given to us so for awhile they stayed in the toddler bed adn crib then converted the crib because the other one wanted to sleep in a big biy bed becasue brother was. If we wouldnt have had the toddler bed then we probably would have went right to a twin or full bed for them.

I agree with the others. Let the baby finish sleeping in the bottome portion of the PnP. We're putting our son into a toddler bed tonight at almost 18 months. I don't remember when our older son made the transition. I think it was at about the same age.

P.,
With our last child, now 3 1/2, we didn't make the choice to move her - she made it. We caught her climbing out of her crib at 12 months, so we knew we had to make the move. We had a toddler bed so we just replaced the crib with the bed. At first we had to work with her to get her to stay in bed. Sometimes we would put her in bed after she was asleep, if she got up we just put her back in until she stayed there, Super Nanny style. Sometimes we would put her in bed and she would try to come back out to the living room, but again just putting her back each time worked. Eventually she understood that when it was bed time she had to stay in her bed. It takes time but you can do it!
Rebecca, work at home mom of 3

One more response. I would of course put your child inthe bottom part of the pack and play for awhile BUT. Do not do a toddler bed. They are a waste of money. They are only in the bed less than a year and then you have to invest in a twin bed anyway. My 3 year old was 18 months when we put her in the twin bed. It has safety net on the side and we have a little bench so she was able to climb down if she had to. My 18 month old now will probably be in her crib for a little while longer. But we have a crib that converts to a "day bed". Which I know we will have to issue of her staying in like her big sister. Good luck.

I personally put my daughter in a toddler bed at 15 months. She is doing wonderfully at it and loves her big girl race car bed. You can always get a crib that is changes into the different stages too (crib, toddler bed, then twin bed)! My other thought is to put your 11 month old in the pack'n play (not the bassinet part) until he's a little older and then buy the toddler bed. Good luck!

I never had a toddler bed. I don't see the point, the kid will out grow it and you'll have to buy a twin in a few yrs. My daughter went into a twin at 15mo. I just bought a bedframe w/mattress and a bunk bed platform which is really thin, it'll hold the mattress up, but is low enough the child can get in by them self.

I wouldn't spend the money on a crib at this point. If you do get one that converts to a toddler bed and you can use the crib mattress. I put both of my kids into toddler beds at around 2. 11 mos is way too young for that. I would consider putting him in the bottom of the pack and play until you get something. Having him in a bassinett is dangerous. The weight limit on that is about for a four month old.

Hi P. - I think your first concern should be your son's safety. Most 11 month olds can sit up and pull themselves up and if he is still in the pack n play's bassinet, there's a good chance he'll pull himself right out of there and get hurt! We put all 3 of our children in "big boy/girl beds" (twin size) by their 2nd birthday. They all slept in a crib (or with us) which we put at the lowest setting as soon as they could sit up. They were all trying to climb out of the crib at very early ages, but we held out switching to big beds since they seemed so little... it was an adjustment period to go through with each child, but in the long run, I'm glad we chose to skip the toddler bed since they grow out of them so quickly and it seemed more cost effective as well to just go straight to big beds. Obviously, do whatever works for your family, but please think about safety issues ... maybe you could take out the bassinet part and have him sleep in the bottom part of the pack n play - at least for now.
GOOD LUCK!

Just for the safety concerns for your child, I would get a crib. I moved my children to "big girl beds" when they were able to climb out of the crib on their own. (Again, safety first...) In my opinion, at 11 months, your baby needs the safety of a crib.

I have 2 children, one is 16 months and one is 5. I passed on the toddler bed with my older one. They outgrown them so fast, I figured it wasn't worth the money. We bought one of those cribs that converts to a day bed and he slept in that till he was 3, then we moved him into a full size bed (Bunk Bed). Once he started attempting to crawl out of the crib, we just converted it to a day bed. It worked out good. We bought a railing at Target that you could put on the open side to help him from rolling out, but was able to let him get use to sleeping in a open bed. This is what I will do with my younger one also.

I used a toddler bed as soon as mine could climb ou of heir cribs. It was a bit of a struggle for the first week or so, they would sleep anywhere but the bed. I had to gate the door of the room so they would not wander about at night. :) After a week or two though, they got used to it and slept in bed. It is going to be whatever works for you and your children. You may want to use pack n play sheets and let your baby sleep in the bottom part of he pack n play for a bit if you do not think they are ready.

I would say put him in the regular part of the pack n play until you are ready to switch him. I put my daughter in a bed at 12 months and it was the easiest of the 3 to switch to a bed. I have her in a trundle so it is close to the floor and she has been fine w/ it. She couldn't even walk yet and was still fine. (I had another baby due in a month and switched her then because I am anti-2-cribs) Good Luck!

I put my son in a toddler bed at 22 months. I totally dis agree that they are a waste of money. My son never fell out of his but his was kind of a wild sleeper and I felt more comfortable with him closer to the ground. Also he could get in and out on his own and it was not huge so he felt comfortable which I think made the move to a "real" bed less scary for him. I think my son used his for about 2 years. If the expense is an issue try a used furniture store or a consignment shop.
For now though I would recommend a crib or the bottom of the packed play.

Hi P., i have one almost 3-year old son. We were big co-sleepers, he slept with us until this past thanksgiving. we just went right to a twin bed, since i figured he would quickly outgrow a toddler bed. we found a twin on craigslist for $50. i'm glad we got it, because daddy still sleeps with him part of the night (when he wakes up at 2am) and they both would obviously not fit in a toddler bed! i figured we would have occasional waking too - this way DS doesn't have to get out of his bed when he wakes, we can just join him. i think this has simplified the process a bit for us.

hope that helps!
M.

Hello,
I am not sure you want to go spend a lot of money on a crib, unless you plan to have more children. Your 11 month old is probably not ready for a toddler bed. I have friends that transitioned at 18 months but it was closer to 2 1/2 for us. It will really depend on your family and your child. Options -- have the child sleep in the pack-n-play in the bottom of it or look for a good but not super expensive crib (maybe at a consignment store or used furniture) that you can use until it's time to transition the child.

Good luck
L.

I did not put my son in a toddler bed until he was at least 2...(crawling out can be an issue) but I have one for sale...it is very pretty, cherry wood...it adjusts so you can block the entrance...it is basically like a crib but low to the floor.

You could do a toddler bed next to your bed for a while, then eventually put it in his room, when he is old enough for one. My son's crib is toddler-style, and pushed up to our bed. It works well.

You could take the bassinett part off and he can sleep in the bottom part of the pack and play. There isn't any need to invest in another crib since what you have works fine. The only concern with having him in the bassinett is he will soon learn to climb out of it or could fall out very easily. My daughter ( 14 months) has taken her naps in a pack and play since she was 2 months old and still fits perfectly.

First, you need to get him out of the bassinette portion of the pack n play. He's too big! By the time they can sit up, they should really be out of there...I'm surprised he hasn't climbed out yet ;)

Secondly, let him sleep in the bottom of it. My daughter slept in her pack n play from 7-almost 14 months because we were in a condo while our second house was being built.

And to answer your question, Madison went to a toddler bed at 16 months. She gave us signs she was ready. She told us when she was ready for bed, she would walk to her crib, put her baby in, hold up her arms, give hugs and kisses and then lean for her bed. So I would just keep him in a pack n play until he is ready for a toddler bed. Good luck!

Hello! I jumped up to answer you for this is one question whihc has aThe moment I put my children in beds, they did as my friends said they would do: they started getting up at might and naptimes.......it was a struggle from that day on. If you can handle a potential struggle and possibly a probably one, go for it. Can you hold out for longer? if so, I would. they will seek and use their newfound freedom! perhaps you could get a second hand crib for the meantime. as far as age goes, I waited til the children were about ready to think about and climb out, they were close to 2 and a half and three fort he older. worked for me. definitely. i was tempted as my friends were doing to put him in a big boy bed but it gave us a lot less struggles, I am sure of trhat. M. :-)

We just switched to a toddler bed and she will be 3 in April. We still use a pack n play when we travel but personally they are not all that comfortable as a full time sleep mode. If this is the route you have to go, I have to agree with the others...for safety, take the bassinet part out.

My daughter LOVED her crib. She started climbing out at 15 months so I got a crib tent (they sell them at Babies R Us) which she loved as well. She would still be in the crib if I wasn't pregnant and tired of lifting her in and out. (with a crib tent you cant pull the side up and down). For the sake of nap I wish she were still in her crib. Once we moved her to a toddler bed, she no longer naps. You do have to make sure you proof the room exceptionally well b/c they will get into whatever they can once they are not confined. In the beginning she would wander out to the other rooms so I had to put a gate up in front of her door. Now she stays in her room and plays...although I wish she would sleep, her brain still needs the rest.

Good luck!

as soon as they could climb out of the crib. If you plan on having more kids the cribs that convert into a toddler bed are nice some even turn into a twin after that.

I have put 3 of my 4 children {4th on is 8 months old} in a toddler bed around 15 to 16 months old. We had to work with them for a week or so to stay in the bed at bedtime. So I would say just get a toddler bed and not a crib at this point. But if you want the crib for a long period of time than I did, maybe get one that changes into a toddler bed then to a twin bed. You will save some money. Hope this was helpful ☺