[humanpitchpipe]

DS is fine in his crib, he hasn't figured out how to climb out of it - yet. But he just started climbing everything else, and I think that it is just a matter of time before he climbs out of the crib. How old were your kiddos when you switched from the crib to the toddler bed? I have summer vacation coming up in a couple of days, so I was thinking this might be a good time to switch. DS is 18 months old.

[jking5344]

My daughter climbed out of her crib when she wasn't quite 2 yrs old. I went right to a twin bed - but kept the crib mattress on the floor while I waited for the big-girl bed to be delivered. It wasn't planned that way, but worked out to be a good transition. She's always slept with the door open and I told her if her feet touch the floor I would shut her door for 1 minute. It's worked like a charm ever since!

Good luck.

Jessie

[WVUMom418]

It wasn't at a specific age with either child it was based on when each seemed ready. I have those cribs that convert to toddler beds, I even took the side off of Mia's bed and had to put it back on because she didn't like it. About 3 months later I tried it again and she was fine.

[DPline]

With my boys they were 3, and almost 3. Both never climbed out of the crib. With my older son, he started napping on the single bed first at about 2.5 and by 3 he was sleeping in it at night. With my younger son we were staging our house to sell and rearranging rooms and decluttering and took the crib down as part of it. He was 3 and a few months.

My daughter went into a toddler bed at age 2 (again to do with moving) and I have regretted it ever since. I should have left well enough alone! Personally, I wouldn't rush it!

[cmfayz]

Matthew will be 3 in August and is still in a crib. He's never tried to climb out. David is 18 months and climbs everything, but has not yet tried to climb out of his crib so I have no plans to move him anytime soon. I agree with Debbie, don't rush it!

[kacmom1]

I switched all of my kids from the crib to a twin bed at about 2 years old. It was more of a necessity for us...when the next baby came along, we needed the crib. They all did very well. And we didn't do the toddler bed thing. Just figured that that was another step to take. Never had any problems with any of my 5 kids.
Good luck to you and your little climber!

[angel_bayou]

I think it totally depends on you and the child!! My little Olivia learned to scale her bed before she was one so she went into a toddler bed before the age of one!! Now Arianna has ben climbing everything for a LONG time now but only recently has she climbed out of her baby bed since lil' sis showed her just how to do it! It was kind of cute though! She climbed out of her bed and into her big brother's!!

[dac_cincy]

We just did the switch Sunday night- 2.5 months beforethe planned moved date.

I have been working on setting up Bug's big boy room and Saturday we gothis new comforter, it got washed on Sunday night, he wanted to sleep in the big boy bed.

I let him, figuring he would be out of it like shot since I was missing the bed rail, but he slept until 11pm when I wentin and moved him. Last night, bed rail bought and installed, he slept the entre night in the big boy.

If I had known it was going to be this easy, I would have done it sooner. He never attempted to climb out of his crib- so that was not a worry and he climbs everything else.

So at 2.75 years (33 monhs) he is in a big boy bed and loving it.

Love to you,

[annaguat]

My girls are 33 months and they are still in their cribs. They have been able to climb in and out of their crib for well over a yr. We are planning to move this summer and I will probably keep them in their crib as we do want to keep somethings familiar for them during the move. Sometime after that I plan to change them to a toddler bed. (We still have 2) That way they will have more floor space in their room to play, we can use the same bedding as for the crib and it is also less laundry for me. I must admit, for me, it also keeps them little just a bit longer. ~smile~ I think moist people switch when their child starts climbing out of the crib but I have usually just kept the child in even if they can climb out. You can set the matress to the lowest setting and lower the rail so it is easier for them to get in and out without falling. Anna

[ej-momtobe]

DS is 29 months and still in a crib. We are getting ready to switch him, because on vacation he will be in a real bed, so we want him to get used to him at home first. He loves his crib, which is home to a select group of his favorite stuffed animals.

[amylynn3]

We transitioned DS at 18 months and plan to do the same with DD. In my opinion, doing it younger helped us. DS was so tired at bedtime and nap time still that he didn't really even notice that he was in his toddler bed as opposed to his crib. We have the transition cribs, so all we did was take the front rail off. Then, we transitioned DS to his BIG boy bed between 2-2.5. It was all very smooth for DS. I hope it is smooth for DD too. She is 14 months, so we have a few months before we do it.

[sfalone]

We switched Marco to a toddler bed when he was 18 months (we had a borrowed crib) old and just recently switched him to a twin bed. To be honest we have not bought a crib for Dulce and we are seriuosly thinking just to put her staright to the toddler bed when she comes home. We know that she has never slept in acrib as she sleeps with her foster mom and we are maybe thinking co-sleeping for awhile after she comes home.

Stacy

[BosMom]

My son was 2 years old plus a few months when I switched him into one of those adorable little 'mini' toddler beds. (Not the crib convertible types.) I wasn't in any hurry since he didn't climb at all, but my pediatrician said he 'wasn't impressed' and that every broken arm he'd seen in his practice was a kid who had "never tried to climb out before", but did 'just that once'. I was convinced... and moved him within a week.

I have the twin bed ready for him, but had adorable crib sheets I wanted to use a little longer (since my son didn't come home until he was 17 months old... grrrrr).

[SKL]

My 20-month-old climbed/fell out a couple of months ago, but I am keeping both girls in the cribs as long as I can. I lowered 20mo's crib side so the next time she climbs out she won't have to go far down. (She hasn't done it again so far.) I also keep a spongy rug on top of the carpet between the cribs to prevent a hard landing. 17mo has not tried climbing out yet - she is shorter so probably won't do this for a while. Personally I am in no hurry to switch to the tot beds because the crib side, even while down, provides some security against rolling out of the bed. If anyone starts falling from the crib rail on a regular basis, then I'll switch to the tot bed (ours are convertible).

[sak9645]

Becca was well over three before I moved her to a toddler bed. I moved her only because her friends were beginning to ask her why she still used a "baby" bed. Becca, on the other hand, would probably have been content to stay in a crib for a couple more years! She didn't seem to care about the questions.

Becca was very small, so the crib remained a comfortable fit for her. She was also a "wild" sleeper. I said that she "slept like the hands of a clock -- a different position every minute". The crib kept her safe.

When she was under 2, she tried to climb out once and landed with a "SPLAT" on the carpet. She wasn't hurt a bit, but it scared heck out of her and she didn't try it again until she was almost three. Since she was in underwear by day and a pullup at night by then, she would take herself out of the crib in the early morning, visit the bathroom, change to underwear, and climb back into bed for a few extra ZZZZs. She didn't seem to mind the effort of climbing out and in -- it was like using a bunk bed!

The toddler bed I got her was very low to the floor -- about 18 inches, maximum. Still a wild sleeper, Becca would fall out of the bed routinely -- AND KEEP RIGHT ON SLEEPING! I found that if I passed by, saw her on the floor, and tried to carry her back to bed, she would wake up, become very cranky, and have trouble going back to sleep. As a result, I just let her sleep. At some point in the night, she'd wake up and put herself back into her bed.

Becca was never a wanderer, and she was not highly impulsive. As a result, I didn't worry about her roaming the house or trying to go outside. I kept a sippy cup of water in her crib or near her toddler bed, so she didn't have to go get a drink. She loved to talk to and role play with her stuffed animals, so she always had some in her bed or right nearby. Occasionally, as she neared three, she would go to get a book, return to her crib, and look at pictures. She would call me if she wanted anything else.

When Becca finished kindergarten at 5, we moved from our condo to a house. She then had a bedroom with space for a "real" bedroom set, with twin bed, dresser, nightstand, and desk. Becca was a little nervous about the twin bed and such, until she realized that the dresser came with a MIRROR! She was utterly thrilled and transitioned easily to the new house, room, and bed.

By then, Becca was a much quieter sleeper. We did not use bed rails on the twin bed, and she never fell out. She sleepwalked a couple of times, but always just across the hall to my room. (Be aware that night terrors are closely related to sleepwalking, and that some kids who have night terrors will also sleepwalk, even after the night terrors cease. It's believed to be hereditary.)

Sharon