Crib Tent Advice

I would say it sounds like she's totally ready for a big girl bed.

My daughter was in a 'big girl bed' right around age 2. She hated her crib.

My son.... He'll be 3 in July. LOVES his crib and crib tent. I have no idea when we'll convince him that he's ready for a 'big boy bed'. Right now, he tells us, 'I not a big boy. I little.'

When we moved my son to his bed he was just a little older than your daughter and we started with napping. We were in the process of moving him to his "big boy room" and he took his naps in there on a twin bed. I took off the couch cushions and kept him from rolling off in the very beginning. Once that was going smoothly and he stopped trying to get up and no longer needed the cushions then we let him spend the nights in the big bed. It was a good system because on days he was really misbehaving and getting up too much for nap we could put him back in the crib.

My daughter started escaping from her crib at 25 months and got out of two crib tents. We didn't have any other options and her transition to a big bed was a bit of a nightmare. It took a long time to get her to sleep in her bed properly and napping in her bed is almost impossible, she just won't cooperate, no matter how tired she may be. :(

well, you know your child best and what works well for other families/kids might not be the best solution for you - I think you've already got a good idea of what could work for you and your daughter and I'd encourage you to test out whatever you feel comfortable trying - whether it be just naps or all sleeping. Probably the main thing you'll want to do is give her some ground rules about using the regular bed (i.e. no getting up and wandering all over the house etc.) and if she really likes it you can let her know that if she shows that she can follow the rules for sleeping in the big girl bed, she can, but if she won't follow the rules she can use her crib until she's ready to follow the rules.

Well seems to me she doesn't like the tent and sleeps fine in a bed, so go ahead and move her. A toddler bed isn't necessary, they make very nice safety rails for twin beds. That being said I would put her bed up in her room, if it isn't already and let her sleep where she wants, as long as she stays put and stays in her room.

We also went cold turkey straight to a full-sized bed at age two and never looked back. Our daughter is now 3 1/2 and still only gets up to go to the bathroom or when she's up for the day/from nap. I debated the transition to a toddler bed, but she got into the full bed fine so didn't see the point. It was much easier than anticipated! Good luck!

I would move her to a toddler bed. 2 is old enough, and the mattress transistions to a toddler bed no problem. You can find super simple ones, to theme ones on Craigslist for really cheap. Make it fun for her, and I bet she'll want to be a big girl in her big girl bed!

I also got our son (and still use this at 3 1/2) a bed rail to ensure he doesn't fall out. I think he might be ready to get rid of it, but it doesn't bother him, so I'm not in a rush!

Good luck!

While we never did the tent thing, we went straight to a full bed. He did great. He has only fell out of the bed once (at about age 4). He loves it and it is so much easier for me. Helped with potty training too. At first you may need to be patient at she may climb out several times. I just told him he was not allowed out until I say unless he had to go to the bathroom, but he had to go straight back.

We went cold turkey when our twins were a year and a half. We skipped crib tents and did both bed time and naps. Naps were tougher since they share a room and want to play, but bedtime has never been an issue.

Crib tents only delay the inevitable. And "wait until she figures out how to unzip the tent" is just asking for her to get entangled in the tent and possibly choked by it or caught on it when she tries to get out around, under or over the tent.

If a child can get out of the crib, tent or no tent, it's time to move to a bed, toddler bed, mattress on the floor. Try this: Put up the side of the crib. Really look at the distance from the top of the raised crib rail to the floor. Picture your small child falling that distance. Onto her head. It could be fatal. That 's a long way down for small kids. My friends 18-month-old broke her arm the first time she climbed out of the crib. I've posted that so many times here but so many moms just don't want to handle the transition to a life outside the crib. Yes, you'll have to teach her new skills to stay in her room and in her bed, and that will be a tedious and frustrating period, but it must be done sometime so why not now -- she's already saying she's ready to get out and feels trapped by the tent.

You might want to just start out by putting the twin mattress on the floor for her for a while until she is a little older and then get a bed rail when you put the bed back to the regular height. She will adjust to the big bed in no time I think. Or you might let her "practice" sleeping in the guest room bed for naps, and set a special day (like her 3rd birthday) for the transfer to her own big bed!