when is too old to be in a crib? my daughter is 2 1/2 she will be 3 in june. she is still in the crib. it is easier for me. I have a toddler bed in the garage waiting to be used and I know it will be soo cute. she hasn't tried to climb out. (actually, the few times she has lifted her leg I saw her on the monitor and put a stop to it right away and didn't take her out, so she never thought that action would get her out of her crib) so she is content to be in it. we are now potty training a little but I don't think that is too much of an issue yet with sleeping. I feel a little pressure because it seems all her freinds close in age are in big girl beds. but they all had to because of climbing out. they have also told me keep her in it as long as you can. I know there will be some battles in the beginning to stay in bed. we are also experimenting with not napping every day neccesarily. because if she naps too late she won't go to bed at a descent hour. some days I could put her down for a nap at 1:30 and she'll play around until 2:30 and finally lay down to sleep for 2 hrs. then forget about an 8:00 bed time. I just wonder when is she really too old for a crib if you can get away with it?
nothing has happened yet. I'm doing what I feel, according to your good advice. my daughter who turns 3 in june, saw the big bed in the garage while doing laundry the other day and requested it. I set it up in her room and she barely napped in it, then when bed time came she didn't want to sleep in it. I have to use the same mattress for the crib and bed, so I moved the mattress back to the crib and she slept there. so far for the last couple days, the big bed minus the mattress is still sitting in her room but she is still sleeping in her crib. she must feel secure there and I don't want to rush her. I'm just going to go by her cues. personally, I like the security of the crib, but if she wants the bed, I'm prepared for that also. I keep telling my husband I'm sure she won't be wandering the house in the middle of the night. however, we do have a freind whose 4 yr old had gotten up and turned on the Wii machine and was playing it at 3 in the morning.
My son stayed in his crib until 3. He could climb out but he just didn't. Now at 8, he likes me to carry him out of bed in the morning. Any possible relation? Ridiculous, right? I'll carry him until he gets too heavy.
I think like you said she is not climbing out, why mess with the issues at bedtime if she is still happy. I moved my oldest daughter, because we were expecting #2 and I did not want to buy another crib. I moved daughter #2 because she was climbing out and I did not want her to get hurt. I would wait as long as possible.
if you have room for both for a while try naps in the toddler bed and bed time in the crib to migrate. It worked for me good luck :)
Hi B.,
I don't think it really matters too much, to be honest. I moved my first to a bed at 20 months because I had a second on the way. I just moved my 24 month old to a bed (last night actually). It went great! She did not try to get out at all. Neither did my first, for that matter. But I have heard of kids who drive their parents crazy getting out of bed.
The reason I moved my 2 year old out is because she sounded like a bull in a china shop flopping around and banging in her crib at night. Plus, we re-did the girls rooms for their birthdays and that included moving them to new beds and re-arranging the room. I was afraid the big change would be difficult for my daughters, but having new beds with the room re-arranged was very exciting for them and they couldn't wait to go to bed last night.
In short, do what you feel. I also know someone who had her son in a crib till he was 3 because it was easiest for her. He's 5 and in a bed now with no problems. :)
I think it's all about you and your daughter. If she's not actively trying to get out...then there is really no hurry. When you are ready....make a big deal out of the "big girl" bed and she will be excited to stay there (I'm not saying you won't have some frustrating nights, but when they are excited about it...it sometimes makes a difference.)
I think you should do what works best for you, regardless of other people's nosiness. I moved my daughter to a big girl (toddler) bed at 26 months, only because I wanted her to be adjusted to it before baby #2 arrives (any time now).
We got a mesh "tent" that hangs from the ceiling and goes around the bed. At first, we had to sort of anchor it down around the edges so she wouldn't get wrapped in it. It's mesh, so not a suffocation hazard, just an irritant and we didn't want her to pull it out of the ceiling.
Anyhow, she loves that her tent keeps out "the scaries" and though she is quite capable of opening and closing it, she has not once gotten out of bed once we put her in there (knock on wood!). Good Luck with your decision.
I wouldn't move her to a big girl bed bc you feel pressure to do so... I would do it when you feel she is ready. The only "downfall" to keeping them in their crib for too long is that, although it's easier now. Sometimes the longer you wait the harder of an adjustment it is for them. It's kinda like taking away pacifiers... if you do it a an age where they don't yet throw temper tantrums or "rebel" it's a much easier process, but if you wait until they are 3 and they have developed the "attitude" it's an all out screaming match. Just be sure not to miss the "window of opportunity". To be honest I moved both of my children to big beds just before their two year birthday (my first I moved bc we had another baby on the way and the second just didn't want to be in the crib anymore) and there was NO battle. They never once tried to climb out, they didn't cry or anything. It was shocking. And oddly enough, with my children I noticed they slept so much better. So, here is my advice.... don't not do it bc it's easier for you not to, but don't do it just bc you feel pressured to. You know your child best... is she ready is the most important question?
My son will be 3 in May and will stay in his crib for as long as he's comfortable. I did the same with my daughter. She didn't last as long as this because she is a restless sleeper and kept hitting the slats and waking. Not so with him as of yet. Good luck!
I am a fan of child-based progress,
especially when the "next thing" is right there for them!
When she's potty training diligently
you may find it easier to have her able to get up.
If you're concerned with her walking at night,
get the magnetic alarms and set them nightly,
on each exit door. (they are a terrible beep,
and may frighten her, so use them only where necessary,
like exit doors (remember the garage/patio door too).
My 2 1/2 year-old son is still in the crib as well! I think it's just fine. He loves his crib, never tries to climb out. We also have a toddler bed in storage. The old saying, "If it's not broke, don't fix it" applies here. I know, most of my sons friends are already in big boy beds, that's partly b/c their mom's needed the cribs for baby #2. As for the napping thing, my son is the same way. Some days he does not nap, b/c he is simply not tired. I too will put him in his crib and he just plays. Then by 6pm he is sooo irritable! Oh well! The joys of toddler hood!
I would suggest keeping her in there for as long as possible! My daughter was the same....she never tried to climb out of the crib so we kept her in there until 2 months after her third b-day. I think waiting that long made it easier for her as she was older enough to understand the rules about staying in bed at night. It was less stress for all of us. Good luck!
Hi B.,
It is recommended that toddlers stay in their crib until the age of 3 years old, provided that they are not at risk of falling out due to climbing. This curtails the sleep problems that arise as a result of them being able to climb out of their little toddler beds, and thereby delaying and resisting going to sleep. If I were you I would perservere with using your crib for another 6 months. And then switch over to her new little bed. Good luck!
my son loved his crib and never tried to climb out. I moved him into a big bed just 2 months before his third birthday and only because i had a baby on the way. If this hadn't been the case, I would have let him stay as long as he wanted. Don't feel pressure. Let her move at her own pace. When we did move him, we took the side off his crib and he slept like that for about two weeks. I had the bed ready and he moved into it one night by his own choosing and has been there ever since.
My son will be 3 in July. He absolutely loves his crib, and I do not plan on moving him until it becomes necessary, either because of him climbing out or because of potty training. We moved my daughter out earlier than this because she tossed & turned a lot and was constantly banging her legs on the crib. She was black & blue! But my son loves his crib, and we will keep him there until he asks to move out, LOL. Good luck!
Hi B.,
My son is going to be 3 at the end of May and he is still in a crib. He has never climbed out of his crib, even though, like your daughter, we have seen him put his leg up on the rail several times. We have never tried to stop him from getting out of his crib by himself---I think he just stops because he is afraid of falling.
Anyway, we plan on keeping our son in a crib until he starts climbing out or til he is at least 3---unless by some miracle he is completely potty trained by then. I talked to our pediatrician and he was totally on board with our decision. He said he and his wife kept both of his kids (his youngest is a year older than my son) in cribs until they climbed out because it was easier to keep them on their nap & bedtime schedules for as long as they could.
Have a Great Day!
L. E
Every child learns things at different ages. Your her Mom, you will know when the time is right to move her out of the crib and into a bed. With the potty training it might make it easier if she were in a bed. But it's your call and no one elses. Don't let anyone ever pressure you about what your child should or should not be doing. Your the one that is there day and night and know what is best.
