When to Switch to Toddler Bed

We had a similar situation, and we switched older girl (2-1/2) to the toddler bed about a month before the baby was born. This way she didn't feel like she was getting "kicked out" of the crib for new baby. We tried to make it exciting and fun to have a Big Girl Bed. It has worked great, and now she mentions sometimes that the crib used to be her bed, but she loves her new bed.

We had #2 when #1 was 23 months old....we went right for a regular bed with a side rail and a little step stool. We put her in the bed a month or so before the baby was born so that she didn't associate being moved with the baby coming. It was just fine. She loved it.

My daughter is half monkey, we think. She could climb like one so we put her in a toddler bed at 16 months. She faired just fine. We also put 2 stacked babygates up to keep her in her room when it was bed time.
Rebecca

Congrats! You nave plenty of time. Plan on using a bassinette or cradle for the first few months with your second baby. This will give your first time to get used to the changes at home. I have babies who moved anywhere from 16 mos. to almost three years, depending on development, temperment, whether they had a sibling to bunk with or share a bed with, what our furniture and space options were at the time, etc. The important thing is not to have one out of a certain stage before the other comes along, but to make sure the first is secure and comfortable with their position in the family before the second (or more) comes along. Forcing any developmental stage (potty training, bed change, even place at the dining table) can cause more trouble than it's owrth, believe me!!!

SAHM of seven, 16mos. - 23 yrs., none in a crib, some sharing beds, some sharing rooms, some out of the house.

My girls are 19 months apart. I moved the eldest out of her crib several months before the baby came so that thee would be no relationship between the two events. At first she stayed in the bed, then relaized she could get out, which made bedtime rather difficult. So she spent a few months in the pack-n -play. She then transitioned into her big girl bed just fine. The girls have always shared a room. Our little one will soon get her big girl bed(almost 2). All kids are different but don't be afraid of the big bed.

27 months is not too young. It has been said that whatever changes you make you do them with at least 3 months left before the new arrival to give adjustment time.

my boys are 3 weeks shy of being exactly 2yrs apart. my oldest had no trouble going to a big bed. he was 20 months old. just make sure you remove the crib so when you put it back up there is no "my bed" issues.

good luck and congrats

We had a similar situation. Except my son wasn't sleeping in a crib when I became pregnant with my daughter. We chose to do family bed. Regardless, I would still recommend the same procedure.

And that is to switch your daughter when she is ready to give up her crib. In our case, we were all four of us sleeping in one bed. Then on New Year's day, we decided to take our son's crib, which could be changed to a toddler bed, out of the bedroom where it wasn't being used. We wanted to set it up as a crib again in the playroom, so I would have somewhere "safe" to lay our daughter down. The short of it is, our son displayed great interest in "his" crib. We showed him how it could be a toddler bed for big boys, and he wanted it that way. Since then (over a year), he has moved out into his own room without any fuss. Because it was his decision, and he was allowed to make it when he was ready.

Soooo, if I were you, I'd start shopping for a toddler bed, but just have it on hand. The idea of you having a baby won't become real to your daughter until your midsection is burgeoning. At that point, it would be ideal to set up the toddler bed to show her where "big girls" sleep. To try and make it attractive to her. Maybe she could take her daytime naps there (if she still naps). Buy special bed sheets just for the big girl bed. Maybe even a new stuffed animal to go with it (that one I might save for after the baby has arrived).

But, if you choose to go with her flow, then be prepared that she'll hang on to her crib until after the baby has arrived just to see if the baby "really does happen". For this eventuality, you could see if someone you know has a bassinett you could borrow to bridge the gap.

Best of luck!

Well, when my son was about 18 months or so I took the side off his crib to convert it to a toddler bed, because he tried to climb out of it. As far as your story goes, I would suggest changing her to a toddler bed BEFORE the baby is born so it's not such a big deal for her and you'll have plenty of time to get her used to it before the baby arrives. Make sure and let her know that by changing into a toddler bed (or big girl bed) that she's becoming a big girl. And maybe later on down the road you can tell her that the baby will be using her crib now because the baby needs it (if you want).
Just a suggestion, hope it helps!

Don't switch to a toddler bed until shes nearing three or she will fall out. We switched my brother around 3 years old.

We also had to switch our son to a toddler bed before the arrival of our new baby. He was 20 months at the time and he too never tried to get out of his crib or anything. We probably would have waited until he was at least 2 to switch him, but we needed the crib and we wanted to do it at least a few months before the new baby came. He surprised us and did really well. If I were you, I would start a few months in advance just in case it takes longer than expected to switch your daughter. Good luck.

Our daughters are 27 months apart. We transitioned the older one to a toddler bed at around 21 months and it worked out wonderfully. We set it up in the same room as the crib so she could go back to the crib if she wanted/needed to, but she did not - not even for one night.

My oldest and middle child are 21 months apart and we were in the same delima. We took a three step approach. First, 6 months pregnant, we converted the crib into a toddler bed and had her sleep in that. Doing that provided her with the comfort of "her" crib, plus the skills to sleep in a toddler bed. Once she was comfortable I waited another 2-3 weeks, (I was 7 months along) we purchased her a "big girl toddler bed". We left the old crib/toddler bed in her room until she adjusted to the new toddler bed. Then, we removed the toddler bed/ crib completely from her sight. (I know, a pain to take all the bolts out and completely disassemble the bed.) This was important so she would "forget" the crib was her crib. Then 2 weeks before the baby was due, we took family time to put the crib back together, with new different sheets, all to anticipate the arrival of our next child.

Madilyn was never jealous of the new baby. She was sleeping in a toddler bed when she was only 18 months old and did fine. Only once did she climb back in the crib, but it was because she wanted to sleep with her new sister, not because she wanted her crib back.

I switched my daughter to a toddler bed at 20 months, and she did great. I also, was a little unsure, because she never tried to climb out of her crib or anything like that. I would suggest doing it a few months before the baby arrives, so she is used to it. I've learned that it isn't easy introducing multiple big changes at the same time.

My older son turned two a month before his younger brother was born. We made his move to his "big boy room" on his birthday so that it was a special treat rather than him being replaced. Even if you decide to have them share a room, I recommend it as a birthday "gift" because she is now a big girl.

My daughter was 22 months when we put her into a toddler bed. We moved into a new house so we decided that since she was getting a new room, she was also getting a new bed. She thought that she was just hot stuff!!!!!! She did fine with it. For the first few months she would even stay in her bed until I came to get her even if she was awake!! But when she realised her older brother would come out of his room, she decided that she would just start coming into my room when she wakes up before me!!! I really believe that your daughter will love it and be fine with it!!!!!

I would get her a twin bedroom set for her 2nd b-day, that way its her BIG GIFT And you can realy play up the big girl thing. That way she'll have a good 3 months of adjustment before the new baby comes.

My boys are 3 1/2yrs apart, but we got them each a bedroom set for thier 2nd b-days, and they did just fine. I would skip the toddler bed, to me its just an extra expense to be outgrown. Go right from the crib to a twin.

Our son went to a toddler bed at 20 months. At first, he kept getting out- he liked his new found freedom! We reversed the lock on his door so that he wouldn't wander the house at night. He was unhappy about that for a few days, but eventually accepted it. For awhile, we would find him in the morning asleep next to his bed, but after about a week or so, he started making his way back to his bed when he woke up during the night....
If you want to keep your daughter in a crib, maybe get a convertible one for her, and keep the other one for the baby. That way when she outgrows the crib (like ours did!) you can take the rails off and use it as a bed. Good luck!

Congratulations on the NEW BABY~
You could definetly switch your Daughter around 2 yrs of age to a toddler bed/twin bed. You will have some challenges gettting her to stay in it at first :) But it is best to do it before the Baby gets here so she doesn't feel like she is giving up "her" bed for the baby.
Good luck
M.

Hi! My daughter, currently 5 was in our room until the age of 2 (we were building our house, and the house we lived in was only 1 bedroom). When our home was FINALLY done, she just turned age 2, we moved her from her crib to a regular twin bed(without the boxspring, we used a board that was cushioned) to her own room. It was rough for the first week, but turned out to be the best decision we made. She will not sleep anywhere but in her bed now, even if she is sick.
Not to say that this would work for everyone but why not try to save on cost and just do all of it at once.

I encountered your situation exactly. My daughter was born six weeks ago when my son was 25 months old. He never wanted to escape his crib either, but we thought it might be easier to transition him out before his sister arrived. We moved him a few weeks before he turned two. He absolutely loves his new bed. We just made it seem really exciting and he had no trouble at all. It was also nice to have him distance himself from thoughts of the crib being his. Also, this way you won't need to buy another crib. I figure when she's about two she can have the toddler bed and he can move up to a twin size bed. I'd give it a try and see how your daughter likes it. If she's not quite ready maybe just have it set up so she can get used to the idea while you talk it up.

We moved both our children to toddler beds at 18 months and they did just great. For the first week or so they would get up a few times but after they adjusted they actually slept better because they didn't roll into the bars on the crib anymore.

When my children switched to their "big girl/big boy beds", the number one thing that lowered my anxiety level was getting a bed that was very low profile...the mattress not being very high off the ground. This allowed us to skip the expense of a toddler bed completely, and still not have to worry about them rolling off and falling a long way. We found that cute cartoon charachter sheets provided just as much excitement as a themed toddler bed. IKEA has great inexpensive very low beds...this is what we used for my daughter when she was only about 19 months old. I have a feeling she will still be sleeping in it when she comes home to visit from college...so that part's nice! Six years ago when my son made the transition at about 2 and a half yrs old, we just used a really inexpensive rollaway...again close to the ground and dressed up with cool sheets...all was well. Of course if the bedrooms are on an upper level of your home, you will want to use gates at the top of the stairs for a while in case they get up and you don't. Bottom line, I do not think your daughter even now is too young to make the switch. Just make a big deal about her being a big girl sleeping in a big girl bed. My daughter had to show every person that walked throught our door her new bed!

J.- In my opinion keep her in the crib as long as possible. Then get her involved with moving to a new bed. My husband and I skipped the toddler bed and went right to a twin bed for our girls and full for our son. The toddler beds to us were not worth the money for what you get and they grown out of it so fast. OUr kids loved the move to their "big" beds. If there is a concern about rolliing out of them our pediatrician said to put pillows on the floor to cushion the roll off. My kids never rolled off of the beds, while they were sleeping anyhow.

My kids are 18 months apart. When my daughter was born, we moved my son's crib out of the nursery and into the bedroom that he would be using to get him used to it. My daughter slept in a bassinet for the first two months, then down the crib went and my son went straight to a big boy bed...we didn't even do the toddler bed. We had it up against a wall and used one of those fall guards on the other end. He never had any problem adjusting, it was more like mom & dad trying to adjust to worrying about him getting up in the middle of the night, making sure the child safety gate to the stairs was locked, etc. Actually, he did very well...it will probably be easier than you think!!!

Your kids will be the same age difference as my kids. We moved my daughter into a toddler bed right around her 2nd birthday so the transition would be done well before baby #2 arrived. She did just fine. Definitely wasn't too young. She will seem a lot older to you in a few months than she seems now.

We started talking about her new big girl bed a little before we did it so she was excited about it. And then we just did it. She had a little trouble actually staying in bed after a few weeks. (She stayed in it to start with, but then she started getting out.) But it wasn't too bad of a transition.

It is so nice that she still likes her bed! Neither one of my children liked the crib at all. My daughter cried until she was sick when she was in her crib and jumped out at 12 months. After that I put her in a toddler bed and she loved it. My son was only 15 months. My kids are 3 years apart, so I didn't have that to worry about. Since the toddler bed uses a crib mattress we used all the same bedding and that helped. They experimented getting out and finding us at night, but we were firm from the start and just put them right back and they were fine.

J.,

I moved my first two children to a toddler bed at 19 months and they did great. I did have to put away the toys out of reach and lock the bedroom door, and they spent the first week sleeping on the floor, but it was a mild adjustment and we did great. My third child stayed in a crib until 22 months, a couple of months before #4 came along. He was easier to train, maybe because it was big brother's old toddler bed or maybe because he was a little older. I don't know.

One thing I wouldn't do is make your older girl's first night in a bed the same night as the baby's first night in the old crib. You don't want to go there - could initiate sibling jealosy. Just make a big deal out of the new bed sometime before the new baby comes and switch her.

I know some people wait until after the baby comes, but if you have a C-section and can't lift big sister out of the crib, you have an unplanned and rushed switch. And most doctors say no lifting of older siblings for 6 weeks anyway. No one likes to have to go back to the hospital with bleeding.

Good luck,
S.

Hi! my son will be 20 months on the 29th of Feb. he's been in his toddler bed for about 3 weeks now. it's taken adjustment, but we do good now! my older daughter (who's 5 1/2 now) was switched to her toddler bed 3 weeks before her 2nd birthday. I would switch her bed at least 1 month or 2 before the baby comes, so that she doesn't feel jeolous of the new baby useing "her" bed. My son did cry as we carried his crib to the basement :) he tried to grab his crib and pull it back :) it was TOO CUTE!! ofcourse, if you plan on using a basinet for the baby for a few months you could wait longer to switch her beds, just be sure to have enough time of her out of the crib to get used to her toddler bed before the baby sleeps in "her" crib :)
Hope that helps! Good luck! remember, whatever you choose, you'll all adapt (probly the kids faster than you hehehe). and switch beds when you're well slept-you may have a few late nights of toddler saying "YIPEE!! I CAN GET MYSELF OUT OF BED NOW!! YEAH!!" my son still falls asleep on the floor some nights :) it doesn't hurt!

M. Beck
Elwood, NE
____@____.com

J.-
For my 3 girls, they have been in their crib until they were almost 3. They were happy and content there. The youngest did climb out, but safely...she was careful, and only when someone was there. The first 2 kiddos were 21 months apart, and we did have 2 cribs. No need to rush....if moved too young, you can deal with a lot of problems (not staying in bed, wandering, etc...)
Good luck with the pregnancy!

First of all, congratulations!

We moved into a new house when my daughter was 20 months old. I asked her doctor if we should move her crib or if it was a good time to change her to a toddler bed. He asked if she ever attempted to climb out of her crib and I said no so he said that since things were going to change anyway we might as well move her to the toddler bed. He did mention that you should never make big changes in a child's life when a new sibling is about to arrive, it should always be done a few months prior so it becomes routine before the big change.

We did move our daughter to the toddler bed and she has done great. I can count on one hand the number of times she has gotten out of bed. She DOES drop stuff over the side and call for us to come and get it, but she doesn't get out herself.

Good luck!

We switched our son to a twin bed a bit before his second birthday, shortly after we found out we were pregnant with our second. We didn't want to buy a 2nd crib and I knew that our son needed to be well established in his "big boy bed" well before the arrival of the new baby so there would be no jealousy issues. We talked to him about his new "big boy bed" for a few weeks beforehand and then he went with us to purchase it. Our original idea was going to have him take naps in the bed and night time in the crib, but he did great in it at nap and he didn't want to go back to the crib, so we let him stay and he's done just fine.

J.,
I like in Farmington and like you unexpectedly found myself pregnant with #2 (mine are only 1 year and 2 weeks apart)When Logan turned 2, he was content with sleeping in his crib and didn't attempt to crawl out but I had it in my head, he should move to a bed so we moved him and it has been a nightmare. I would definitely say wait until she says she is ready. I know the need to get her out of the crib before #2 comes but making the move too early for us was a mistake!!!

J.,
The same thing happened to my husband and I. Our boys are 17 months apart. We decided at 14 months to put our older one in a toddler bed and take the crib down. The reason for doing this was that we did not want him to feel like he was getting kicked out of His crib for the new baby aka.jealousy.
This worked out fine. We made it a big deal and started on a Saturday at nap time. He loved his new bed. We let him pick out his new toddler sheets at the store. We moved his stuffed animals and his fish aquarium to his new bed. The only transition that we did not think about was that he could get out of the room so we added a gate to his door. He liked being able to walk aound his room at night, but this quickly ended.
When our second son arrived and we put up the crib in the other room it was not a big deal. He had forgotten all about how he loved his crib. He kept pointing at the crib and saying baba. Hope this helps.
J..

We switched our daughter, Regan out of her crib when she was about 18 months. I put a large body pillow along side the toddler bed just in case she rolled out. She is now 2 years and in a twin bottom bunk-bed. The reason we moved her out of the crib was due to our finding out we were going to be having a number 3. I also took the crib down after she was well adjusted. I plan on putting it back up a couple weeks before the due date of the 3rd baby. I didn't want my daughter to feel like she was being pushed aside, or had to make major adjustments after the baby was born. This way I think it will be a much smoother transaction and she won't think the next baby is taking over her crib. There will be so many other adjustments.

First, congratulations!! Our second was quite the surprise too. Our oldest was 17 months when #2 arrived. We switched him over to a twin bed with a bedrail when he was 16 months and he handled it really well. We moved #2 to a toddler bed when he turned 2. With both boys (who have totally different personalities) they thought it was strange at first, one wanted to get out of bed for a couple days, then that was it. Not a big deal at all. We moved the pack n play in front of the toddler bed (but left room for him to crawl out) for a couple weeks so he still felt enclosed, then slowly moved it back farther and farther, then put it away. For a month or so, our oldest would still hollar for us to come get him when he woke up in the morning.

J.,
I found out I was expecting number two when my son was 15 months old. We waited until he was 21 months to convert to big boy bed. I don't think it's too early at all for a 27 month old in big girl bed. My son was the same way he never attempted to crawl out he slept from 8:30a to 8:00p we were spoiled. Then watch out we switch to big boy bed and the first night I think he crawled out about 50 times we were very persistant on bringing him back to his own bed. That last for a few nights. Then we had the problem of him waking up about 5 or 5:30 and not wanting to go back to bed. He now is 23 months and he sleeps from 8:30 to about 7 give or take 15 minutes. Sorry for so long. I do believe that it's a good idea to convert at least 6 weeks before baby and remove the crib out so she doesn't think baby is more important. Good luck and God bless. Congratulations on the new baby. Hope all goes well. Keep us posted.

You're story could be my story, thanks for asking! I look forward to the replies. Our daughter will be 27 months old in May when I'm due with our #2 and she's still in the crib! Good luck to you!

I was wondering the same thing. I have a 2 year old boy and a just turned 5 year old girl that share a room (only for a couple more months!)He always liked his crib and never tried to get out until he fell asleep on his sisters bed at nap time one day. Now he doesn't like his crib anymore. He will be acquiring her bed with a net thingy when we move, but until then I had to fiqure something out. So just yesterday I put his crib mattress all the way up and put the crib side down (it doesn't go far unfortunately) and put a little step stool by his crib. I found him napping in it yesterday in which he climbed in there all by himself like a big boy! He's so proud, I even found him sitting on the big boy potty half the rest of the day! Wow, who knew!

J.,

First Congratulations on your pregnancy! I have two children who are 18 months apart, I had two cribs because they were so close together but they were both out of their cribs by 24 months. My son was getting out of his crib by then and I think my daughter would have been comfortable in her crib but when I brought out the "big girl bed" she was so excited and didn't want to sleep in her crib again. My suggestion would be to transition your daughter to a toddler bed before the baby arrives (give her a couple weeks to adjust). I set the toddler bed up in the room with the crib still up so it wasn't a total shock that you remove the only bed they've ever known. You can explain to her that the new baby, in mommy's tummy, will need the crib and she will get to sleep in a big girl bed (make it a princess bed if she's into princesses). Good Luck! It's just one more challenge of parenting:)

Hi there J.! Usually around two years old is a good time I think. Especially if she likes her crib as much as you say she does. With all of my kids, changing over to a toddler bed was a transition that we made as a "what a big girl/boy you are now" scenario. We made it out to be an exciting thing for them and they enjoyed the transition quite well. Also, if it is a crib that changes over to a toddler bed (as many of them do these days), include her in the process so she can see the change itself. Some parents like to wait until they start climbing out of the crib, so to each their own I suppose. Whichever way you choose, just be to sure to include her (like if you go buy a toddler bed,let her pick it.

Congratulations on your new arrival by the way. Unexpected news can be the greatest thing that ever happened to you.

B.

p.s. I wanted to add too about the sharing a room. It depends on how well she takes to her new sibling. Also, I think it would be a good idea to wait until the new one starts sleeping through the night, or mostly through the night. Having a crabby toddler in the house because he/she didn't get much sleep isn't fun.

We transitioned to a toddler bed when my oldest was about 18 months, I was expecting as well. We already had a second crib for the new one, but I was having trouble bending over to put my oldest in bed when I was 8 months pregnant.

My oldest never tried to climb out of bed either. He was really excited when we showed his new bed to him. We just put it up and then told him we had a suprise for him. We brought him in the room in the early part of the day and showed him the bed. He was very excited and started jumping on it. He never gets out of his big boy bed either. He always waits for us to come get him and he only fell out a few times the first week. We've had no other issues since.

I think since your little one is content with being in her crib now, the switch should be rather easy.

J. -- we transitioned our son to a toddler bed right before his second birthday and he made the transition great. His crib is one of the convertibles that changes to a toddler bed and then a big bed. So, I don't know if that helped in the transition since it wasn't completely unfamiliar to him. We probably had one week where he would get out of bed a couple of times when we first put him down, but otherwise he did great. Good luck & congrats!!

J.,

You can change her to a toddler bed whenever you feel she is ready. One thing...do not change her right after the baby is born. There will be enough changes then. I would give it about 6 more months, then try unless she indicates sooner.

L. :)

You've already got quite a few responses! I wanted to share that I'm in the same boat you are. My son will be 2 1/2 when baby number 2 comes and he is still in his crib. He flops around so much that we don't think he's ready for the move to a toddler bed yet. It all depends on the child. Some people move them anywhere from 1 to 3. Just make sure when you do transition, it's plenty of time either before or after your second arrives. Never try to make a big change like that with another big change. Good luck!

Our son and daughter both moved to "big" beds before age 2, so you are definitely not too early. The toddler bed is a nice option because it is a familiar size (same as crib) and low to the ground. Down side: you'll probably only use it for a little over a year, then she'll need to upgrade again for a bigger size. My suggestion for HOW to make the transition is JUST DO IT! ha ha. I hear of some people who leave the crib in the room with the bed for awhile to try to make an "easy" transition. Why would it be easy for her if she can see her beloved crib from the new, uncomfortable bed you are trying to get her to sleep in?! Talk it up that she is a big girl and won't it be fun to have a "big" bed? Have daddy put the bed all together and arrange the room while you play with her, then make it a big surprise. Put the crib OUT OF SIGHT! It MAY be a little difficult the first night or two for her to get to sleep in a new surrounding, but you won't do yourself any favors by switching back and forth, dragging out the process. If she gets out of bed, like my daughter did, keep gently (but firmly) putting her back, explaining it's not ok to get out of bed when it's time for night night. I would sing her one more song or read one more story, and then leave as I normally would. Don't linger, making it SEEM like a big deal. Bottom line is: if YOU treat it as a big deal, she will too. If YOU expect her to be able to make the transition easily and quickly, SHE WILL!!! I would suggest trying to make the transition earlier than later so you CAN put the crib out of sight and out of mind for her for a bit before the baby gets in it. Give her a chance to get comfortable in her new bed before she needs to see the baby taking over her old crib! Good luck, and congrats on your pregnancy! The spacing of your kids will be very fun as they get older.

Hi J.,

My daughter has been in her toddler bed since she was 17 months old because I caught her a number of times straddling the top of the crib railing. So, my fear of her falling outweighed my fear of her getting out of bed haha! We have one of the convertible cribs, so we just converted it to the toddler bed with the little railings on the side. I have never had a problem with her staying in the bed (she will be 2 on Sunday), and she never had any problems switching over. I am actually expecting another baby girl in July, and my daughter will be 28 1/2 months. We are buying her first "big girl" bed in a couple of months because we will need the crib. We have been getting her excited about it, and I think she will do well. Each child is different on how they handle these things, but telling her about the change beforehand has always worked well for us. We had to cross a few early obstacles with her because she was walking at 9 months and is extremely strong-willed as well.

Every child is different. By oldest was able to climb in and out of our bed by 13 months. He's tall. Anyway, we put him in a double bed when he was 17 or 18 months. My second was born when the first was 19 1/2 months. We had a couple months of adjustment, but nothing different than any other age. We did a bunk bed thing and so his bed is like a little fort and he is still surrounded on 3 sides.

My daughter was 24 months when my son was born. We made it a party to give her a big girl room. She got to help pick the paint color and decorations and try out beds. So this was around 20 months of age. We told her the old room would be the baby's room and got her new big girl room set up for her ahead of time. She wanted to switch - like before the paint was dry! We didn't do a toddler bed - you need a crib mattress for that. I went to a twin bed and put on rails. It was too high for her to climb out of, so no problems there. I figured it would be one less transition to have to handle - crib to toddler bed to big bed - just skipped the toddler bed. She loved her new room and we even took the crib down after she switched and she helped pick out some new sheets and things for the baby. Now she was the big kid in the house which was way cooler than being the baby. My opinion - your daughter is not too young, but involve her in the switch and do it ahead of time before the baby comes.

From my experience switching the older child to a new bed earlier rather than later is better, as long as she's not resisting. Otherwise she may feel like you're taking her bed away and giving it to the new baby. You can make a big deal out of how big she's getting and how she's ready for a "big girl bed". If you put the crib away for a while and she gets used to her big girl bed, when the baby comes along you can make a big deal about how big she is now, and how the little baby gets to use her old bed from when she was a little baby. We started both our girls with just a mattress on the floor (so if they fell "out of bed" it was just a few inches). After a couple of weeks we put the box spring underneath (we didn't use a toddler bed) and then eventually a frame. Never had any problems! Good Luck!

Ya gotta go with your gut here, Mommy. If your girl is ready for a toddler bed, go for it. I converted my boy's crib to the toddler when he was nearly 2 1/2. He loved his crib, never tried to crawl out; it was just time. He only fell out of it once; it's so close to the ground he actually fell asleep on the floor.

If she's not ready yet, have the new baby sleep in a bassinet for a month or two and try to have daughter 'help' with the new baby by giving her/him the crib.
Worst case: you borrow a crib from a friend for the new baby until you figure out what to do.
Deb.

Our daughter was 28 mo. when our son was born. I had found some really cute "big girl" bedding on clearance sale and bought it thinking we would eventually use it with her. She was just 2 at the time and was so excited about her new bedding that we had no choice but to move her into her new big girl bed. She did great and was transitioned by the time our son was born!

J.,
You do what you have to do! We had 4 kids in 6.5 years and each time the new baby was coming, we transitioned someone out of the crib early enough to train them to think cribs are for babies. (By the way, we did the same thing with pacifiers, too.) My one daughter started climbing out of the crib at 18 months, and I was afraid she'd break her neck! We started her in the toddler bed right away. (She wasn't tall, just flexible and could get her little heel up on the rail and pulled herself over!)

My advice is to really talk it up. Talk about expectations in the big girl bed, how we stay in it in the morning, at naptime, etc, whatever rules you want. Give her all the rules ahead of the transition. You'll do fine. Good luck!

Our 27 month old son is still in his crib. As with your daughter, our son does not make any attempts to get out of it. I am hoping to leave him in his crib until he outgrows it, or until he tries to get out on his own. Our daughter however, who is 6 now, was in the crib until she was 3.
If you are going to need to use the crib for baby #2, I would still wait just a few more months. 19 months is still awful young. If you won't be needing the crib right away for your new baby, I would show your daughter after your new child is born that the new baby will be needing to sleep in the "baby" bed. By that time, she might be understanding the whole thing a little more.
Good luck to you!!

J.,

I took a different approach for my boys (20 months apart). I bought a second (used) crib.

My older son is just now (almost 3) transitioning out of his crib.

It worked great for us.

J.

J.,

Baby #2 came for us when our toddler, Joslyn, was 20 months old. Joslyn also loved her crib. We rarely had any troubles putting her to bed and she never tried to climb out. Occasionally we would get the nights of crying for 1/2 hour because she wanted to stay up with us. i have heard that you should change her into a bed before the new baby arrives so she doesn’t get feel like the baby stole her bed, but we waited. Baby slept in a bassinet in our bedroom until Joslyn's 2nd birthday. We had a party and she received her new toddler bed and a potty chair and we made a huge deal about it; she is a big girl now and need big girl things and baby gets the crib.

She worked with daddy to put it up and was so proud. We also decided to put them in the same room for sleeping. It has worked out great! At 1st I told her that she needs to be a big girl and lie in her new bed so the baby isn’t scared at night. It was cute she would get up and stand on her bed and look at the baby to make sure she was okay. Joslyn also treats her bed like a crib, she occasionally still cries when she doesn’t want to sleep but stays in her bed, and when she wakes up she calls for us to come get her up in the morning. However, it’s only been 1 month so we will see how long that goes.

To answer your questions: 27 months is defiantly not to young, you could put a baby gate up if you are concerned she will get up and walk around. And sharing a room has worked out great. Neither one wakes the other up. And remember you can put the baby in a bassinet in your room to by some time. Our baby slept in it for 5 months. Good luck! Having your babies close together works, your toddler will soon forget what it was like when she was the only one. Joslyn has adjusted so well.

M.

Dear J.,
My "baby" is now 18, so I can speak from long ago experience and newly gained insight. I think it would be a splendid time (birth of #2)to give your daughter a toddler bed. Mine walked at 9 months and I think we got her a "big bed" at about 2 years. The new "big bed" would also establish your daughter as the new big sister and make her proud of herself and the fact that she is allowing the baby to use her old crib. She will be ready for her new roll (I would get it before baby is born) and be a "helper", which they love to do at that age.
Happy baby!

Our little girl seemed to make the decision herself around 19 months old. She refused to sleep in her crib but would sleep very well on blankets we laid on the floor in her room. So we bought her a "big girl bed", she loves it, and she sleeps well in it with no problems with falls.
So I don't think 27 months would be too young at all!

I have a 17 month old who just switched to her big girl bed. It went extremely well. We will have a new baby in about 6 weeks so we wantedto get her well situated before that huge change. We didn't do anything overly exciting to prepare her, she loved her crib very much also. Since she is still so little, we selected a bed from IKEA that can grow with her. It is low to the ground and we have it scrunched up all the way. She helped me put it together and watched as I got it all made up for her. Instantly, she was in love!

It hasn't been a problem at all. If she gets up first in the morning, she comes to our room or goes to her brothers' room and wakes them up.

I would strongly suggest making that change as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will be confusing to her and possibly become an issue with jealousy or upset.

Good luck and have fun!

Congrats! My sons are 28 months apart. About 1 month before his little brother arrived we put our oldest into a toddler bed (we found one really cheap at K-Mart)that fits a standard crib mattress. He was a little frightened at first (just because it was a big change) but he was able to get used to it before the baby came. Because we did it before our youngest was born it became a "big boy" thing to do instead of being because the baby was taking his crib.
Good Luck!

My two boys are 22 months apart in age (now 12 & 10). When my oldest was around 18 months he started sleeping in a toddler bed by his choice and much to our surprise. We knew the boys would be sharing a room so we got a toddler bed and had the frame set up in the nursery. We would tell our oldest son that he would sleep in it when the baby came. All of a sudden he started having issues going to sleep at night and he would cry and reach out of his crib towards the toddler bed. We asked him if he wanted to sleep there and we put the crib mattress in the toddler frame. He never went back to the crib and didn't care that the baby was in it when his brother was born, we could not believe how easily he transitioned. Our oldest, like your daughter loved his crib and never tried climbing out of it, but he sure thought he was the biggest boy in the world being in a toddler bed.

Karla (mom of 2 boys)

I had a similar situation, so I can tell you what worked for us. I found out I was pregnant when my older daughter was about 18 months old. We decided to make the move to a toddler bed and then a twin sized bed all before baby #2 was born. We took the front off of her crib (since it was a convertible crib) right around when she was 18 months. She loved that she could get in and out of bed on her own. And, when she learned to stay in her bed by herself (around 20 months) we made the switch to a twin. She became so independent about sleeping very quickly.

The most important thing is to finish the transition with time to spare before baby #2 is born. Otherwise, the older child may resent the baby for taking her bed. This way the two occurrences are not related to one another if there's at least a month or two between the final transition and baby being born.

Again, this is what worked for us, but I hope it helps you out! Good luck!

A.