When is a baby ready for a toddler bed?

Question

My little guy likes to sleep in my bed at nap time. He is only 11 months old. He has not fallen off of it. I was wondering if anyone has a range of when they put their babies in a bigger bed than a crib. I am in no hurry but would like an idea so I can look for the right one for him.

Answer 1

Once your child is able to climb out of his crib, it is time to move him into a toddler bed. If your child is three feet tall, you may want to move him to a toddler bed even if he isn't climbing out of his crib. The usual age is about eighteen months to two years.
Moving to a toddler bed can be stressful for many children and it is a significant milestone in their development.

Some tips to ease the transition to a toddler bed include:

let her be involved in picking out the new bed and if possible, let her pick out some new bedding with her favorite characters on it and then put these on her new bed.
put the new bed in her room for a few months to help her get used to it
start her bedtime routine in her new toddler bed and then, if she wants, move her to her crib when she is finally ready to go to sleep.
let her take her daytime naps in the toddler bed
take as many things from her crib and continue to use them in her bed and as part of her bedtime routine
let her sleep on the crib mattress on the floor for a few nights
move the new bed into the position in the room that her crib was in, but you would likely have to take her crib down first


One of the most important things to avoid is trying to move your toddler into a bed during a stressful time, such as after the arrival of a new sibling, moving, starting a new daycare, beginning potty training, etc. Try to plan the move to a bed so that it won't be at the same time as other events that may add to the stress.

Answer 2

When I became preggo with #2, my first was only 15 months old. I bought her a toddler bed because she was going to share a small room with the baby so a twin bed and a crib wouldn't fit. If I had a bigger room, I wouldn't have spent the money on the toddler bed and gone straight to twin size. She was about 20 months when she first started sleeping in it. It was a nice transition, by the time baby came, she was already used to sleeping in her big girl bed and not in crib.

For my second, I bought her a twin size bed when she was about 24 months old. I left her crib in the room for naps and time outs (she didn't want to nap but she couldn't get out of the crib!) By 30 months she was cribless.

Answer 3

Coming from a nanny of 18 years I believe a toddler any where from 1 yr to 2 years sometimes even 3 but that is pushing it. When a child climbs out on his/her own obviously it is time. Honestly I would not push it. When your child gets up now he/she probably plays in the crib for awhile. That will not happen in a bed consider your whole house fair game. Hopefully your are not a light sleeper. Also later you can make it fun get him involved in picking a bed race car or tiny tykes makes some cool ones, maybe a harry potter like bed with a tent attached to the side or top. Maybe picking out the big boy sheets, comforter or a cool new pillow to go with everything. If he falls off your bed put pillows under the sheets and him on top of the sheets with a blanket ove him I have done this many times and it is harder for him to kick a pillow out of the way when it is under the sheets.

Answer 4

I would wait for for quite awhile. Some signs he is ready include climbing out of the crib, the crib rail is in the middle of his chest or lower (if he's this big he might fall out), he can't comfortably fit in the crib, he is interested in the big boy bed, he understands that he has to stay in his bed, and he is mastering independence in other areas like dressing, feeding, and potty training. Safety is an issue. You don't want him to fall and hurt himself climbing out of the crib, but you also don't want a baby wandering in the middle of the night. All kids are different and are ready at different times. The average age age for the children I have personally moved to a toddler bed is probably 26-30 months (I have been a foster mom to over 20 children this age).

Answer 5

I was told that when you child's chest (nipple area) is just above the top of your crib is when your child should be moved into a toddler bed. Once they are over this height, the chance of them leaning over the side of the crib and falling out increases greatly. But age also does factor into this because it is not safe to just leave a baby in an open bed. I would talk to your pediatrician and ask for a recommandation, this is what I did. (My son is almost 16 months though) She said by the way he acts and is she believed that he would be mature enough for a toddler bed. But my son is not a baby baby he is always a couple months ahead in development and is way adviced in talking and he is mature for his age. Height, weight and age all need to be taken into consideration before moving your son. I would suggest waiting until he is 15 months and talking to your pediatrician as far as if they think he is ready for it. Why not just save the money or put it away somewhere until he is ready?

Answer 6

My son started sleeping in his big boy bed when he was18 months old. He was an easy going kid so it was no big deal. I didn't get a toddler bed, I wanted to but then I read somewhere that a boxspring and mattress on the floor work just as well, and for me it solved the problem where to put our guest bed. We went to the store got brand new everything for the bed and got a vinyl mattress cover. It's the perfect height for him to climb in and out of. The first couple of months he fell out of bed a couple times but we kept pillows around all the sides to cushion the fall. I wouldn't wait for him to climb out of the crib it's a long fall from the top of a crib rail to the floor. Hope this helps some, good luck!

Answer 7

I put my kids in a "big bed" when they were old enough to climb out of the crib. You can get a toddler bed frame that uses a crib mattress. And you can find bed rails that attach under the mattress to extend the rails on the toddler bed.

A toddler bed is low enough that they will not get hurt if they climb out of it ( or roll off it)

You can also get a single size bed and put a rail on it if you prefer.

Answer 8

the right age to put a toddler in a toddler bed is from age 2 to 4. Coming from a person who has bought 2 to 3 beds in her lifetime, I believe they are cute and useful when you want to put your child down for a nap. As far as bedtime, you can forget it. The toddler bed would be like a toy bed for them. Get him one of those sporty race car beds (if affordable) that sits on the floor. That way if your son doesn't like to go night night in it, at least he would have a fun toy to play with.

Answer 9

My philosophy is to keep in the crib as long as it's safe and practical to do so. We moved our oldest to a toddler bed when she started potty training and needed to be able to get up by herself to "go" (at around 2 1/2). If he starts climbing out, that's a good time to move him up, too. As others have pointed out, once he's in a bed, he's harder to "contain" when he wakes up on his own. You'll need to consider lots of safety issues for when he'd be wandering the house on his own.

Answer 10

Well every child is different but mine started sleeping on his own bed around 22 months old. It was a bit hard making him stay in his own bed but he finally understood that his mom and dad were nearby and everything was okay. Only problem is that he LOVES to travel lol. Sometimes I catch him with half his body on and the other half off his bed lol.