Moving from Crib to Bed
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Moving from Crib to Bed
June 2010
I viewed some history of posts regarding this issue, but
needed some recent feedback. Approx 2 weeks ago we
transitioned our soon to be 3 y/o son to a twin bed. He
was excited about buying it, picking out sheets, helping
us put it together, ... It will now take him about 1 1/2
hrs to go to bed. He will continually get up and come to
us w/excuse after excuse for going to sleep. My husband
and I will tag team getting him back to bed, sometimes in
a neutral tone, sometimes w/frustration. We have laid
down w/him a few times until he fell asleep, and althought
it has worked, we are wary of making that a habit. He may
wake 2-3x per night, come into our room, we immediately
escort him back to bed which may take another 15-30 min.
He was a great sleeper when he was in the crib, obviously
he's still transitioning. My question: did we transition
him too early? How much longer do we do this dance every
night? Is it harmful to put him back in the crib (which
he might like) until he's more ready for the bed?
Lacking sleep ...
Hi! I had just opened up my own daycare and
I needed to
transition my 2.5 year old son from his crib to a Toddler
Bed. I wanted him to be accustomed to being free of his
crib, as I want all of the children in my care to equally
use naptime mats during nap...my boy, too!
Here is how I handled it: I talked to him about the
upcoming change. I showed him pictures of little ones in
cribs and beds. I showed him his cousins' big boy beds. I
then assembled the big boy bed and had both in his room for
a full week, allowing him to discover and get used to the
new bed.
Then, on the day of the big switch, I took down the crib and
the new bed was already there for him to transition into. I
took a picture of him the last night in his crib (he knew
it was the last night) with him smiling widely, and on the
first night in his big boy bed, we took a photo then, also
with him smiling widely!
Transitions and change can often be very hard for certain
little ones depending on their temperments, but when given
ample time to get used to the idea before you NEED them to
get used to it, really helps. Hope this helps!
Bonnie
I hope you get more positive posts than mine but it really
was a nightmare for us that went on for well over a year.
With my younger daughter I joke that she's not getting out
of the crib until she has her first boyfriend sleepover! We
transitioned our son at around 2 because #2 was on the way
(should have just bought a second crib). We had the same
issues as you- multiple trips to our room per night, hard to
put to bed etc.
We have literally tried everything - rewards, taking him
straight back to his room with no songs, etc - you don't
want any element of ''reward'' in the middle of the night. We
even removed the door handle on his side of the door at one
point). But nothing lasted for too long. We eventually just
moved his bed into our room but at some point we got tired
of that too -but it did stop him coming to our bed during
the night, so at least we got an un-interrupted nights sleep.
He's over 3 and 1/2 now and the last month has been OK but
I'm still not even convinced that we are finally there. He
is night time potty trained (since well before 3 which is
why we didn't just go buy another crib).
So my advice - put him back in the crib. At least when they
are older you can use reward systems better and they have
better comprehension and we have had success (though not
always lasting) with rewards after x nights - but that
didn't really work until he was over 3.
whoever said the sleep deprevation only lasted 6 months?
We moved our son at the same age. Same story--he loved the
idea, loved putting the bed together, climbing in it during
the day....You know what comes next! Long story short, we
put a baby gate on the door. It sounds awful (I think the
idea originally came from BPN!), and it was--about as awful
as CIO in a crib. He fell asleep on the floor in front of
the gate for about two weeks before he decided he'd rather
sleep in bed. It was not a quick, easy solution but it did work.
Not looking forward to moving #2!
I don't think you have transition your son too early. Is
good enough that he's willing to go the big bed. Many kids
this age would not do so willingly. However, it is common for
toddler transitioning into the new bed to wake up in the
middle of the night a couples time to go to your room and
for you to take him back to his bed. And 'No' do not put
him back in his crib. I know is lack of sleep for you but
this is new to him and he is adjusting to it. It will take
quite awhile for him to actually stay put, also you have to
be firm and tell him that he has to stay in his own bed and
that he shouldn't do it again. Again, depending on the
child, some children adjust to it more easily and others
just takes a bit more time to get used to their big bed.
becky
Feb 2010
Our 16 month old is starting to really pull herself up,
chin-up style/hanging from the counter, scaling the
cabinetry style. I'm thinking it might be time to
transition her out of her crib. How do we do that? I
imagine her running about her room all night when she wakes
instead of crying for a minute as she readjusts the blankets
and stuffed friends.
Also, does anyone have an opinion about a toddler bed vs. a
twin? We have a twin in the room already, so that seems
easy. Yet, I've been imagining a small cute toddler bed
replacing her crib all along. How does one manage getting
in and out of a twin bed when they are only 30 inches tall?
Might the smaller bed feel more familiar to a flipper who
often nuzzles into a corner? I'm excited for the step up
and can't believe it could be time for this. Might I be
missing something on the ''just teach her not to climb out of
the crib'' front?
Thank you for your experience and advice.
Heather
No no no no no! Please don't transition your daughter to a
toddler bed yet! My daughter is 25 months and still happy in
her crib, despite the fact that at 19 months she climbed out
a couple times. We just put blankets on the floor all around
to prevent injury, and she grew out of that phase quickly. A
good friend transitioned her twin girls at 24 months and
they still haven't settled down (5 months later!). Of course
they feed off each other, but they frequently run around the
room for 2 hours before falling asleep. I really feel that
until they're better at choosing to go to bed on their own
(3?), they can't be trusted to stay in beds. The crib tells
them what to expect - it's like a physical manifestation of
the (necessary) boundaries we set for them.
Good luck with your little climber!
I would wait as long as you possibly can to switch to a bed.
The crib has SO many advantages. We started using a crib
tent at about 15 months to prevent climbing out. My son
liked the tent. He happily stayed in the crib till he was
almost three. Once you switch to a bed kids have a lot more
freedom and I wasn't ready for my son to have that freedom
at 16 months. Of course, all kids are different and yours
may sleep through the night like a trooper in a toddler bed.
keep the crib!
Sept 2008
Hi there,
My son will be 3 in a couple of months. He still sleeps in his
crib and likes it, sleeps well, and has never tried to climb
out (maybe partly due to him sleeping in a sleepsack which he
loves). We have had a big boy bed in the room for almost a
year in which he likes to play on but does not show any
interest sleeping in. We've tried naps a couple of times, and
he does not sleep, or he tells me he wants to sleep in crib.
Should I just leave well enough alone, or should I move the
crib out of room eventually? I'm thinking of letting him stay
there as long as he wants or can, but he is probably the only
toddler I know that still sleeps in his crib.
Thanks, E.
My son was the same even at 3 1/2 -- loved his crib, slept
well, never tried to climb out. I was content to leave him
there until he turned 18 (or grew out of it, whichever came
first), but my husband decided one day to take the rail off,
turning it into a toddler bed. My son has adjusted well at
night, and it is very nice in the morning to have him get up
and come to us, instead of yelling for us to get him out (he's
an early riser). However, since the rail came off, he has not
taken a single nap at home. He just pops out of bed and
refuses to try to nap. We still try to enforce quiet time at
least.
My humble opinion is, if he's happy in the crib and sleeping
well, keep him there longer. So what if he's the only toddler
you know? I'm sure he's not the only toddler in the world to
use a crib, and he will move on to a big boy bed eventually.
Since you already have the big bed, there is even less rush to
get rid of the crib...he might just start using the bed by
himself someday.
Sometimes, I wish my son still had the whole crib. I miss his
naps.
JMHO
Leave well enough alone. Most parents have kids who need to move
to toddler beds because crawling out of the crib is becoming a
nuisance. If he's happy, and things work out, just wait till he's
interested. When he starts to approach 4 yrs old, you might want
to suggest that he may want to try the bed, and you can present
it as something new and exciting (we can get those great sheets,
or a new blanket!), as opposed to ripping him away from the
security he finds in his crib. Eventually you can present it as,
you're such a big boy now, I guess you're just too big for your
crib! Do you think a new baby will enjoy it as much as you did
when you were a baby? But honestly, I wouldn't worry about it
until later. Why rock the boat? By the time he's 5 and having
play dates, the friends will give him the idea that a bed is
preferable. (And you might try some playdates to move that notion
along).
Our son, too, was comfortable in his crib. He also had a ''big
boy'' bed in his room...and we had a baby (2 years younger) that
we wanted out of our room and in the ''kids room.'' However, we
didn't want to displace the oldest, blah blah blah.
Finally when our oldest was nearly 3.5, we went on vacation and
let him sleep in a big boy bed for the week (last Thanksgiving)
while his little brother was in a pack and play. When we got
home, our oldest no longer wanted to sleep in his crib; though
we left it there for a bit. One day we took down the crib and
moved it out. A couple of months later (January, I think), I
took down the little one's crib in our room and moved it in
the ''kids room.'' By accident rather than design, I asked my
oldest to help me with a ''really important job.'' I put him in
charge of holding all the screws in his pockets and then
helping me re-build the crib.
When Daddy and his brother got home, he was so excited to show
them what he had done and to have his brother in his room with
him that all worked out.
Now, though, our little one (who just turned two) seems ready
to hurl himself out of his crib...and he is not nearly as
compliant as the older one...so I look forward to reading what
others have to say about how we deal with that =)
Good luck and I obviously don't think having a 3 yo in a crib
still is a bad thing. It worked well for us.
Been there too
My son (2y 10m) is also still in a crib and I have no plans to
move him, at least not until he drops the afternoon nap. The few
times he's had to sleep in a big bed, he always fell off it,
which to me is a sign that he still needs the crib. I know there
are safety gates for beds, but don't see the point - why not just
keep them in the crib?
Anyway, I don't get the rush with moving kids to big beds in this
country - every family seems to be doing it.
b
Jan 2007
at what age is it best to transision a toddler from a crib to a
big girl's bed? when is it too early? I have a second baby on
the way, and my daughter will be 22 months when the new one
comes along. is 22 months a bit young for a big girl's bed? the
new baby will be in a basinet for about 3 months, so I can also
wait to transition my daughter to the big girl bed until she's
about 25 months, but should I make the transition before the new
one is born?
lisa
I just transitioned my 22-month-old to a big bed (not by
choice...she was doing flips out of the crib...) I transitioned
my older daughter at 26-months, three months after her sister was
born.
I would wait as long as you can to transition. Last night was
the first night in a month that a little visitor didn't come in
to pay me a visit at 3 a.m. (earlier in the process I was
putting her back into her bed every five minutes at 'bedtime.')
With my older daughter, it was pretty much her choice. I was
putting her down for naps in the 'big bed.' One day she just
refused the crib at night and that was it. There were a few
stressful nights (she would start crying for the crib and then
when put into it she would cry for the bed), but no nighttime
visits and she would sit at the end of it waiting for me in the
morning to come get her.
jan
22 months is definitely not too young to be in a twin bed, but I think the
longer you
wait, the easier it will be. We transitioned my daughter to a twin when she
was 27
months old, about 6 weeks before our second arrived. It was very easy because
she
was REALLY ready to be the big kid and to give her crib over to the new baby.
She
was also old enough to understand consequences (i.e., if you get out of your
bed
we'll have to put you back in your crib). When my second was 24 months we
tried to
move him into a twin, and it was a disaster. Every night he was up for 45-60
minutes coming out of his room, playing with his toys, etc. Then we tried it
again
when he ws about 30 months old and it worked much better. By this age he was
more excited about being a big kid, and also was just more responsive to our
encouragements for him to stay in the bed.
On the one hand, it would be nice to move your daughter now, if she can handle
it,
so she doesn't feel kicked out of the crib when the baby needs it. But if you
try it
for a week or so and it doesn't work, she can always go back to the crib and
then
you can try again later.
anon
''they'' say to make all transitions at least a month before the
baby arrives so the older child does not ''blame'' the baby for
the changes. ''they'' also say that about 3 months after baby's
arrival is when the worst issues of the transition to a larger
family hit - the older child realizes the interloper is here to
stay.
We're due anyday with #2 so I speak from other's experience,
reading, and our plans, but not actual experience. Our DD is
in her own bed and has been for a while, she's 2. Anything
we'll ''reuse'' for baby that was hers we had packed away for a
while so she doesn't feel ''her things'' are being taken for the
baby.
ready for #2
Oct 2006
I'm expecting a second child in June when my child will be just
over 2 yo. We're trying to figure out if it's possible to
avoid buying another crib. #2 will be in a bassinet for the
first few months and if needed, in a pack-n-play until #1 moves
to a bed. How old was your child when he/she transitioned to a
bed?
expecting mama
my daughter was 2 and a few weeks when we transitioned her - it went
very smoothly A
We moved our son out of his crib (onto a mattress on the floor) when he
was just over two. You can probably do it earlier. If you want to have
#1's crib ready for the baby, the main issue is to do it early enough,
to allow #1 (and you) plenty of time to adjust to the new system. Moving
#1 out of the crib can lead to sleep disruptions both for you and your
child, because s/he will be able to easily get out of bed and walk away.
You will need some time to train him/her to stay in bed and sleep. The
other is issue is that you don't want your child to feel like his/her
new sibling has taken over his/her crib. This could be traumatic. So
s/he should be well out of the crib and onto something else before the
baby comes.
early to bed...
If your toddler likes his crib and sleeps well there, there's something
to be said for not fixing what ain't broke! On the other hand, even an
infant can sleep perfectly well, and safely, in a regular bed -- as long
as it's low enough to the floor, and the room it's in is reasonably well
babyproofed.
My older child went from crib to bed at a couple months past his 2nd
birthday. For a variety of reasons, we wished we'd made that move a LOT
sooner. So with my second child, partly because of that experience and
partly due to lack of space issues, we never used a crib at all. She
went from our bed to a small mattress on the floor at about 9 months,
and it's worked beautifully. (She's 2 now and still using the same
mattress on the floor.) Likes being crib-less
My daughter is almost 2 and she could go in a big girl bed any day now.
I don't think you should buy another crib. By the time your new baby is
too big for the bassinette, your big girl will be old enough to move on.
Some people suggest getting the big girl bed and packing the crib away
for a little while before it comes out again for the baby but who knows
if that's really necessary. In the little golden book called ''The New
Baby'' the little boy is all ready to hand off the crib when his new bed
comes from the furniture store. It might be a good read for your family
anon
We got a ''big boy'' bed for my son long before his sister was due. For
awhile, we left the crib up (the kids have to share a room soon). for a
while we allowed him to choose where to sleep. sometimes he slept in the
big boy bed; sometimes in the crib. Then, when his sister was born, we
took the crib down and he had to sleep in the big boy bed. That was in
June. In November, we will be putting the crib back up and his sister
will transition into it. We anticipate some regression but so far, he
adjusted to the big boy bed fine but it took a while. And, remember,
once they're out of that crib, you start a whole new era of sleep
training as they get a taste of new freedom.
good luck
anon
Our daughter was 19-mos when our son was born. Our son used a bassinet
for several months before moving into our crib. We didn't buy a second
crib because our daughter learned to crawl out of the crib at 21-mos. At
that time we simply put her on a twin mattress on the floor with a
safety side-rail thingy. (My husband didn't want to use a crib tent.)
Anyway, we moved our daughter onto the floor because we didn't want her
crawling out of the crib at night when she was sleepy. It was a safety
issue. (Our son just learned to crawl out of the crib at almost 24mos &
he switched to a toddler bed 2 days ago.) Anyway, if you decide to
start your oldest in a twin or toddler bed, be prepared to put more
effort into your nap & bedtime routines.
(Our kids' routine went from 15 mins to at times over an hour of
stories/cuddling before they would stay in bed & fall
asleep.) Also be prepared to walk your toddler back to bed during the
night. Finally, on desperate occasions when our daughter just wouldn't
stay in bed & after going back into her room several times to comfort &
get her to fall asleep, we've simply had to shut her bedroom door & let
her rattle the door & cry before falling asleep on the floor. (Sounds
awful, I know, but....it happened only a couple of times before she
learned about falling asleep in a ''big'' kid bed.) Actually, many
nights we just laid in bed with her until she fell asleep. (Not
recommended by those ''professionals'' who make sleep habit
recommendations, but whatever.) This was the easiest way to get her to
sleep when we were also really tired. Good Luck and try & get some
sleep. Debbie
We moved our son from his crib to a bed at 2-years old...sort of like a
big-boy birthday present. For the first 2-weeks, we left the crib in
the room, so if he wanted to switch back it would be easy. He only
wanted to sleep in the crib once after we got the bed. He has loved it
ever since and - even though he CAN get out of it by himself, he still
calls us in the morning (or middle of the night) if he wants to get up.
So, we've maintained our privacy in our room (hooray!)
A couple of things that helped:
1. He went shopping for the bed with us and helped us choose one he
liked.
2. We made sure the bed wasn't too high off the ground. He uses wooden
stairs to climb up to it, but it's a standard full bed (not a toddler
one).
3. Get sheets & a blanket that your child will love. We got Nemo sheets
& a flannel blanket for a great price at Sears in Oakland. They had
lots of fun stuff for little ones.
4. Make sure you get bed rails for both sides of the bed (even if it's
against the wall).
5. A huggy stuffed animal in bed will also help your child feel at home
in his/her new bed Good luck
I have 3 kids--we put the first one in a bed (a low futon) at 18 months,
to prepare her for having Baby #2 right around when she turned 2 years.
She played in it at first, but by 19 or 20 months was sleeping fine in
it. Baby #2 was in the crib longer, as we didn't need to make room for
Baby #3 until she was 2 1/2. Now, Baby # 3, a boy, is 22 months old,
and just figured out how to climb out of the crib, so the side is off
the crib, and he's ready for a bed. Just make sure you put on a railing
and little stool, or whatever will make it safe for your child. 2 is
not too young for a bed. You'll also need to be firm about staying in
bed--the newfound freedom can be very inticing for a toddler! Best of
luck, heidi
Definately transition your older child to a bed way before the 2nd child
comes. If you do it too close to the birth of your second, the first one
will probably feel that this new baby who is not only taking up his/her
parents time, is also taking away his/her bed. The birth of a sibling,
and for months afterwards, is definately a time to avoid transitions.
Our son was just over 2 when you permantly began sleeping in a twin size
bed. What worked for us was having that bed in the room for months and
months before the transition so he'd get used to it. At first we'd lay
down with him at night in the big bed to put him to sleep and then later
transfer him to the crib. We'd also do naps in the big bed. Eventually,
with encouragement, he'd ask to sleep in the big bed and then we took
the crib down immediately and hid it away so it wasn't part of HIS stuff
in HIS room. We had the twin bed against a corner and never got around
to buying bed rails; for a while we just put a chair or an ottoman next
to the bed, and in 2 years he's only fallen out of bed once.
Another option is to put away the crib but let him sleep on the crib
mattress on the floor for a while. Or buy a toddler bed, which is closer
to the ground and smaller. We didn't do this as we didn't want to have
to buy yet another item, plus we couldn't lay down with him in it to
read stories or if he was having a really bad night. anon
Our second baby was born before our oldest was 2, and I moved him to a
bed BEFORE the other baby was born, so he would not feel displaced. It
worked fine for us. We bought one of those extendable IKEA beds, and
initially assembled it in the smallest configuration, which is very
manageable, and bought a side rail.
This was a great solution for us. After a few months we moved the
''new'' baby from the bassinet to the crib and our older didn't seem
bothered by it. EP
March 2006
My twins are almost ready to switch from cribs to beds. I am wondering if anyone
has advice on how to do this specifically for twins who need to share a room. I'm
worried that once they are in beds and free to bug one another, climb into bed with
one another, etc--there will be chaos, and very little sleeping. They are 26 months
old.
Twin Mama
Our twins are now four years old. Girls. We did the same thing
with them as we did with our older singleton. Their bedroom is
for sleeping. So there are no toys in there. Just beds. Now
they have books and stuffed animals, too, but we eliminated all
the distractions except for each other and after about two
weeks they stopped climbing from bed to bed and went to sleep.
I always thought I'd find them snuggled in one bed together but
that never happened. We did this right about age 2.5.
No nonsense Mommy of three
When my older son was around the same age as your twins, we
happened upon a great deal on an adorable toddler bed. We bought
it and he was really excited to sleep in it so we went for it.
Prior to getting the bed, he had been sleeping great, taking
regular naps, etc. About a week into setting up the new bed, he
was waking up a lot at night, rolling out of bed, not staying
down for his naps--it was rotten. We put the bed away and got
out the crib and he stayed in it for more than another year. I
say, unless your kids are too big for cribs, keep them as long as
possible. ItC",b"s a move thatC",b"s best not rushed!
--two cents
We were worried when transitioning our same-bedroom-twins to
beds. I'm guessing by their ages that they are no longer co-
bedding in the crib (if they were). We kept the same nighttime
routine and situated the beds in the same way as the cribs had
been. This seemed to work out well. While ours rarely have
asked to share beds, I understand that it is not unusual for
twins to climb into bed together. And when ours have asked for
it, they have fallen asleep pretty quickly. My friend's twins
did for years and just stopped when they were ready. Her rule
of thumb was as long as they fell asleep it was fine. At times
one twin or the other will test the water with getting out of
bed over and over and the other twin quietly encourages the
behavior. We just walk them back with little or no talking and
it eventually gets old and the game stops. When it got really
bad for a couple of weeks we used a reward sytem for staying in
the bed. Once we got a few nights in a row the troubles
ceased.
leandrw
July 2004
We have put our 28 month old in a toddler bed. He had the crib
and bed for awhile, and then as an incentive to go into the bed,
we used a reward chart for sleeping in the bed - his reward was
a play vacuum cleaner. We put away the crib with his o.k., and
now he refuses to stay in his bed to fall asleep for nap or
bedtime. The second I try to leave the room, he is crying and
will not stay in the bed/room. We have been putting him down
awake in his crib for a long time, and although he protested off
and on, he was usually fine with it. Any advice for teaching
him to stay in his bed to fall asleep without me having to be in
there for an hour? I am willing to stay with him for awhile to
help, but I feel he is fighting to say awake because I am in the
room. His bedtime is creeping later toward post 9:00 p.m.,
which is not enough sleep for him. One alternative I have
considered is to gate the bedroom door and let him cry and
figure out he should just go to bed, but I would like to avoid
having to ''force'' the issue. Thanks. Jennifer
Jennifer
We kept the toddler bed in our room for a few months to allow
our son to get used to the idea of the new bed. We then re-
arranged his room together and then brought in his toddler bed
to his room. He helped make the bed, etc. This seemed to help
with the transition- kind of a ceremony of sorts. I put those
door knob childproofing things on the door leading to the
kitchen from his room but leave open a door so he can get to
our room. Good luck.
Juliette
Why push the big bed? If the crib is still comfortable for
your son maybe he should just stay there. We found a great
deal on a really cute toddler bed so we bought it and set it up
for our son who had just started sleeping better (after a
hellish couple of years of frequent night-waking). The first
week of the ''big boy bed'' he began waking up a lot again and he
wouldn't stay in his bed during naptime or night time. So we
decided to go back to the crib. He's happy there and we're
happy that he's sleeping through the night again.
Amanda
March 2003
I am expecting #2 when my current baby will be 18 mos. Do I
really need to have 2 cribs, or can I put the 18 mos old in a
bed?
alia
I think it depends on your child. Two things I would think about: one is,
can your child get out of bed when he wakes up alone, without
confusion (rather than get upset/fall out/ whatever). Our son
occasionally sleeps with us, and when he was around 18 months old,
he started being able to wake up and climb down from our bed and
come find us if we woke up before him and left him in bed alone. Before
that he rolled around enough when waking up that I was afraid he would
fall out, and never left him alone. Even with a rail, I would have been
uneasy leaving him alone in bed.
The other is, is he likely to stay in bed when you put him there at night?
Does he fall asleep without protest when you put him in his crib, or does
he tend to cry and fuss a bit? If the latter, I'd definitely get two cribs -- or
you're likely to have real battles on your hands.
Karen
Leaving aside the question of whether a bed is safe for an
18-month-old, many people advised me that switching my older
daughter to a bed so that our new baby could have her crib would
be interpreted by the older girl as ''I got kicked out for the
baby!'' Could you borrow a second crib, as we did? After the new
baby had been in the borrowed crib for three months, we went
looking for a ''big kid'' bed for the two-year-old. The day it
arrived at our home, she jumped in it, jumped on it, and hasn't
looked back since. We asked her that very night if it would be OK
to take her crib out of her room. She said, ''Yes, give it to my
baby sister!'' So we did!
darcy
Why not keep your 18 month old in the crib and put the new baby
in a bassinet or pack-n-play for the first 4-6 months of life?
Then, your 2 year old will be more ready for a bed, and your
little one for the crib?
Just a suggestion.
We moved our older son out of his crib (which he didn't actually
spend the whole night in anyway) when he was around 15 mos. He
scaled the rungs one day and that was the end. We had planned
originally on putting him straight into a twin bed but, since he
was so young and couldn't climb into it on his own we bought a
toddler bed. It worked well. He would go to sleep in it, then
when he woke in the night he would just toddle down the hall to
our bed for the rest of the night. Getting him out of our bed a
year and a half later when his brother was due to arrive wasn't
nearly as easy! And, if you are planning on co-sleeping with the
baby you won't need to move the older kid at all.
Rose
We moved to California when my son was 18 months old (now he is
2 years old). I didn\222t want to buy a crib, but was afraid to put
him in regular bed. Eventually, I bought a crib mattress and put
it on the carpet. He likes his new \223bed\224, and I feel that it is
completely safe. He can go in and out of bed by himself. Let me
present the advantages and the disadvantages:
Advantages: if he feels uncomfortable during the night (rarely
happened), he doesn\222t cry, he just go out of his bed and come to
our bed. In the mornings he wakes up before us, and usually
plays by himself quietly.
Disadvantages: you can\222t make him go to sleep by putting him to
bed. If he doesn\222t want to sleep he goes out of bed by himself.
A
My first daughter was 18 months and sleeping in the crib when my
second was born. We actually put the new baby to sleep in the
bassinet level of the pack'n'play, and kept her in our room for
the first 6 months. Then when our older daughter turned 2 she
was excited to get a big-girl bed and thrilled that she
could ''give'' her crib to her little sister.
Most play-yards come equipped with a sturdy bassinet insert so
that little ones can be a little bit higher up. Feel free to
email if you have questions.
Ruth
When is it Time to Move from Crib to Bed?
2001
Hi all. Well my 2.5 year old is climbing out of her crib for yuks these
days, as well as waking up in the wee hours to toss and turn like she's not
comfortable. All this leads me to suspect it's time to get her a real bed.
Here's my question for other parents out there - should I look at a toddler
bed or an actual twin bed? I'd rather not pay a specialty children's store
markup for a "toddler" bed, but I don't know if regular mattress companies
make them that size. We're currently in a one-bedroom in SF (although we're
hoping to hear from Cal student family housing one day before my husband
starts classes), which is why size is an issue. Can anybody recommend a
place to look at affordable kid's bedding? Also, am I jumping the gun on
this? Should I wait until she's three? Is there any rule of thumb here that
I haven't heard about? Any advice on this from parents in the know would be
much appreciated. Thanks!
What is the current wisdom on moving infants into their
own toddler bed? At what age does this normally happen?
How do you know when your child is ready? Are toddler
beds necessary or can they go into a twin size bed.
What are the pros and cons. Any advice and experiences
would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a bunch.
i don't know about current wisdom, but here's our
experience regarding toddler beds. when our child
was around 7-9 months (i think) he was still sleeping
with us, but had outgrown his basket which we put him
in to sleep alone, before we came to bed. we weren't
comfortable with him in our bed alone because we thought
it was too high and were afraid he would fall off.
we got him a nice cotton toddler size futon (murasaki
on college near claremont) and put it on a platform we
made which was just about an inch or two off the floor.
he did fall off several times, but usually continued to
sleep on the floor. in general, falling wasn't a problem.
as it turns out we replaced the toddler bed with a double
bed because we had guests coming and they slept in our
son's room. we moved his toddler futon into our room
during this time. that's where it's stayed. we found
the double bed (no frame, just box spring and mattress
on the floor) was great. it's not high enough to worry
about falling. it's big enough that we put blankets
and/or pillows on his sides to minimized chances of falling
and so he'll feel cozy. we love it because we can lay down
with him at night, nurse, cuddle, read books, etc. and
have plenty of room. it was pretty squishy on the toddler
bed! so i'd consider just going straight to a regular
bed, on the floor. now our son is old enough (just over 2)
that in the middle of the night he wanders down to our
room on his own to join us in our bed, which is fine with
us.
When our son turned two, we visited a friend who's 2
year old was sleeping in his own bed. Our son really
wanted a bed then and wasn't happy about his crib, tho
before that he was fine. I was worried about him falling
out, so we put a futon on the floor and we had him sleeping
there til he was about three and a half, when we put him
into a regular bed with a side rail.
When my daughter graduated to a big girl bed, we got a regular twin bed,
and went to the foam factory (or any foam shop) on adeline and got a
palatte and foam mattress. It was then low to the ground (so she wouldn't
fall out) and she could get in and out easily. We also bought a rail for
the side but it never seemed necessary. She liked a lot and eventually we
got her a regular mattress/box spring for the same bed.
If a young toddler is able to climb out of a
crib, it's time to move down nearer to the floor. Our
son moved to a toddler bed at ~20 months for this reason.
The bed is crib-sized so it was a great space saver.
Other than that, he could probably have been moved
straight to a twin bed if it were low and had side rails.
Our older child went straight to a twin bed at around age 3.
We moved our now 17 month old son to a toddler bed
about 2 or 3 months ago.
At that point I noticed him scaling the safety gates
at the bottom of the stairs, and figured that he would
be trying that on the crib shortly. I felt it was
better to be safe, and get him out of the crib, than
risk him falling from such a height. He has been
co-sleeping with us (for part of the night) for months,
and had never fallen out of our bed. And based on that,
I almost just put him in the twin bed (since we already
have one) but I realized that while he had been able to
climb down from our bed for months, he still wasn't able
to climb up into it. I wasn't sure if he would ever "put
himself back to bed" but I figured the chances were
better in a toddler bed that was lower, than in our
bed that he couldn't reach. Now that he is older he
is able to climb in and out of our bed (even in the
dark in the middle of the night) by climbing over the
rungs of the foot board, but he still can't climb into
the twin bed, so I think that the toddler bed was worth
the investment, even though he doesn't put himself back
to bed in that bed.
Oct 1999
We are wondering if anyone has tried and succeeded with transitioning
their toddler from sleeping in a crib to a futon or mattress on the floor?
For the past two weeks, our two-year-old has been sleeping in our bed due to
his having high fevers and a cold. Before then, (and what we've been
working on going back to in the past few days--ay, ay), he'd read with us,
have his hugs and kisses, rock with his Papa and then go his crib in his own
room where he would, usually with minimal protest, eventually go to sleep.
Oftentimes, he would chatter to himself for awhile. He has not yet
seemed to have thought of/tried to climb out of the crib. We're reasonably
sure that we'll get back to the pre-cold bedtime routine soon. We're
expecting another baby in March, when our firstborn will be 2 years, 4 months
old. We imagine the newborn will be sleeping with us and the toddler will
be in his own room down the hall. We'd like advice about:
-whether to transition the toddler to a non-crib bed before the newborn
arrives;
-the idea of our toddler sleeping on a futon or mattress on the floor;
-why not go straight to a twin bed with a frame and mattress?; and
-anything we've not thought about yet in this regard.
Thanks for your time and thought to our questions.
Our toddler did very well going from his crib to his crib mattress on the
floor, and then to a toddler bed (which uses the crib mattress). I think
the advantage of going to the mattress on the floor first is that they get
used to being in a situation where they can roll off -- without too far to
fall, at least at first (and we did find him wrapped up in blankets next to
the mattress on numerous occasions). If you go straight to an elevated
bed, you can deal with this by attaching one of those guard rail apparati.
After a few weeks on the floor, we moved him into a toddler bed. We opted
for this rather than a full sized bed because our son's room is on the
small side, and because it cost less (since we're using the crib mattress).
It's a lovely little pine bed with a star cut out, which we got at Lullaby
Lane in San Bruno (at the recommendation of someone on this list, I
believe!). Good luck! If your child likes to climb into bed with you, be
warned ... he/she will now be able to do so without your help! We moved
our son out of his crib long before he was able to climb out in the hope
that it would increase his interest in sleeping in his own room ... I'm
afraid the novelty wore off quickly. He still spends quite a bit of time
with us, climbing in between us without our ever waking up!
Tips for moving 2-year-old from crib
It's time for our two year old to make the switch from crib to bed.
(She's now too long for the crib!) I have read the related info on the
Parent's Website, but would welcome any further tips. (How to keep a
toddler happily in a bed, where best to shop for a bed, are rails useful?,
etc.)
Our toddler did very well going from his crib to his crib mattress on the
floor, and then to a toddler bed (which uses the crib mattress). I think
the advantage of going to the mattress on the floor first is that they get
used to being in a situation where they can roll off -- without too far to
fall, at least at first (and we did find him wrapped up in blankets next to
the mattress on numerous occasions). If you go straight to an elevated
bed, you can deal with this by attaching one of those guard rail apparati.
After a few weeks on the floor, we moved him into a toddler bed. We opted
for this rather than a full sized bed because our son's room is on the
small side, and because it cost less (since we're using the crib mattress).
It's a lovely little pine bed with a star cut out, which we got at Lullaby
Lane in San Bruno (at the recommendation of someone on this list, I
believe!). Good luck! If your child likes to climb into bed with you, be
warned ... he/she will now be able to do so without your help! We moved
our son out of his crib long before he was able to climb out in the hope
that it would increase his interest in sleeping in his own room ... I'm
afraid the novelty wore off quickly. He still spends quite a bit of time
with us, climbing in between us without our ever waking up!
Regarding transitioning from crib to bed, I never knew there was an
issue with this when my three daughters went from crib to bed at
the ages of 2 and 3, depending on when we needed the crib for a
new baby! Ignorance is bliss sometimes, I guess! Anyway, just to
keep them from rolling out, I positioned their beds into a corner.
For the other long side, I bought a guard rail with a painted metal
frame and tightly woven mesh stretched over the frame. Perhaps
this measure of enclosing 3 sides of the bed created a feeling of
security. My daughters adjusted to their new bed and guardrail
without any problem. I removed the guard rail after about 2 years.
Kim
3-year-old wants to keep sleeping in crib
Our
daughter will be 3 in a month. She has never tried to climb out of her crib
and has always liked her crib. We took her shopping for a big girl bed (a
twin bed - we skipped the toddler bed entirely) three weeks ago, explaining
that we weren't taking it home that day. She was very excited and helped pick
a bed. We just got a call that the bed is ready to be delivered. When I
mentioned it to my daughter, she got very upset and cried that she likes her
crib and she didn't want them to bring the big girl bed here. I assured her
she could stay in her crib. I told her she could have both the crib and her
bed in her room (though that is going to be extremely tough as she has a very
tiny bedroom), but she still cried that she liked her crib and didn't want
the bed. We do not have anyplace at all to put the bed other than her room -
no place to store it - so that is simply not an option. It really does have
to go straight into her room. I have a book called "My New Bed" which I'd
been saving and read it to her several times and she was into it, but I'm
concerned about helping her make a comfortable transition. I would appreciate
any advice as in all likelihood the bed will have to be delivered to us in a
few weeks. Thanks.
Lori
Our almost 3 year old boy had never climbed out of his crib either, but 3-4
months ago we took him to choose a bed as well. We had built up to it by
talking about it a lot beforehand. He had some ambivalence, but excitement
as well. When it came, he helped my husband assemble it with his own tool
set, and put it together, making it etc., with us. Involving them in the
set-up process helps quite a bit. Maybe choosing new sheets together as
well would be fun for her. We put his crib in my study, and let him know it
was there if he wanted, but he never did. Also - there is a wonderful book
I found at the library called "My Own Big Bed", by Anna Gossnickle Hines
about a little girl going thru this transition and asking herself all the
questions which make toddlers have ambivalence about this change. It's
really well done. Good luck! Pam Z.
Can you cancel the purchase of the bed? My stepdaughters stayed in their
cribs until age 5 (OK, a little weird, and they are small kids) but unless
you have a great reason for wanting to get her out of the crib, if she
sleeps well there, why not leave her in. My stepdaughters are 16 and 18
now, and neither one has any problems - at least none that I can attribute
to the crib...
Fran
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