Move to Big Girl Bed?

A., I agree with the other moms! She would be thrilled to have her own big girl bed. Get her a toddler bed and personalize it to her liking. Like if she likes disney princesses, get those kind of sheets and blanket (or whatever she like.) She'll love having her own bed.

Actually she will be fine in a big girl bed. I have 4 children and my youngest two are 12 months apart. When the new baby came home we had him in the bassinet and her in a playpen but after a month or two we put her into a big girl bed. She did fine and actually she liked the bedding that we had on it it was something special just for her. It's hard because they were the babies and now there is someone else getting all the attention. You could even try a toddler bed but I think that a twin bed is fine just get some bed rails just in case she rolls around.

The thought of two cribs isn't great; however, don't move her on until she's ready (climbing out, or asking to go to a big bed). My son was 18 mos when my daughter was born and they shared a room for a short while, until he kept crawling out and coming to us at night - then we knew it was time. My daughter finally left her crib when we moved to a new house. She did not want to give it up till nearly 3 years. New house, new room, new bed.

Hello A.,

Your little girl can actually move into any size bed. As soon as my daughter started climbing out of her crib, it was time for a new bed. I had a full size bed in her room along with her crib. I had this bed in her room so I could sleep in her room and feed her at night and not wake up my husband. Later my daughter and I picked out fun sheets, pillows and guard rails for the full size bed. She took to it very easliy she was only about 1 yr. 1/2 at the time. Now she is 9, and I have her in a twin which is much harder to get used to since she had so much room prior. She should be fine in a twin. You can also get a toddler bed, but she will also out-grow that very quickly.

Good luck and congrats,
Grace

My first two girls were 23 months apart. I put my older one in a bed thinking that she had to be in one so the baby could have the crib, and it really backfired. I forced her too early and she was scared and insecure.
I have some guilt over the whole thing, but luckily she's a normal, happy 7 year old now! A more "seasoned" mom had told me back then "Why don't you just get another crib and let them both be in a crib?" I wish I would have listened, as we all would have gotten better sleep and it really wouldn't have been a big deal. Cribs can be found cheap in the classifieds, consignment stores, etc. Every child is different, so I guess you have to decide for your own situation. I have 3 kids now and I've found that not forcing them into a bed was a better approach w/ the second two kids. Good luck and enjoy your new baby!

I did not have another baby on the way, but I did have a 20 month old who wouldn't sleep thru the night. I decided to move he into a bed to see if that would change anything, which it did. I was told by EVERYONE I was nuts and she was to young. She has never been happier. I think the key is a slow transition, I put the bed in her room while she continued to sleep in the crib. The first night I put her in bed she woke up twice, which is understandable. She has gotten out of bed twice, but immediately climbed back in bed and went to sleep. I did originally start out with a gate in front of her door, but took it down. Hope that helps, good luck!!

We moved our son into a toddler bed at 22 months, we built it up by asking him if he wanted a big boy bed and took him to a friends house who had already moved their daughter into a toddler bed. Within 1 week he was so excited he asked his daddy to take down the crib. The transition was smooth. Potty training that was a whole different animal. Good Luck!

It totally depends on your daughter! My daughter was 17 months when my son was born. I really didn't want to go through the hassle of buying another crib, so we just did it. I put a box spring and twin sized mattress on the floor with a bed rail. (i really like the one from One Step Ahead...it has a bar that goes all the way across the bottom of the mattress and hooks on the other side so they can't push it off). I figured if she was going to fall/climb out she wouldn't have a far drop! :) We switched her around 16 months (just in case) and she did beautifully!! I think she enjoyed not having to sleep on that rock-hard crib mattress. She slept longer, took better naps...it was honestly one of the best decisions we've made so far. The very strange thing is for some reason she never gets out until I come in the room. I don't know why...I thought FOR SURE she would be out as soon as we left the room, but she doesn't. I almost think her age was an advantage to switching. I was totally apprehensive at first, but it worked great for us. Just another thought! Good luck!

Our son was 15 mos. old when we had his sister. WE did put him in a big bed, started out with the mattress on the floor just in case he fell out of bed. But he's been in a big bed since! I think kids will be ok with whatever you are doing....just be confident, and make it a really cool thing that she's getting to do! Your problem with this is that she is no longer contained in a crib, so she could get up if she wants to...but be firm in telling her that she has to stay in bed, she will adjust!! Remember how you react to the 1st things usually sets the pace for every kid you'll have... choose your battles wisly, but don't make life miserable for yourself just to pacify a situation in the now!

What about a toddler bed? When my son was born, we moved my daughter (25 mo old, at the time) to a toddler bed. Actually, we moved her into it a little early, so she would feel it was special for her, and not because of the new baby. It worked out great- she felt like a "big girl", and I didn't have to worry about her being in (falling out of...) a full-size bed. HTH!

All three of my kids were about the same year apart. I put them in big kid beds before the baby came so that they would never feel resentment that the baby was taking something of theirs (their crib) It actually worked out very well. It was easier on them than it was on me because it was hard to see my "baby" move to a big kid bed! I did it about 1 month to 6 weeks before the new baby arrived. Good Luck!

S. L.
____@____.com

Hello A.,

I have a 2 year old and when he was about 21 months I had to get him a twin bed and he loved it. I got him Diego bed sheet and he was so exited. He has never feel off the bed, of courese I put a pillow on his side just incase, but he is doing great and he loves it.

that's the age difference between my boys, so i can relate.

we didn't want to buy another crib, so we moved my older son to a bed at age 20 months. this gave him enough time to adjust to a new bed and a new room before baby #2 came.

if you're worried about her falling out, a mattress on the floor works great.

if you're worried about her getting out of bed, use discipline and be consistent.

I had my second son when my first was just 17 months old. We kept our first one in the crib for about another two months while our second was in a cradle in our room and then moved him into a toddler bed. He loved it! We let him pick out the sheets and blankets and pillow and he stayed in it to sleep. Well at least as much as he did in his crib! Congrats on the soon to be new baby and good luck with everything!

It can work--my daughter was also that old when my second daughter was born. We switched her to the big girl bed when she was 19 months old (it helped that we moved into a new house at that time). We didn't have any problems; it all depends on your child, though. FYI, we have a twin bed without a boxspring--we purchased a bunkie board for bunkbeds to put under the mattress for support--and then a simple stool for her to use to get into bed. She only fell out once and didn't even realize it--just kept sleeping! It doesn't hurt to try, even if you start with naptime. Just make it fun and yet not a big deal at the same time, if that makes sense. If you give her the sense that it's a big deal and she might not like it, well, then it probably won't work. :) Good luck!

You can totally transition her to a big girl bed. My sister-in-law just had a baby and her son, who is 18 months old, is in a toddler bed. Most day care centers will have kids around 18 months on cots.

I haven't had to do this yet, but I'd say that the biggest challenge will likely be keeping her in bed/in her room when she wakes up. But lots of kids look at it as a really big deal and rise to the challenge.

Good luck!!

Don't assume that your daughter is too young. I had my daughters 19 months apart. We moved my oldest to a big girl bed and she did just fine. As a matter of fact, she loved it. Because she is a pretty "wild" sleeper she did fall out of bed a few times during the first few nights. But we just put a few pillows down and she was fine. She also got out of bed a few times. When that happened we simply corrected her and put her back in bed. She learned very quickly not to get up. We did put a baby gate on the door so that if she got out of bed during the night she wouldn't be able to wander around the house. I know that each child is different, but your 22 months old may surprise you...go ahead and try it.

My 18 month old hiked her leg over her crib and climbed out by herself last month. Her bed was gone the next day. I don't think there is any set time to take a child out of a crib. They often tell you when they are ready by their actions. Toddler beds are good, but our little ones never took to them. I have three. We put a matress set on the floor with one of those bed gates on either side. You can get at any baby store. The all took to them that better than our toddler bed. If you have probelms with them getting out of bed you can put a baby gate in their door way to keep them in at night. Just another thought. Have a happy day!

we've has our 22 month old daughter in a big girl bed for the last 6 months. I don't think there's any timeline..just whenever you both are ready! :0)

Hello! Congrats to you on the new baby! I have two daughters who are 27 months apart in age. When I was expecting the second baby I spent a lot of time with my older daughter especially preparing her for the arrival of the new baby. We decided to experiment with a toddler bed to see if she could handle her night routine which was wonderful. We decided as long as she did not get up at night and stayed asleep we would keep the plan intact.
If your daughter goes to bed with ease in the crib than test the waters. Provide her with a toddler bed or a single bed and see how she adapts. She will show you how proud she is of herself and that the crib is only for babies. I had my oldest daughter set up the baby's side of the room and she couldn't wait to see the baby. It was a happy transition. All the best. Trust your insticts and work from there. S. K.

My daughter was about the same age. We just bought a twin matress and put it on the floor so she was able to climb into it be herself. Placed it against a corner wall and put a bed rail on the other side in case she fell out. It worked perfectly until she grew enough to reach a "big bed".

My son and daughter are 17 months apart and I had two cribs. My son just wasn't ready for a toddler bed at that point. He did transition to one just after he turned 2 and that went very well. My daughter just turned 2 and she is doing so well in her crib (never jumps or tries to climb out) so the advice I've been given is to leave her in there until it's absolutely necessary to move her to a toddler bed. Every child is different, with different needs. You will figure it out, I'm sure. Do you need another crib?

Every child is different, but my daughter moved to a toddler bed at 19 months, and a real bed (with side railing) at 23 months. My son just switched to a toddler bed and he is 20 months. I would suggest putting the toddler bed in her room so she gets used to it being there. You can read, play games, etc. on it before she may want to take a nap. Also, my son refused to sleep in the toddler car bed we got him, so we had to get a new toddler bed that's more traditional with the higher side railings. He loves it.

If you don't want your daughter to be able to wander around at night, consider a door knob safety latch so she can't get out, or put a gate up on the outside of her door so the door can be open but she can't wander the halls. I personally have been lucky and my kids don't actually get up when they wake up, but I know some kids do.

Good luck!

We moved our son into a bed at 15 mo old b/c I was due to have a baby by the time he was almost 18mo old. We put a mattress on the floor of his room, started with naps and before we knew it, he was sleeping their fine at night. Yes, there were a lot of up-in-the-night episodes (still are), but I don't think that matters what age you try to bring the "Big Bed" in to their lives:)

I don't remember how old my daughter was when she went into a toddler bed. She may have been a bit older than yours. However, my son was under two when he moved into twin size, bunk beds. With my daughter on top.

He started climbing out of the crib so we had no choice but to move him.

They both did just fine transitioning between the crib/toddler bed/twin bed.

For a while we had a railing on his bed so he would not fall out.

Hope this helps.

I had the same situation and what I decided to do was simply put a twin size mattress on the floor. Then when I was sure my child was staying on the mattress, I put the whole bed together and it worked out. The other thing you might want to do is talk to your child or read to your child if you can as they are going to bed because it will help settle them down so they can be receptive to going to sleep after a playful day.

Neither of my girls went to big girl beds until they were three years old, but all my brother's kids did earlier. It all depends on you and the child. For my oldest I rolled a blanket into a roll and stuck it under the sheet of her daybed and that kept her from falling out. My younger daughter had a rail that bolted to her bed when you converted it to a daybed. She's never fallen out. My brother bought a metal rail with net that fit under the mattress to hold it in place and that worked for his kids. Just as long as they don't fall out it really doesn't matter the age. Problem is when they are that young and they want to get up, they will. And unless you are a light sleeper you may find your little one wondering around somewhere unsupervised. Now you could gate her in her room to be sure...my neighbor did that with her son. She was afraid he would fall down the stairs.

But she's not too young per se. It really is what you think will work with her.

I think it depends on what you are comfortable with. My sister moved her first into a big boy bed at 22 months. Mine are 18 months apart, so I got another crib.

Both can work.

well I do not think she will be too young to move...make it an exciting and fun transition...she will be adjudted and ready to be a big girl helper...

good luck

I too was expecting my second child when my first child was only 17 months. Didn't want to purchase a second crib - so we were told by friends to move the 17 month old to a big boy bed mattress only on the floor. It worked perfectly and actually he slept much better than he did in the crib - We also moved our second child to a big girl bed by 21 months.

Of course there is the trick of keeping them in their bed once they discover they have FREEDOM - we just put a gate at their door and asked them to go back to bed - they do give up from exhaustion. You might just find them asleep on the floor.

We put pillows on the floor at first just in case they did tumble out of bed - but it was only a 12" drop so they didn't get hurt.

I hope that helps some. Good luck - if you need a crib I have one for sale :) - I would try the big girl bed first

Hi A.. My oldest daughter was a little bit older when me second was due but she sort of moved toward a big girl bed after a vacation that necessitated her trying one. I will say, and it depends significantly on the disposition of your daughter, that the transistion was easier to do BEFORE the baby came and "took" all of her stuff and her room. I made a BIG deal out of her getting a big girl room, new furniture, new bedding, etc. so maybe that helped. I think if I would have tried to get her out of "her" room after the baby was here, she would have resisted it alot more. Just my thoughts...

Can she get in and out by herself? Do you have or can you acquire a guardrail? We moved my daughter to a full-sized futon just after she was 2, and she had no problems. For a while we put a pillow on the edge, but we don't any more. The other option would be just a mattress on the floor. :)

I moved my daughter to a big girl bed when she was about 2 years old. We already had a full size bed, so we used that. First we put the mattress right on the floor, and after a while we put it on the boxspring. We put a bunch of pillows and stuffed animals on one side so it didn't seem as huge. My daughter loved it and didn't take long at all to get used to. We also used one of those side rails, so she wouldn't fall out. It made more sense to us to do it this way instead of buying a toddler bed which only lasts so long before they grow out of it.

My name is D. and my son, Harlan 22months has been sleeping in a queen bed for 4 months. He never liked his crib so we put a mattress set on the floor, taught him how to climb out on his belly and he happily sleeps there in the middle.

It's harder to get him to stay in his bed, but we just continue to work on it. If your daughter is going down well, this may not be a problem for you.

My sister also had her children close together and put her 18 month old on a twim mattress set (on the floor) when her second daughter was born. They are now 12 and 11 and doing great.

It will take a bit of trainging but you still have time. Good luck.

D.

Both of my sons moved to a toddler bed before they were 2. I think both were about 20 months and neither had a problem with it. Give it a try. She may shock you!

Invest in a toddler bed with a guard rail. This is a good "inbetween" when you take your child out of a crib, before going to a regular size single bed. She should be able to use it until she is 4 or 5 depending on her height and you will have it for the next little one.

Much luck!

well my name is S. and .. my son is in a big bed and he loves it she is not to young to be put in a big girls bed .. at all she is at the right stage to put her in the bed girls bed

I moved my daughter to a full bed at 14 months. She climbs up and down bed on her own. She sleeps full night. NOw that she is 2 years, she still on her bed and loves it. She has trouble sleeping if we get her to our bed (when she is sick).

She loves her bed and we got her a buddy to sleep with (a Diego 30" pillow.

You take your call and see what yr kiddo would be comfortable with.

All the best with your decision.

When my daughter was 22 months, we moved her into a queen size bed, on the floor- her baby brother was coming in two months and we wanted to use the same crib(it was really nice, and sturdy). She adjusted great.
We now have since moved my son into a racecar toddler bed when he was about 20 months- he did great too.
But, you have to do what works best for you and your family.

We moved my daughter out of her crib at about two so we could have it down for a bit before we needed it for one of the twins (we borrowed another crib for the other) so she wouldn't feel displaced. We actually put her on the bottom bunk because she started sharing with her big brother because we needed the other room for the twins, so we put the crib in with the bunk bed and told her that if she didn't stay in her bed she would go in the crib on the first offense. It worked pretty well. We put a fence up on the side of the bed to keep her from rolling off and gave her a step stool to help her get up and down. I don't know what we'll do for the twins....

Hi A.,

Buy a toddler bed. It uses the same mattress as a crib & is low to the ground. My daughter slept in hers until she was 5 1/2.

I had both of my boys in twin beds before they were 2 years old. For the same reason as you, a new baby was coming and I was hoping to avoid having 2 cribs. I bought a cheap toddler bed and used that as a transition from the crib to the twin bed. My second son actually started to sleep in the bottom bunk of bunk beds at about 20 months old. I had the toddler bed for him, but we got the bunk beds for when his sister was born and he had to share a room with his brother. Once he saw his brother in the top bunk, he never even slept in the toddler bed again. He wanted to be a big boy. He was able to pick out his sheets and comforter and he loves it!!!

A. -

We moved our twin girls to toddler beds at 18 months. They weren't climbing out, but they were jumping up and down so much in their cribs that I was worried they would jump out! They are 2.5 now and we just took the guard rails off and they've done fine. Whenever they sleep in a bigger bed, I usually put a pillow on each side of them and a couple on the floor, in case they do roll out.

My kids are also two years apart, almost exactly, so we went through exactly the same thing. First of all, if your daughter is going to be getting a new "big girl" room in the deal, I would suggest that you move her into her new space a good amount of time before the baby is born, so that she feels that the move is FOR HER and doesn't feel like she is being kicked out of her space to make room for the baby.

The baby can sleep in a bassinet for several months before needing a crib, so your daughter could continue sleeping in the crib for awhile (move it into her new space if she has one,) or you could go right to a toddler bed. It's lower than a twin, and you can put a comforter on the floor in case of rolling off, or put up a soft side rail (Babies R Us has them) Personally, both of my kids left the crib at or before 2 years old. It seemed to work out better to make the switch earlier, before they had a chance to develop the full-scale two-year-old attitude.

One more suggestion, put up a gate in front of her doorway, and tell her it is to keep her safe.

My daughters are 25 months apart. We started decorating the big girl room before the baby was born so she new she was getting a new room and a new bed. We moved her in a couple of weeks after the baby was born and gave her the choice where she wanted to sleep (the baby slept in our room the first 5 months). She went right to the big girl room and never looked back; since the baby room was empty when she went to her big girl room; she only felt as she got something new never like something was taken away from her.

As a mom of 10 & 6 year old girls and a nanny for 20 years, your daughter is not too small for a big girl bed. You can get side rails to put on both sides of the bed or just one side, depending on how the room is arranged, and a step stool for her to climb up and down. Buying a toddler bed is an option but she will only use it for 1-2 years and you would need to purchase another crib mattress for the toddler bed. You will need to be prepared for her to get down the first few nights because she can, but eventually she will get used to it. Take her with you to get it, make it special and fun and she will be more willing to use it. Also transition her to it before the new baby comes so she won't be upset the that baby has taken her bed. Hope this helps.

I have had this same predicament myself. My daughter just turned 2 at the beginning of February, but she seems way too immature yet for a big girl bed. While she does go to bed without any problems, I worry that it's too soon. A friend of mine has put a sheer tent over her son's crib (he is tall and started jumping out of it at around 15 months I think?), so that might be an option if you are too concerned she's "growing out of it". Anyway, we also have a 9-month old, and I'm very happy with the security of them both being safe in their cribs for now.

A.,

I'm a Mom of 4 kids. #1 & #2 are 20 months apart, #2 & #3 are 2 1/2 years apart and #3 &#4 are 22 months apart. I didn't have much of a problem transitioning to a new bed. I would suggest that you start the transition at least 3 months before the baby is due. Don't tell her that the baby needs her bed, just talk up ALOT that she is a big girl and you have a new special big girl bed. This way when the baby comes it's not seen as an interloper in her bed!! Maybe even take her out and let her pick out some new sheets and comforter for her new bed. I know my daughter was vey excited to sleep in her new bed with all the pretty princesses on it!
The biggest problem with transitioning to the bigger bed is that they discover that they now have the freedom to get out of bed when they want LOL but that's a totally different topic! Hope this help. Good Luck!

We moved my son to a big boy bed when he was 20 months. I had another baby when he was 15 months old but we kept the baby in a bassinet for a while. He has a railing on one side of his bed and I put a big body pillow on the other against the wall so he would feel "cozy". To make sure he was not roaming the house in the middle of the night we put a gate across his door at night. So if he wakes up at night for any reason he calls us and in the morning he does the same. At nap time I leave the gate off since I am awake. Good luck.
J.

Hi A.,

My daughter (now 5) moved into a twin bed when she was 22 months. Our son (now 22 months) moved into a toddler bed when he was 20 months. Both did just fine.

My best advice is to make sure the bed is safe. Use a guard so she can't fall out. I would also put the sheets under the guard so that they couldn't pull them out and mess up the bed.

Child-proof the bedroom again. Keep in mind that Maddie might be getting out of bed while you're not in the room. Make sure she can't get hurt by eletrical cords, pulls on blinds or small or sharp objects.

Keep a baby monitor in the room so you can listen to what she's doing for the first week or so. If she's being inquisitive and the room is safe, then let her explore. She'll get bored with exploring soon.

It might be hard the first week or two as she might cry from the changes but she'll pick up on it soon enough. My son is a pro now. At bedtime, he'll run in, pick out his pajamas and snuggle under the covers as long as he has his stuffed lion and a board book about dinosaurs.

Best of luck!!!

M.

Our older son was 26 months old when we had our second son. He never tried to climb out of his crib and we had a second crib, so we choose to keep him in his crib until he was about 2-1/2 when he wanted to move to a big boy bed. This also helped me not to worry about him getting out of bed to "help" with the baby in the middle of the night. He had also began telling us that he wanted to sleep with the baby & vise-versa, so I didn't feel comfortable with him having the ability to climb into the newborn's crib. (He was able to, and did, climb into his own crib, but never realized that he could just climb out as well.) Not that this answers your question, but this is how we made our decision about moving our older child out of his crib. Good luck!

We moved my son out of his crib at 20months. His new sister needed the crib. We took the crib apart for a couple of months before the baby so he didn't feel bad. We read lots of big boy books and once we actually moved him... it went great. As he got a little older we did have to put a gate at his door so he couldn't come out whenever he wanted. You might be surprised... she's probably more ready than you think.

Hi A.
congrats, first of all. My kids were 23 months apart. My daughter stayed in her crib for a few months, and we put my son in a bassinet in our bedroom since I was nursing him. He didn't sleep in our bed, but in a little bassinet at the foot of the bed. Then if I needed to feed him I could get to him quickly so he didn't wake the other one up.
Meanwhile, I started pointing out to my daughter how some kids sleep in toddler beds (which have railings that can be removed). I'd even let her look at sheets with Disney characters. "When you get bigger, maybe we can get you a big girl bed," I'd say. "these sheets only fit on big girl beds."
When my son started outgrowing the bassinet, I showed my daughter. "Look at how big he's getting," I told her. "I don't think he's going to fit in there for very long. What do you think we should do?"
My daughter came up with the idea of putting my son in the crib so she could get a big girl bed. (made more appealing because we got cinderella sheets).
Avoid telling her she "has to" give the baby her bed. Focus on the new bed for her (we found a used one, it worked fine) and on letting her be involved in helping you solve the problem of the baby outgrowing the bassinet.
best of luck,
K. Wyatt Kent
author, God's Whisper in a Mother's chaos

I moved my first to a big girl bed 3 months before her little brother was born, she was 18 months. I moved my second to his big boy bed 3 months before his little brother was born, he was 21 months. I plan on moving my third to his big boy bed in June, he will be 18 months, because his TBD sibling is due at the end of July. I think at 22 months, she will be fine, but if you wanted to wait a few months, you could have the new baby in your room for awhile, and then move everyone. Oh, and I agree with everyone, make sure the room is safe, and for my oldest, I put a gate on the door, so that she couldn't get out. Also, we used guard rails on the beds and put the mattresses and box springs on the floor, so if they rolled off the bottom, they didn't have far to go.

Good luck!

I don't know if your daughter will be too young for a big girl bed-you know her the best and only you can judge that. My son started climbing out of his crib when he was about 20mts old. We bought Him a toddler bed(Walmart $40-50). He's been doing fine in with the side that you put under the mattress.Maybe you should go for toddler bed?!

A.,

My mom moved me to a twin sized bed at 9 months. She was tired of the crib. I moved my daughters to a twin sized bed by 15 months (2 were much earlier). I had one who climbed out and the other two didn't like their crib. We used side rails on both sides of the bed and they have all been fine.

Good luck,
B.

My son is 19 months and we moved him to his big boy bed this past weekend. We went straight to a twin bed with a step stool so he could get in/out without falling and a very long guardrail that hooks over the sheets. We had to ditch the new comforter in place of the blankets he was using in his crib for a better fit with the guard rail. We also installed a gate in his doorway so the door can be open at night, but he's confined to his room. Also, re-baby proof the room for a toddler - make sure taller furniture is secured to the wall and that the closet is safe in case she's curious and goes in. There may be a certain amount exploring, but soon she'll get it.

I had the same situation, I had my son when my daughter was 18 months and I moved her into a big girl bed at 22 months and she's done great!!

At first she would never get out of bed til I came and got her but now it's nice when she wakes up, she comes downstairs herself. Also, never fell out of the bed either cause I thought about putting up one of those guards. I think it all depends on the child give it a try.

Good luck to you and your new little one.

My oldest was about 15 months when we put her in a big girl bed. She did great and loved it. I think moving them earlier is sometimes better because they don't get as attached to the crib. We bought her bed and she "helped" us put it together and was very excited about it. Then when our son was born 5 months later there were no crib attachment issues because she was used to sleeping in the big bed. So my advice is to involve her in getting/setting up her new bed and be excited and positive about it even if its hard to see your baby in a big bed. Also, the more time she has in her big bed before the new baby takes over the crib the better. Good luck.

I have a bad back and needed to move our first to a big boy bed much sooner than 22 months. He was only 18 months. We did not want a traditional big bed so we got one at IKEA which expands to the length of a twin bed when ready. It is only about a foot off the floor and therefore we did not worry too much about falls. It also created a nice box once a side rail was added. Our daughter on the other hand was more adventurous and we did not feel comfortable moving her until after she was two (and had fallen out of her crib once). She has been very good about staying in bed and has no side rail but built in bumper as a physical hint to her that she is at the edge. Both have done quite well with the 'big beds'.

My daughters are 17mo's. apart and when my 2nd daughter was born, she obviously needed the crib. My 17th mo. old daughter willingly went to a big girl bed. I used the removable type bars on a regular twin size bed, so she wouldn't roll off the bed and she never once fell out of bed. She loved her big girl bed, it's us mothers who want to keep them little. They sell these just about anywhere, and they just slide under the mattress. Good luck!!
S.

I tried moving my son to a bed when he was 20 months old to get ready for our new daughter. It turned out to be too early. We were lucky enough to be able to borrow a second crib. I would recommend having your new baby sleep in a Pack n'Play, cradle or bassinet for the first few months if you cannot get another crib, and leave your daughter in her crib.

With a new baby, you do not need the added worry of wondering what your little girl is doing in the morning when she gets out of her big girl bed. The biggest problem you'll encounter moving your daughter to a bed is that she can get into things in the morning when she gets up, even if she is gated in her room. I recommend keeping her contained for as long as possible! This will help you keep your sanity the first couple of months after you have the new baby.

Our son was just over 2 when we moved him to a big bed. He did really well w/ it too so I don't think your daughter is necessarily too young. Make it a big deal for her, take her to the furniture store w/ you and help pick out her new bed, let her climb on the beds and help pick the mattress too, and the bedding of course. Have Fun!!!

A.,
The spacing of your kids sounds much like mine. I never needed two cribs. If one wasn't ready to move out of the crib before the baby came, I used a basinette for about the first 2-3 months. By then the older child was ready for a "big girl bed." They really feel more special and it is an occasion for the spotlight to be on them instead of the new baby for a change. Some fuss is made over their needs and they like that, especially after taking a backseat for awile with the new baby around. Incidently, after my 4th child didn't have to give up his crib, he stayed in it until he was almost 3!! I purposely left the rail down so he could climb out on his own. Perhaps that contributed to his being an awesome althete!!

the situation sounds very familiar. while expecting my daughter, we were unsure of what to do with our son (who would be 21/22 months older) and his sleeping arrangements. we didn't have a second crib and didn't want him to feel kicked out of his crib at the last minute, so at almost 19 months (october '06 - the baby was due dec 06/jan 07) we moved him to a twin bed with a bed rail. obviously every child is different, but after only a couple days adjustment, he began sleeping very comfortably. we also bought him a step stool to climb in and out of bed more easily. i am so glad we did this before my daughter was born.

We currently have a 23 month old and moved her to a big girl bed last Sunday. So far no issues. We needed the crib for the new baby which is due at the end of May. We were advised by friends and family to do the switch earlier rather than later so that she does not remember the crib and think the baby stole it from her. We bought the extra long and high bed rails from One Step Ahead and she is sleeping just fine. It did take her about 45 minutes to fall asleep the first night as it was so new, but each night it is taking her a little less. Good luck.

It really just depends on your child, really. My first daughter was in a toddler bed at 19 months old with no problems whatsoever. Six months later she was in a full-sized mattress on the floor. A few months after that she was up on the frame.

My second daughter (who's nearly 21 mos old), however, is still in her crib. Mostly because we don't NEED her out of it, but we do want her to be in a toddler bed now. We're going to start her in it in the next week or so.

My advice is just switch it. We just took the crib out of our first daughter's room and played in her room a bit to show her her new bed. I would have loved to have just went from crib to big bed, but we didn't have the money at the time to get a big bed (we were ultimately handed down a bedroom set for her) and we already had been handed down a toddler bed.

But, I'm one of those "Just do it" kind of moms. When the girls were six months old and I wanted them to not have their pacifier anymore, I just cut them cold turkey. Never had a problem with it. When I wanted my oldest to not use a crib, we just took the crib out of her room. We've never had a problem with it. But, friends of ours who "wean" their kids off things like the pacifier or crib seem to have a lot of sleepless nights and struggle with it. It really just depends on the child, too. My kids just seem to "go with the flow" a lot. You really need to just gage how you think YOUR child will handle it.

GOOD LUCK!

We just moved our 23 month old to a big girl bed 3 days ago. It has gone great. I have three girls (9, 6 and almost 2) and we moved them all about this time. I stick to the same routine and I haven't had a problem. My girls know that bed time isn't play time and that they have to stay in bed. We moved her to a toddler bed so it is almost like a crib on the floor. I think this is an easy transition for them.

Hope that helps and good luck!

Whether you think your daughter is ready or not is up to you. My son started to climb out of his crib somewhere between a year and 15 months. (He did everything early.) Remember, as the baby grows you lower the bottom of the crib to keep the baby from falling out. It is raised when they are first born, for easy access and they don't roll. Since the crib was lower to the ground and very movable, he had plenty of bars to grab on to, so he could climb out. At 18 months he was in his "big boy bed", because his sister was born. His bed is a full size "captains Bed" that has stairs that slide in and out of the side of the bed. I bought 2 side rails that you can slide between the mattresses, (in my case it was the mattress and the base of the bed). The funny thing is, with this bed he did not climb out, because I would slide the stairs in when he got in bed and it was alot higher than the crib. There was nothing he could grab onto and it was a long way down, so if he woke he would call for me to come get him. He is 11 now and still sleeps in the bed. (My father built the bed 50 years ago for my brother, then it was used by 3 more sisters than myself and now my son.) I personally felt getting a toddler bed would have been a waste of time and money seeing my son's progression. He was ready for one. We hyped up the idea just after his first birthday, saying that it would be his gift to the new baby and continued the mentioning of it up to the time of arrival. (On a side note: my son had to live with my sister and her family for almost 2 months because I was on complete bed rest with home IVs and baby monitoring system and nurses coming and going, and I could not care for him. My son slept in a pack and play (like a playpen, but for travel) next to his baby cousin who was in his own crib at the time. After he came home for 2 weeks my daughter arrived a month premature.) Also, keep in mind that when babies are born, they are soooooo tiny. My son slept for 2 months in a bassinet next to my bed before I put in in the crib. My daughter slept for almost 4 monts in the bassinet before I put her in the crib. Actually it was a little of both for the last 2 months, she was so small. However, the crib sat empty waiting for her while my son slept in his "big boy bed". He loved it form the very beginning.

For my daughters big girl bed we did the same thing with the twin up against the wall and a rail on one side. Both my kids adjusted well and want loft beds now at the ages of 10 and 11. Do what you think is right and good luck!

P.S. You brought up memories when my son used to climb in her bed too to wake her up and play. He would think it was funny.

We're expecting in June - my son will be 24 months old at the time. We moved him into a big boy bed last month (age 20 months) and he did fine. He sleeps straight through from 7:15-6:45 just like he used to in his crib. It took a couple weeks to adjust, but he LOVES his bed (we hyped it up, got him some flannel cat sheets and a train blanket etc.) He loves that he can lay in bed and we can lay next to him while we read bedtime stories.

A.-My advice is to put Maddie in a youth bed after the baby is born. Do you have a bassinet that the baby could sleep in for a couple of months? This would get Maddie used to the idea that she is a big girl and help her with the transition to the youth bed. Explain to her that she gets a big girl bed and that the baby gets the baby bed(crib)use sheets characters that she loves. I had to do that with my 3rd who is a girl and she loved it! My 4th, a boy was born last Sept. and after Christmas I moved him to the crib and my daughter in the youth bed. She had just turned 2. Hope it works, S.

I just had our second child two weeks ago and I have an 18 month old at home already. We did not want to buy another crib for the new baby, so we started transitioning our oldest daughter into a toddler bed pretty early. At around 16 months, we put the toddler bed into her bedroom and kept saying "big girls go night-night where?" and she would go to the bed and lay her head down. We finally decided to start transitioning her and removed the crib out of her room. The first few nights we sat with her and waited until she fell asleep. It took a bit for her to get used to it, but now she does great. She naps and goes to bed very well and doesn't get out of her bed. I don't think your 22 month is too young. Even if you get a big girl bed (twin size) instead of a toddler bed. We found a pretty cheap toddler online on Ebay instead of spending a lot of money on a new one. I hope this helps!

My daughter was 11 months old when she started to throw her leg over the crib gate. We were afraid she would hurt herself so we put the mattress down as far as it would go and left the gate down. Now when she threw her leg over, she would land on her feet. They're never to young.

Im due with #2 next month and my son is 17mos. Last night was his first night in his big boy bed, and he slept beautifully. he loved it. We made a big deal about it yesterday, and he helped daddy put it together, and then helped me make the bed. Then we put favorite stuffed animals on it, and we all layed down together to read stories. He stayed up a little longer last night talking to his animals, but eventually fell asleep and didn't wake up all night, though I was prepared for that possibility. He loved getting to get up in the morning and go to his shelf and grab a book. I found him in his bed this morning with books and extra toys entertaining himself. Your daughter will be ready. Our ped. told us that when we took down the crib not to set it up in the nursery for two weeks so he doesn't feel displaced. good luck!

My first daughter was exactly 22 mos. when we put her in a big girl bed. Her little sister was coming in 2 mos., and I wanted enough time for the transition. We put bed rails on both sides and left the box spring and mattress on the floor. She could easily climb in and out of the bed on her own. She kept a pillow and a special blanket from her crib. We also made sure we followed her standard nighttime routine. We also talked about the big girl bed with her for a few weeks before making the change. She handled the change pretty well.
I hope this helps. Good luck.

Hi A. B,

You can purchase a toddler bed which is much smaller than a big girl bed. Or you can purchase the big girl bed and buy a bed guard that goes on the side of the bed. If you purchase the toddler bed you will be able to get multiple use with baby number 2. Hope this helps. Good luck!

I have 4 kids and my oldest was 2 when my next child came. I borrowed a crib (can get at garage sale cheap) and gave the new baby her own bed. I wasn't ready for my other child to have their routine upset and it worked out really well. Trying to start a child into a new routine along with a new baby is so stressful on everyone. Especially if your daughter saw the new baby going into her old bed. Work on finding a hand-me-down crib for the baby and let your daughter keep her bed until she's ready for a big girl bed.

Hi A.- I have always heard keep them in a crib until they start to climb out. But if you don't want to buy another crib they say to make the move at least 2 mo before or after the baby so #1 doesn't have to deal with being "moved for the baby". I moved #1 out of the crib at about 20 mo (3 mo after #2 came and she did fine(use a baby gate ,bolt furniture to the wall get permanent outlet blockers etc and make it safe), That being said my little #4 (there will be no more kids) will stay in a crib until he is in kindergarten if I can manage it!
Best of Luck with whatever you decide!
Beth

We moved our daugter to a full size bed when she was only 20 months old. She loved having her own big girl bed. We put a side rail up on the sides and she has had no problems at all. We took down the crib and put the bed up while she was gone. It was her big suprise! Hope that helps!

Our sone was 18 months when he started climbing out of his crib so we changed his crib/toddler bed to the toddler bed and he did great. Then when we found out about us expecting or second we started thinking about what to do with his room if we would use the crib or would we have get antohter one. Well we ended up getting another crib from a friend and we got our son full size mattress he had a convertable bed set we wanted him to keep his original set from birth. He was about 27 months when he got into the full bed. He was find loved his new bed and was so excited we let him pick what color sheets and we also let him show everyone his new big boy bed made it very exciting for him. What we did for the new baby was used our smaller room and just gave her another theme of her own. You will make the right choice follow your daughter she will let you know.

Looks like you already got a huge response, but thought I'd throw my experience out there too. :) My daughters are 22 1/2 months apart. I know it's "recommended" to keep kids in a crib until 3 yrs. old OR until they can climb out (if that's sooner). BUT, I moved my oldest (now 3) to a "big girl bed" (twin bed) at 20 months old. She did wonderful...no problems whatsoever. My youngest is currently 17 1/2 months old...and I plan to move her to a "big girl bed" (twin bed) at 20 months also. I of course moved my 1st because I was due with baby #2 & needed the crib. With my 2nd, I'm moving because my brother/sister-in-law are expecting their 3rd (they will have 3 kids under 3 yrs. old) and need another crib. My daughters share a room (the have since the beginning) and I think that my youngest will have no problems adjusting to a "Big Bed", especially with big sister right there with her.
I think it really depends on the child, as to when they are ready. I got "lucky" with mine and she was ready at 20 months and am hoping the same with my 2nd in the next few months.
Best of luck to you.

Hi - congratulations! Your daughter might be ready for this. A lot can happen between now and the Fall. We purchased a twin mattress for our son and placed it on the floor (this works as long as your floor doesn't get too cold in winter), and bought all kinds of fun sheets for it. It made the ultimate transition to full "big boy bed" easier later on. My suggestion to you is to make that transition at least a couple months before the baby comes so that your daughter does not view this as a change due to the baby, but more of a change because she is getting bigger. Plus, it buys you some time to find out if this will work out. If your daughter is truly not ready - and she may not be - then you can transition back to crib and store the mattress. Your baby can be in a bassinet for a little while, and maybe your daughter will be ready by then. Good luck!

Our daughter was 23 months old when our son was born. We planned on using the nursery for him, so when I was about 5 1/2 months pregnant we put a twin mattress right on the floor in our daughter's "new" room, in case of rolling, etc. We started napping her in there but still put her to bed in her crib. We put a baby gate at the door and totally kid proofed the room so if she did get up, she could not wander the house or get hurt. Once she was comfortable and I was around 7 1/2 months along, we tried letting her sleep the night in there - the same way. It actually worked very well. She had enough time to get used to her "NEW" room that by the time the baby came she had no ill feelings toward him being in Her room or Her bed. She was totally ok and handled the transition well. Soon after he was born we did get a very low bed frame and put up a bed rail and she did great with that too. It actually worked so well, we transitioned our son into a twin bed the same way when he was around 18 months old. Obviously, this would not work for everyone and you have to feel like your kids are ready for that type of transition. As a side note - neither of my kids - my oldest especially- had ever been that fond of the crib, so I am sure that made things a little easier!

Have you thought about a toddler bed? They use the same size mattress as a crib, are lower to the ground than a twin bed and oftentimes have side bars.

Hello. I only have one child hes 3yrs old I have been planning on another child and this is the big question how are we going to do it?We've tried alot of things.But get her a toddler bed and one she can enjoy when she's on it. But what seems to be working is telling him "you have to sleep in your own bed now because your a big boy" also his bed is next to ours.So, it might be difficult for your daughter if she has her own room. But tell her "mommy is a big girl and I don't sleep with grandma." or the same with the daddy.

We moved my daughter at 24 months to her big girl bed from her converted crib/toddler bed. She'd been sleeping in the toddler bed since about 12 months (we had a climber). We moved her into her big girl bed and big girl room. She loved it and never looked back. When baby brother came along 6 months later she could of cared less about the nursery or crib/toddler bed. I don't even think she remembered ever sleeping in there. She fell out of bed only once in the big girl bed. You know your child best, I'm sure you'll figure out what's best. Good luck.

PS My daughter will be 3 in April and she still loves her big girl bed. Also if you let them help pick it out that may help.

Hello,
I was about 9 months old and I got my head stuck in the rails on the crib (the cribs are much safer now!!) My mom put the mat. to the crib on the floor and I slept there from then on then as I grew to about 18 months she put me in a twin bed with pillows on the floor around the bed. I did fine.
I have 2 daughters and my girls slept in a craddle basket until about a year old then they went to a twin bed with those handy mesh rails (you can get at the toysRus or walmart) to keep them from falling out of bed. I had this big fancy crib but they would not sleep in it if they fell asleep and I put them in it they would wake up very unhappy. Your little lady will be just fine in a big girl bed. This also helps the child to feel special (Mommy's big girl helper) and it frees up the crib for new baby. Good Luck!!