When do you move from a crib to a toddler bed?
Baby Bedding
ssumner118 asked:
My daughter is turning 2 on Halloween and still loves her crib. We haven’t even moved it down from the high level yet. She hasn’t tried to get out of it, though easily could if she wanted to. She’s a great sleeper and I don’t want to disrupt that, but I also don’t want her to stay in a crib forever. Advice?
Miguel
My daughter is turning 2 on Halloween and still loves her crib. We haven’t even moved it down from the high level yet. She hasn’t tried to get out of it, though easily could if she wanted to. She’s a great sleeper and I don’t want to disrupt that, but I also don’t want her to stay in a crib forever. Advice?
Miguel
March 11th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Roberta
I’d move it down for safety’s sake first. Two isn’t too old for a crib, but if you’re anxious to get her in a “real” bed, or later when you are, move one into her room, make it up attractively, and start calling it a “big girl” bed. She’ll want to try it out once she gets used to it.
March 11th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Amanda
if you can put a toddler bed in the room with her and let her make the choice. Or wait till she climbs out if she is to heavy though she may pull it over on herself.
March 12th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Arthur
Mine all went straight to a “big bed” instead of a toddler bed. They were all sleeping in a normal bed by the time they were 2 years old.
March 14th, 2009 at 9:20 am
Judy
I think now would be a great time, it would be a wonderful big girl adventure on her second b-day. My oldest daughter started sleeping in a toddler bed at about 18 months and my youngest was between 12-15 months. It will help you to have her in a bed she can get in and out of when you start to potty train her.
March 16th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Tanya
I moved my daughter to a toddler bed when it got too dangerous to keep her in there because she started climbing out of the crib.
March 17th, 2009 at 7:24 am
Shannon
My son was 2 back in may of this year when he was still in a cot, but every night he used to climb out of his cot and into a normal bed with his brother and now we have 2 single beds in the room, one of which my 2 year old sleeps in. It is really up to you when you want to put your daughter into a toddler bed.
March 18th, 2009 at 11:47 pm
Ralph
My advice is when she starts crawling out of it. If she likes her crib then i wouldn’t worry about it yet. It’s not that big of a deal. She will be ready when she is ready.
March 21st, 2009 at 5:41 am
Troy
Switch when the child is ready… they usually begin falling out of the crib to get out.
March 23rd, 2009 at 4:52 am
Francis
my daughter was 2 when we got her a toddler bed. we started off by talking about getting a big girl bed for her. when we did get it and she saw it, she was so excited. the first night she slept in it she got up a few times, but after that she was fine. anytime someone would come over to the house she couln’t wait to show them her big girl bed.
March 26th, 2009 at 5:32 am
Peter
i would let her be for now. she will want a big girl bed soon otherwise if you really want her out start talking to her about it, getting her ready the big adjustment, you could also try setting up a toddler bed in her room along with the crib and then maybe she will want to transfer all by herself
March 26th, 2009 at 9:26 am
Jared
I read a book once that recommended leaving them in their crib until they were 3 if they weren’t trying to get out of it. I’d move your daughter’s crib to the lowest level, just in case she wakes up some night and decides to be adventurous. We moved our oldest daughter from her crib to a toddler bed when she was 16 months or somewhere in that neighborhood. I am pregnant right now and I think I will keep this baby in the crib longer, at least until 18 months. Really there is no correct age to make the change. As long as your daughter is happy, you can stick with what works. Is it possible to remove the side rail from the crib to make it into a toddler bed? She might be okay with that and it would ease the transition out of the crib.
March 28th, 2009 at 7:44 am
Ricardo
well, if she is tall and capable of getting out, switch her. with my son, we had to switch him at 15 months, he was so big and smart. you should ask your doc though. and rely on your instincts. if you think she is ready and needs to switch, go ahead. there are plenty of good ways to do it. we put the bed in my son’s room and let hi play on it and lay down in it for a bit for a couple of days to get used to it. and even after we started putting himin the bed, we kept the crib in his room for a few days for him to feel more secure. it only took a week and the transition was easy.
March 31st, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Bertha
um 3 should be the apporite age because at she could fall out of a toodlers bed but tell her a todds bed is a big girl bed and when she is ready change then give her a bear or maybe let her sleep with her baby balnky to make her more comfy
April 3rd, 2009 at 3:33 am
Katherine
You should definitly move it down for now and when she starts to climb out its time to move on !!!
April 6th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Joanne
Personally I think that toddler beds are a waste of money. I put my two boys straight from crib to regular full size beds. I would not bother with a toddler bed unless she has a convertible crib. Otherwise just do a gradual transition. You can even by rails/bumpers to put on her new bed for extra security. 2 is not two old to be in a crib. It depends on her weight.
April 8th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Rhonda
I moved my son after he turned two, when he learned to crawl out of his crib
April 12th, 2009 at 3:36 am
Wilma
My daughter just turned two at the end of September, she is still in a crib. I do have it at the lowest level though. She is happy in it, so I have no plans to move her yet. Like others have said, I wouldn’t waste money on a toddler bed. I would wait a while and move her straight into a regular bed. That’s what I’m planning to do, though maybe not for a year or so.
Even if you wait another year, in the grand scheme of things that isn’t that long. It may seem like forever, but it isn’t.
April 13th, 2009 at 5:38 am
Zachary
It sounds like your daughter might be ready to move into a bed. Why not discuss it with her - make the discussion interesting. Talk about the pretty sheets, pillows, covers etc and how she is becoming a big girl. If she’s not interested, wait a while and try again at a later date.
April 13th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Oscar
When she starts climbing out, its time to get a toddler bed. You could get one and put it in her room and let her choose. Don’t make a big deal out of it, she’ll do it when she’s ready.
April 15th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
June
well try this when your child is sleeping put him in the crib so he/she get used to it.
April 15th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Anthony
She’ll get to a point when you say she’s just getting too big. It doesn’t look right (usually around 2 or 3). Toddler beds have the same size mattress as a crib, but will incorporate a safety rail. Make it a fun “big girl” thing — no problem. At the age she moves, you should be comfortable with the idea that she may get out of bed and move around her room or the house without your knowledge.
April 18th, 2009 at 6:11 am
Patricia
how about for Christmas or new years get her a new bed to get used to it have her sleep i the bed every once and a while to get her used to the feeling. then when the summer comes put the crib up and a way she will get the point and love her bed
**tip:** get a character she likes then that will send an urge for her to sleep there more.
April 19th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Joann
I always moved mine into a new bed when they started climbing out. If she’s comfortable and not to tall for it,I would let sleep in it for as long as she wants.
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Lawrence
I agree, lower the crib ASAP. We started the transition to the big boy bed due to a second child on the way. We needed to switch his bedroom as well as his bed. We gradually introduced him to his big boy bed with nap time and then made the switch within one month. He was bumping into the sides of the crib in his rolling around before the switch so he really liked have the larger space. It might have also helped that he had naps in different beds at the sitter’s and grandparents houses.
April 24th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Bonnie
you can move her from a crib to a toddler bed when she turns into a todler..jk, no..but you can change her to the bed when she’s ready, or when she wants to..because then, later..she’ll realize that she’s too old for a crib. especially when she becomes a teenager!
April 27th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Lois
2 is a good age. Make sure you get the little bars to go on the side of her toddler bed she may still fall out. Better to do it now then to have a surprise and have her climb over the side and fall out like my son did and get hurt. Try naps first on a big girl bed. That’s what I did.
April 29th, 2009 at 1:46 am
Arnold
When the child is ready. My daughter would not move out of her crib until she was 4.
May 2nd, 2009 at 4:52 am
Oscar
i moved both my kids out when they kept crawling out of it……… i was affraid they would hurt them self……i just kept all thier stuff the same blankets and fav stuffed animal for their bed they loved it they felt like big kids…..or u might try new items to make them feel special that they are in a new big boy or girl bed…..u just have to do trial and error…..its all up to u and when u think they are ready……
May 2nd, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Robin
she will soon be too heavy to sleep in the crib- put up the toddler bed but don’t take down the crib, have her “test drive” the toddler bed during naps first and play it up real big that this is a bed for BIG girls only, and cribs are for babies. Maybe she will make the transition on her own- Good luck
May 4th, 2009 at 7:20 am
Allan
I have two boys, now 4 and six. My oldest moved to a standard twin bed at 2 yrs and 4 months, because his brother needed the crib. He had no transition issues whatsoever. In fact, he loved the idea of sleeping in a “big boy” bed. My youngest recently moved to a twin bed at the age of 4. We waited longer because we were able to remove one side of the crib to make it a daybed. he had some bed wetting issues that stopped immediately after he moved to a “big boy” bed (hmmmm???).
Based on my experience, they are ready at about 2 years old. I think the longer you wait, the longer they will consider themselves a “baby”.
Good luck!
May 5th, 2009 at 6:24 am
Brad
When she hikes her leg over the rail and/or climbs out…it’s time!
May 6th, 2009 at 3:35 am
Milton
My son will turn 3 in January and he is still in a crib. On his birthday we will move him to a regular bed.
I don’t think there is a correct answer here. Each child is different. The important thing is that she is a great sleeper and the transition should not affect her sleep at all.
May 8th, 2009 at 3:45 am
Douglas
Give it another 5 months or so and try and convert her over, you will probably find the first night in the new bed she will be getting up all the time or she might have a cry about it, if she does just take her back to bed in a calm way, give her a kiss and hug and say “time for bed now,goodnight” then leave, if she gets up again just take her back to her bed again and just say “good night” and any other times she gets up just take her straight back to the bed and dont say anything and jsut keep doing that until she gives in, i suggest this method as my hole family has used with all there kids and it has always worked.
May 8th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Pamela
sometime around 3 is ok - they kind of let you know, with us he was trying to climb out and we were afraid he would be hurt so we opted for the bed at 2 1/2 years of age
May 11th, 2009 at 7:02 am
Gilbert
When my son was about one and a half, I moved the crib down to the lowest level, removed one railing and purchased the bed guard and he thinks it is the greatest thing. For Christmas this year, I am getting him a toddler bed to sleep in and he’ll be 2 and a half. You could try talking with your daughter and showing her toddler beds and see if she would feel comfortable in one. Otherwise, let her make the decision. When she is ready, she’ll let you know.
May 14th, 2009 at 10:05 am
Dean
When my son was 2 1/2 we started talking about getting a big boy’s bed and how fun it was. We took him to a bed store to the children’s beds and let him chose the bed he liked the best and one that would fit him perfectly. So, we brought the bed home that he chose and his dad built a pirate ship around it when he was 6. So, he has a Pirates of the Caribbean bedroom.
My daughter got a big girl’s bed at 3. Now she has a race horse bedroom. She loves horses.
They love their beds because they are so creatively built.
May 16th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Beverly
When you no longer need the side of that crib on the crib to insure that the baby or child does not fall out and injure himself.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Edwin
She will let you know when she’s ready.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:18 am
Brian
Lower the mattress in the meantime before she falls out on her head .They all try climbing sooner or later .At age two she’s ready for a bed if she’s potty trained . A crib mattress isn’t so great once they reach a certain size ;then they are ready for a regular bed . Get one with a guard-rail if you are worried about accidents .
May 22nd, 2009 at 6:26 am
Ronald
i would move my child as soon as he or she looked uncomfortable.
May 24th, 2009 at 10:44 am
Gilbert
Well, I’d like to say that you shouldn’t take any ones advice as gospel, including mine! It depends on the child, the age doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with it. We moved our daughter out of her crib on her second birthday, kind of a birthday reward, just because I thought it was time, although she wasn’t trying to climb out. On the other hand, our son was trying to climb out at about 10 months, so on his first birthday we moved him to a bed. If your daughter is doing well, sleeping well, there’s no reason to rush her out of the crib, unless it’s your gut feeling that it’s the right time for her. By the way, if she’s potty training or about to be potty trained, or anything else BIG is happening in her life, you may want to wait, as to not stress her out.