When to switch to a toddler bed and How?

Question

My son is almost 20 months old and is starting to try to climb out of the crib. I was wondering if anyone could tell me how and when they switched to a toddler bed. Also our bedrooms are upstairs any tips for keeping the little guy safe? thanks

Answer 1

If your son is crawling out of his bed, he's definetely ready for a toddler bed. Make sure you also use a good, secure baby gate at the top of the stairs to help prevent any accidents. If theres something you could also put in front of the baby gate to insure he isn't able to climb over it.

Answer 2

My first son was almost 3 before he slept in a toddler bed (because I couldnt get him out of my bed!!) My second son was 1 when we moved him into the toddler bed and he started sleeping through the night also. I recently moved my 1 year old into a regular full size bed and he also started sleeping through the night. He loves that he is in a big boy bed and goes to bed on his own. I would recommend using a baby gate at the door so your son cant fall down any stairs. you could also use a baby monitor so that you can hear if he is waking up and moving around and you can get to him before he gets to the stairs. Hope I helped! Good luck!

Answer 3

I switched my daughter at a year of age for that same reason she did fine because she got a big girls (toddler bed) bed. Use baby gates to protect from falling down stairs or to get out of room use two gates if needed. But there should really be no problem switching but keeping him in is a different story. You just need to keep telling and putting him back to lay down eventually he'll get the idea. Try telling him if he sleeps in his bed then he can have a special breakfast. For me as long as my kids slept in their room and stayed I was fine, even if they slept on the floor eventually they'll make it to the bed. Good Luck.

Answer 4

When our last son started crawling out of the crib..we first put the side down ..to prevent him from falling further...then instead of spending a small fortune on a toddler bed..we got him a twin size..low to the ground...bed.


As for the saftey part..maybe install a saftey gate..but if he's like my last two sons..he'll have that figured out after the first few times seeing how YOU open it....

Answer 5

I got my son a toddler bed when he was 23 months and he loved it right away. Make a big deal about moving to the 'big boy' bed and he will love it.

If your child can climb out of a crib, he might be able to climb over a baby gate. We put one of those child-proof covers over the inside doorknob of his room.

Answer 6

Another thing I did the first night or two was sleep beside the bed, it made my daughter feet more comfortable. She has been in the "big girl bed" since 18 months. She does however get in bed with me after my husband leaves for work. He leaves around 2 am and sometimes accidentally wakes her up. I really don't have a problem with that and she loves coming to sleep with me.

Answer 7

It's time now. You also need safety gates. Toddler beds are a waste of money though. Get a regular mattress and put it on the floor and in a year, when he is ready for a regular bed, set up the frame and boxspring.

Answer 8

we got our daughter her bed when she was about 18 months. she wasn't ready to try to sleep in it till she was a little over two. you should try to make it fun for them and also keep that secure feeling they have in their crib. we let our daughter take a few toys with her into the big bed. for the stairs, i'd say put a gate at his door and at the stairs. or just make sure he only has a path to your bedroom, that way when he gets up he can go to your room and wake you up. it'll take a little while but he'll get into a routine that as soon as he gets up he goes straight to your room. (still keep that gate up though, better safe than sorry)

Answer 9

Mine started at 2yrs old. I started by making it a time to read book. So I never said let's go to bed. I would say go sit in your bed and get some books to read. We would read for about 20 minutes then I would dim the lights and put on some soft music and lay down next to the bed and sing while holding her hand. She almost always went to sleep and I would sneak off. As she got more comfortable I would lay just outside her door but where she could see me. The next step was to leave a dim lamp on and after I read to her I would let her continue reading on her own and I would hug her and tell her to stay in the bed and read and I would be down the hall. The last part just requires trying over and over with your success getting better to more you try. She still gets in bed with us in the middle of the night but me and my wife get some alone time. I've heard the "Nanny" method is more tough love but this one worked for me. Also tell her to put her to read to or put her stuffed animals to bed also helped.

Answer 10

Your son should already know about stair safety, but if you're concerned about sleepwalking try putting the toddler bed in your room. Shut your door at night, so he can't go downstairs. If he can already open your doors, try a child-proof handle from Babies R Us. I hope this helps!