When Should Move My 17 Month Old from a Crib to a Toddler Bed?

Hi A.,

I've also got a 17 month old and was wondering the same thing! The more I talk to other moms tho, the more I've decided to keep her in the crib for a bit longer.

My daughter is a very good sleeper and has never tried to climb out (yet). We bought her one of those beds you can convert from crib to twin day bed to full size. I just dread the thought of her possibly getting out of her room and somehow falling down the stairs -- even tho we have a stair gate too.

But she gets so cramped sometimes when she's laying the wrong way. But hey, maybe that would teach them to lay one direction in the crib before we move them to the bigger beds!!

Good luck!
D. & Erica 9-9-04

I actually don't have advice since Nathan is right behind Carter. However, let me know what you find out. We were just going to let him use the crib for another year until we had the next baby...but maybe that's too long. I can't imagine trying to get him to stay in a big bed right now, though.

Hi A.. My son went from the crib
to the bbb directly. Most of my friends` kids did the same. For security, you can buy disposable rails
or just place a matress on the floor
by the bed. In my opinion, let your child use the crib as long as possible
and let him choose the bbb when he`s ready. Hope this help!

Everyone does this very differently. With my twin boys, they moved a few months before my daughter was born - about 20 months. They did well but there are still some issues with staying in bed at first (especially at naptime). With my daughter, she's going on 2 1/2 and still in her crib. I see no reason to move her. She can get out but she doesn't. You're the best judge but I think if there is no reason, keep them safe and secure in that crib for a while. He is still a baby! Good luck.
E.

My first baby was crawling out of his crib at 13mo. We converted to toddler bed and then he wouldn't stay in it for naps or bed time. So, we converted back to crib and we opted for a crib tent that you can buy at Toys R Us that keeps them in there! That kept him in there and happy until he was 3yo. He really liked the tent and didn't feel "trapped", but I think it made him feel safe. Then converting to toddler bed was a cinch, b/c he wanted it. Now at 4.5yo we JUST got him out of todder bed and into full sized bed at his request.

With my 2.5yo girl, we put a new tent on her bed at six months so she'd just always expect it to be there and be used to the zipper sound. She has NO desire for the tent to go away or to move to a big girl bed.

I am of the school: keep them in the crib as long as you can!

We made the transfer when after my son's second birthday. We made a big deal about it weeks before so that he had it to look forward and made it more like a "monumental event". It went very well. We got him a toddler bed that was shaped like a fire truck (that had high sides, so he could not fall out) and re-decorated his room in the 101 Dalmations theme. He loved his new bed and his "new" room. If you make it fun, there should not be much of a problem. Good luck!

I would not be in any hurry to change beds. Your child is still very young. I was in a hurry to get my child in a regular bed when she was 2 and she kept falling out of bed. If I had it to do over I would have waited until she was 3 years. There is too much of a chance that they might get up and wonder around and get into things. When you do decide to change beds a good way to do it would be to put the bed in your childs room and leave the crib up and let your child decide when to climb in it. The more he gets used to the idea of it being there the more he might get comfortable with it and the idea of it.
Good Luck
Lonie

We have been advised that it is better to wait until around age 2 1/2 - 3 years. When our son was 17m we re-arranged his room and he didnt adjust very well at all to that. He cried for a few nights and pointed to where his crib used to be placed. So we are waiting until he turns 3 then we are going to buy him "big boy" furniture that he can "help" pick out. Good luck!

Hi A.,
We moved our son to a big boy bed shortly after he turned two. He wasn't climbing out of bed or anything, but we wanted to use the crib for our second son. We bought him a Little Tykes Race car bed (which we found on ebay for $60.00). We kept both new bed and crib in the room and let hom choose which one to sleep in. He played in the race car bed one night but wouldn't sleep in it. The next night he choose the new bed and has been in it every since. I was worried that he would get up in the middle of night and get into things or fall down the stairs, so we put a gate in front of his room, then the stairs. But he doesn't get out of the bed. Hope that helps. Good luck!

D.

My son is 22 months old and still in his crib. He is showing no signs of climbing out, so I figure why rock the boat? His pediatrician said leave him in his crib as long as he will stay there. Good luck!

Wow, 17 months should be afine time.
My secong never would sleep in her crib. She was in her car seat for the first three months and in a porta-crib for the next 7. Sometime after a year we put her in a toddler bed. We had about a week of her coming into our room, now that she realized she could get out on her own ;-) but that was it. We just kept turning her away and telling her no that she had a big girl bed now like sister. I think it is worth a shot.

I moved both my girls into twin size beds at 18 months. I just lowered the matress down as low as it could so it wouldn't be a problem for them climbing in & out. I didn't even bother with a toddler bed. I figured that would be a waste of money since kiddos grow so fast.

Hi A.,

I just now moved our 30 month old son from his crib to a toddler bed. He loved his crib and I saw no reason to move him. He did fall out of it once when he was little and I thought it was time, but it wasn't, so we just left him in it. Who says they need to be moved? If you are moving your little one because of another baby or something along those lines, then yes you have to (if you need th crib) otherwise, let them tell you when. I have never forced Matthew to do anything, he has come to it on his own. The ONLY REASON we moved him to his toddler bed is because he was getting too heavy for me to put him in his crib!! He is a tall big boy and weight about 35 lbs., so we decided to do it then. We left the crib up in his room and had him help his Dad set up his "big boy bed" and then let him decide. Because you don't want to put the crib up and have their other bed ready and then they refuse to go to bed at night. This is not a good thing when everyone is tired! So, don't put it away just yet. Also I tried it out for him during his nap time as well. After about 1 1/2 weeks, he told us he was ready and he helped his Dad put up his bed, and was 100% ready!

So, go slow, if a child is fine sleeping in his crib, why should you move them?

That is my 2 cents worth!

Gladys

Hi A.,

My daughter is 22mo and still sleeps in her crib. She climbed out one time at about 18mo, but we lowered the mattress and she hasn't tried it again. I think it is choice of the child. Does he get up allot during the night?, does he have a hard time going to bed? These are things you want to ask your self. If yes, then you may need to wait alittle longer so he has a chance to better understand the words "lay down and go to sleep". If he knows that he can get out of his big bed, you may have a problem with him wanting to play at night. We bouhgt our daughter a convertable crib, so whenit is right we can take off the front panel and put on a side rail so she can't roll off the bed, but she can still crawl out from the other end. good luck
M.

married 5 years
mother of a 22 month old girl
in-home day care provider

We got my daughter a toddler bed when she turned 2. She never even slept in it!! We ended up selling it UNUSED! When we were finally able to get her to fall asleep in it, or let her fall asleep in our bed and put her in it she would wake up crying in the middle of the night, which she never did in her crib. I am not sure why but one thought I had was that it was too small for her. She tends to turn horizontally in bed and the little wooden sides may have just simply been in her way or something. ?? Anyway, we went and got her a full size bed and she has slept in it ever since!
P.S. - Most of my friends and family said to keep you child in a crib as long as you can! ??
A.

A.,
My son (now 18mos) climbed out of his crib at 13mos old. I dreaded moving him to a big boy bed (bbb) especially after all I read on the internet. We ended up putting an extra double matress on the floor in his room and took him shopping for new cool sheets and a bed rail. While shopping we talked up how cool a bbb is and how he's so big now. And it all went soooo smoothly! He gets excited at night now when we say it's nite nite time, he'll jump into bed, put his head on the pillow and off to sleep he goes.

I know some have a harder time, but you shouldn't necessarily expect it. In some ways I think it may be easier transitioning them earlier to the bbb than later. My son knows that the bbb is no different than his crib in that it means time for sleep.

Good luck!!