Toddler Crib to Toddler Bed - Rochester, MI

If he is happy where he sleeps, why not leave him in his crib? I think I moved my kids when they were around 3.

I only moved my son out when he was 3 because I broke my arm and could no longer lift him. I know he was big enough to climb out, but he never did. My husband and I decided to wait because we just felt safer with him being in there.

We switched my son over around 27 months just because that is when people did it like you said. He had no issues with the switch and to this day he still calls for me in the morning. He doesn't get out of it. We were quite lucky. I just noticed that someone said do it now while he is content so I just wanted to let you know that did seem to work for us.

Doesn't really matter. He's way too young and self-centred to have any idea of the demented social pressure to never, ever be babyish in any way at all... as long as he's safe and happy and it works, there is no rush at all.

Of course, people selling children's furniture will tell you otherwise...

My daughter is 3 1/2 and still happy in her crib.. the side is down and she can climb in.. but she still cant climb out.

she is nto a real climber

we will probably get her a bed around her 4th birthday in december.

I would get a used toddler bed.. they are not in them that long 1-2 years but they are soooo cute..

i think you should put him into the toddler bed for safety reasons just in case he may want to climb out.

I say keep him in as long as you can. I didn't switch mine until he was 3. I strongly recommend you practice 'blanket time' before the switch. You can read more about it on my blog www.shapinglittlesouls.blogspot.com
click on TRANSITIONS.

Blanket time will prep him to stay in the bed when he has the freedom to get out.

Good luck.

Keep him in there as long as you can!!

My advice is to skip the toddler bed and go right for the twin. That way you only need to get him used to one new bed. If you do the toddler bed, then you will pretty soon have to switch him to a bigger bed anyway. My kids both loved the idea of getting their "big boy/big girl" beds. We just took the mattress and box springs and put them right on the floor (less of a fall if they did fall out).
Plus it's cheaper, you don't have to buy a toddler bed, then a twin bed just a few years later.

My son was out of his crib when he was about 15 mos old (because he was getting a new baby sister in 2 months). My daughter got her big girl bed just before she turned 2.

If he's crawling out, time to upgrade to the big bed. He could get more hurt falling out of his crib, or getting a foot stuck between the rails, than if he were to fall out of a regular bed.

Hope this helped.

If you have a bed, you could put it out and see if he's interested in it for naps. If he's not, don't bother. It doesn't matter what everyone else's kids do or did; you need to answer to the needs/wants of YOUR kid. If he digs it, ramp up to using it at nighttime; if not, leave it be. There's a great book that helped my son called "Bye-Bye, Crib." We found it at the library and rented it for about six weeks. He could recite it word for word by the time we were done with it. Good luck!

If he's not having any issues with trying to climb out I'd leave him. I know plenty of children in cribs till they are at least 3. There is no rush as long as he's still happy :)

I would leave your son in his crib until it becomes a safety hazard and he begins to climb out of it. The toddler bed takes up just as much space, so unless you have a newborn who needs it I would leave him be. My daughter was close to 3 when she asked about having a big girl bed.

We didn't change our daughter's crib to a toddler bed until she was being potty trained at about 32 months. Then we could explain to her that "you only get out of bed when you need to use the potty." (most of her friends were already in twin/ full beds, but I wasn't ready for that.) Don't change just because "everyone" does. Go with your gut feelings, based on your son's needs.
Best wishes!

It depends on your child.

I moved my daughter at 15 months to a bed, to ready the arrival of her brother... SHE HATED HER CRIB... and LOVED the bed. and did great.

My son came along at I felt he needed to be switched at 15 months, but he did GREAT in his crib... I swtiched him about 16 months and it was HELL. With him getting up in the middle of the night and getting up way too early... then again he's never been a good sleeper. but for me. it was too soon for my son...

I'm with the others here, if he's happy then don't do a thing. I've heard all different kinds of reasons for switching. We will leave my daughter in her crib until she asks for a big girl bed, even if we have another baby. She's a great sleeper and I want her to nap as long as possible. I have also read that even if your child climbs out of bed, it doesn't necessarily mean he's ready for a big bed...if it's done too soon it can be more of a hassel dealing with your "jack in the box" over and over again.

Hi K.,

My advice would be to leave him in the crib as long as possible. It's safer for him and you won't have to worry if he's getting out of bed and getting into things around the house while you're sleeping. I have twins and I kept them in the cribs until they were almost 3. If you say he's not climbing out and he's sleeping fine in the crib, I would leave him there as long as you don't need the crib for another baby on the way.

Good luck!
C.

Hi. I wouldn't listen to anyone else or fall under pressure about this from others. This is your decision based on your child and how he acts and feels about his bed. My son was also very comfortable and didn't have any issues with his crib so we left him in there until he was 3. We moved him out when it was time to potty train, for obvious reasons. You do what is right for you and leave him in there as long as you want. I talked to lots of people who did the same thing, when I was going through it because I felt kind of weird leaving him in there so long. It's very common and completely up to you. Take care.

If he is happy then leave him. My son was in a bed at 2years old because I needed the crib for my daughter. He was very happy in his crib and I felt so bad for switching him to a bed . He did fine but I felt it was too soon. When it was my daughters turn to give up her crib for her new brother I decided to leave her in it and buy a 'new' crib for the baby. She was in her crib for 3 years and the transition to a big girl bed was SO much more enjoyable and fun because she wanted to leave her crib and she was excited to pick out a bed and bedding etc etc. My 'baby' is now 27 months old also and he is still happy in his crib too so he will be staying in it until HE is ready for a big bed. Dont rush them, I learnt that from my first son....if he is happy then wait until he is wanting a big bed!

okay, I thought I would give you a different view point, since most people are recommending you stay. I want to recommend that you move him. Here's why:
It sounds like he is a pretty good kid, and not climbing out of his crib. This would be the perfect time to train him to stay on his bed until you come and get him. teaching your kids to obey, because they want to, and not because they physically have no other choice is a huge difference.
If you wait until you do have issues, then you are having to solve multiple problems at once. Let him know that he is gett ing a big boy bed because you are proud of what a big boy he is. That he knows how to stay in his bed. be proactive in your parenting, and not just waiting for you to have to go back and solve it after you have missed this "good boy" opportunity.

If he is happy in his crib leave him in it, he has the rest of his life to be in a big boy bed.

I wouldn't move him until he's showing interest in a big boy bed. My daughter just turned 2, loves her crib, does not climb out...so we'll let her sleep happily and contently in there until she is clearly ready. I see no need to push "growing up" into a bigger bed quite yet. Good luck!

wait until you have too! my kids were three.

Hey K.

Don't worry about it. My daughter is 26 months old and still in her crib. My son was out of his crib at 19 months, b/c he fell out once, so we had to put him in a toddler bed. Transitioning kids is rough b/c you can expect about 3 weeks where they don't nap and/or sleep well at night b/c they can play in their rooms etc. If it's not broken, don't fix it, just move him at 3 yrs old. Hope that helps! *C. (WAHM, Erik - almost 4yrs old (next week) and Betsy 26 months)

Leave him in there as long as possible. Most people only take them out so early because they are expecting a new baby. I didn't take my son out until he was about three and a half and we had know issues. He stayed in his bed, he never got out once we put him in it until the morning. Do you really want your 2 year old waking up and roaming the house unattended while you sleep. My son never got out of his crib so I had know worries with him roaming. When he was old enough to where I new I could trust him to wake me up or at least be good on his own I new we could get him into a big boy bed.

I had to put my daughter into a toddler bed because my son would climb into her crib and scare her; she'd try to climb out to escape but would get her knee a little bit stuck between the bars. lol ... I would say at your son's age, it might be time to move him to a toddler bed, though if he is taller than average, I would move him straight to a twin bed; save money; here's a tip I've heard of people doing a lot ... put the mattress on the floor first for a few days and when he gets used to that, put it on the frame. Make sure to get sheets from his favorite show or movie; Sesame Street or CARS. Good luck!

Leave him as long as possible! Why create issues? We didn't move my son until he was 3. If there is no reason to change don't do it! Good luck and God Bless!

My son was just over 3 years old when we converted his crib to a toddler bed. Like you said, he was comfortable there, wasn't trying to crawl out. We had talked to the pediatrician at his 3 year check up for the same reasons you indicated. He said if he's not trying to get out, leave him in it - there's no problem at all. A couple of months later he then started crawling out, and we took that as our sign to convert it to the toddler bed.

Hope this helps.

T.

If he's doing well and not climbing out of his crib then I wouldn't switch to a toddler bed just yet. Just because other Mom's have said their child was out by 2 yrs doesn't mean that all are. It could be worse for you if you switch him and he's not ready.

Do what works for you. There's no reason to rush. When you decide to switch, there is no need for a toddler bed. Put a twin mattress on the floor and put the frame on later.

B.

Don't try to fix it if it's not broken! My 2nd daughter was content in her crib until age 3 or 4 - I forget. I left the side down so she could come and go. I didn't have a replacement bed and I moved her when her little sister needed the crib at a few months old. Don't worry about what others say. You're the expert on your child.

Hi K. - lucky you.....people only move their kids out of their cribs when they have to so if he's happy I would leave well alone. One of my kids stayed until he was almost three - he loved it. When he starts waking up a lot - because the crib is too small and he's banging his head or limbs - or when he's trying to climb out, then it's time to move up. Good luck and enjoy! - Alison

K.,
Hello :) I have two boys, my oldest, who is now 4 was switched to a toddler bed around 2 1/2 due to the fact that he was climbing out. My youngest, who is 2 1/2 now is still in his crib and shows absolutely no interest in climbing out. We will be switching him at the beginning of July for the simple fact that I am due with baby #3 in September and she will be using his crib. We want him to be well adjusted to his toddler bed and not feel like the baby stole his crib when she arrives. If we were not expecting, I would leave him in his crib for as long as he was comfortable there. My advice to you is to not worry what other children are doing - I would leave your son in his crib as long as he is comfortable or until you are going to start potty training (as he will need to be able to get out of bed and use the restroom whenever he needs to). On that note, I would not try to do both changes at once - switching beds is an adjustment all in itself. Be sure he is well adjusted to his new bed before beginning potty training. Hope this helps!

K. :)

It is your call, my daughter is 28 months and is still not ready for a toddler bed. She rolls everywhere and flails around in her sleep. I think she would end up on the floor more than in her bed. I am hoping that by the end of summer she will be ready, but I am not sure. She still gets up in the night about 3-4 times a week and she is one that if in a toddler bed would be all over the house playing and I would have a heck of a time getting her back to bed. So you are not the only one and it just depends on the child. :) Good luck!

My oldest son is three (today!) and still in a crib. I feel the same way you do though, like there is this "pressure" to move him, though I know he is perfectly content where he is at.
(We will be transitioning him soon though, as we're moving rooms around and making room for #3 in September)
I say keep your son there as long as you can ~
he is safe and that's what he knows!

Blessings,
B.

Hi K.,

My daughter is 21 months... quickly on her way to 2. She is showing no signs that the crib is a problem. She IS a climber, but has yet to try and climb out of her crib! She climbs on everything else, onto our bed, over the back of the couch... everything but her bed.

I've read some articles on this and most 'experts' will suggest you keep them in the crib as long as possible. They say that even though around 2 they may start climbing in and out that most kids at that age aren't aware of the invisible boundary of a bed. Not only to not get out after you put them in...but just during sleep. As we get older we subconsciously learn about the boundary of a bed... younger children do not have that yet.

Anyway, I don't plan on taking her out anytime soon. It most likely will be sometime after her 2cd birthday when I think she's ready. Thankfully we have a convertible crib...so no need to buy another bed...we already have it! Really glad we went that way.

Anyway, I agree with everyone else...keep him in as long as possible.

Hi K.,

I can relate to your post. Our 28 month-old daughter is still in a crib too. This is working well for us as she is fairly light (not over the crib weight-limit and easy to lift in and out of the crib), doesn't try to climb out, and our oldest is still in the toddler bed. Personally, I think keep your son in the crib as long as he is safe and happy in there. I believe that too often these days, parents are overly eager to "move their child to the next stage" when it isn't necessary. I guess I might err on the other side by keeping my "baby" a baby for a little longer. I also like her in the crib because she doesn't fall asleep quickly at night (she doesn't need a lot of sleep), and this way we don't have to deal with her getting up multiple times. She just happily looks at a book until she falls asleep. I hope this helps.
Rachael