When did you move your child from a crib to a bed?

My son will be 2 at the end of next month.  Since we are expecting another baby in August (when he'll be 2 1/2), we've decided to move him into a twin bed around his second birthday so the baby can use the crib.  My mom has bought all of the bedding/decor for my son's new big boy room, and he'll get it all for his birthday next month. 

I'm just wondering when other parents made the transition from crib to bed, and if you have any tips to make it easier.  My son seems to love to play/lay on beds, but I'm a little nervous that he won't stay in it.  The bed he'll sleep in is my old twin bed, and it has a headboard but no foot board.  We're sort of thinking of pushing the foot of the bed against a wall, and putting protective railing around the sides so it'll sort of be like a crib and he can't get out. 

Does anyone have any advice for me?

Edit:  Just wanted to mention that he has slept in beds before when we've gone on vacation, but he sleeps in between my husband and I (which is horribly uncomfortable!).  So he has slept in a bed, just never by himself.

My son went into a bed just before his 2nd birthday.  Railings never worked, he could always get around them.   I found that just having some foam mats on the ground where he could fall was best.  He does wander around on the odd night, but otherwise he's been fine.  Out of all the transitions he's gone through(bottles, utensils,etc..), this one was one of the easiest.

 My advice would be just stick with it.  The first few nights might be a little rough, but that should be it.  Probably just have the mattress and boxspring on the floor though, any higher could be a little dangerous.  And again, I never found the railings too useful.

 

um...when they get too long?  when they start climbing out? 

geez, andrew, the way you talk about it, the thing to do would be to put them on a mattress on the floor when they come out of the womb.  that way they'll never think about wandering around and bothering you, because they were never in the cage to begin with.

hmmm.

Thanks badandrew! I was talking to a friend of a friend, and she also suggested a mattress on the floor to avoid falling.  She said her child had fallen out of bed numerous times (despite the rails), so they just put the mattress on the floor instead. 

So far, just about everyone I've talked to irl says that they made the transition around age 2.  I was just a little worried I was moving him too soon.  He loves his crib, but it's not practical to buy a second one when he really shouldn't be in it that much longer. 

I'm not sure I catch your meaning,  pgeorgian.  I put my son in a bed for exactly the reason you stated...  He was climbing out... And when did I say my son was bothering me?  Maybe you should read my post again, it was pretty late at night when you replied to it.

we co-sleep w/ our kids- but started weaning our girl when she was 14 months- although some night now she tries sneakin back into our bed.- which my husb and i love havin them both in our bed- but the kids keep gettin bigger and the bed is stayin the same-lol!

stick w/ what makes u comfortable- dont listen to others- i know personally peep dont ever agree w/ a mom's choices!

Once your toddler is climbing out of his crib, it is usually time to move to a toddler bed though. You simply don't want to take the chance that your toddler is going to get hurt climbing out of their crib. Even if your toddler isn't climbing our of his crib, if he is already 36 inches tall, then you should likely move him to a toddler bed anyway.

Although many toddlers can climb out when they are even shorter, by the time they are 36 inches tall, they can likely climb out if they want to and it is just a matter of time before they do.

The transition from a crib to a bed may also come sooner than you would like if you have a new baby on the way who is going to need to use the crib. Try to make the switch well in advance of the new baby's arrival though, so your toddler doesn't feel like he lost his bed because of the baby.

Both our children went into "Toddler" beds ~ however that was our preference.  The other thing I did was placed the bed against one side of the wall and we purchased a bed rail ~ which I only put up once they were asleep.  Kids move around lots and as it was suggested something soft on the floor in case they happen to fall off.

badandrew:  I was confused too. ???

shauna_182:  I know what you mean.  My son won't sleep in the portable cribs hotels provide, so he sleeps in bed with us.  Talk about uncomfortable!  He likes to sleep sideways, and I think he's the only one that gets any sleep that way.

sheila_c: I hadn't even thought about height, but my son is just under 36".  He hasn't tried to climb out of his crib, and it really surprises me because that kid climbs everything!  We were originally thinking of doing exactly what you suggested-putting the bed against a wall (preferably tucked against a corner to close off one side and the foot of the bed) to make it more like a crib.  I was thinking that might help him transition better if it feels similar to the crib he's used to.  Or he might try to climb out and we'll go with the mattress on the floor idea.  We'll just have to wait and see!   

I moved my youngest two into toddler beds when they started to climb out of their cribs.  Ironically, my 22 month old busted her head open on the fireplace (and got 8 stitches) and that was the night she decided to climb out of her crib.  Very scary.  We got the toddler bed the very next day.  Is there anyway you can purchase a cheap toddler bed, maybe at a garage sale?  It is only a foot off the ground and might make it easier.

Regardless, your son will be just fine whatever you do.  There is a saying that God protects drunks and little children.

We knew it was time to move our oldest into a toddler bed when we saw him climb over the top of his crib railing at 16 months - we were lucky to be there to catch him.  But we did start with a toddler bed - one that was close to the ground already, and had sides built into it.  (http://www.epinions.com/reviews/Graco_Cozy_To ddler_Bed_8840)

And, since it was molded plastic instead of wood furniture, it was pretty affordable too.  We moved him out of that when he got too tall, and by then he was big enough to sleep in a twin bed without any problems or need for a rail.

i moved my son at 18 months. my daughter was due i three months. i wanted to be sure my son was all set and happy in his new bed before his new baby sister kicked him out of his crib. same for my dughter. third baby- same thing. my daughter was 18 months and my littlest was in three months. seemed to work out pretty well. no jealousy.

All 3 of my kids were out of their cribs by 18 months for safety reason like previously talked about.  My oldest went to a mattress on the floor for 6 months, then a full sized bed w/ railing because she moves A LOT while sleeping.  My second went to a twin with railings and the foam puzzle mats on the floor all along her bed because she moves but was coordinated enough to handle herself on the higher bed.  My youngest went to a twin with railing only and no foam mats since he doesn't move much when he sleeps we never had a problem.  SO, basically it depends upon the child.  Go with your gut.  It never hurts to start out with the mattress on the floor and if they have no incidents move it up with the railing and mats, whatever you are comfortable with. 

We moved our little one from crib to bed roughly around 2 1/2 yrs as he was constantly climbing out of it.

We just put him in a double bed up against one wall and put a guardrail on the other side he only fell out of bed once (we forgot to put the rail up lol) he loves his Pooh Bear room.

The hard part will be getting him to sleep in a big bed by himself. My daughter is four, and we still catch her sneaking in to be with us at least once a week.

As with any transition, it might be difficult at first, but I've found it becomes easier if you just make a decsion and stick to it. The hardest parts of motherhood for me start when I give in, or back track.

Good Luck! 

 

I agree, you do have to stick with it once you've made the decision to move him. We moved my daughter into a bed when she was about 2 1/2 because she just wasn't sleeping well in her crib. She did get out of bed often at first but we're down to once a night or not at all (most nights) and she's 3. Just remember, when he gets out of bed, walk him back into his room and tuck him back in. Don't give in and let him sleep with you since this starts a very bad habit which we learned the hard way!

 We didn't use any rails and didn't put the matress on the floor or up against a wall. She has a full bed (no box spring yet--the bed would be too tall for her to get in!) and doesn't move much when she's sleeping (she gets that from me!) so we never had trouble with her falling out of bed. Each child is different so take things in stride! Good luck!

It seems early compared to everyone else but i bought my son a one of those race car beds for his first birthday and he loved it!

I moved my daughter to a twin size bed right after she turned two.  She wasn't climbing out of her crib but we were expecting another child so we needed the crib.  We put the guard rails up and she only has fallen out once.  (She is almost three now).   I also like the idea of just a mattress on the floor or a toddler bed.  I have a 22 month old as well and will probably do that for him.  

 What I did to make the transition to the big bed easier for my daughter was to put both the bed and crib in her room for a few days so she got used to it and then I gave her the choice of which bed she wanted to sleep in.  Right away she wanted the big bed, and the crib was gone the next day and she never looked back.  I haven't yet had a problem with wandering at night, but of course worried that might start any time.  But everything I hear is that you just have to be persistant with putting them back into their beds.  

We had a toddler bed, our daughter rolled out of that (even a foot off the ground, it woke her up and gave her a scare). We put a twin futon down next to the toddler bed for cushioning and she ended up sleeping on the futon for the next year instead of the toddler bed!

So, I advocate mattress on the floor as the best transition out of a crib. Our oldest transitioned at 21 mos (because we had a new baby), and the youngest went a little longer - but around 2, like everybody else who replied.

Every kid is different - adapt as you see fit!