How old was your toddler when he/she got their own toddler bed? - Page 2

[NicaG]

Ds was almost 3, but he had never tried to climb out of his crib.  We would have transitioned sooner, but we were trying to buy a house and  didn't want to assemble another piece of furniture, just to move it.  Dd is 2yrs 3 months and she can climb out of her crib easily, but it's low to the floor (Ikea) and not a safety issue.  I keep meaning to convert her crib to a toddler bed, or shop for a different bed, but haven't gotten around to it.  Maybe after the holidays!

[olien]

We never used a crib at all. I really dont understand the use of them.

Anyway. We started using a floor bed at 5mos for naps & DS started sleeping partial nights there at 9mos.

DD is 8mos & whenever I use the floor bed for her she sleeps terribly, so she still only sleeps in our bed for now.

[MsFortune]

DS climbed out of his crib at 10 mos old so he was sleeping on a mattress on the floor (yeah, ghetto).  We got him a big boy bed when I got sick of seeing a mattress on his floor and baby was coming.

Instead of getting a toddler bed, I'd suggest going to a real twin size bed.  Just skip the toddler bed altogether.

[olien]

Originally Posted by MsFortune 

DS climbed out of his crib at 10 mos old so he was sleeping on a mattress on the floor (yeah, ghetto).  We got him a big boy bed when I got sick of seeing a mattress on his floor and baby was coming.

Instead of getting a toddler bed, I'd suggest going to a real twin size bed.  Just skip the toddler bed altogether.

Not ghetto at all. Actually, in a home that is set up with a Montessori lifestyle it is the recommended bedding for a child. It helps to foster independence by allowing a child to get out of bed when the child wants to. Not when an adult chooses to get the child out of bed.

Also, our Ped said it is by far the safest bedding for a child although not the easiest for parents (due to the independence factor). He gives kudos to parents for using a floor bed.

[bedheadmaestro]

18 mos for my DD. She did fall out of bed once, the first night, but she hasn't fallen out since. I figure it takes the one time falling out of bed to set their little "side of the bed spidey senses." The only reason I haven't given her my old twin bed yet is all the extra laundry the larger twin sheets/mattress protector/comforter would generate if her diaper leaked. I put a gate on her room door so she can get up and read books/play/empty her drawers until she calls for one of us, which has worked out great.  She is so proud of her bed and takes care to arrange her comforter and stuffed animals, and likes to just get in there and hang out with books.

[Abraisme]

My DS went from my bed to a toddler bed next to mine at 2yo.  He then went to his own room easily at 4yo.  We're about to set up a toddler bed next to our bed for my 16mo DD now.  She can stay there until she's confortable with sleeping in her own room.

[MsFortune]

I was mostly kidding about it being ghetto.  I did not like the look of the mattress on the floor (hence the ghetto comment - it ruined my perfectly decorated nursery!) but never worried about him falling out of bed.  Also, when he had trouble sleeping I could curl up on floor next to his mattress if he was not in our bed.

[MamaPhD]

DD is 25 mo and super happy in the crib.  I put her in when she is drowsy after night time routine, and then she sleeps through the night ~12 hrs.  No plans to transition her as of yet.

[heavensearth]

DS started sleeping in a twin bed when he was 18 months old, and I honestly think it was one of the best things we did! it really straightened out all of his sleeping issues he had (ie. would have to be rocked to sleep and then moved to his crib). We would lay down with him until he fell asleep for the first couple of weeks and now when its bed time he knows to just crawl right in! It made a huge difference for us!

[AKA_PI]

I converted my son's crib to a toddler bed somewhere around 14-15 months. He climbed out one night and I said, "that's it". I didn't want him to get hurt so doing the bed seem safer. He sleeps well in it and it's in my room. He's 2.5 now. He starts sleeping through the night (he still wakes once or twice during the night), I'll move him into his own room.

i think the toddler bed has worked out well. When it's bedtime, he goes and climbs in. Sometimes I lie in bed with him and we read. It's process but I think you should wait for your child to give you a signal or you make that call. 

[Megan73]

Same here. DS is 27 months and loves his crib (he's tried to climb IN but never OUT) and I don't want to move him while we're all adapting to a new baby arriving next month.
 

Originally Posted by MamaPhD 

DD is 25 mo and super happy in the crib.  I put her in when she is drowsy after night time routine, and then she sleeps through the night ~12 hrs.  No plans to transition her as of yet.

[ShadowMoon]

DS was around 3 when we got him his own toddler bed. He never had a crib. We co-slept until he was around 2 and the he slept in his Pack & Play and later a small mattress on the floor. He's also very good at staying in his bed and is a great sleeper so I've never had to deal with any of those types of issues.(Knock on wood).

[Belia]

Great question!

Neither DS nor I slept very well in the same room together, so he's been in his crib for a long time now.  He loves it- he's always been a good sleeper, he never tries to climb out, if he wakes up before us he often just lays in there and talks to himself a little bit or rolls around.  There have been times when I've gone in to wake him up and it's obvious he's been up for a while, but he's never made a peep!  Just laying there, fiddling with his blanket, happy as a clam.  

So we're in no hurry to change anything.... if it ain't broke, why fix it???  Plus, he's a very active sleeper and I'm worried about him falling out of a regular bed.  

But at the same time, I've been feeling this vague pressure to do things like take down the crib.... just because "it's time."  No other reason... it's just "time."

*sigh*

[just_lily]

My DD is 2.5yo and we just transitioned her because my inlaws kindly purchased her "big girl bed" for Christmas. 

She was very content in her crib, has never tried to climb out, and slept in it very well.  Not sure why crib sleeping = CIO, because that never happened here.  She didn't even cry when she woke up unless something was wrong (bad dream, etc.) and would just call for me.  "Mom!  MOMMMY!!!  MOOOOMMMMMMYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!"

She was a kid that never slept anywhere besides her crib.  Sometimes she will fall asleep in the car, but since she was 6 months old she has never fallen asleep on the couch, on my shoulder, on the floor, etc.  Last summer I had to drive home with her at 1230 at night from a camping trip because she just couldn't sleep in the tent.  I was really afraid that trying to transition her to a bed would mean that she would never sleep again.

When we brought home her new bed we left her crib set up as well, but she was very excited to sleep in her bed.  She has slept well every night, still loves her bed, and we will be taken down the crib this weekend. 

She has yet to figure out that she can actually get out of bed by herself in the morning.  It is only a foot off the ground, so she 'can' but she doesn't until I come and get her.  She still does her "MOM!!!!!" routine until I go in and tell her she can get up.  There are definite pros and cons to this arrangement. 

So although I would never keep a child in a crib who was showing signs of being ready for a bed, I don't think a bed is automatically the right choice either.  I don't think there is anything wrong with a crib as long as the child is happy and safe there.  We bedshared for six months and then did a combo of bedsharing and DD sleeping in her crib in her own room for a year after that.  For the last year she has been in her crib full time and loving it.  I think if we tried to transition her six months ago we would have had a really hard time of it.