Crib or Bed That Is the Question?

Both my kids started sleeping in a twin bed before they were 2 years old. If he's climbing out it's definitely time.

Toooootally ready for a big bed.

Time for a real bed.

If he can climb out he needs a bed. I post this every time someone asks this question on Mamapedia: Friend's daughter was 18 months old and broke her arm the FIRST time she ever climbed out of the crib.

His crib is no longer a safe place for him.

This has nothing at all to do with his age. If he's climbing out he's done with the crib.

Put up the side of his crib. Now look at the distance from the top of the raised rail to the floor below. Picture your small child falliing that entire distance. Picture him falling that distance and landing on his head. He could be killed. The crib's not a corral because they're awake and the rest of the family isn't. And crib "tents" are just an attempt to corral kids a little longer. I think crib tents are just delaying the inevitable and probably present a hazard of the child getting tangled in them as he tries to escape.

A toddler bed or mattress on the floor -- it's time. Yes, you will have to adjust him to that and he WILL get up and down at night and think it's fun to come in and out of the room etc. But there are lots of strategies for dealing with that. It takes time and you have to know there will be many nights for you of the frustration of walking him back to bed over and over (don't talk to him, dont' fuss at him either, just keep returning him). But for safety's sake, make the transition now rather than after he has a fall from the top of the crib rail.

since only one other person mentioned crib tents, and she clearly didn't have one and probably had never seen one in use, I'll just say that you do have that option. you absolutely must do one or the other (crib tent or big boy bed), b/c it is very very dangerous for your little guy to be climbing out of the crib (as you've heard once or twice... :) ), but a crib tent is a perfectly safe and reasonable way to keep the kid in the crib. and, as the mother of twin boys (plus an older singleton; 3 boys in 1 1/2 years....), I will say that it's a lot safer than leaving them completely loose in a room where they can get into all kinds of trouble, or wander around the house, or never get any sleep... when they're not developmentally ready for that kind of freedom.

I resisted the crib tents and when I finally got them I wondered why I'd resisted so long. They saved my life. My little guys will be three this week and they still nap in their cribs with the crib tents (and they now have big boy beds for nighttime, but that happened within the last couple of months). I am a huge huge fan of crib tents.

And, for what it's worth, a friend of mine had a fire in her home, the kids had crib tents, and the fireman told her that he loves houses with crib tents b/c the kids can't get scared and hide, they know exactly where to find them....

good luck!

oh, and if you don't know what I'm talking about, you can find them on amazon, like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Tots-Mind-Cozy-Crib-White/dp/B00014...

There is no magic age to switch children to big beds. I was sleeping in a full-sized bed by the time I was two. Both my girls were starting to climb at at 1 1/2-2. They graduated to twin size beds with bed rails to keep them from rolling out. These are collapsable rails that are kept in place by the mattress and are found at places like Toys and Babies "R" Us.
You didn't say if you had a one or two story house. If it's the latter, make sure you have safety gates made especially for stairs installed at the top to keep your little man safe.
Good luck with your mobile child! It only gets better.

Mine flipped out of the crib once and that was it for us. He is only 18 months old! We are using the crib "day bed" style without the front gate and we use a safety gate across the doorway to keep him the room at night. He is finally falling asleep and staying in the bed! Yeah!!

Good luck.
~C.

my understanding was if they can climb out of the crib it becomes a danger and is no longer a safe place. we told our son that he could not get up untill the sun wakes up! it kind of confused nap time. i have seen where ppl plug a lamp into a timer to let kids know when its ok to get out of bed.

If he can crawl out on his own it is time to convert the crib or get a toddler bed.

It only takes him crawling out and slipping once for a serious injury, and the crib isn't keeping him in it any longer. My daughter was 18 months when we converted hers to a toddler bed.

Make sure his room is extra safe: outlets have safety plugs, furniture is stable etc... and then go for the big boys bed! Many cribs convert, and most toddler beds use crib bedding and mattresses so they shouldn't cost you much!

Good Luck!
-M.

If he's climbing out, that's dangerous.
You can either:
1. Get up with him (as soon as you hear him getting up & out of his crib)
or
2. Get him a bed, but what's that going to solve, really?

If he's climbing out - he's ready.
Prepare for the next battle! How to keep him IN it! :)

We switched both our boys to a big boy bed at 16 or 17 months. We started out with just the mattress on the floor. After they were used to it and we knew they wouldn't fall out, we put their bed together.

I'm sure some kids are able to sleep in their crib until they are 3, but there's really no reason anyone has to.

He's about too old to use a toddler bed so move him now or just wait and buy a twin or bigger when you are ready. Toddler beds are for toddlers ages 12 months to 24 months. The mattresses are not for kids that weight more that the average 2 year old.

If he's climbing out of bed then you have to switch him to a bed. He could get seriously injured one of these times climbing out without supervision. He's ready for a big boy bed.

If he is climbing out of is bed. He needs to be in a big boy bed..