Feel free to mention what type of bed they moved to and any tips you have to make it a smooth transition.
Feel free to mention what type of bed they moved to and any tips you have to make it a smooth transition.
83 votes
cantaloupe / 6086 posts
I waited as long as I could pretty much, I like them contained!. Between 2.5-3. The first we moved to a queen because it’s what we had in her room, we wanted the crib for the baby. We used rails for a bit but it was easy overall. Second we waited until he was climbing out on the lowest possible configuration - moved him to an ikea daybed - as our worse sleeper he of course also had a tougher time staying in bed, going to sleep, etc. and it was mostly just time to get him comfortable. I know some people do naps first and we probably tried that but soon enough just went for it.
pear / 1737 posts
18 months to give time for potential rocky transition in prep for new baby at 22 months. The week before I made the switch we played on the bed and read stories on it randomly during the day and talked about how it was the new special bed (but not a lot). Used it first at bedtime and then nap and bedtime the next day. First bedtime was super easy and zero issues. First nap was a nightmare and I thought I had made a huge mistake (crying at the door and passed out on the floor), but after that first nap it was a non-issue thankfully. I also added extra stuffed animals to the bed to make it more special. It’s a twin. I’ll wait with my second probably as long as I can.
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
LO1 = Toddler bed at 3.5
LO2 = Toddler bed at 2 (was climbing out of his crib)
nectarine / 2951 posts
LO1= Moved to full bed at almost 3.5 (he slept well in the crib and never tried to climb out). It was a very smooth transition.
LO2= he’s turning 2 and is still in the crib. Hoping he stays for a bit. He might try to climb out.
cherry / 128 posts
We just moved ours at 18 months from a crib to a twin mattress on the floor, no bed frame yet so she doesn't have far to fall if she rolls out.
We're expecting #2 in a couple of months and wanted to avoid having a second crib if our first was capable of sleeping without hers, but we didn't want her associating her move to a bed with the baby arriving. We managed to coincide the switch with her moving from the infant to the toddler room at her daycare, which is the point at which they switch them out of cribs and into low cots anyway. We didn't do any prep (other than verbally telling her that we were getting her a big girl bed), just moved the crib out of her room and replaced it with the mattress. We're about 2 weeks in now and the transition has been surprisingly easy!
pomegranate / 3355 posts
We kept DD in her crib until she was just 3 yo. She never climbed out. She loved her crib . After her bday we transitioned her into her new room with a queen bed.
It was perfect timing bc we had LO2 3 months later.
pomelo / 5621 posts
We moved DS to a twin bed at 2years 9months. He never attempted to climb out of the crib. It was a smooth transition.
persimmon / 1111 posts
Moving J this weekend (27 months). He's never been a good sleeper and I think a big boy bed will help because he can go to bed there and I won't have to transfer him to his crib. It's a low profile twin bed. He will eventually transition into bunk beds.
pear / 1521 posts
I had to rescue my 3yr3 months DD yesterday during naptime bc she was stuck climbing out of her crib. Can’t believe we made it this long without an issue but I guess it’s time now to convert to a toddler bed! She’s always loved her crib and is a great sleeper so haven’t wanted to rock the boat.
Plan to convert to toddler bed and get a twin bed shortly bc baby sister is here and will need the crib in 4 months or so.
coconut / 8483 posts
3 months before he turned 3. When he was 27 months we took the crib rail off and put the toddler rail up, but put that side towards the wall. We did it so after my c section I could slide his crib out and he could hop down. Genius Mom hack my mom came up with!
Then we just flipped it around to a toddler bed about 5 months later. He has never once (he’s now over 4) for our of his bed at night time. Never! It’s weird because he isn’t a rule follower by nature. Haha. He’s gotten out at nap times a few times when he used to nap. It was a super easy transition some how!
We switched him from the toddler crib bed to a single bed around 3.5 I think. Also a simple transition.
clementine / 911 posts
We converted the crib to a toddler bed somewhere around 27-28 months. We were doing a toddler gymnastics class, and she was trying to practice handstands and things in the bed.
She still doesn't fall asleep quite as good in the toddler bed as she used to in her crib, but I think a lot of that is just the age and stage that she's at now.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
DD1 had a stint on a twin floor bed between 2-3. We were co-sleeping but DD2 was born when she was 2. But now we're all sleeping together again! DH sat in her room till she fell asleep. He actually slept WITH her in that room for a few months while I was up all night nursing away.
grapefruit / 4361 posts
At 20 months he started climbing out of his crib and sleeping horribly while in it so we made the change. Lo2 was due at 25m anyway.
One thing that helped was we had the bed in his room since the beginning, and he was used to doing bedtime routine in that bed (stories, prayers) we used to rock him in our arms and sing to him, so we switched to singing to him while sitting on the bed. Another thing that helped was small pillows and lots of stuffed animals.
We use a low twin bed fromIKEA, it has 2 drawers underneath. We used a bed rail for about 6 months but that was annoying.
pear / 1809 posts
We moved my older son just after he turned 3 to a toddler bed. He never tried to climb out of his crib, and he seemed happy in there, so I didn't want to rush it. My younger son is still in his crib, because he isn't 3 yet and isn't climbing out either. He's the one I worry about running up and down the hallway all night long, so I'm worried about him not being contained.
squash / 13208 posts
Shortly after being potty trained - so they could get up on their own if needed
nectarine / 2964 posts
We had a cheap crib from IKEA. We took down one side and converted it into a toddler bed when he started climbing out successfully, around 11-12 months? It was quite a nightmare as there was a period he would stay up and drag all his toys into his little bed.... sigh.
For a real bed, however, we waited forever. It was only last year when DS was 5 we bought a real full size bed. I feel bad to wait so long We hired someone to change the room to hardwood floors, repainted the room and all. It was a complete transformation.
pear / 1648 posts
We converted DD1's crib into a toddler bed a month or 2 after she turned 3. She turns 4 this summer and I think it might be time to move her to a big girl bed, so we'll probably do that right after her birthday.
pomegranate / 3768 posts
DD1 - transitioned from crib to toddler bed at 27 months, transitioned from toddler bed to twin bed at 2.5 years old.
DD2 - transitioned from crib to bottom bunk bed at 2 years old (DD1 on top bunk).
pear / 1697 posts
My LO started sleeping in a toddler bed right before 3. We'd been bed sharing until then and he was starting to take up too much room and being too aggressive with taking/pushing off covers.
We talked up how comfortable his big kid bed was, let him pick out robot sheets, and all his stuffed animals slept in the bed for a few nights ahead of him and "told" him how nice it was.
nectarine / 2973 posts
DD- moved into a full sized bed a few days before her 3rd bday. We moved so it made sense to move her out of the crib since DS was on the way. She loved it and had zero issues.
DS- will be 2 next month and is still in the crib. No plans to move him.
apricot / 317 posts
Both of mine switched before 18 months. We didn't do anything special for the transition or anything, except for probably telling them "this is your new bed."
DS1 was moved just before 18 months. He was miserable in his crib and was climbing out; we ended up doing a LOT of co-sleeping. His crib converted to a toddler bed. Once we converted it, he willingly slept in his room by himself. Oddly, he never climbed out of his toddler bed at night.
DS2 was moved out of the crib just before 12 months, onto the bottom bunk of a twin bunk bed. Other than a short sleep regression just before he turned two (around 22 months), it's been great. He took to it very quickly. It's nice that my boys can get up early on Saturday mornings and play in their room together before my husband and I get up. DS2 will be 3 soon, and is small...and I really can't picture having a kid his size in the crib at that age...do they have to sleep curled up? I'm wondering if this is just my family, too, but I don't have any family members (that I know of) who kept a baby in a crib much past age one. They gave me a hard time for DS1 being in a crib at 18 months, because that seemed old...yet, in comparison here, it seems very young.
pomegranate / 3438 posts
DS1 - around 26 months I think? He never tried to climb out of his crib but was a terrible sleeper. I was hoping a bed would help, it did for a little while but even at 6 years old he is still a terrible sleeper.
DS2 - He is 17 months and I see him being in the crib as long as possible. He shares a room with DS1 and we will eventually get a bunk bed. Right now he is a much better sleeper than DS1 and I don't want to rock the boat!
pomegranate / 3973 posts
We moved DS right around 18 months, I voted 19 months. He was already crawling out by then so we converted to a toddler bed.
Hopefully we can contain DD longer than that! She's 15 months now.
persimmon / 1385 posts
Ha! Less than a month shy of 4 years old We took the rail off his crib to limit the amount of change at one time. I really think waiting so long made the transition virtually seamless. He's old enough to have self control and we've been using an ok to wake clock for about 6 months, so he knows he has to stay in bed until it turns green.
apricot / 285 posts
DS went to a floor bed full time probably around 15 months old? We were co-sleeping some and then he just naturally started sleeping better on it. His room was secure and we locked his door. He is now almost 28 months old and does get up a few times a night to bang on his door. He definitely lacks the self control but overall it works for our family.
nectarine / 2262 posts
Converted crib to toddler bed (basically replaced one of the side rails with a little toddler bed rail) when he was about 30 months because he climbed out of the crib.
NOT IDEAL - he slept better/longer and we had way less bedtime shenanigans when he was stuck in the crib. I would never move him voluntarily. If I had a choice, he would be in his crib until he's, like, 5
pear / 1930 posts
We moved DD at 27 months. I had bought a toddler bed on super clearance at Target a month prior. I really just wanted to get the box out of the hall.
Five months later, she has only gotten out of bed five times. I think she forgets she can.
pomegranate / 3127 posts
DS moved at around 2, a few months before DD was due. He got a twin-size sofa bed that he already slept on a few times, and it mostly went OK except that he missed his crib , and he tumbled off once in a while (we had a soft rug underneath just in case). He did like that I could sit right next to him and tell him a story, so it wasn't all bad.
DD got the same sofa bed when she was 2.5... she was eyeing it already and saying she wants it so when DS got a big boy bed, that's where she moved. No missing the crib for her, she goes on and on about how she's a big girl now, and loves that I can sit on the bed next to her.
nectarine / 2436 posts
I'm asking b/c my 28 month old is an awesome sleeper, but we hopefully will have a new babe when he turns 3 (fetus is due on brother's birthday), so I'm wondering how to proceed...
persimmon / 1385 posts
@pachamama: I'm obviously in the "if it ain't broke..." camp, so I'd probably play it by ear, you never know what will happen in the next couple months. If your DS is still happy in their crib when it comes time for baby I would probably just spring for a cheap Ikea crib to bridge the gap.
For what it's worth, for us, the crib DEFINITELY contributed to keeping our nap. We went through a rough nap period around three and if we had moved him to a toddler bed, I am 99.9% sure that would have been the end of nap. Instead we got the ok to wake, weathered the transition, and he's back to napping (and having a MUCH smoother evening).
clementine / 874 posts
I was lucky. My child never tried to escape. To this day (3.5), he stays in his bed till we come get him.
I wanted the crib for the baby, so when we moved when he was 16 months, we just didn't set up the crib and put the crib mattress on the floor. There were lots of calls and cosleeping (crib mattresses are terrible for the record), but he adapted within a couple months and we set up the bunkbed with him on the lower bunk (storage on top) around 22 months.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
My son quit his crib at 18 months and started sleeping in a full sized futon. When we moved into our house when he was 2.5, we tried a twin bed for a few weeks and it was terrible, so we went to a full with a bed rail.
grapefruit / 4545 posts
We moved DD1 3 mos before her sister arrived (she was 2 years, 3 mos at the time of the move). She went from a full crib to a toddler bed. We started with naps, which was a nightmare. But when we finally put her in there to sleep she killed it. We used the door monkey to keep her from roaming the halls...
clementine / 828 posts
I moved my first at 27 months, two months before I was due with my second, and it was no issue, he actually started sleeping later. He did not get out of bed on his own until close to four. We did lock him in for a long time, for safety reasons (his bedroom is upstairs and ours is downstairs. I felt comfortable with him roaming closer to four. We used a queen bed because we had it (with a rail) but later switched to a twin with no issue. He was already napping in the pack n play in a light-proofed room (long story...) but we continued this with no issue until around three when my husband let him drop the nap.
blogger / pear / 1509 posts
20 months, which was not my intention. She was hospitalized, and was in a twin in the hospital. We came home and she wanted nothing to do with her crib. She already had a twin set up in her room because of other kiddos staying over, and after 4 days not sleeping in tree hospital i just laid down with her out of desperation. She slept soundly all night and never went back in her crib. We've had short periods of getting out of bed a lot and coming out of her room, but truthfully it was actually a super smooth transition.
kiwi / 568 posts
My little is 3 and we just moved him to a Twin. He never climbed out of his crib and seemed to enjoy it, but we found the cutest train bed and he's obsessed with trains so it made the transition to a twin bed much easier since it was a fun new bed. He's still sleeping through the night and will get up in the morning and come to our room. Its funny because his door has always made a little "bang" sound when it opens (old hinges) and it was always an inconvenience if we were trying not to wake him up when checking on him, but now it's a warning that he's coming LOL.
pear / 1521 posts
@pachamama: I just had my second 4 days after my DD’s 3rd birthday and we decided not to attempt a switch prior. Baby sleeps in our room for the first 6 months (maybe longer) anyway so we have plenty of time to do a slow transition if necessary. She does know she’s getting a big girl bed soonish and that her baby sis will get her crib. I wouldn’t rock the boat if your LO sleeps well in the crib!
grape / 83 posts
My son will be about 28 months when LO2 arrives. He loves his crib, doesn't try to climb out and loves his room. I'm thinking it would probably be easier to just set up a second nursery for LO2 rather than move Lo1 into a new room. I'd like to keep him in a crib as long as possible so I don't have a toddler trying to get out of bed with a newborn. Does anyone else have experience with this? Sidenote: LO1 has a smaller room and bigger furniture but I LOVE the way his room is set up.
pear / 1992 posts
Moved to the crib-converted toddler bed with rail between 2.5-3 yrs because she started climbing out. Then moved to a full bed (again converted her crib with rails) around 4.5 yrs.
We kept her bedding the same and her bed in the same spot. Basically tried to not make a big deal of it - kept her bedtime routine the same, etc. and it worked well. She transitioned pretty easily. Was already out of her crib for naps (on the couch) but those dropped off entirely not too long after this.
Her full size bed transition was similarly easy. She had a couple times where she said she wanted her little bed back but we reminded her it was her same bed, she was telling us it was too small, and that she had more room for 'friends' (stuffed animals) this way.
Now we have a new baby on the way and I've asked her if she wants a new bed and to give the baby her old furniture, but she is adamant that she loves her bed and wants "to keep it until I am grown up". So - new crib for baby! We'll likely go the same route for a 4-in-1 style again.
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