Making Transition from Crib to Bed

[becka]

DS is now 20 months old and we are getting some pressure from others who think it is time to move him out of his crib.

The truth be told I am not really ready to make the move. I guess I just have the opinion that there does not seem to be any good reason for us to move him out of it and honestly it probably is easier for us to keep him there.

He is shorter for his age but if he really wanted to I suppose he could climb out of the crib which seems to be what most people are concerned about including our doctor and my parents. However, DS is such a fantastic sleeper. When we put him down for the night he immediately lays down, we cover him up and he is out just a few minutes later. He also usually lets us know as soon as he wakes up and when we go in to get him he is just sitting there and not standing up. He just doesn't seem to have any desire to escape from the crib.

One of my big concerns is that he is such a fitful sleeper. He is constantly tossing and turning. Every time we check up on him he is on a different side of the crib. He tosses so hard at times that you can hear him bang up against the side of the crib because he hits it that hard. It must not hurt because he doesn't wake up but it scares me to put such a fitful sleeper onto a bed. I am not sure those bedrails would prevent him from tumbling right out. My Mom is convinced that because he is banging around in the crib so much that it is really time to move him because the crib must be too small. Uh, the toddler beds use the same size mattress so how is that any better?

I do realize that we probably need to move him out of the crib (at least before kindergarten ) but how important is it for us to move him sooner rather than later? Any advice?

 

[Dan Murphy]

I just wanted to say how cute Nathan is, can't believe 20 months already!!!! Time flies, Becka. And enjoy your WDW, less than 2 weeks. And congratulations too on your WISH level!!!!

 

[Jenn Lynn]

Maybe try his mattress on the floor with no box spring. That way if he falls out it won't be very far. I would test this out and see how he does.
We moved DD right to a twin bed when she was 1 1/2. We didn't mess with the Toddler bed even though her crib could turn into one. She has only fallen out of it once.

 

[janette]

My oldest was over 3yo before we moved her out of her crib, it was just too nice for her to be there. She never tried to get out. My youngest was 13mths and trying to climb over the edge so she moved to a bed then.

My oldest is also a restless sleeper, she had a bed rail until she was about 6yo because she'd fall out of the bed. Youngest has almost never fallen out. There really isn't any set rules..

If he isn't climbing out then he is fine, it is safer for him to be in the crib. I really think some kids like the confined space, you'll know when he is ready.

 

[AZKathy]

If you don't have another one needing the bed, keep Nathan in the crib as long as you can. 20 months is too young, IMHO. Once they are out of the crib, the more apt they will get in trouble by getting out of bed at night time. I don't think we made the change until our kids were around 2 1/2 years old. <a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15/15_5_11.gif' border=0></a>

 

[annemariec]

Hi Becka,

Wow, has Nathan changed! He's a big boy now! What a cutie.

I was thinking about you the other day! I hadn't seen any posts from you in a long time. (Then again, I'm not on here as much as I used to be either...) How's your back? Hope it's fine.

I wasn't ready to change our little guy's crib to a youth bed either. Mainly because I wanted to further safety proof everything --- for when he's in there alone. But he's a climber and that did it. He was about Nathan's age when we made the change. He did fine. The safety rail works pretty well. I made sure we put child proof door handles on the doors that could put him in jeopardy, if he got out of bed and started looking for us. (ofcourse we have the monitor but you just can't be too safe)

If he isn't climbing, I don't think it's important one way or the other. It's whatever you feel comfortable doing.

Annemarie

 

[HappyMommy2]

Our older son (now 4) never did try to climb out of his crib; he LOVED his crib! We had our second child when older DS was almost 2, and everyone told us we should put older DS in a big bed and give the baby the crib, but we ended up buying a second crib for the newborn and just had two kids in cribs for a year!
Finally older DS started talking about a "big boy bed" so for his 3rd birthday we got him a full-size bed, and he made the transition very easily.

I say if a child is happy in his/her crib and isn't showing active interest in climbing (falling!) out, putting off the transition to a big bed can be a very nice thing!

 

[onecoolmama]

I moved my DS at 17mo. I moved him to a toddler bed. I was pregnant and I knew I was going to need the crib..I didnt want big changes for him all at once, so I moved him and got him used to the bed before I had his sister.

Now for the ironic part, Nico would wake up every two hours in the crib. Once he was in a bed, he slept 4-5 straight! I realized a few weeks later that it was that he was afraid of confined spaces. So, it was better for my son. I think it totally depends on the kid, but if he is sleeping for you...why change it?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My youngest had to be kicked out of her crib at close to 4yo and she STILL misses it (she is 7yo now)! She never climbed out and just loved her crib.
My SIL is using it now and she tells her she wants her crib back when she is done.


I say keep him in there. The day he tries to climb out is the day you move him (or before K ).

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

My son is 20 months also. He'll be 2 on May 16th. I have no intentions of moving him out of his crib. It will make putting him down for a nap next to impossible.

He can get out of his Pack-n-Play. I saw him hike his leg up near his crib railing yesterday but he couldn't get his foot all the way up. I guess I will move him when he does finally climb out.

I didn't move my other children until after they were 2 years old. But...they weren't climbers like number 3.

Don't feel pressure from others. Trust your own instincts as a mother.

It's funny that Nathan moves around so much. My son lays on the very end of his crib. Sometimes if he stretches out his feet come out between the railings. I think he likes the secure feeling of being beside the bumber pad. He's a cuddler.

Best of luck with your decision.

Lori

 

[vald1977]

I pulled this off the parentcenter website:

Once your child is 35 inches tall or can climb or fall over the side of the crib, think about moving him to a bed. Remember, though, that he's used to sleeping in an enclosed space. You can fit the bed with a guard rail to prevent falls; at the very least, start by putting something soft such as pillows next to the bed, in case he rolls out. Another option is to put the crib mattress, or a bed mattress, on the floor in the beginning.

20 months seems young to me. I think I would keep him in the crib as long as possible as long as he hasn't tried climbing out.

 

[dcgrumpy]

If he's not trying to climb out I would leave him. We moved DS to a toddler bed right after his second birthday and I which we had waited a little longer. He started coming into our bed in the middle of the night and he still does it 9 out of 10 nights. He never woke up during the night while he was still in his crib.

If you're not ready to move him don't worry what others say, just smile and say thanks for the advice.

 

[AirForceRocks]

We moved DD out of the crib at 22 months, and we had no problems whatsoever. One side of the bed was against the wall, and we used a bed rail on the other side. She was happy to have a "big girl bed".

 

[Mishetta]

My son is 27 months old & at 20 months he tried to climb out of his crib, so we bought a mesh tent that attaches to the crib. It's made especially for crib climbers/jumpers! I found it at the Babies R Us store. He LOVES it!! (Aprox $60.) If I put him down for a nap & start to walk away, he makes me aware that the tent is unzipped! So I zip it up & he lays back down!!

I probably won't take him out of his crib until he's 3, unless he starts to 'demand' it any earlier.

Please don't let anyone pressure you into doing something that is just not comfortable for you as a Mother.

 

[nuke]

My DS was three when we moved him to a regular twin bed with bed rails. I see no reason to move him if he sleeps well and seems happy in the crib. Don't worry about what others say. You know what's best for your baby.

 

[Samandmom]

Once your child is 35 inches tall

Oh WOW my DD just turned one and is 31".

My DS was about 27 months old when we moved him to a "big boy bed". He was climbing out of the crib.
A quick story about him climbing out:
He was about 26 months and I had put him down for a nap. I also went down for a nap in my bedroom (I was pregnant) I was half asleep and heard the door open to my DS room. I then see DS walking into my bedroom and all I did was scream. I was startled because I did NOT expect to see him standing there. I immediatly asked him how did you get out the crib. He said that he held onto the blinds and climbed out. (he had to reach really far for the blinds because his crib was moved away from the window) I told him to NEVER do that again because he could get a big boobo. We then went and got him a "big boy bed". He also was a very fitful sleeper. I found him in all types of directions in the crib. We got him a twin size race car bed. It has the really high sides all around. So I was not worried about him falling out. The timing worked out because we were expecting DD in a few more months. I am so glad we got him the twin size as apposed to the toddler size. We jokingly put him in his sister's crib (which was his) and he WAY to big for it.

I agree with the others wait a little longer if he is not climbing out yet.
Good luck!

 

[Beast fan]

DS5.5 was around 26 months old when we moved him out of the crib....... about a month before his DB was born. It was the right (read, necessary) time for us and our son.
I won't say the transition was easy... it was somewhat of a shock for him to not sleep in the crib. It took (if I remember correctly), about 2 weeks for him to really accept that this was his bed.
Now that we're moving into an actual house (as opposed to the small condo we live in), DS5.5 wants a bunk-bed so he can have "sleepovers".

Good luck in your decision!

Dave

 

[shortbun]

As usual, in all parenting issues....the parent of the child knows
the right times to transition. Let others parent theirs and if
they're done parenting, sweetly tell em it's your turn. lol
People offer all sorts of unsolicited advice. Our DS wasn't out
of his crib until way after he turned 3 and verbalized wanting
to sleep in the big bed that was already in his room. We started
with naps then moved to nights with guardrails. It's hard to believe he just moved to the top bunk!!! Time passes so fast,
we've allowed our son to grow up as slowly has he chooses in
almost every way and he's so comfortable for it. Someone once gave me some very good advice. They told me to assure DS that
each time he made a change considered growing up that this was the ONLY thing he was changing for now and nothing else way going away-changing. This seemed to make transitions very
easy at our house.

 

[CEDmom]

Becka,

What a cutie Nathan is . We moved DD out of her crib when she was a little over 2 1/2. We had planned to keep her in her crib longer but she'd have nothing to do with that. What caused a problem for us was that we'd gone to WDW around this time and she wouldn't sleep in the pack n play so we went to Wal Mart and got a sleeping bag for her to use on the floor. Once she had that taste of life outside of the crib there was no going back. We transitioned her by putting her crib mattress on the floor and padded hard surfaces. Like Nathan DD is a real mover during the night and would roll all over her room. One morning I couldn't get into her room because she had rolled up against the door and was sound asleep there. After that we got a twin mattress and used a bed rail. Eventually we got her an actual bed. DD is also small for her age (at almost 41/2 she's a shade under 38") and couldn't get up on a bed with mattress and box spring. We got her a bunkie board (fabric covered plywood) instead of a box spring.

I'd go with your gut feelings on this. We had fully intended to keep DD in her crib until at least 3. However, have a game plan now because the time may come out of the blue and you need to be prepared.

 

[Kirby]

Both of our children moved from the crib to a bed when they were about two years old and starting to climb out.

We transitioned both of them by putting a mattress on the floor first before moving them to a bed. It worked out very well. Never had to use bed rails.