what age to switch to big girl bed

[Elmo888]

Beg, steal, or borrow a crib if you have to, but if your DD2 isn't climbing out, leave her in the crib! Dealing with a newborn and a toddler who won't stay in bed will not be fun. Some will stay and some won't, so you don't know. I have a friend with a 5 yo that won't stay in her bed for a single night. It will just be so much harder on you with a newborn if she won't stay in bed.

I said this to one friend who moved her 2 yo to a bed before the baby came, and she regretted it. I said this to another friend who decided not to move her 2 yo, and she was so happy that her 2 yo and newborn were both in cribs.

DD#1 was in a crib until she was 3. DD#2 turned 3 in November, and I have no plans to take her out any time soon. She is comfortable and secure and isn't climbing out. It isn't necessarily a safety factor while sleeping - she would be fine in a big bed. It is more of a safety factor when she wakes up (not wandering around the house) and a sleep factor for the rest of us.

Personally, I would skip the toddler bed. It is just extra expense. DD#1 went straight to a regular bed at 3 yo (it was a queen bed because that is what we were given free from the in-laws!).

 

[emmababy]

Thanks for all the advice!! If the new baby is due in August, could we move around June?

 

[pooh4evr]

We moved our older 2 to a twin bed with rails between 12- 18 months daycare moved them to cots at 12 months so we gradually moved them to the big bed too, started with naps on weekends and increased form there and DD#2 started climbing out of her crib- we'll see what happens with DD#3!

 

[monorailsilver]

I switched my oldest when she was 2 years 1 month old to a twin bed since we needed the crib for the baby in the belly that was growing.

I wanted her out of the crib long enough to love her new bed. She got her bed in June & he was born in September.

With my ds, we moved him out in January 2006 to a twin bed. He was 2 years 4 months old. I also needed the crib for the next baby that showed up early March.

So my youngest (2 in March) is still in the crib & I am itching to get her out. We will probably make the leap sometime this spring but I am not 100% sure. She doesn't climb out so technically she can stay in it longer if need be.

I did put the beds against the wall (they still are for dd6 & ds4) & ds has a railing on that one side. I also put the crib mattress on the floor next to the opening of the railing of the twin bed as an added protection for those first few weeks in a new bed.

 

[sskem96]

Both my girls went into a toddler bed at 15 mos. The crib just seemed too dangerous to me. I put the matress all the way down, but I was still afraid they would climb out and land on their head. The toddler bed was so close to the floor that falling out wasn't an issue becuase they wouldn't get hurt anyway.