When to Move Out of the Crib?

I didn't move my first one out until she was two and the only reason I did that was because I was expecting baby number two shortly there after. My pediatrician said there was no rush if she wasn't trying to climb out so I could have left her there longer but I wanted to get her used to something new since her sister would be needing the crib. So, you've still got time if you don't want to do it yet.

I have a three and a half year old daughter, and one due any day. My daughter slept inher crib til she was about two and a half. She was able to climb out but only did two or three times, other than that she gave us no problems sleeping in the crib. We moved when she was two and a half and decided to try her in a bed instead of taking apart and putting the crib back together. I was a bit nervous but my daughter loved her bed. we put princess sheets and blankets on her bed and she thought that was awesome. At first we just put a baby gate in her doorway so she wasn't wondering in the middle of the night. I also put some pillows next to her bed incase she rolled over and fell out. My daughter adjusted very easily. I know all children are different and wish you well.

My granddaughters have been in a full size bed since they were 1. The 3 year old does get up in the morning and sometimes plays before she comes down stairs, but when they put them to bed, they stay in bed. Now I am talking girls. Boys may be different.

We moved my daughter at about 3 only because she was potty trained during the day and was starting at night so she needed to be able to get out. She was 3.5 before she realized that she could get out of bed though - she'd cry in her bed, but never get out without an adult saying she could. We moved my son around 27 months to pass the crib along to my 3rd. He went into a toddler bed but didn't have the same pattern of staying in his bed. We used a gate at his door to keep him contained. He loved the bed at first but after a month or two he went through a phase of testing and would try to leave his room. He put the pack and play in there and if he got up and wandered, he went in it - nothing was said. He learned quickly and we were able to move it out. I'd say don't push it if he's happy and cozy in the crib and you don't have a need t opull it for a sibling.

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Hi L.,
When my son got near the age of two, everyone started asking me when he was going to get a "big bed", when is he getting out of his crib, etc. I moved him to a toddler bed soon after 2 and then read an article (that I wished I had seen earlier!) that said, if the child is not climbing out of the crib, leave them in it. It said that if the child id not climbing out, to leave him in his crib til he's 3!
I wish I had known that earlier because he did not take well to the toddler bed and it does open up a whole new can of worm for nap time & bedtime when they can just get up and walk around! And walk out of their room. He would end up falling asleep in the floor and his entire room was like a big crib--I would put tons of blankets on the floor and pillows because I didn't want him to be cold! It was nuts! Plus it was the end of regular naps in his room.
Plus--most bed rails can't be used with a toddler bed. Personally, looking back, I think we should have skipped the toddler bed and out him in a twin bed with rails.
My advice to you is to leave him alone if he's not asking for a bed and he's not climbing out! Hope this helps with your decision. Good luck!

Hi L.,

Most experts say to leave your child in the crib until they are 3 if possible - at that age they better understand when it is time to stay in bed and when it is time to get out of bed. However, if your child is showing any signs of trying to get out of the bed earlier - then you should move them immediately. I moved my son just before his 2nd birthday because he was putting his leg up over the crib rail. In the beginning he used to get out of bed and wander into our room - but now he just calls for me when he is awake and never gets out of the bed until I come get him.

J.
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My son was moved out of the crib at 16 months, because there was another baby on the way. He loved being in a regular bed, and I put a child gate across his bedroom door so the door could stay open but he couldn't wander around the house without us knowing he was awake. Often times he woke up in the morning and played in his room for a while, before the day started for the rest of us.

Ahhh, every child is different. My oldest, now 17, was in the crib until he was 2, then we turned the crib into a toddler bed until he was 3 1/2. Then he was in a twin, My 13 year old was in the crib and liked it until he was almost two...then we converted it to a toddler bed, by three he was in a twin.

My third son, was a climber and was climbing out at 16 months and nothing could keep him in. I was so afraid he was going to get hurt that we tried everything, but eventually turned it into a toddler bed...and he is 32 months ready for a twin.

My fourth, I would like to keep him in the crib as long as he will stay...he is 19 months and is not trying to get out, knock on wood. But I bet, when his brother is in the twin, he will want one too...

Best wishes!

My daughter was out of her crib when she was about 18 months. She gets down and plays sometimes but she climbs right back in her bed to go to sleep.

I had all three of my girls out of the crib by 15 months old. I found that the new freedom actually made them enjoy bedtime more, and they actually slept better as well. I also found it easier to soothe them if they were sick, since I could lay in the bed with them :o)

I moved all 3 of my kids out of the crib when they were CLIMBING out on their own.......like, what's the point, right..? Each was a different age & the youngest was the earliest because her older brothers taught her by climbing in & out to "visit her"...argh..!

Once they could & did climb out, there began the vigilance of training them to stay in bed because IT'S BED TIME :-). I didn't want them to get hurt by falling out, which is why I took the crib down then. It's not a matter of age, really, but ability & maturity. My oldest stayed in the longest because he liked his crib. I then had rails to put in along side the bed that slid under the mattress so they'd be safe. I think I still have them actually, if you'd like me to check & give them to you...

Good luck!

I moved my son into his toddler bed when he was a little over 2. I still kept the crib and set up his toddler bed into the same room. I didnt force the switch but kind of let it up to him..he loved his bed and wanted me to get rid of the crib asap!

We also had another baby on the way and moved my son out at 19 months. We do close his door, but he loves it. He loves getting in and out of his own bed and runs over and covers up when it is bedtime. He helps me make his bed too (he is 22 months now).

One thing that helped is that he was in daycare for a bit because I was on bed rest and they had gotten him used to sleeping on a cot, so I didn't want to lose that and keep him in the crib.

Each child is different though so you have to do what works for you. Good luck!

My son is 25 months and won't be moving out of his crib until he starts climbing out. With an infant in the house, I don't need the added stress of him being able to access everything in his room until it's absolutely necessary.

Sounds like he's an awesome candidate to move to a bed anytime! I moved my daughter at 2 years old and was worried because she moved around so much in her sleep, I thought there was no way she'd lie straight on a mattress! But she loves it and it was no problem. I put it on the floor at first, and she only rolled off once. Do it whenever you're ready to have HIM come get YOU up! Unless you're awake before him. My life changed because I used to get up later than her and she would play in her crib. The good old days.

It's recommended to keep children in a crib for as long as possible. I would keep her in until she decides to try to climb out. This keeps you in control of her safety longer. Some use a crib tent. With my older two boys I moved them out at age 2, like there was a time line, lol. When the triplets came, they were moved out not long after 2 because of different circumstances, but normally I would have left them in longer. Once you do move her out of her crib, things you can do for safety is to put up a gate at the door. Cover all outlets with plugs. If she's a climber you may have to pull out the dresser, turn it around, or anchor it to the wall. Put locks on closet doors. Remove hard toys and keep only soft toys in the room for a while. The new bed may make her want to play instead of go right to sleep so one thing you can do is buy her own bedding that she picked out. Makes them feel "big", lol. If sleeping becomes a problem, darken the windows with brown paper bags so no light can disturb her sleep. Soft music with no words can help, like nature sounds. Some can transition with no problem. Some suddenly have problems so you'll want ideas before hand to meet them head on immediately. Good luck!

Hi L.. My first 2 were like your boy, content in their crib, never tried to climb out. I moved my son into a twin bed when he was a little over 2 because we needed the crib for his baby sister. He did very well in a twin with bed rails. We moved my daughter at roughly the same age because we had done it with our son with success, and because we were getting tired of the crib. Good thing we kept it, because a year and a half later the monster was born. My youngest started climbing out of his crib at exactly 2 years, 1 month old. Then he quickly learned how to turn the knob to get out of the room if we shut the door. The reason for my story is just to tell you that I think that you're lucky that you don't HAVE to make a decision right now. Think about it for awhile, and whenever you do make the decision to move him (a week, a month, a year), I'd go straight for a twin. Toddler beds are a waste of money, and they have such cute bedsheets now for any child's taste. Good luck.

My son moved into his bed at 21 months. We had to remind him to stay in his bed during his first two naps, now he stays in his bed the entire night/nap time until we get him. In the beginning, we reminded him each nap/night that he waits for mommy/daddy to come get him. Now we only sometimes remind him.

I would recommend making the transition when you feel confident. I almost caved the first attempt when he wouldn't fall right asleep. When I saw that he was out of his bed during his 1st nap in the bed, I went in and reminded him to get back into his bed. When I went in the second time, I gave him the choice: bed or crib. He picked bed and fell asleep 10 minutes later.

My son went to a big boy bed at 3 years and 5 months. He never climbed out, i just let him tell me when he was ready. Once he went to a big boy bed, we had no problems at bedtime because he was old enough to understand. I wouldn't rush into a bed. We did get alot of heat from friends and family but i never cared.

Hi L.,

I had to respond because my son was almost three before he moved out of his crib! He has no desire whatsoever to get out of his crib. He never tried to climb out EVER. In fact, he was a bit reluctant to move out when he finally did, but he was totally fine that first night in his twin bed. He never even got out of bed until we came and got him the next morning. So, my point is that I don't think you need to move your son until he is no longer happy, fitting, safe, in his crib. We initiated the move with my son because he was just getting too big for the crib. He moved around a lot while sleeping and would end up all crunched up at one end of the crib :0) Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

Our rule of thumb with our three girls were when they tried to climb out once they were moved into a toddler bed. Usually around 2 to 21/2 yrs old. It worked great for us!

Hey L.,

We just moved our daughter out of the crib last Wednesday. She just turned 2. We did it because we have another baby on the way and did not see the value in having two cribs. I was worried because my daughter has always been a good sleeper and really seemed to like her crib. She can also get in and out of her room on her own which worried me a little.

All of my worrying has gone away. She took to her bed so quickly. In fact, she sleeps a little longer in her bed. I know it's a little sad seeing them transform into toddlers, but it's also very exciting! She is so proud of herself and her "big girl bed".

I say go for it whenever you're ready. You're not in a rush, so time is on your side.

My one piece of advice would be that once you decide to do it, stick to it. The first night our daughter did cry a little and my husband wanted to put her back in her crib to make her happy. We decided to wait to see what happened and she only cried for about 10 minutes...that was the end!

Good luck!

I would say wait until he is trying to climb out on his own, don't rush it, like you said you're not sure what he'll do once he has the freedom. And you can't go back easily! My kidswere out at different times. My daughter was about 3-3 1/2, she just didn't mind being the crib and I saw nothing wrong with it. Now at 4 1/2 she has a toddler bed adn loves it! And my 2 1/2 yr old he started climbing out at about 2 and so we changed his bed (he has the crib that converts to a daybed) and it was a nightmare. A once sleeping through the night kid went to waking up all hours of the night and coming out of his room just because he could! So we had to put a safety knob on his door from the inside so he wouldn't get out. I was so afraid I wouldn't hear him get out of his room. Now at least (in the AM) he knocks on his door when he wakes up and I know that he is awake.
In my experience with parenting if its working don't mess with it! i would say that if your son is already playing with the idea of crawling out like you said when you come into the room and put the rail down, it may be soon that he'll start doing it on his own. My son did that too he would only crawl out when I came in to get him. Then one day he realized he could open his door and then he started climbing out all the time. Good luck and enjoy your son in the crib as long as you can! Jennifer

Hi L.,
My son will be 3 in June, we changed his convertible crib into a toddler bed last month. I was really worried that he would feel like he could get out whenever he wanted and play. The first night we put him in, I explained that he wasn't allowed to come out of bed after I tucked him in. If he needed me, he just had to call for me. I also explained that in the mornings, he wasn't allowed out until I came to get him. He was very excited that he could get in and out of the bed all by himself. To reinforce what I had told him, I explained that if he got out of bed, I would need to close his bedroom door. He didn't like that idea. He has never gotten out of bed. Some nights, he is awake in his bed for 2 hours before he falls asleep, but he never gets out!l
Maybe I am lucky, and it's only been for a month and a half, but so far so good!
GOOD LUCK!

My oldest daughter was 16 months when she started climbing out of her crib and wandering the house so we switched her over then and closed her door - we were OK with that because we had a video monitor in her room so we could hear and see what she was doing. My younger daughter just about 2 when my son came along so we moved her into a "big bed" out of necessity. When I took the crib down to move into my son's room, I saw the warning on the crib that said not to use with a child over "xx" inches tall and my daughter had already been past that height. Not sure what they base that recommendation on. Anyway, my son is 15 months and isn't showing any inclination to climb out, so he will stay in it either until he's 3 or until he starts climbing out.

My daughter was a little over two. She was climbing out of her crib, so I started asking if she wanted a big girl bed. She said yes, but she really did not know what it was I was talking about till I showed her. I talked it up for about a week and then bought one. I put a rail up, she hated it!!!! I was afraid of her falling out. I took the rail off and placed pillows on the floor and she loved it. No problems. Tell me about your business