Parenting Toddlers (1-3) Support Group

I should add I am not interested in using a crib net.

My daughter was around the same age when she climbed out of her crib and we had to transition her to a bed. We opted to get a twin bed and then I bought some rails so she can't fall out. The first few nights and naps were hard as she would get out of bed and sleep by the door or on the floor by her bed. After those first couple days though she would come over and check the door to see if she could open it, which she couldn't, and then she would climb back into bed on her own. Before I knew it she wasn't even doing that and she was sleeping just as well in her bed as she did in her crib. If your child sleeps well now, hopefully he will transition to the bed fine. Some things to keep in mind - make sure there is nothing in his room that he can hurt himself on. If you aren't comfortable with keeping the door closed and having him possibly open it, us a gate in the doorway instead. Just be patient with him. It'll be new for him to get up and walk around, but unless he gets really upset just let him check out his surroundings and hopefully he'll realize whats going on and start sleeping in the bed himself. I would just make sure you have some kind of nightlight in there to help him find his way around in the dark. Good luck!

can i get one for my 16 month old?
she just refuses to sleep in her crib and in the play pin.
she sleeps the nite in our bed but during the day the only way she naps is on the flood.

Roro - You can try a bed, but if she's having trouble sleeping in a crib, I don't know that it will be much better in a bed she can get out of. I don't know how well a 16 month old would understand, but hopefully some other parents with kids that age can offer some advice here. I think before you move her to a bed you should work on developing good sleep habits in the crib. BUT in the end, it doesn't hurt to try if you are willing to spend the money and get a bed. For a child that young, I would start with a toddler bed as they sit low to the ground.

i think the gate idea sounds good. i use one for my 3 year old daughter. a toddler bed is great. most of them come with side rails. and the transition time for my daughter to adjust from her crib to her bed was quite long. it took about 3 months for her to get the hang of staying in bed. although, my 14 yr old son was an easy one. i transitioned him to a toddler bed from my bed, (we co-slept) around 18 months and he took right to it, like he'd been sleeping in one all along. i think each child is differant and for some it may take longer but others well they seem to like the idea of a big person bed. good luck.

22 months shouldn't be a problem for moving into a toddler bed. My daughter started climbing out of her crib just after she began walking- around 12 months. I would wake up in the morning to find her curled up on the carpet on the floor. We moved her into a king single bed when she was 13 months. (skipped the toddler bed completely)

On the first night, she was over-stimulated (she had gotten a whole new bedroom set) and it took her two hours later than normal to fall asleep. Just try to have the bedroom rearranged in the way you like it on the first day- it gives your LO the chance to get used to it. I had tried to rearrange furniture three days after we had gotten it, but my daughter told me off, lol.

We use double side rails even though the bed is pushed up against the wall (there are about 2 inches between the mattress and the wall). I only had to show DD twice how to get in and out of bed before she started doing it on her own (roll on her tummy, slide backwards, let her legs fall, and slowly let herself down to the floor). Just to be on the safe side, I made a large pillow for the floor, where the opening is. It also helps her climb into bed easier.

DD has been sleeping so much better since I moved her into the big bed. Its been three months and there have been no falls and no roaming nightowl toddler running around the house. :o)

we bought used car bed and baby boy LOVED it! COuldn't wait to sleep in it. We put it in his room, leaving the crib in. On thie 3rd night he wanted his crib. 4th night he wanted back in his bed. we took out the crib a couple days later. We used a safety gate in his doorway, as we have a 2 story and were afraid he might tumble down the stairs in the middle of the night. Gate doesnt really fit well in stairwell, and if he shook the gate he might have tumbled down the stairs with it!
Between the car bed and the safety gate, he transitioned very well

We did this with our oldest at 2 and my son will be hitting the toddler bed a bit earlier seeing how we need the crib for the twins that are due in April! We took the Supper Nanny approach to this! If you have already let your child "cry it out at night" this should be an easy and quick transitions for the both of you!
The day you put up the new bed take time to let him lay in it, read books while sitting in it ect.. Follow your usual bedtime routine to the T that night. When bedtime comes lay him in the bed. He'll maybe cry, and will definatly get out. Say nothing but " No honey, it's bedtime. You need to stay in your bed." While placing child back in bed. After a few times of this start saying more firmly but gently "It's bedtime, stay in your bed." Then after a few more times, say NOTHING! Just keep placing him in bed. My kid got this message REALLY QUICK and after a dozen times placing her gently back in bed, she cried for a minute or two then went right to sleep!! The next day this was repeated for naptime then it was all over with! She got right to her bed and NEVER got out untill after waking up from a nice sleep! The constant replacing the child in bed will really help teach him that when you put him there, he is expected to stay put and sleep. A gate in the doorway is a really good idea for after they fall asleep if you are still nervous about him roaming the house in the middle of the night.