When Should a Toddler Be Moved from a Crib to Toddler Bed?

My son is now 4 and always hated a crib. He slept in the bassinet really well and would sleep all night. When we moved him to the crib he too, was up every hour. I tried the playpen after several long nights and he slept all night again. He liked to roll and in the playpen he would hit the mesh and not feel it. I dont know for your child but with mine his security was the playpen. It didn't matter where in the house it was he would sleep all night in it.

Typically pediatricians advise you place a child in a toddler bed when they start climbing out of their crib, whether it be 6 months or 3 years....

My son moved to a toddler bed at about a year just because I'm so short it was getting really hard on my back to get him in and out of the crib. Yes, you have to be more diligent about the child proofing and more aware at night for any sounds that he's up...but it was a good move for us. he did fall out a few times, but got the hang of it.

I don't think there is a certain age to move your toddler out of their crib. My daughter climbed out of her crib at 15 months old so my husband and I took the rail that raises up and down on the crib off and put a toddler rail up on her crib so she wouldn't fall out. She LOVED it. We kept her bedroom door closed so she couldn't get out of her room and just kept her monitor on so we would know when she was awake. It sounds like your daughter is used to sleeping in the same room with you and that may be why she likes the playpen better. I usually say, whatever it takes to get a good nights rest is whatyou should do.

My son is 22 months old and we just converted him to a toddler bed. I think that it really is up to the child. I noticed that when we would say time for night night he would climb up in our bed or his bubbys bed and lay on the pillow and cover up. We do not have to lay down with him or anything. We put him in his room and close the door behind us. When he falls asleep we put the gate up and then open his door so that we can hear him in the morning.

There's no real right answer on that one. It's just a matter of opinion. I like the idea of doing things when they're younger because the transitional phase is minimal, even nonexistent. I placed both of my kids into a twin bed at 15 months. I just bought those rails and put big floor pillows on the sides where there was no rail. They both slept through the night the very first night. I don't like the idea of toddler beds, mainly because it's an extra step for the child to have to transition into and it's unnecessary. Neither of my kids have ever fallen out of their beds, but I put down some blankets for the first few weeks just in case. There's no set age on anything, but keep in mind that if you decide to do it earlier, the transition period is hardly anything.

As far as the playpen goes, I bet she likes the extra room in there. In her crib, there may just not be enough room for her to feel comfortable.

My daughter hated her crib too, so at 14mos old we converted it to a toddler bed. She would always sleep in a big person bed very well, it didn't even have to be ours. Since we put her in the toddler bed she sleeps almost all night and has only fallen out a few times (I think thats normal at any age....lol) It might just be that your little girl wants to be near you, so maybe encourage her to sleep in her bed but don't push it. once she is comfortable with and hour or two, then slowly increase it until you have a result you are comfortable with. Encouragement and things that make mommy happy usually make baby happy. Just be calm and take it one day at a time. She may start doing really well for a few days then have a bad day where you can't even put her down......Don't worry though, eventually our babies grow up and they don't want hugs and kisses or anything anymore...take advantage of her love and need to be near you. Good luck, T.