Moving Toddler from Crib to Bed

[LitigatorChick]

Miller is 24 months. He seems to be wacking into the side of his crib a lot - he doesn''t have much room anymore (he is 37 inches tall). So I am beginning to think he needs to move to a bed. Is this too early? What other signs should I be looking for when making this move? What is a good time?

Next, assuming the time is right, how do I do it? His crib is convertible to a double bed, but I don''t think I should take down his crib and set up the bed and say here ya are. I was going to set up a mattress on the floor, keep his crib up, and then see how it goes. Any hints/ideas of what has worked (or not worked) for experienced mommies is most helpful.

 

[VegasAngel]

Has he tried climbing out of his crib?

My plan was to keep Yvette in her crib as long as possible since it is the safest place for her but she started climbing out right after she turned 2. Now, she climbs out & comes into our bed or she goes looking for my husband since he gets up early.

I think putting the mattress on the floor to see how Miller does is a good idea. Personally I''m not going to bother converting the crib or buying a toddler bed I''m going straight to a twin/full size bed-I just need to buy one.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

A mattress on the floor is a good idea. We coslept with our kids and it was extremely difficult to get them to transition to kid beds. . .when we did, we purchased a Fire Engine Bed, so it was a bit more fun that a traditional bed. It also has a light on the top of it so my older son was able to see while trying to fall sleep at night.

It's made of molded plastic, so it's not top-of-the-line, but it worked well. . .

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2336190

ETA - we invested in a high-quality mattress. I forgot which one, but do remember it was rather expensive (luckily my MIL paid for it), but worth it.

 

[mom2twogirls]

Date: 6/12/2008 8:59:35 AM
Author:LitigatorChick
Miller is 24 months. He seems to be wacking into the side of his crib a lot - he doesn''t have much room anymore (he is 37 inches tall). So I am beginning to think he needs to move to a bed. Is this too early? What other signs should I be looking for when making this move? What is a good time?

Next, assuming the time is right, how do I do it? His crib is convertible to a double bed, but I don''t think I should take down his crib and set up the bed and say here ya are. I was going to set up a mattress on the floor, keep his crib up, and then see how it goes. Any hints/ideas of what has worked (or not worked) for experienced mommies is most helpful.

As long as he''s not hurting himself or trying to climb out, I would keep him in there as long as possible. Both of my girls'' cribs were convertible (Morigeau). We converted it to a toddler bed when my oldest started climbing out. For my youngest DD, we bypassed the toddler bed and converted it straight into a double bed. The downside to a toddler bed, double bed or mattress on the floor is that they discover very quickly that they can get up and walk around. Be prepared to spend a lot of time walking them back to their bed (mattress)! My oldest DD was out of her toddler bed all the time, so we had to install a gate on her door to keep her in her room. (Got the idea from my experienced mommy friends ... I thought it was really weird when I first saw gates on their kids'' doors.) I can''t tell you how many times she''d walk into our room and scare me in the middle of the night!!!

Oh, the other thing is to be prepared for them to fall off the bed or roll off the mattress. My girlfriend let me borrow her bed rails, but we didn''t use them very long. My girls figured out not to roll around pretty quickly.

 

[Cind11]

One of my daughters started trying to climb out of her crib at 18 mos. I was afraid she''d fall so decided it was time for a bed. We ended up putting her mattress on the floor which seemd to be a good transition until she was ready for the bed to be up on its frame. Even after that, we used bed rails until I was sure she wouldn''t fall out of her "big bed".

The other problem I had, was that when I moved her to the mattress on the floor, she would come waltzing out of her room at nap time. I wasn''t about to let an 18 mo. old give up naps. So, my DH put a latchhook on the outside of her door so she couldn''t open it while I put her down for a nap. Sounds a bit barbaric, but after a short time, she didn''t even try to open the door anymore.

 

[somethingshiny]

My son is almost 2 1/2, and he''s still in his crib. He''s about 35-36", and a big boy. Our convertible crib''s mattress drops way down so he can''t climb out. Our intention was to leave him in the crib as long as he was safe, otherwise he would be getting up and wondering around. We''re going to switch him soon, due to potty training, and will go with a toddler bed. His mattress will go on the little toddler bed frame, have a safety rail, and only about 15" off the floor. I''m going to have him pick out the toddler bed frame and help me put it up. Then we''ll slide his crib into the spare room for a few days. I want his "new" bed to be in the same place as his "old" bed. I think it will offer more comfort. And, I''m using all the same bedding so it''s familiar.

Signs of readiness: potty training with want to go late at night or early morning, climbing out of bed, taking an interest in "big" beds (yours, siblings, etc).

I''ve been told not to put the mattress on the floor because it feels too "open" and therefore unsafe, especially after being in a pen!

 

[LitigatorChick]

Our convertible crib turns into a double bed, and I think I will skip the toddler bed.

He could get out of the crib, but he sleeps in a grobag, so he can''t get out. My only issue was he seems to be waking more and not have enough room. What do you think???

 

[pennquaker09]

My folks did the whole shopping for your "big boy" bed thing. Works like a charm.

 

[somethingshiny]

Our crib goes to a double bed, too. But, as much as JT likes to play in the queen-sized spare bed, he doesn''t like to stay in it for long. He will keep sitting up and looking all the way around the bed. I think it''s too big and far off the ground for him. Maybe before you invest in the double mattress, see if Miller likes to be in your bed for a long period of time. Also, JT has done enough damage to his crib at this point, I''d like to wait to put him back in it (as a full bed) until I can trust him to not chew on it!!

So far, THIS Cars bed seems to be the front runner. And, for $50, we''re going to give it a try.