Transitioning to Toddler Bed

Hi S.,

I used a side rail when my boys switched to their toddler beds. I used the same sheets on the toddler bed that I used in the crib and the side rail made them feel like they were still enclosed and "safe". Once they switched they never looked back and I never had any problems with them getting out of bed until it was morning and they were allowed to get up. They always came in to my room and woke me up when they got up which worked great. The only time they called for me is when they were sick.

Hope this helps - S.

My experience has been that it takes a little time to get used to it. I have three children and just made this transition with the third. We are still working on it with her, it has only been a few weeks. I put a knob lock on the door so she can't get out of the room. Some people question that, but it is no different from her being in the room in a crib.
She was very excited to have a big girl bed. It was still her crib, but switched to a toddler bed. My mother made her a Dora blanket and pillow case. She was thrilled.
With my boys, they did sleep by the floor of the door a few times, but learned to get back in their beds.
I have never had both a crib and a bed in the same room, leaving them the option to go back and forth. I just switched the crib and it was fine. With my second child, we put him in a twin bed at age two and shared a room with his big brother. He got in the twin and never looked back. It was an easy transition. Good luck! It will work out, just might take a few nights/days.

My son was that age when we transitioned him, my daughter was ready a little later than that. We moved her at about 22 months. With both we had it pretty easy. Just took out the crib, put in the new bed and that was about it. She did sleep in her crib in the toddler position for a few weeks. When she didn't have issues we bought the bed. We made sure to put pillows all around her new bed.

He may not stay in his bed at first. Just make sure you really take a good look at the safety of the room. My little girl loves to get out of bed and haul all of her books back into the bed with her. Eventually he will learn to stay put, and if he falls asleep on the floor there's nothing wrong with it. Just scoop him up and put them back on the bed. You may also want to consider putting a baby gate on the door or a child safety cover on the inner door knob so he can't get out in the middle of the night. I also used a baby monitor with my first because his room was a little farther away. Good luck!

You may be surprised. My 2-1/2 year old STILL stays in his toddler bed calling for me. He will not get out on his own. It is almost comical. He never tried crawling out of his crib either though. Trust me it is not because he is so angelic and obedient. For some reason he just knows he needs permission to get up.

We had an easy transition when we set up the bed along with the crib. My daughter spent time sitting on the bed and playing with her toys on it. Then we took another step by putting the bedding on and letting her nap there. We explained that this would soon be her new bed and the crib would be for her new baby sister/brother. From there we moved to sleeping at night. It took a week or so of putting her back in bed to get her to stay there. (the novelty of being able to get out whenever she wanted) And there were some nights where she had to go back into the crib.

Take cues from your son as to how soon to move from one step to another, and he'll be in his big boy bed in no time!

Good Luck!

This actually sounds a wee bit scary to me. I'll have a 2 year old June 1st and a new baby in mid-July and I know for sure my daughter will still need her crib. She's just not ready and I'm not about to battle with her to stay in a bed when I have a new baby to attend to. We actually found a very nice 2nd crib on craigslist very cheap- so we'll have 2 cribs, but a lot less stress (hopefully). My suggestion would be to do the same and not worry about trying to put an 18month old in a big bed just yet. Best of luck!

If you are concerned, then wait until September. Those few months may give him the time he needs. I gave my daughter about 2 weeks before the baby was born to transition out of the crib. She was 21 months when he was born. That worked out just fine for us.

You are lucky that he does not climb out already. Make sure his room is babyproof and there is a gate on his door so he cannot wander the house. You might find it easier than you thought. Use railings to keep him from falling out. Let him choose a new something to share his toddler bed with him, ie. stuffed animal, other soft toy, etc.

Hi S.,

I am about to make the same transition. I am due Sept. 2 and our daughter is turning 2 in mid-july. The twin bed is coming next week and I have also ordered a bed rail from one step ahead. In my experience as a nanny, this transition does not have to be a big deal. Maybe wait a few months, like until August, if you are concerned about readiness or try a few naps to start. Put a gate up at the door to keep him in the room if you are worried about him wandering the house. My daughter is very excited about her "new room" and has already been moving her toys in there. I am not too concerned at this point because she is generally a very good sleeper and we have a good routine going. If for some reason it doesn't work out, it's not like the crib is going anywhere. Best of luck to you!

I had the same situation 19 years ago. My toddler loved his crib, never climbed out, but I wanted him to start using his big-boy bed so the crib could be used for the new baby. So, I began using the crib for a "time-out" location. When he misbehaved, I put him in the crib (this worked because he didn't try to climb out). I left him there a few minutes, and then returned. He was about two years old when I tried this. I think the baby had been born already, and I was using a bassinet for her. Anyway, it didn't take long for him to develop a real distaste for the crib, and a strong preference for the bed!

I have strong opinions about transitioning this early. See my blog
www.shapinglittlesouls.blogspot.com

go to TRANSITIONS and read all about it.

I can relate too, I have a 3 year old who we just two weeks ago put in a toddler bed, i have a 19 month old and I am expecting a baby in November.

I hope my blog info helps you see the bigger picture and how it could allow for happier children and a happier mom (with a newborn).

Good luck.

I would not take an 18 month old out of the crib. Are you prepared for him to wander all around the house unsupervised at night?

My kids are 18 months apart - I bought a second hand crib for the second child.

My kids are now 2 and 3 and both are still in cribs. Neither has tried to climb out.

It is nice to put them to bed and know that they are safe and can not get out.
So my tipis... buy a used crib on craigslist.. use it for a year or so... then sell it on craigslist for what you paid for it..

I would say if you move him 2-3 months before the new baby that would be plenty of time. Whatever method you use, consistency is key. Best wishes!

You are smart to make this transition before #2 arrives. He might just take to it with no problem...inspect what you expect. If you expect him to stay in the bed, he might just do it. I, first, wouldn't mention "please stay in this bed" The power of suggestion could be enough to bounce him right out of it. I would just act like this is what he is supposed to do...sleep in the big boy bed. He is going to know why since the crib will still be sitting there and certainly he knows you have a baby in your belly! If he does "bounce" out it's great you are giving enough time for it not to be stressful when #2 arrives. However you handle it, be kind, firm and consistent. Most little ones will do what is expected as long as they know what that is and they have consistent guidance. Another thought is the new baby doesn't care where he/she sleeps. Baby could stay in the bassinette and then to a pack and play or something until you and your son are comfortable with the transition. Congrats on your new arrival. No worries!

We had to transition my son at that age as well for the same reason. We made a big deal about the big boy bed and he seemed to understand it and was very proud. We had the added benefit of having him share the room with my stepson, who is much older. If you have an older kid in the family that sleeps in a big boy bed, maybe reference that. He did really well sleeping in his big boy bed for several months before he realized that he could climb out. After he did realize it (I think he was about 2), we just used the "Supernanny" method and kept putting him back into bed. He still gets out of bed sometimes, but it's gotten much better. Good luck!

Hi S.,

Each child is different. Is he ready to move from the crib to a toddler bed? Even if he really takes to his new bed, are you ready for late night visits and middle of the night playing? Though it is attractive to just get the next bed and move the crib to the next in line, you might get more rest if you have both children contained in their safe sleeping environment.

A friend of mine had the same issue. She kept her toddler in the uber-expensive crib they received at the baby shower. They put baby into a less expensive crib. When big sister moved into a toddler bed, then they moved baby into the nicer crib and stored the other crib until they sold it.

A mom-2-mom sale is a great place to find gently used furniture and clothes. Mom2momlist.com is a great place to find sales in the area.

Hope this helps!
D.

S.,

I moved my second child to a toddler bed when he was 18 months old. We didn't have another child on the way but it was a race car bed. My son was excited about the bed but didn't really care one way or the other.

Since we had to worry about him falling down the stairs we put a baby gate up in his doorway. He accepted this without any questions. The first week I would find him in different spots on the floor where he had fallen asleep (I made sure the floor was clear of all toys to prevent tripping in his sleep) usually making his way to the door. I believe he stirred at night but fell back asleep quickly since he didn't yell for me or cry. He very quickly caught on to the idea and actually slept in the bed. When he was three years old we moved him to a twin bed. He's now five years old and has never fallen out of his "big boy bed".

Good luck and hang in there.

C.

We had to put our son in a toddler bed at 15 months, because he climbed out of his crib and landed on the hard wood floor head first. What we did was super baby proof his room and put a baby gate at his doorway. That way if he did get out of bed, we knew he was safe until we could go in there and tuck him back in. Also to keep him from falling out of bed we put the mesh breatheable side rails on...hope this helps.

If your child isn't showing signs of needing to transition (i.e. Climbing out or asking for a big kids'
bed) then I would wait. I understand that that you want to make room for the new baby, but he may nor be ready. And it may save you alot of frustration. Once they transition to a toddler bed they can get up and out whenever. If your son is not ready, he will probably not stay on the bed. It took us a month to get our 18 year old to staying her toddler bed after climbing out of her crib. I wish we had just put a canopy on her bed rather than transitioning to the toddler bed.