When to Move from Crib to Toddler Bed and How?

Wait until you can no longer contain him in the crib. He's happy there and there's no reason at this point to force a transition.

Once he's uncontainable in the crib, buy a regular, twin sized bed and mattress. Leave the bed in the box and put it in the garage or storage room, and just put the mattress right on the floor...no worrying about little guy falling out of bed. Once he's used to it and sleeping reliably on the mattress without rolling off, you can put the bed together and put the mattress on it.

Easy breezy.

♥
C. Lee

do not take him out of the crib till he climbs out.

both my kids were 3 adn they loved their cribs.. it is nice to know that you have a safe place to put them for a minute if you have to take a shower or do something..

also 3 year olds are much more predictable and less likely to get into mischief.. so keep the crib as long as you can.

I would leave him in the crib as long as you can. I would move him to a regular bed instead of a toddler bed.

My kids were all very close to or just turned 3 when we moved them. We only moved them when they were climbing (or after turning 3).

I think - if it's not broken, don't fix it. Wait until he's a little bigger.
They change a ton between 2 and 3.

My son was in his crib for quite some time. After he potty trained (about 3 months after he turned 3), we took the side off so he could get out if he needed to. It was another 18 months before we bought him a twin bed. He never had a true toddler bed, just the crib missing a side until he was almost 5. Worked for us! He never tried to climb out of the crib or requested a big kid bed so there was no worry. I will say he was THRILLED when he got his twin bed. I just didn't know he wanted one! Hmmm, maybe he didn't know, either.

Sounds like he is very content in his crib. Leave him in it. You are asking for trouble. There is no rush to get him out.

If your son sleeps well in the crib and doesn't try to climb out, keep him in the crib. Your life will be so much easier. Once they are in a bed, it's much harder to keep them there. He will get up, come out, ask for water, etc. there's no reason to move him now.

Also, skip the toddler bed. It's a waste of money and just forces you to have an additional transition when you later move him to a bigger bed. When he outgrows the crib (closer to age three probably) or if he starts trying to climb out of it, or if you potty train and want him to be able to get up at night, that is when to switch him. At that point, put him straight in a twin bed with a bedrail so he doesn't fall out.

Leave him in the crib until he climbs out or you begin potty training, he has to be able to get to the potty or toilet quickly, so with my guy it was 22 months. When you're ready to transition have him take naps in the bed a few days, telling him he'll soon be sleeping in it at night, and play it up as a happy, "you're getting to be a little boy, not a baby" type thing, so he has a positive attitude about it. We had some books about sleeping in a bed, Elmo was one. Once he's in it at night if he starts to wander out of his room use a high gate across his bedroom door, I stacked 2 sturdy ones before I found the one I liked, they worked fine. Don't be fearful, approach it as a good thing :)

My first was like your son, never tried to climb out. We kept him in the crib until he was 2 1/2, at which point we wanted him to be able to use the potty in the mornings so it was more practical to have him in a toddler bed that he could get in and out of.

My second switched at 18 months because he was climbing out every morning anyway and we didn't want him to get hurt.

If he's happy in the crib, I say leave him in as long as it works!

In terms of HOW we transitioned them, it was a convertible crib, so it was the same bed, just with the side off. They were very excited about it. We told them if we had issues with them coming out when they weren't supposed to that we would put the side back on, and neither wanted to go back to a "baby" bed. My second did have the side go back on a few times :)

Ours were all switched by 18 months. To me the younger they move the easier it was. They didn't "get" that they could get up and go play. They just used the bed for sleeping. We moved them to big beds while they were 2 though. He can't sleep on it much past 3 if that long. The mattress isn't made to support a child that large/heavy.

I'd say just put him down on it when he's really sleepy and let him doze off on it. It will take time but he'll get it eventually.