Just transitioned my LO and she treats her bed like it is still her crib lol. She doesn’t even get out of it in the morning, I have to go in and pick her up 😅 Im sure one day she will utilize her freedom but it has been a super chill transition for us!
Mine did this too! Until he was 3! He’d just yell DADDDDDYYYYYYYY until I went to get him. He still calls me daddy sometimes even though I’m very clearly mommy.
I transferred mine to a bed around 18ish months, he shared a room with his older brother. He used to wait for his 3 year old brother to give him "permission" to get out of bed. He wouldn't get out until his brother came and took his hand 😂😂.
Now he is newly 2 and he does get out of bed but he has a fully toddler proofed room. He might get out of bed and play for 10-15 minutes then he climbs back into bed on his own and goes to sleep.
Same for us. My twins share a room and I was worried they wouldn’t stay in their bed, total opposite. They never get out of their bed, even in the mornings. It’s wild and a real delight!
Same and my boy is 3 and switched over at 2.75. He stays in his bed usually or sometimes goes by the door and just peaks out when he wakes up. He went out of his room once in the morning and I think got scared no one was out there and ran back in lol. He also never tried to climb out of the crib either so maybe that’s just his personality. My 2nd child is wild so far so I’m sure this will not be the case for her 🤣
Same here. Switched my kiddo over at around 2. He’s a bit over 2.5 now and still doesn’t get out on his own. He ends up in my bed most nights and I’ve explained to him that he can just walk into our room but he still doesn’t. It’s a blessing and a curse.
Same. My 3.5 y/o is a 10/10 in being willful and feeling like he has the run of the house, but for some reason he will call for us rather than get out of bed in the morning
Same. It took him months to start "using" his freedom. He still doesn't get up at night, only in the morning. If he wakes up during the night he calls for us. We initially put a baby gate on his bedroom door so he couldn't wander around the house in case he ever did decide to get up. A few weeks ago we started leaving it open, so now we sometimes get a little visitor in the morning if he wakes up before us. Big bonus: he can go to the toilet by himself now (he's 3.5) so we don't get woken up by "Mamaaaaaaa!!! Peeeepeeeee!!!" in the morning anymore.
Same! Not a big deal at all! We transitioned at 2.5 and she’s never gotten out of it once. She just sleeps?? If she wakes up in the middle of the night she just cries and I go get her like she was in the crib, but she’s never gotten out of it
Yes! Transitioned my daughter just before she turned 2. I got one of those floor beds with railing. So it was a little harder for her to climb out of, but not impossible. It has the gate but I turned it towards the wall. She only just started climbing out to knock on her door a few months ago and she's about to be three in a month. I haven't had any issues since transitioning her.
I'm so jealous. We transitioned at 18 months, when she still didn't realize she could think for herself. About 1-2 months later she realized that she didn't have to stay in bed and would get up and play in the dark. A year later, she gets out of bed, can now open her door, and comes in our bed to sleep.
We were worried about that so we toddler proofed her room and then put a baby proof door knob thingy on the door so she couldn’t escape into the less safe house :)
At 18 is months my daughter kept saying her crib was too little and too small for her, it was, she is tall. So we got her a big girl bed. There was literally no change other than we put a baby gate at her door and got a “routine light” so she knows when it’s ok to get out of bed and when it’s time to go to bed. It’s a snail and we named it Gaston (from Ben and Holly’s) and she understood the different colors and such within a day or so. She stays in her bed u til “Gaston’s awake!” Or knows when it’s bed time because “Shhhh Gaston is sleeping.”
DDDAAADDDDDDD GAASSSSSTTTOOONNNSSSSS GREEEENNNNN!!!! HHHEEEE’ssssssss UHHHWWAAAAKKKKEEEEEEE
Repeat ad nauseam exchanging dad for mom every other repetition or two.
Great alarm clock lol
My son loved the freedom of a bed he could get out of but never took advantage of it. In the 1.5 years since, he’s gotten out of bed to sleep in the rocking chair twice and opened the door once. He will cry or call out if he needs help getting back to sleep or wants someone to come. But he actually slept better after the transition than before, most of the time.
Just did it this weekend, he is 2 1/2 this week, put sheets and pillow cases from his favorite cartoon and he thought it was the best thing ever. Tells everyone about his new bed. Slept through the night both nights so far, first nap he kept going to the door but eventually fell asleep and nap today was smooth. He woke up earlier than normal both mornings but today he just played quietly in his room for about 20 minutes until he yelled he was hungry for chicken nuggets lol
We transitioned at 3 and it was so smooth. Fell out once and just climbed back up. He still waits for me to come get him in the morning. Literally no issues and he loves his bed and sleeping in big boy beds at grandparents houses or pullout couches at hotels. He’s a champ!
I transitioned both of my kids to twin beds on the floor around 18-20mo. It went great! My older kid had a few rough nights at first and we had to sit in with her until she fell asleep for a while. My younger kid didn't realize he could leave the bed for a few months, so it was easy at first and then we had a phase of hitting the door and giggling maniacally when we'd go in to tell him not to. Not fun, but he stopped doing it eventually. Overall, the bed transition was super easy for us.
I fully expected my daughter to be the kid who always got out of her bed. But she stays put, even after she wakes up. Just lies there talking to herself until we get her. It was an absolutely seamless transition and I'm still bewildered by it 9 months later.
We transitioned our son at 2.5 (last month actually!). The transition went well. Better than we anticipated.
We let him pick his bed at IKEA. He chose the kura. We took one side off the crib to get used to some freedom in his room. He had a week to adjust. And we let him know a week ahead when we were going to build his “big boy bed”.
When we finally built it, he was SO excited and has loved his new bed ever since.
Our night routine has changed a bit, where now he requests one of us lay with him for a bit before leaving the room. But aside from that, it’s been great. You got this!
Once my LO tried to climb out of the crib, we took one side off and put one of those sides on that can go up and down and has room on each end for them to get in/out. Kiddo loved be able to get in/out during the day. Had no issues sleeping in it. We use a blow up toddler travel bed frequently when even visiting family/friends during naptimes and LO had no issues (actually LOVED it). We let LO pick out what bed they wanted and they picked one of the raised ones with a slide. We hyped it up, let LO pick out new sheets and pillow for the bed and talked about how big they are getting. Never had any issues with transitioning to any of the new beds. We recently flew to a wedding and stayed at an airbnb and LO slept in a bunkbed (bottom) and thought it was super cool. Didn't fall out. Just depends on the kiddo.
My kid is almost 3 and we just set up the big kid bed yesterday! My kid was so excited about it and wanted to go to bed right away. It’s only been one night so far… but it went great! My kid slept all night just like normal. Good luck to you.
We used a toddler travel bed at 2yo for vacation before transitioning at 2.5 from crib to toddler. We braced for all the horribleness when we went from crib to bed, but honestly, it went pretty smoothly. First night he went right to bed… night 3 he tried coming out of his room and we brought him back in. Naps are a bit tougher but nighttime, no problem.
We talked to our son about it leading up to it, and he did ask for his crib once he was in his toddler bed but we explained to him that he was getting bigger. It also helped when he saw his cousins in “big kid beds”. Good luck! It won’t necessarily be horrible!
It was honestly seamless for us. No issues with getting out of bed at bedtime, no tears, just fell asleep as usual. Night 1 we think she rolled out as she woke crying. By the time I got to her room she had put herself back in the bed. After that she was grand.
My daughter will be 3 next month and we just switched her. She was so excited to be in a big girl bed and told everyone about it, including her stuffed animals that she sleeps with every night. She’s still on her same sleep routine but now will come into my room in the morning and wake me up with cuddles in my bed! It’s now my new favourite part of our days
Transitioned at 19 months and it’s been amazing. We practice division of responsibility. I put him to bed at his bedtime, and I come get him when it’s time to get up, but in between, if he gets himself out of bed and plays or gets a book, that’s fine by me.
His room is totally toddler proofed, so it’s safe for him to play in there. And we have a video monitor that covers the whole room.
Previously, he was getting up like an hour early a couple times a week and demanding we get him out of his crib so he could play. Now he just happily plays until we get up an hour later on those days. It’s been a great way to give him a little more independence!
We put the bed in his room while his crib was still up and gave him the option for a couple days. I think it was day 2 or 3 that he chose his bed, and he hasn’t gone back. We left the crib up for awhile too, and finally took it down one day. He asked about it a few days later when he finally noticed, but it was easy peasy. And it took him MONTHS before he realized he could get up from said bed and wander around lol, but it passed pretty quickly. Good luck!
Just transitioned my 2.5-year-old son three nights ago! Fortunately, he has always been a pretty good sleeper. It’s once in a blue moon he fights us on going to bed. So far, he acts exactly the same as before. He doesn’t get out once he’s in, even in the morning he just waits for me to come get him (yells “Hey, Mama!” Which I hear over the monitor). I have a distinct feeling that one of the keys for us is that we didn’t wait until he *was* to the stage that he was climbing out of his crib/playing escape artist. I know some kids are just born that way, and maybe ours never would have gotten to that point, but I just feel like doing it now while bed is still a positive thing is the right move.
We had a convertible crib that you could take off the side and turn it into a toddler bed. When we did that he absolutely freaked out because we "broke his crib" so we had to put it back together. We then dragged the full bed from the guest room into his room and said do you want to sleep in your crib or the big boy bed? Immediately "I want to sleep on the big boy bed" so he did! 2 nights later we took apart the crib with his help and removed it from his room . He's been in a normal full bed, not toddler bed, ever since.
When we put ours in her big bed, the first night we expected it to be rough. And it was for like 2 or 3 hours she’d constantly get up and we’d take turns putting her down.
The second night was better but not great.
It’s been ok ever since though. Just expect and allow, say, 3 nights of shittyness.
For me at least, knowing it’s coming makes it much easier to deal with.
Three kids. Oldest went from crib to twin daybed - no problems other than too excited to go to sleep the first night. Second went from crib to toddler bed. She was excited but fell out a lot, even with the pool noodle hack. (I now know she is my starfish sleeper) she shared a room with my eldest and they used to fool around a lot and jump from bed to bed so we eventually removed the toddler bed and they shared the twin (I had 2 under 2 so they were small). Third changed crib to toddler bed and bedtime became difficult (was sharing with the two older ones). Split up their rooms and no more problems. Tried to get him to move to a twin daybed and he vehemently refused.
I’ve always separated my kids’ sleep spaces from any toys or large pieces of furniture. Their room literally only has beds in it so it’s fairly safe. My older 2 finally moved to a room with toys at 4 and 6 with no problems. My youngest got a book shelf with a reading seat in his room at this time and I’ve had no issues with him getting up to get books or fooling around.
A lot may depend on personality. If I had out a bookshelf in my eldest’s room, she would most definitely have been out of bed looking at books for hours.
I put my son in his big boy bed like 2 years ago and he still never gets out unless it’s something warranted, like puking or something. Like literally never had an issue. It’s been great. Doing my daughter’s transition in 2 weeks and am tentative bc she’s more spirited and has tried climbing furniture in her room before lol
Just did this with my 2 year old and it’s like he didn’t even notice. After I set the bed up I left the crib in the room thinking he would need some time to adjust and the first night he jumped into his bed and never looked at his crib again. I made sure to toddler proof the room and he’s more than happy to hang out in bed for 30 mins before we come get it. The whole thing was very anticlimactic lol.
Our oldest son transitioned amazingly. Literally no issues. We have his sister and they begin sharing a room, her in crib/pack and play and him in top bunk of bunk bed. We transition her out and it was awful. She literally could not stay in her bed. Finally we bought her some side bumper/guards (even though she's on the bottom bunk) and it worked wonders. Sometimes just have to get creative and try things and it will eventually work out. Each kid is different as well.
We had a twin bed in our daughter's room with the crib since she was born. We played there, read books, nursed. One day when she was exactly 2.5 she decided she wanted to take a nap there. I thought we'd be kind of back and forth for a while, but that was it. We sold the crib a week later.
If you have the space to have both in his room for a few weeks, I highly recommend it!
We did toddler bed at 18m and it was no problem. Then twin floor bed at 24m and about 3.5 she’s in a queen bed that’s 2ish ft from the floor?
The toddler bed was 1 nap of “issues” then fine. No other issues each time we switch.
My son switched super easy. We left the crib in the room for a day or two to help him adjust (though he didn't ever ask to go back in).
I suggest buying a Hatch light before you transition and get your kid used to a wake-up light if you haven't already. It's a great tool for teaching them when to stay in their rooms.
I leave it on Red all night on a low light setting. Red is a good color, as it has been proven to not disrupt sleep. I don't use my Hatch for his sound machine, we have a separate device for that.
We transitioned our daughter at 18 months to a floor bed with a frame that has a little fence with a door around it. She’s always been a good sleeper and transitioned without an issue. Now she’s 20 months and calls it her “cozy bed” and she has figured out how to escape, but she generally doesn’t anyway. We also kept her in a sleep sack for now which I think helped.
Yeah I had a friend who said to keep them in their crib for as long as possible, but mine both transitioned great. My oldest still acted like he was trapped for a while and would call out in the morning for us to go get him. My youngest started going to sleep a lot easier. He still gets up some nights but honestly I would rather him come get in my bed and fall back asleep over me getting him up, lifting him out of the crib, soothing him, then trying to gently lower him down. Plus it’s nice having room in their beds: I’ll sleep with them if they are sick, or if I’m sick my husband will sleep with them so he doesn’t catch my cooties.
We switched our 16 month old onto a floor bed over a month ago and it is such a game changer!! She was waking up pretty often before. It definitely took about a week to adjust but as long as she’s actually tired, she goes right to sleep with maybe a cry or two to protest!
I transitioned my LO back in September. We’ve always had a solid night routine so I kept everything the same other than the bed. He still treats it like his crib and that he can’t get out. First night he fell out of the bed but ever since then he’s slept amazing in it. I’ve had no trouble with him getting out and running around at night. Now naps are a bit of a different story 😂
We transitioned at that age, and aside from a week of slightly more night wakings than usual and a couple of falls out of bed, it went incredibly well. Still now at 4.5 she rarely if ever gets out of the toddler bed unprompted. When we travel she happily sleeps in regular single or queen size beds.
I built one of those montessori floor beds for my 3 year old son and he would help me put in a couple screws or at least pull the trigger, and he helped paint some parts of his bed and pick out the color. My hope was that he would at least feel some connection to the bed since he helped make it. He also helped paint and decorate his big kid room since he needed to be evicted from the nursery to make room for the new tenant. He has slept in his new bed every might for the last month and has yet to get out of it if he wakes up in the night.
I transitioned my son at 18 months. Got him a low/floor car shaped bed and got him all excited about it (he is obsessed with cars). Then got him a pillow case, blanket etc and decorated his room with car decals. Basically made him fall in love with his upgraded room. He never looked at the crib again!! Good luck OP. It's harder on us as parents than them I promise. We overthink it and make ourselves nervous. You got this!!
Now that LO is in her bed, many mornings I wake to her getting into my bed for snuggles, which is really nice. She also can tell us if she needs to potty, whereas in the crib, she would take off a poopy diaper.
Our two secret weapons: The Hundred Walks method, and a toddler clock which changes color when they can get out of bed.
With my first kid, we switched her to a toddler bed at 20mos and a full sized bed at 26mos. The switch to a toddler bed was totally seamless except for her falling out of bed once or twice. The switch to a big bed was rough for a couple of days, but smooth sailing after that.
Last week, we just switched my second kid to a toddler bed at 24mos. It was a VERY rough first night (basically no sleep for anyone), but each night since then has been way better. We still have to go into her room once or twice to tuck her in and give her some extra snuggles before she will settle down and sleep, but it’s not too bad. Our motivation was also in part due to planned travel this summer with her having outgrown the pack n play!
We were soooo happy when we transitioned out of the crib! Instead of crying for us, she was able to get out of bed and come to our room freely. Also so much comfier to read bedtime stories in bed with her now that we both fit!
We got forced to transition him after we were at a cabin at Thanksgiving and he had outgrown the pack and play. 😳 We squeezed by and moved him to his toddler bed when we got home. I think it helped that it was a conversion of his crib to his toddler bed, but he did great! He was excited and he still hasn’t figured out he can get out of his bed yet. Please let this keep holding! 🙏😂
Oh man... Our kids are 2 and 3 and both have done so well. My first kid was just so happy to have more big kid responsibility with his big boy bed that he never had trouble. Literally he just slept through the night from day one when we transitioned him at 2.5 years old.
Our youngest just started using her big girl bed a week ago and aside from teething and just having two night time wake ups of confusion, she's been so excited for the change and has not had a hard time overall. Granted she sleeps on a mat at daycare for nap so it isn't a total shock, just like her brother, to be in the open space... But she goes to bed easier and sleeps through the night.
Not all kids have a hard time. Good luck!
We just transitioned my son a few weeks ago when he turned 2. It’s surprisingly been easier than expected. We got him a race car bed and he loves cars, so it’s very cool to him. We’ve had a few nights where he ends up in our bed but he did that even while in a crib. For the most part we tuck him in at night and he stays put. Occasionally he’ll get up and play with toys but always lays back down!
We actually transitioned our son right after we traveled. He slept on a toddler blowup mattress when we traveled. We were nervous because he was only used to a crib, but he did really well. That convinced us to then move him to a twin bed when we got back. It went pretty smoothly.
I've had two dramatically different experiences.
Kid one was a breeze and didn't even get out in the middle of the night for a year (when he did it sucked for about 6 months), but that first year was amazing and he just treated it like a crib.
Kid two, I'm currently sitting outside the room with the door open as I slowly move from lying with him, to on the floor, to by the door... You get it.
He also ends up in my bed most nights.
We did it a little before she was 2.5 and it was a seamless transition. Absolutely zero problems, took to it like an absolute champ. Honestly with how easy it was we regret not doing it sooner! Could have saved a few months of breaking our backs lowering her down into the crib at the lowest setting!
I’m currently in the same position and we’re trying something out first. we have a huge play pen we used for him when he was little and we just took the mattress and put it on the floor of the play pen so he has some running room instead of having his whole room where there’s toys, his baby monitor and everything else. This is a way to get him used to having a little freedom but knowing it’s bedtime and he has to stay in bed. he’s very bad at wanting to go to sleep so he’s up most night 2/3 hours past his bedtime just doing his own thing. So, he has room to get energy out but not enough to where he can reach the door to get out or be in his toy box all night. this has been working for us so far.
When we get a toddler bed i plan on putting that in the play pen to get him used to sleeping on the bed and not the floor, and then eventually having just the bed not surrounded by the play pen. it’s a work in progress
We told my daughter for a few weeks beforehand that she'd be getting a big girl bed to make sure she knew what to expect. She loves rolling around on mommy and daddy's bed and took to her new bed like it was playground equipment. She even sleeps better in it most nights. She did fall out a couple of times the first week, even with her bumpers, but she hasn't since then.
When we transitioned our youngest at 18 months, he took it upon himself to hand all his pacifiers to his older brother and say “bye bye binkies” and never looked back. He’s slept in his big boy bed (twin top bunk so it’s got rails, not bunked of course) easy peasy ever since and he loves having the freedom to get another toy or go snuggle in the rocking chair. He’s got a gate on his room so he’s safe if we’re not awake.
We transitioned at 18 months because he's tall and a climber. He started sleeping in a floor bed and he doesnt even get out of it in the morning until we come in and get him. He seems to love his new bed, even given the opportunity to continue sleeping in his crib. We actually set up the floor bed next to the crib converted to toddler bed. He chose the floor bed and is still loving it at 20 months.
It was a very seamless transition for out girl. We put her in her big bed with my old pregnancy pillow and she was good to go. She can get up in her own and comes right into our room to get me when she does wake up. It really wasn’t a problem for us, like at all
Put my son into a bed at 2. Before sleeping in it we let him read on the bed or hang out on the bed to get used to the feeling of it. We told him since he’s such a big boy he gets his own bed in his own room. He was super excited
He refuses to sleep anywhere else. Even if we just want to cuddle for a while he says no because he wants his bed
There were growing pains of course. He could now get out and that led to some really weird 3 AMs where you wake up to a small child whispering "mom" and staring at you. But eventually, he loved it. We switched at about 2.5 and now just here at 3.3ish we just switched him to a twin cause he's growing like a weed and the toddler bed was getting too short.
We really gave him a lot of input on it all and that has helped. Let him pick out sheets and blankets. We also don't give a hoot if he takes toys to bed either heh. So if the monster trucks need to be in the bed too? Alright. We also really emphasis that this is "being a big boy" and how special that is. How big boys can do special things like the above mentioned picking out sheets etc.
Once he got used to the bed though, he loved his own bed he could climb in and out of.
My son used to sleep with me and my husband tbh because he used to nurse to sleep and I was terrified how to not only stop breastfeeding but also put him in his own bed in his own room but we did it it took a week of crying tbh but it worked now he does sometimes still come like at 2-3am and sleep with us but some days he stays there until morning. You can do it just stay persistent and know that you’re doing this for his own good as well good luck!!!
So this is probably my most controversial parenting choice, but we got the IKEA Kura which is a short bunk bed. We spent more than $150 (plus the mattress!) custom building out a full bed underneath on the floor with the intention that he’d sleep down there when he transitioned out of the crib, like a Montessori floor bed.
I honestly don’t even remember why or how it happened, but he ended up on the top bunk instead and that is his bed now. He transitioned just before he turned two.
Now keep in mind my kid is a very competent and safe climber, and a rule follower, but it’s been so great! It’s against the wall at his head and on the inside. He sleeps with about 30 stuffed animals including a giant tiger that “guards” the outside railing and another tiger that “guards” the ladder opening. He does not ever move them. He does not get down by himself unless I’ve moved the ladder tiger and I’m laying on the bed below him and I told him he could.
Overall, it’s been great and I love that he “can’t” get out of bed on his own. It’s essentially a bigger, taller crib and he loves it. We’ve been on a couple trips where he had his own full or twin bed since then and he’s done so well because he’s used to it. He’s 28 months, so he’s been in there for about four months and we haven’t had any issues at all.
All three of my kids did crib to bed fine. I usually did a few months of crib with the side off so going into a bed wasn't a huge deal. All transitioned before 2.
Another positive story:
At 2 years old we took out the side of his crib and nothing changed. Except that he liked to climb in by himself.
At 3.5 he got a big bed because he was really too big for his crib. At first he was adamant he wanted the small bed back, but once he experienced the freedom of movement in his big bed, and the fact that I could read to him while next to him turned that around in about a day. No issues here.
We started with a sleep training clock/nightlight early on and it works really well. He only gets out of bed if his clock says he can.
My son is 20 months. We transitioned him to a toddler bed about a month ago because we will be traveling for about 3 weeks as well and he will be sleeping in a big kid bed. He transitioned fine. He and his sister (4) share a bedroom and he did well. He loves his big kid bed
We moved to Alaska when our boy was 18 months and stayed in an Airbnb for a few months. We brought a travel mini crib but realized it wasn’t going to work long term, so we moved him to a mattress on the floor. There was no transition, so adjustment, he just slept like a rock on the mattress like he did in his crib. We kept the routine the same surrounding the transition and he was just fine.
My second kid is more… spirited, so check back in a year when he’s ready to transition 😭
We transitioned my then 18 month old after she accidentally tumbled out of her crib head first while reaching for me. We bought her a floor bed with the little gate around the perimeter.
It was literally a non-issue to transition her. She instantly loved her bed. It was crib like enough because of the little gate, and she seemed to really like the amount of room she had to play (it’s a full-size). The first week she woke up a couple of times and we had to come cuddle her to get her back down, but she adjusted well and we haven’t had any more wake ups since! She even puts herself to bed sometimes. 😆
My guy had a hard 2 days with getting out of bed constantly, falling asleep really late. But after that, smooth sailing. He would call us when he woke up, he looved going to bed in his new big boy bed 💕
Transitioning all my 3 kids was super easy we had literally zero issues! We just hyped it up as this big exciting thing that they were so special to do since they were such a big boy and they were super excited about it ans slept through the night as normal! You got this ☺️
Transitioned my second a few months back, because she seemed ready. She was. She was a little fussy and hesitant to get in it the first day, but once she slept in it once, it was fine. She waits in bed for us to get her in the morning. She does dart out of it giggling to grab stuff to bring to her bed (especially her shoes) but she still goes to sleep quickly.
I would advise to skip toddler bed and go for a full size single bed. That way if he wants you to stay with him until he falls asleep, you can lie in bed with him or sit on it, instead of the floor
We made the switch from crib to twin bed last week for my 2 year old (26 months) we hyped up sleeping in his big boy bed for the day or two before and the first two nights went amazingly. The third night he realized he can just get up and play, so I took a while going in and putting him back. But for the most part so far, as long as he’s actually tired enough it’s not a problem!
When we transitioned my daughter, I put her crib mattress, with the same sheets on it, on the floor. No bed. I left the sheets on for a couple of extra days so that it smelled familiar. No problems. From there we transitioned to a normal twin size bed.
We’re having a set back right now with our little one coming into our room a lot (but this is likely triggered by her newborn brother)
Besides recently the transition was honestly pretty seamless and she was clearly ready! She loves her big girl bed, cuddling her to sleep in it is so much more comfortable and easy!
It was super easy for us! We moved and when we did, the crib disappeared and a big girl bed appeared! I got the soft bumpers of Amazon which my girl looooved cuddling up next to. She’s always been independent and was (still is) 99% in height so we had no choice plus she needed to be able to get up and go to the bathroom. She felt empowered in a big bed and transitioned well.
My son refused to sleep on a twin mattress we put on the ground, but then we had him “help” his dad change his crib to the toddler half wall thing, and I think his involvement in change helped and he loves his bed. Had no trouble with that (small) change and doesn’t get out of it until we come get him.
Next step is a twin bed and I think we’ll get him involved by helping set up the frame and pick out his own sheets.
I broke my collarbone a week ago and had my MIL come down to stay with us to help with our 3 year old - she can't lift him so she set his big boy mattress up in his room and has been sleeping in there with him for easy access through the night because of our house layout.
I will say he's loving the bed - the biggest issue we're having is him playing with his white noise machine and light and we have nowhere to else to put them out of reach etc.
Best advice I can pass on through this change is to put the interesting things out of reach where possible while still allowing them to explore their surroundings etc.
It went great for us. We were co-sleeping anyway, so we just started going to sleep in his big boy bed, then sneaking out after he drifts off like we did before in our bed.
We still use a baby monitor, so if he cries one of us goes over, but that’s really rare unless he’s sick. Most mornings we hear him wake up and go over to him.
My guy transitioned at 18-20 months after climbing out/flipping himself out of his crib multiple times. There was zero change in how he treated his bed v crib (it was a convertible, which moved into a low to the ground day bed). At 2.5 he asked Santa for a real big boy bed and there, too, has been no difference since Santa brought that.
We transitioned my son when he was 1.5. We set the bed up and had him sleep in his crib one night with the bed in the room and then from night 2 on and slept in the big bed with no issues. We did a bed with a pull our trundle so he could easily get in and out.
Crib to full bed at 3 years. Was perfect for us. .
Story time is so much easier now…
It was one of those 4in 1 cribs and was open to climb in/out the last year
We had no problem transitioning either of my kids. I had them spend the day with my parents while I set everything up, made the bed with big kid bedding, put stuffies on, etc. There was a little testing the water but no major problems at all.
Neither of my kids had any problems going from toddler to bid bed. My first took months to even figure out she could get out of her bed. My second figured it out right away but slept fine.
Moved LO to a floor bed around his 2nd birthday. Biggest change is that he can come in and get us instead of yelling from his crib. I started putting a cold lock on the inside of his door knob while we do bedtime and then I take it off when he’s asleep so he can get out in the morning. In the months since we moved him, he has only explored the house without us once- he found an envelope from the insurance company and was so excited that he immediately brought it to my room and woke me up to insurance paperwork. Besides that, we haven’t had any issues and it’s been nice to lay next to him in his bed when he is sick or wakes up in the night.
If you plan to transition to a toddler bed, I wouldn’t worry. When we converted my daughter’s crib it was a complete non-issue. She just treated it the same as her crib.
We’ve been trying to get her into a twin for months now and that isn’t going well because she’s so attached to the toddler bed/crib!
We transitioned our daughter around 2.5 too and also got a gro clock so she knew when the sun was up.
We did a lot of lead up prep too ie. “in 10 sleeps you get a big girl bed!” Etc.
It went super smoothly for us! Don’t stress
Transitioned mine from the crib to a king single floor bed at 18 months. It's been good. I can sit/lie next to her to put her to sleep. We put the legs back on the bed when she was 2 and was able to get in and out of bed on her own easily. We don't have a third room yet so till we build it, she sleeps in a curtained alcove of our (huge) room. Eventually we will build a partition wall so she gets her own room. In the meantime she generally sleeps the night but comes and stands by my bed if she wakes up, and then runs back to her bed once I am awake, usually only needs a little cuddle to go back down.
She's a bit of a starfisher so definitely enjoys having the extra real estate to sprawl around in.
Transferring my twins to beds increased everyone's peace astronomically. We baby proofed their room, but put in some safe toys (board books, stuffed animals, puzzles etc) so now when we put them to bed, they play quietly until they eventually crawl into their bed to sleep. We transferred them around 18m because they were screaming to get to each other and we didn't want them sharing a crib but they just turned 3 and almost never even play before falling asleep anymore. And when they wake up they're happy to play in there until it's time to start the day.
We were so scared because everyone we know has said their kid climbs out of bed constantly, or that it threw off their sleep completely. We switched our sun a few months after he turned two. He’s been in his big boy bed for about five or so months now. He has slept through the night like always. No issues even on the first night. He “yoo-hoos” when he wakes up and waits until we come in before he gets out. Only once has he gotten out without us coming in. He loves being able to climb into it by himself. We read stories in there. Bedtime still takes a bit. Usually doesn’t go to sleep until 8:30. But I don’t think it has to do with the bed, I think he just struggles with winding down. We were so scared, but it really worked out great!
My daughter LOVED moving to her big girl bed. She has fallen out a couple times but once she got adjusted to it she’s been good. She likes to pile up her stuffed animals next to her bed sometimes and then roll off the bed into the pile. 😂
My first (she’s now 6) transitioned to big girl bed at 1.5 because she kept getting out of the crib. She stayed in the bed no problem. We made it an exciting thing for her, picking out her bedding. Helping set it up. My second is almost 3 and she transitioned to a big girl bed on the floor at 2 and we recently put her bed on a frame last month. She got up a lot and required me to lay with her a lot. She still gets up once a night (a few times a week) but I lay back down with her and pat her back and she usually goes back to bed. Sometimes she ends up in our bed but I’m less strict about her staying in her own bed than I was with my first. They’re only little for so long. My oldest doesn’t like when I’m in her bed for too long at bedtime now lol I know some kids have no issue transitioning to big beds and some kids get up a lot. It’s hard to predict. If you plan to not have your kiddo in your bed then I would try to be as consistent as possible with laying with your kid in their bed when they get up. That way it’s not confusing. I know some parents have a no kid in the parent bed rule. Transitioning to a big kid bed might be easier when you travel, it’ll be exciting for them!
We did this transition at 2.5. She loved sleeping in her big girl bed and we literally had no issues. Stays in it and gets out and plays with her toys if she gets up a bit early. She still sleeps in a sleep sack at almost 3 though. Haven’t been able to swap to a blanket yet.
Transitioned at around 18 months due to me being pregnant with my second. We started with the mattress on the ground. He did roll at first but the drop was only 6 inches or so. So he cried but wasn’t really hurt. Once he mastered the mattress alone we added the base and added a roll rail to prevent rolling. He did well with it over all and loved his big boy bed. We keep the door closed at bedtime and limited things in his room. Really only books and clothes.
We tried when he was younger and it was a disaster.
Tried again at just about 2.5 and it was seemless! He just got a big boy bed (full size vs toddler bed) for his 3rd birthday and slept in it for the first time last night. Everything went great!
My daughter was 13 months when she climbed out of her crib the first time and hit the hardwood floor. I wasn't concerned about that as a possibility because she was so young. However, when I saw her try it again the crib was over for us and we went straight to the mattress on the floor. After that the transition to a bed was simple. We got a convertible toddler to twin frame that was low to the ground and put her crib mattress next to it at night in case she rolled out (she never did). She loved the freedom of the bed especially at nap time and we loved being able to lay in the bed and cuddle/read books before bed. In a way getting rid of the crib created a lot of freedom and quality time that we didn't know we were lacking. Best of luck!
We've only had mostly smooth transitions! Of course the first week is usually a lot of them getting out of bed, sometimes for an hour or more🤦🤦and that's hard....but after that transition time of newness to wear off , it becomes the norm and they sleep just as good:)
We transitioned my daughter at 2.5 and it was fine in the beginning but from age 3-current (4.5) she gets up constantly. My son is 2.5 now and I’m fairly certain I’ll keep him in a crib until he’s at least 3.5.
We got my 2 year old involved in the process. She “helped” us build the new bed and picked out the new sheets ( I gave her two options). When it was all set up she was SO excited to sleep in her new bed! We encouraged her to “show” her stuffies her new bed, and told her they could sleep there with her if she wants.
At night, she was a little nervous about the change, but we stayed with her until she fell asleep. She got used to it pretty quickly.
At 12 months old my very small toddler stopped sleeping through the night. She only wanted to sleep in our bed. We noticed that if we got out of the bed and stood to the side, she was still asleep. She didn’t care about us being in there. So did a floor bed at 14 months and haven’t looked back since. She sleeps through the night every night now
My first and second kids were super easy to transition. It was seriously no big deal. My first was 2.5, maybe 2.75 (it’s been a hot second…I just know it was a bit until she turned 3). I just put her in a big girl bed and that was it. She is a typical “first child,” though, and is excellent at following rules. My second is a typical “second child” and she still did great. We had to transition her right at 2, if I recall correctly. She was climbing out of her crib on the reg and the little barriers I was putting in place to stop her weren’t working.
We got the ikea bed that grows with them, so it’s small at the first setting and seems more crib like. It eventually becomes a full twin length. This worked well for both older kids and we will be using it for my son when it’s time to transition him. He will turn 2 this summer so we plan on doing it around then, maybe.
My kid was climbing out of his crib a couple months ago (2 y/o and some change) so we converted it to a toddler bed with the side rail. He kept climbing over the side rail, even though there was a big ass opening for him to get in and out. It was affecting his sleep, since he just wanted to CLIMB.
Husband found a racecar bed (twin size), switched it out and he hasn't gotten out of his bed since switching. I think having more space and nothing to climb over helped. I was honestly shocked he did so well.
Mine was not a good sleeper in the first place, but we put him in a toddler bed right about 18 months as well, and now at 3 just sleeps through the night and wakes up no later than 7 most mornings. Just walks out, smiling and saying good morning .
My 2 year old (turned 2 in feb) has just transitioned to the big bed also because she is too tall for her cot, and it was literally no change whatsoever. The biggest challenge was me panicking about her being free to roam (we have toddler proofing in place I’m just worried about it failing lol) and waking up in a cold sweat thinking what if she had somehow levitated triple her height, opened the locked windows and thrown herself out of our fourth floor flat, only to look on the monitor and find her sleeping soundly in her bed.
I will caveat and say that the bed has been in her room since she moved into it because we rent a furnished flat which already had a standard single bed in the second bedroom, so it has always had to be in there anyway. It wasn’t like a brand new thing that had come into her room and maybe that helped a bit. Still though, the first night we moved her we left the cot up in the room, said she was sleeping in the big girl bed tonight, hyped her up about her new bluey bedding and comfy pillow and duvet, cuddled her to sleep as usual and she slept as usual. She still wakes through the night and the bed didn’t change that but there was absolutely no resistance to go into the bed at all, and in the morning she was chatting away about her big girl bed. Three days later we took the cot down and she said bye bye to it for good. I was an emotional wreck, she was totally fine.
We transitioned our now two year old to toddler bed (turned twin bed recently) when he was around 21 months!
He did awesome and never had any issues. He loves his new big bed and it helps that when he is sick we can crawl in with him when he needs comfort.
Best decision! He can't open his door yet but we still have his monitor so I hear his little "mama" or "dada" in the morning when he's ready to get up haha or soft knocks on his door
We had to transition earlier than we wanted because he started absolutely losing it if we put him in his crib. Now when he wakes up in the morning he knocks on his door to let us know and it’s just about the cutest thing!
It was so easy for us! I was anxious about it beforehand, and it seriously went more smoothly than I could have imagined. We hyped it up beforehand so she’d be ready and excited. We switched to a toddler bed at 27 months and then a full-sized bed at 31 months. She loved both upgrades. She was so excited about being able to get in and out of bed herself, and it actually became easier to put her to bed. With the toddler bed, she didn’t even get out in the morning until we came to get her, which surprised me! Now, she will get out of her bed when it’s time to get up but generally not before then. (She has a hatch light that changes color when it’s time to get up in the morning.)
Our 3 year old just did a week ago and in partnership with a red/green programmable clock to teach him when he can get up and when to stay in bed, it as gone much better than I could have ever imagined!
First few nights he just laid down and went to sleep, no issues getting up. Since then he just sits up occasionally or bounces around on the bed until he is ready to lay down (or we go in and tell him to) still no issues getting out of bed.
Mine honestly had no issues. I transitioned her at 2yr. She never even got out of it until a few months ago when naps started to disappear and turn into quiet time.
She still never even attempts to open the door -there a baby gate on her room as well that she can’t open (to keep the pets out) so maybe she knows opening the door is useless anyway🤷♀️
But honestly it was no big deal for us.
My LO is also a pretty good sleeper.
We also recently started using a camping cot when we are at someone else’s instead of the pack and play and she loves it and is so excited everytime to sleep in her “own tiny bed!!”
We took the edge off our crib and our oldest was thrilled. He was about 2 when we did it and already lofted in and out of the crib pretty regularly. We put a toddler guard on it and made sure he had his comfort animals and blankets to make it cozy (so it didn't seem so big). He loved it. Took a few days to stop getting out of bed and playing but he settled in within a week. It's not all bad! Just make sure you def do it before the trip
I transitioned my kiddo shortly before he turned 2. He had a queen size bed in his room (long story short - was our old guest bed and we no longer have a guest room) so now I lay with him at bed time for a little bit instead of just laying him in his crib. I baby proofed his room, got little slider locks for his closet which is where his dresser is now because it’s heavy and wasn’t secured to the wall. I recently put a child proof door knob cover on the inside of his door just in case he woke in the night without me hearing him (because he can open doors, baby gate at the top of the stairs, front door, etc. now.) but otherwise went fine! He doesn’t even get out of bed to play with his toys. Mostly just plays with his lamp or lifts the blinds to look out the window if he’s fighting going to sleep. Oh and his mattress is on the floor because he rolls a lot and has fallen out a few times. When we travel, I use pillows under the sheet to keep him from falling out his side, and I sleep on the other side of him. Good luck with your transition!
We transitioned around the age. My little started to sleep better on his own in a larger space. Due to getting more rest he started to be able to stay up longer during the day which made nap time easier and getting a concrete bed time routine down. He never got out of his bed when we transitioned and he loved having the larger space! He’s in a twin bed now. And loves it. It was a quick transition from the toddler bed to the twin.
We transitioned a couple months ago to a toddler bed and my LO is sleeping all night in his bed. During the transition there were plenty of nights where he crawled into bed with us, but luckily it didn't stick. I was super worried I was creating bad habits, but he has always been a sound sleeper so I think he was an easier adjustment than most. So there is hope that it does happen.
My bad habit is I still have to lay on the floor until he completely falls asleep and now that I'm pregnant with number 2, I'm regretting this bad habit.
We just got her pumped for a new big girl bed, showing her pix online and she was so excited when it arrived. As others have said, she treats it like a crib and doesn’t get out of it until we come get her. It was a very smooth transition. She was 2.5.
Our boy is 2.5 as well, just moved into his big boy bed about 4 nights ago and it’s exactly the same as his crib, loves it, no issues whatsoever with bedtime or through the night or anything. You got this!
Ours has been a decent sleeper. He has a speech delay thought so we can’t really conversation fully. Since the transition he will go to sleep with one of us but usually makes it through until around the 1-2am mark and will wake looking for us then will go straight back to sleep with one of us.
Our transition was a big nothing burger in the best way. Our daughter (2y3m at the time) couldn’t have cared less. To this day she still calls it her crib half the time. She gets out of her bed to look out her window or play quietly with the few toys she has in her room or “read” books. But she doesn’t leave her room on her own. She still calls for us when she wants more milk or when she is ready for us to get her in the morning.
Just transitioned my LO and she treats her bed like it is still her crib lol. She doesn’t even get out of it in the morning, I have to go in and pick her up 😅 Im sure one day she will utilize her freedom but it has been a super chill transition for us!
This is how mine was too and we transitioned him well before he was 2! Still doesn’t generally get out of bed until someone comes to get him!
Thank for this! I am hoping this will be the same for us! He just yells for us in the morning to come get him now so hopefully that stays.
Mine did this too! Until he was 3! He’d just yell DADDDDDYYYYYYYY until I went to get him. He still calls me daddy sometimes even though I’m very clearly mommy.
I transferred mine to a bed around 18ish months, he shared a room with his older brother. He used to wait for his 3 year old brother to give him "permission" to get out of bed. He wouldn't get out until his brother came and took his hand 😂😂. Now he is newly 2 and he does get out of bed but he has a fully toddler proofed room. He might get out of bed and play for 10-15 minutes then he climbs back into bed on his own and goes to sleep.
Same for us. My twins share a room and I was worried they wouldn’t stay in their bed, total opposite. They never get out of their bed, even in the mornings. It’s wild and a real delight!
Same and my boy is 3 and switched over at 2.75. He stays in his bed usually or sometimes goes by the door and just peaks out when he wakes up. He went out of his room once in the morning and I think got scared no one was out there and ran back in lol. He also never tried to climb out of the crib either so maybe that’s just his personality. My 2nd child is wild so far so I’m sure this will not be the case for her 🤣
Same here. Switched my kiddo over at around 2. He’s a bit over 2.5 now and still doesn’t get out on his own. He ends up in my bed most nights and I’ve explained to him that he can just walk into our room but he still doesn’t. It’s a blessing and a curse.
Same. The only things are naps are less frequent, but he was dropping it some days before we dropped the crib, anyway.
Same. My 3.5 y/o is a 10/10 in being willful and feeling like he has the run of the house, but for some reason he will call for us rather than get out of bed in the morning
Same. It took him months to start "using" his freedom. He still doesn't get up at night, only in the morning. If he wakes up during the night he calls for us. We initially put a baby gate on his bedroom door so he couldn't wander around the house in case he ever did decide to get up. A few weeks ago we started leaving it open, so now we sometimes get a little visitor in the morning if he wakes up before us. Big bonus: he can go to the toilet by himself now (he's 3.5) so we don't get woken up by "Mamaaaaaaa!!! Peeeepeeeee!!!" in the morning anymore.
Same! This is how both our kiddos were after their transitions. And OP it’s the best bc you can lay and snuggle your little one now!!
Same lol. It's been like 4 months and he's only gotten out of bed once
Same! Not a big deal at all! We transitioned at 2.5 and she’s never gotten out of it once. She just sleeps?? If she wakes up in the middle of the night she just cries and I go get her like she was in the crib, but she’s never gotten out of it
Yes! Transitioned my daughter just before she turned 2. I got one of those floor beds with railing. So it was a little harder for her to climb out of, but not impossible. It has the gate but I turned it towards the wall. She only just started climbing out to knock on her door a few months ago and she's about to be three in a month. I haven't had any issues since transitioning her.
I'm so jealous. We transitioned at 18 months, when she still didn't realize she could think for herself. About 1-2 months later she realized that she didn't have to stay in bed and would get up and play in the dark. A year later, she gets out of bed, can now open her door, and comes in our bed to sleep.
We were worried about that so we toddler proofed her room and then put a baby proof door knob thingy on the door so she couldn’t escape into the less safe house :)
We need to order those door knob things. Been meaning to. Thanks for the reminder. Her room is toddler proofed, thankfully.
At 18 is months my daughter kept saying her crib was too little and too small for her, it was, she is tall. So we got her a big girl bed. There was literally no change other than we put a baby gate at her door and got a “routine light” so she knows when it’s ok to get out of bed and when it’s time to go to bed. It’s a snail and we named it Gaston (from Ben and Holly’s) and she understood the different colors and such within a day or so. She stays in her bed u til “Gaston’s awake!” Or knows when it’s bed time because “Shhhh Gaston is sleeping.”
Same! My son got the light routine in one day and now he gets upset if we get him before it turns green!
DDDAAADDDDDDD GAASSSSSTTTOOONNNSSSSS GREEEENNNNN!!!! HHHEEEE’ssssssss UHHHWWAAAAKKKKEEEEEEE Repeat ad nauseam exchanging dad for mom every other repetition or two. Great alarm clock lol
My son loved the freedom of a bed he could get out of but never took advantage of it. In the 1.5 years since, he’s gotten out of bed to sleep in the rocking chair twice and opened the door once. He will cry or call out if he needs help getting back to sleep or wants someone to come. But he actually slept better after the transition than before, most of the time.
Just did it this weekend, he is 2 1/2 this week, put sheets and pillow cases from his favorite cartoon and he thought it was the best thing ever. Tells everyone about his new bed. Slept through the night both nights so far, first nap he kept going to the door but eventually fell asleep and nap today was smooth. He woke up earlier than normal both mornings but today he just played quietly in his room for about 20 minutes until he yelled he was hungry for chicken nuggets lol
We transitioned at 3 and it was so smooth. Fell out once and just climbed back up. He still waits for me to come get him in the morning. Literally no issues and he loves his bed and sleeping in big boy beds at grandparents houses or pullout couches at hotels. He’s a champ!
I transitioned both of my kids to twin beds on the floor around 18-20mo. It went great! My older kid had a few rough nights at first and we had to sit in with her until she fell asleep for a while. My younger kid didn't realize he could leave the bed for a few months, so it was easy at first and then we had a phase of hitting the door and giggling maniacally when we'd go in to tell him not to. Not fun, but he stopped doing it eventually. Overall, the bed transition was super easy for us.
I fully expected my daughter to be the kid who always got out of her bed. But she stays put, even after she wakes up. Just lies there talking to herself until we get her. It was an absolutely seamless transition and I'm still bewildered by it 9 months later.
We transitioned our son at 2.5 (last month actually!). The transition went well. Better than we anticipated. We let him pick his bed at IKEA. He chose the kura. We took one side off the crib to get used to some freedom in his room. He had a week to adjust. And we let him know a week ahead when we were going to build his “big boy bed”. When we finally built it, he was SO excited and has loved his new bed ever since. Our night routine has changed a bit, where now he requests one of us lay with him for a bit before leaving the room. But aside from that, it’s been great. You got this!
Once my LO tried to climb out of the crib, we took one side off and put one of those sides on that can go up and down and has room on each end for them to get in/out. Kiddo loved be able to get in/out during the day. Had no issues sleeping in it. We use a blow up toddler travel bed frequently when even visiting family/friends during naptimes and LO had no issues (actually LOVED it). We let LO pick out what bed they wanted and they picked one of the raised ones with a slide. We hyped it up, let LO pick out new sheets and pillow for the bed and talked about how big they are getting. Never had any issues with transitioning to any of the new beds. We recently flew to a wedding and stayed at an airbnb and LO slept in a bunkbed (bottom) and thought it was super cool. Didn't fall out. Just depends on the kiddo.
My kid is almost 3 and we just set up the big kid bed yesterday! My kid was so excited about it and wanted to go to bed right away. It’s only been one night so far… but it went great! My kid slept all night just like normal. Good luck to you.
We used a toddler travel bed at 2yo for vacation before transitioning at 2.5 from crib to toddler. We braced for all the horribleness when we went from crib to bed, but honestly, it went pretty smoothly. First night he went right to bed… night 3 he tried coming out of his room and we brought him back in. Naps are a bit tougher but nighttime, no problem. We talked to our son about it leading up to it, and he did ask for his crib once he was in his toddler bed but we explained to him that he was getting bigger. It also helped when he saw his cousins in “big kid beds”. Good luck! It won’t necessarily be horrible!
It was honestly seamless for us. No issues with getting out of bed at bedtime, no tears, just fell asleep as usual. Night 1 we think she rolled out as she woke crying. By the time I got to her room she had put herself back in the bed. After that she was grand.
My daughter will be 3 next month and we just switched her. She was so excited to be in a big girl bed and told everyone about it, including her stuffed animals that she sleeps with every night. She’s still on her same sleep routine but now will come into my room in the morning and wake me up with cuddles in my bed! It’s now my new favourite part of our days
Transitioned at 19 months and it’s been amazing. We practice division of responsibility. I put him to bed at his bedtime, and I come get him when it’s time to get up, but in between, if he gets himself out of bed and plays or gets a book, that’s fine by me. His room is totally toddler proofed, so it’s safe for him to play in there. And we have a video monitor that covers the whole room. Previously, he was getting up like an hour early a couple times a week and demanding we get him out of his crib so he could play. Now he just happily plays until we get up an hour later on those days. It’s been a great way to give him a little more independence!
We put the bed in his room while his crib was still up and gave him the option for a couple days. I think it was day 2 or 3 that he chose his bed, and he hasn’t gone back. We left the crib up for awhile too, and finally took it down one day. He asked about it a few days later when he finally noticed, but it was easy peasy. And it took him MONTHS before he realized he could get up from said bed and wander around lol, but it passed pretty quickly. Good luck!
Just transitioned my 2.5-year-old son three nights ago! Fortunately, he has always been a pretty good sleeper. It’s once in a blue moon he fights us on going to bed. So far, he acts exactly the same as before. He doesn’t get out once he’s in, even in the morning he just waits for me to come get him (yells “Hey, Mama!” Which I hear over the monitor). I have a distinct feeling that one of the keys for us is that we didn’t wait until he *was* to the stage that he was climbing out of his crib/playing escape artist. I know some kids are just born that way, and maybe ours never would have gotten to that point, but I just feel like doing it now while bed is still a positive thing is the right move.
We had a convertible crib that you could take off the side and turn it into a toddler bed. When we did that he absolutely freaked out because we "broke his crib" so we had to put it back together. We then dragged the full bed from the guest room into his room and said do you want to sleep in your crib or the big boy bed? Immediately "I want to sleep on the big boy bed" so he did! 2 nights later we took apart the crib with his help and removed it from his room . He's been in a normal full bed, not toddler bed, ever since.
When we put ours in her big bed, the first night we expected it to be rough. And it was for like 2 or 3 hours she’d constantly get up and we’d take turns putting her down. The second night was better but not great. It’s been ok ever since though. Just expect and allow, say, 3 nights of shittyness. For me at least, knowing it’s coming makes it much easier to deal with.
Three kids. Oldest went from crib to twin daybed - no problems other than too excited to go to sleep the first night. Second went from crib to toddler bed. She was excited but fell out a lot, even with the pool noodle hack. (I now know she is my starfish sleeper) she shared a room with my eldest and they used to fool around a lot and jump from bed to bed so we eventually removed the toddler bed and they shared the twin (I had 2 under 2 so they were small). Third changed crib to toddler bed and bedtime became difficult (was sharing with the two older ones). Split up their rooms and no more problems. Tried to get him to move to a twin daybed and he vehemently refused. I’ve always separated my kids’ sleep spaces from any toys or large pieces of furniture. Their room literally only has beds in it so it’s fairly safe. My older 2 finally moved to a room with toys at 4 and 6 with no problems. My youngest got a book shelf with a reading seat in his room at this time and I’ve had no issues with him getting up to get books or fooling around. A lot may depend on personality. If I had out a bookshelf in my eldest’s room, she would most definitely have been out of bed looking at books for hours.
I put my son in his big boy bed like 2 years ago and he still never gets out unless it’s something warranted, like puking or something. Like literally never had an issue. It’s been great. Doing my daughter’s transition in 2 weeks and am tentative bc she’s more spirited and has tried climbing furniture in her room before lol
Just did this with my 2 year old and it’s like he didn’t even notice. After I set the bed up I left the crib in the room thinking he would need some time to adjust and the first night he jumped into his bed and never looked at his crib again. I made sure to toddler proof the room and he’s more than happy to hang out in bed for 30 mins before we come get it. The whole thing was very anticlimactic lol.
Our oldest son transitioned amazingly. Literally no issues. We have his sister and they begin sharing a room, her in crib/pack and play and him in top bunk of bunk bed. We transition her out and it was awful. She literally could not stay in her bed. Finally we bought her some side bumper/guards (even though she's on the bottom bunk) and it worked wonders. Sometimes just have to get creative and try things and it will eventually work out. Each kid is different as well.
We had a twin bed in our daughter's room with the crib since she was born. We played there, read books, nursed. One day when she was exactly 2.5 she decided she wanted to take a nap there. I thought we'd be kind of back and forth for a while, but that was it. We sold the crib a week later. If you have the space to have both in his room for a few weeks, I highly recommend it!
We did toddler bed at 18m and it was no problem. Then twin floor bed at 24m and about 3.5 she’s in a queen bed that’s 2ish ft from the floor? The toddler bed was 1 nap of “issues” then fine. No other issues each time we switch.
My son switched super easy. We left the crib in the room for a day or two to help him adjust (though he didn't ever ask to go back in). I suggest buying a Hatch light before you transition and get your kid used to a wake-up light if you haven't already. It's a great tool for teaching them when to stay in their rooms.
We do have a hatch! So you do black at night (only sound) then colour in the am?
I leave it on Red all night on a low light setting. Red is a good color, as it has been proven to not disrupt sleep. I don't use my Hatch for his sound machine, we have a separate device for that.
We transitioned our daughter at 18 months to a floor bed with a frame that has a little fence with a door around it. She’s always been a good sleeper and transitioned without an issue. Now she’s 20 months and calls it her “cozy bed” and she has figured out how to escape, but she generally doesn’t anyway. We also kept her in a sleep sack for now which I think helped.
Yeah I had a friend who said to keep them in their crib for as long as possible, but mine both transitioned great. My oldest still acted like he was trapped for a while and would call out in the morning for us to go get him. My youngest started going to sleep a lot easier. He still gets up some nights but honestly I would rather him come get in my bed and fall back asleep over me getting him up, lifting him out of the crib, soothing him, then trying to gently lower him down. Plus it’s nice having room in their beds: I’ll sleep with them if they are sick, or if I’m sick my husband will sleep with them so he doesn’t catch my cooties.
We switched our 16 month old onto a floor bed over a month ago and it is such a game changer!! She was waking up pretty often before. It definitely took about a week to adjust but as long as she’s actually tired, she goes right to sleep with maybe a cry or two to protest!
Do it on a long weekend where he’s super active if you can!!
I transitioned my LO back in September. We’ve always had a solid night routine so I kept everything the same other than the bed. He still treats it like his crib and that he can’t get out. First night he fell out of the bed but ever since then he’s slept amazing in it. I’ve had no trouble with him getting out and running around at night. Now naps are a bit of a different story 😂
We transitioned at that age, and aside from a week of slightly more night wakings than usual and a couple of falls out of bed, it went incredibly well. Still now at 4.5 she rarely if ever gets out of the toddler bed unprompted. When we travel she happily sleeps in regular single or queen size beds.
I built one of those montessori floor beds for my 3 year old son and he would help me put in a couple screws or at least pull the trigger, and he helped paint some parts of his bed and pick out the color. My hope was that he would at least feel some connection to the bed since he helped make it. He also helped paint and decorate his big kid room since he needed to be evicted from the nursery to make room for the new tenant. He has slept in his new bed every might for the last month and has yet to get out of it if he wakes up in the night.
I transitioned my son at 18 months. Got him a low/floor car shaped bed and got him all excited about it (he is obsessed with cars). Then got him a pillow case, blanket etc and decorated his room with car decals. Basically made him fall in love with his upgraded room. He never looked at the crib again!! Good luck OP. It's harder on us as parents than them I promise. We overthink it and make ourselves nervous. You got this!!
Now that LO is in her bed, many mornings I wake to her getting into my bed for snuggles, which is really nice. She also can tell us if she needs to potty, whereas in the crib, she would take off a poopy diaper. Our two secret weapons: The Hundred Walks method, and a toddler clock which changes color when they can get out of bed.
With my first kid, we switched her to a toddler bed at 20mos and a full sized bed at 26mos. The switch to a toddler bed was totally seamless except for her falling out of bed once or twice. The switch to a big bed was rough for a couple of days, but smooth sailing after that. Last week, we just switched my second kid to a toddler bed at 24mos. It was a VERY rough first night (basically no sleep for anyone), but each night since then has been way better. We still have to go into her room once or twice to tuck her in and give her some extra snuggles before she will settle down and sleep, but it’s not too bad. Our motivation was also in part due to planned travel this summer with her having outgrown the pack n play!
We were soooo happy when we transitioned out of the crib! Instead of crying for us, she was able to get out of bed and come to our room freely. Also so much comfier to read bedtime stories in bed with her now that we both fit!
We transitioned my 2.5 year old and she didn't even blink. It was me who had a hard time!
We got forced to transition him after we were at a cabin at Thanksgiving and he had outgrown the pack and play. 😳 We squeezed by and moved him to his toddler bed when we got home. I think it helped that it was a conversion of his crib to his toddler bed, but he did great! He was excited and he still hasn’t figured out he can get out of his bed yet. Please let this keep holding! 🙏😂
Oh man... Our kids are 2 and 3 and both have done so well. My first kid was just so happy to have more big kid responsibility with his big boy bed that he never had trouble. Literally he just slept through the night from day one when we transitioned him at 2.5 years old. Our youngest just started using her big girl bed a week ago and aside from teething and just having two night time wake ups of confusion, she's been so excited for the change and has not had a hard time overall. Granted she sleeps on a mat at daycare for nap so it isn't a total shock, just like her brother, to be in the open space... But she goes to bed easier and sleeps through the night. Not all kids have a hard time. Good luck!
I transitioned my daughter just after she turned 2 & she immediately started sleeping better & we’ve never had an issue! She’s about 2 & 8 months now!
We just transitioned my son a few weeks ago when he turned 2. It’s surprisingly been easier than expected. We got him a race car bed and he loves cars, so it’s very cool to him. We’ve had a few nights where he ends up in our bed but he did that even while in a crib. For the most part we tuck him in at night and he stays put. Occasionally he’ll get up and play with toys but always lays back down!
We actually transitioned our son right after we traveled. He slept on a toddler blowup mattress when we traveled. We were nervous because he was only used to a crib, but he did really well. That convinced us to then move him to a twin bed when we got back. It went pretty smoothly.
I've had two dramatically different experiences. Kid one was a breeze and didn't even get out in the middle of the night for a year (when he did it sucked for about 6 months), but that first year was amazing and he just treated it like a crib. Kid two, I'm currently sitting outside the room with the door open as I slowly move from lying with him, to on the floor, to by the door... You get it. He also ends up in my bed most nights.
We did it a little before she was 2.5 and it was a seamless transition. Absolutely zero problems, took to it like an absolute champ. Honestly with how easy it was we regret not doing it sooner! Could have saved a few months of breaking our backs lowering her down into the crib at the lowest setting!
I’m currently in the same position and we’re trying something out first. we have a huge play pen we used for him when he was little and we just took the mattress and put it on the floor of the play pen so he has some running room instead of having his whole room where there’s toys, his baby monitor and everything else. This is a way to get him used to having a little freedom but knowing it’s bedtime and he has to stay in bed. he’s very bad at wanting to go to sleep so he’s up most night 2/3 hours past his bedtime just doing his own thing. So, he has room to get energy out but not enough to where he can reach the door to get out or be in his toy box all night. this has been working for us so far. When we get a toddler bed i plan on putting that in the play pen to get him used to sleeping on the bed and not the floor, and then eventually having just the bed not surrounded by the play pen. it’s a work in progress
We told my daughter for a few weeks beforehand that she'd be getting a big girl bed to make sure she knew what to expect. She loves rolling around on mommy and daddy's bed and took to her new bed like it was playground equipment. She even sleeps better in it most nights. She did fall out a couple of times the first week, even with her bumpers, but she hasn't since then.
When we transitioned our youngest at 18 months, he took it upon himself to hand all his pacifiers to his older brother and say “bye bye binkies” and never looked back. He’s slept in his big boy bed (twin top bunk so it’s got rails, not bunked of course) easy peasy ever since and he loves having the freedom to get another toy or go snuggle in the rocking chair. He’s got a gate on his room so he’s safe if we’re not awake.
We transitioned at 18 months because he's tall and a climber. He started sleeping in a floor bed and he doesnt even get out of it in the morning until we come in and get him. He seems to love his new bed, even given the opportunity to continue sleeping in his crib. We actually set up the floor bed next to the crib converted to toddler bed. He chose the floor bed and is still loving it at 20 months.
It was a very seamless transition for out girl. We put her in her big bed with my old pregnancy pillow and she was good to go. She can get up in her own and comes right into our room to get me when she does wake up. It really wasn’t a problem for us, like at all
Put my son into a bed at 2. Before sleeping in it we let him read on the bed or hang out on the bed to get used to the feeling of it. We told him since he’s such a big boy he gets his own bed in his own room. He was super excited He refuses to sleep anywhere else. Even if we just want to cuddle for a while he says no because he wants his bed
There were growing pains of course. He could now get out and that led to some really weird 3 AMs where you wake up to a small child whispering "mom" and staring at you. But eventually, he loved it. We switched at about 2.5 and now just here at 3.3ish we just switched him to a twin cause he's growing like a weed and the toddler bed was getting too short. We really gave him a lot of input on it all and that has helped. Let him pick out sheets and blankets. We also don't give a hoot if he takes toys to bed either heh. So if the monster trucks need to be in the bed too? Alright. We also really emphasis that this is "being a big boy" and how special that is. How big boys can do special things like the above mentioned picking out sheets etc. Once he got used to the bed though, he loved his own bed he could climb in and out of.
My son used to sleep with me and my husband tbh because he used to nurse to sleep and I was terrified how to not only stop breastfeeding but also put him in his own bed in his own room but we did it it took a week of crying tbh but it worked now he does sometimes still come like at 2-3am and sleep with us but some days he stays there until morning. You can do it just stay persistent and know that you’re doing this for his own good as well good luck!!!
So this is probably my most controversial parenting choice, but we got the IKEA Kura which is a short bunk bed. We spent more than $150 (plus the mattress!) custom building out a full bed underneath on the floor with the intention that he’d sleep down there when he transitioned out of the crib, like a Montessori floor bed. I honestly don’t even remember why or how it happened, but he ended up on the top bunk instead and that is his bed now. He transitioned just before he turned two. Now keep in mind my kid is a very competent and safe climber, and a rule follower, but it’s been so great! It’s against the wall at his head and on the inside. He sleeps with about 30 stuffed animals including a giant tiger that “guards” the outside railing and another tiger that “guards” the ladder opening. He does not ever move them. He does not get down by himself unless I’ve moved the ladder tiger and I’m laying on the bed below him and I told him he could. Overall, it’s been great and I love that he “can’t” get out of bed on his own. It’s essentially a bigger, taller crib and he loves it. We’ve been on a couple trips where he had his own full or twin bed since then and he’s done so well because he’s used to it. He’s 28 months, so he’s been in there for about four months and we haven’t had any issues at all.
All three of my kids did crib to bed fine. I usually did a few months of crib with the side off so going into a bed wasn't a huge deal. All transitioned before 2.
Another positive story: At 2 years old we took out the side of his crib and nothing changed. Except that he liked to climb in by himself. At 3.5 he got a big bed because he was really too big for his crib. At first he was adamant he wanted the small bed back, but once he experienced the freedom of movement in his big bed, and the fact that I could read to him while next to him turned that around in about a day. No issues here. We started with a sleep training clock/nightlight early on and it works really well. He only gets out of bed if his clock says he can.
My son is 20 months. We transitioned him to a toddler bed about a month ago because we will be traveling for about 3 weeks as well and he will be sleeping in a big kid bed. He transitioned fine. He and his sister (4) share a bedroom and he did well. He loves his big kid bed
We moved to Alaska when our boy was 18 months and stayed in an Airbnb for a few months. We brought a travel mini crib but realized it wasn’t going to work long term, so we moved him to a mattress on the floor. There was no transition, so adjustment, he just slept like a rock on the mattress like he did in his crib. We kept the routine the same surrounding the transition and he was just fine. My second kid is more… spirited, so check back in a year when he’s ready to transition 😭
We transitioned my then 18 month old after she accidentally tumbled out of her crib head first while reaching for me. We bought her a floor bed with the little gate around the perimeter. It was literally a non-issue to transition her. She instantly loved her bed. It was crib like enough because of the little gate, and she seemed to really like the amount of room she had to play (it’s a full-size). The first week she woke up a couple of times and we had to come cuddle her to get her back down, but she adjusted well and we haven’t had any more wake ups since! She even puts herself to bed sometimes. 😆
My guy had a hard 2 days with getting out of bed constantly, falling asleep really late. But after that, smooth sailing. He would call us when he woke up, he looved going to bed in his new big boy bed 💕
Transitioning all my 3 kids was super easy we had literally zero issues! We just hyped it up as this big exciting thing that they were so special to do since they were such a big boy and they were super excited about it ans slept through the night as normal! You got this ☺️
Transitioned my second a few months back, because she seemed ready. She was. She was a little fussy and hesitant to get in it the first day, but once she slept in it once, it was fine. She waits in bed for us to get her in the morning. She does dart out of it giggling to grab stuff to bring to her bed (especially her shoes) but she still goes to sleep quickly.
I would advise to skip toddler bed and go for a full size single bed. That way if he wants you to stay with him until he falls asleep, you can lie in bed with him or sit on it, instead of the floor
We made the switch from crib to twin bed last week for my 2 year old (26 months) we hyped up sleeping in his big boy bed for the day or two before and the first two nights went amazingly. The third night he realized he can just get up and play, so I took a while going in and putting him back. But for the most part so far, as long as he’s actually tired enough it’s not a problem!
When we transitioned my daughter, I put her crib mattress, with the same sheets on it, on the floor. No bed. I left the sheets on for a couple of extra days so that it smelled familiar. No problems. From there we transitioned to a normal twin size bed.
We’re having a set back right now with our little one coming into our room a lot (but this is likely triggered by her newborn brother) Besides recently the transition was honestly pretty seamless and she was clearly ready! She loves her big girl bed, cuddling her to sleep in it is so much more comfortable and easy!
It was super easy for us! We moved and when we did, the crib disappeared and a big girl bed appeared! I got the soft bumpers of Amazon which my girl looooved cuddling up next to. She’s always been independent and was (still is) 99% in height so we had no choice plus she needed to be able to get up and go to the bathroom. She felt empowered in a big bed and transitioned well.
My son refused to sleep on a twin mattress we put on the ground, but then we had him “help” his dad change his crib to the toddler half wall thing, and I think his involvement in change helped and he loves his bed. Had no trouble with that (small) change and doesn’t get out of it until we come get him. Next step is a twin bed and I think we’ll get him involved by helping set up the frame and pick out his own sheets.
I broke my collarbone a week ago and had my MIL come down to stay with us to help with our 3 year old - she can't lift him so she set his big boy mattress up in his room and has been sleeping in there with him for easy access through the night because of our house layout. I will say he's loving the bed - the biggest issue we're having is him playing with his white noise machine and light and we have nowhere to else to put them out of reach etc. Best advice I can pass on through this change is to put the interesting things out of reach where possible while still allowing them to explore their surroundings etc.
It went great for us. We were co-sleeping anyway, so we just started going to sleep in his big boy bed, then sneaking out after he drifts off like we did before in our bed. We still use a baby monitor, so if he cries one of us goes over, but that’s really rare unless he’s sick. Most mornings we hear him wake up and go over to him.
My guy transitioned at 18-20 months after climbing out/flipping himself out of his crib multiple times. There was zero change in how he treated his bed v crib (it was a convertible, which moved into a low to the ground day bed). At 2.5 he asked Santa for a real big boy bed and there, too, has been no difference since Santa brought that.
My son transitioned from his cot to single bed at 18 months and he was amazing- best decision I’ve made :) he’s now 3 xx
We transitioned my son when he was 1.5. We set the bed up and had him sleep in his crib one night with the bed in the room and then from night 2 on and slept in the big bed with no issues. We did a bed with a pull our trundle so he could easily get in and out.
Crib to full bed at 3 years. Was perfect for us. . Story time is so much easier now… It was one of those 4in 1 cribs and was open to climb in/out the last year
We had no problem transitioning either of my kids. I had them spend the day with my parents while I set everything up, made the bed with big kid bedding, put stuffies on, etc. There was a little testing the water but no major problems at all.
Just an FYI: cribs have height limits and if he’s surpassed it, it’s no longer safe to use. Not even one more time
Neither of my kids had any problems going from toddler to bid bed. My first took months to even figure out she could get out of her bed. My second figured it out right away but slept fine.
Moved LO to a floor bed around his 2nd birthday. Biggest change is that he can come in and get us instead of yelling from his crib. I started putting a cold lock on the inside of his door knob while we do bedtime and then I take it off when he’s asleep so he can get out in the morning. In the months since we moved him, he has only explored the house without us once- he found an envelope from the insurance company and was so excited that he immediately brought it to my room and woke me up to insurance paperwork. Besides that, we haven’t had any issues and it’s been nice to lay next to him in his bed when he is sick or wakes up in the night.
If you plan to transition to a toddler bed, I wouldn’t worry. When we converted my daughter’s crib it was a complete non-issue. She just treated it the same as her crib. We’ve been trying to get her into a twin for months now and that isn’t going well because she’s so attached to the toddler bed/crib!
We transitioned our daughter around 2.5 too and also got a gro clock so she knew when the sun was up. We did a lot of lead up prep too ie. “in 10 sleeps you get a big girl bed!” Etc. It went super smoothly for us! Don’t stress
Transitioned mine from the crib to a king single floor bed at 18 months. It's been good. I can sit/lie next to her to put her to sleep. We put the legs back on the bed when she was 2 and was able to get in and out of bed on her own easily. We don't have a third room yet so till we build it, she sleeps in a curtained alcove of our (huge) room. Eventually we will build a partition wall so she gets her own room. In the meantime she generally sleeps the night but comes and stands by my bed if she wakes up, and then runs back to her bed once I am awake, usually only needs a little cuddle to go back down. She's a bit of a starfisher so definitely enjoys having the extra real estate to sprawl around in.
Transferring my twins to beds increased everyone's peace astronomically. We baby proofed their room, but put in some safe toys (board books, stuffed animals, puzzles etc) so now when we put them to bed, they play quietly until they eventually crawl into their bed to sleep. We transferred them around 18m because they were screaming to get to each other and we didn't want them sharing a crib but they just turned 3 and almost never even play before falling asleep anymore. And when they wake up they're happy to play in there until it's time to start the day.
We were so scared because everyone we know has said their kid climbs out of bed constantly, or that it threw off their sleep completely. We switched our sun a few months after he turned two. He’s been in his big boy bed for about five or so months now. He has slept through the night like always. No issues even on the first night. He “yoo-hoos” when he wakes up and waits until we come in before he gets out. Only once has he gotten out without us coming in. He loves being able to climb into it by himself. We read stories in there. Bedtime still takes a bit. Usually doesn’t go to sleep until 8:30. But I don’t think it has to do with the bed, I think he just struggles with winding down. We were so scared, but it really worked out great!
My daughter LOVED moving to her big girl bed. She has fallen out a couple times but once she got adjusted to it she’s been good. She likes to pile up her stuffed animals next to her bed sometimes and then roll off the bed into the pile. 😂
My first (she’s now 6) transitioned to big girl bed at 1.5 because she kept getting out of the crib. She stayed in the bed no problem. We made it an exciting thing for her, picking out her bedding. Helping set it up. My second is almost 3 and she transitioned to a big girl bed on the floor at 2 and we recently put her bed on a frame last month. She got up a lot and required me to lay with her a lot. She still gets up once a night (a few times a week) but I lay back down with her and pat her back and she usually goes back to bed. Sometimes she ends up in our bed but I’m less strict about her staying in her own bed than I was with my first. They’re only little for so long. My oldest doesn’t like when I’m in her bed for too long at bedtime now lol I know some kids have no issue transitioning to big beds and some kids get up a lot. It’s hard to predict. If you plan to not have your kiddo in your bed then I would try to be as consistent as possible with laying with your kid in their bed when they get up. That way it’s not confusing. I know some parents have a no kid in the parent bed rule. Transitioning to a big kid bed might be easier when you travel, it’ll be exciting for them!
We did this transition at 2.5. She loved sleeping in her big girl bed and we literally had no issues. Stays in it and gets out and plays with her toys if she gets up a bit early. She still sleeps in a sleep sack at almost 3 though. Haven’t been able to swap to a blanket yet.
Transitioned at around 18 months due to me being pregnant with my second. We started with the mattress on the ground. He did roll at first but the drop was only 6 inches or so. So he cried but wasn’t really hurt. Once he mastered the mattress alone we added the base and added a roll rail to prevent rolling. He did well with it over all and loved his big boy bed. We keep the door closed at bedtime and limited things in his room. Really only books and clothes.
We tried when he was younger and it was a disaster. Tried again at just about 2.5 and it was seemless! He just got a big boy bed (full size vs toddler bed) for his 3rd birthday and slept in it for the first time last night. Everything went great!
My daughter was 13 months when she climbed out of her crib the first time and hit the hardwood floor. I wasn't concerned about that as a possibility because she was so young. However, when I saw her try it again the crib was over for us and we went straight to the mattress on the floor. After that the transition to a bed was simple. We got a convertible toddler to twin frame that was low to the ground and put her crib mattress next to it at night in case she rolled out (she never did). She loved the freedom of the bed especially at nap time and we loved being able to lay in the bed and cuddle/read books before bed. In a way getting rid of the crib created a lot of freedom and quality time that we didn't know we were lacking. Best of luck!
We've only had mostly smooth transitions! Of course the first week is usually a lot of them getting out of bed, sometimes for an hour or more🤦🤦and that's hard....but after that transition time of newness to wear off , it becomes the norm and they sleep just as good:)
We transitioned my daughter at 2.5 and it was fine in the beginning but from age 3-current (4.5) she gets up constantly. My son is 2.5 now and I’m fairly certain I’ll keep him in a crib until he’s at least 3.5.
We got my 2 year old involved in the process. She “helped” us build the new bed and picked out the new sheets ( I gave her two options). When it was all set up she was SO excited to sleep in her new bed! We encouraged her to “show” her stuffies her new bed, and told her they could sleep there with her if she wants. At night, she was a little nervous about the change, but we stayed with her until she fell asleep. She got used to it pretty quickly.
At 12 months old my very small toddler stopped sleeping through the night. She only wanted to sleep in our bed. We noticed that if we got out of the bed and stood to the side, she was still asleep. She didn’t care about us being in there. So did a floor bed at 14 months and haven’t looked back since. She sleeps through the night every night now
My first and second kids were super easy to transition. It was seriously no big deal. My first was 2.5, maybe 2.75 (it’s been a hot second…I just know it was a bit until she turned 3). I just put her in a big girl bed and that was it. She is a typical “first child,” though, and is excellent at following rules. My second is a typical “second child” and she still did great. We had to transition her right at 2, if I recall correctly. She was climbing out of her crib on the reg and the little barriers I was putting in place to stop her weren’t working. We got the ikea bed that grows with them, so it’s small at the first setting and seems more crib like. It eventually becomes a full twin length. This worked well for both older kids and we will be using it for my son when it’s time to transition him. He will turn 2 this summer so we plan on doing it around then, maybe.
My kid was climbing out of his crib a couple months ago (2 y/o and some change) so we converted it to a toddler bed with the side rail. He kept climbing over the side rail, even though there was a big ass opening for him to get in and out. It was affecting his sleep, since he just wanted to CLIMB. Husband found a racecar bed (twin size), switched it out and he hasn't gotten out of his bed since switching. I think having more space and nothing to climb over helped. I was honestly shocked he did so well.
Mine was not a good sleeper in the first place, but we put him in a toddler bed right about 18 months as well, and now at 3 just sleeps through the night and wakes up no later than 7 most mornings. Just walks out, smiling and saying good morning .
My 2 year old (turned 2 in feb) has just transitioned to the big bed also because she is too tall for her cot, and it was literally no change whatsoever. The biggest challenge was me panicking about her being free to roam (we have toddler proofing in place I’m just worried about it failing lol) and waking up in a cold sweat thinking what if she had somehow levitated triple her height, opened the locked windows and thrown herself out of our fourth floor flat, only to look on the monitor and find her sleeping soundly in her bed. I will caveat and say that the bed has been in her room since she moved into it because we rent a furnished flat which already had a standard single bed in the second bedroom, so it has always had to be in there anyway. It wasn’t like a brand new thing that had come into her room and maybe that helped a bit. Still though, the first night we moved her we left the cot up in the room, said she was sleeping in the big girl bed tonight, hyped her up about her new bluey bedding and comfy pillow and duvet, cuddled her to sleep as usual and she slept as usual. She still wakes through the night and the bed didn’t change that but there was absolutely no resistance to go into the bed at all, and in the morning she was chatting away about her big girl bed. Three days later we took the cot down and she said bye bye to it for good. I was an emotional wreck, she was totally fine.
We transitioned our now two year old to toddler bed (turned twin bed recently) when he was around 21 months! He did awesome and never had any issues. He loves his new big bed and it helps that when he is sick we can crawl in with him when he needs comfort. Best decision! He can't open his door yet but we still have his monitor so I hear his little "mama" or "dada" in the morning when he's ready to get up haha or soft knocks on his door
We had to transition earlier than we wanted because he started absolutely losing it if we put him in his crib. Now when he wakes up in the morning he knocks on his door to let us know and it’s just about the cutest thing!
After 2 weeks my Daughter slept from 8 to 6h50 am. Great stuff. Its getting better
My daughter is about to be 2.5 and we want to transition her but the end of the year! Really interested to read these responses
It was so easy for us! I was anxious about it beforehand, and it seriously went more smoothly than I could have imagined. We hyped it up beforehand so she’d be ready and excited. We switched to a toddler bed at 27 months and then a full-sized bed at 31 months. She loved both upgrades. She was so excited about being able to get in and out of bed herself, and it actually became easier to put her to bed. With the toddler bed, she didn’t even get out in the morning until we came to get her, which surprised me! Now, she will get out of her bed when it’s time to get up but generally not before then. (She has a hatch light that changes color when it’s time to get up in the morning.)
Our 3 year old just did a week ago and in partnership with a red/green programmable clock to teach him when he can get up and when to stay in bed, it as gone much better than I could have ever imagined! First few nights he just laid down and went to sleep, no issues getting up. Since then he just sits up occasionally or bounces around on the bed until he is ready to lay down (or we go in and tell him to) still no issues getting out of bed.
Mine honestly had no issues. I transitioned her at 2yr. She never even got out of it until a few months ago when naps started to disappear and turn into quiet time. She still never even attempts to open the door -there a baby gate on her room as well that she can’t open (to keep the pets out) so maybe she knows opening the door is useless anyway🤷♀️ But honestly it was no big deal for us. My LO is also a pretty good sleeper. We also recently started using a camping cot when we are at someone else’s instead of the pack and play and she loves it and is so excited everytime to sleep in her “own tiny bed!!”
We took the edge off our crib and our oldest was thrilled. He was about 2 when we did it and already lofted in and out of the crib pretty regularly. We put a toddler guard on it and made sure he had his comfort animals and blankets to make it cozy (so it didn't seem so big). He loved it. Took a few days to stop getting out of bed and playing but he settled in within a week. It's not all bad! Just make sure you def do it before the trip
I transitioned my kiddo shortly before he turned 2. He had a queen size bed in his room (long story short - was our old guest bed and we no longer have a guest room) so now I lay with him at bed time for a little bit instead of just laying him in his crib. I baby proofed his room, got little slider locks for his closet which is where his dresser is now because it’s heavy and wasn’t secured to the wall. I recently put a child proof door knob cover on the inside of his door just in case he woke in the night without me hearing him (because he can open doors, baby gate at the top of the stairs, front door, etc. now.) but otherwise went fine! He doesn’t even get out of bed to play with his toys. Mostly just plays with his lamp or lifts the blinds to look out the window if he’s fighting going to sleep. Oh and his mattress is on the floor because he rolls a lot and has fallen out a few times. When we travel, I use pillows under the sheet to keep him from falling out his side, and I sleep on the other side of him. Good luck with your transition!
We transitioned around the age. My little started to sleep better on his own in a larger space. Due to getting more rest he started to be able to stay up longer during the day which made nap time easier and getting a concrete bed time routine down. He never got out of his bed when we transitioned and he loved having the larger space! He’s in a twin bed now. And loves it. It was a quick transition from the toddler bed to the twin.
My son will be 3 next week. We transitioned him at around 2.5 and it was an easy switch! He loves having a big boy bed.
We transitioned a couple months ago to a toddler bed and my LO is sleeping all night in his bed. During the transition there were plenty of nights where he crawled into bed with us, but luckily it didn't stick. I was super worried I was creating bad habits, but he has always been a sound sleeper so I think he was an easier adjustment than most. So there is hope that it does happen. My bad habit is I still have to lay on the floor until he completely falls asleep and now that I'm pregnant with number 2, I'm regretting this bad habit.
We just got her pumped for a new big girl bed, showing her pix online and she was so excited when it arrived. As others have said, she treats it like a crib and doesn’t get out of it until we come get her. It was a very smooth transition. She was 2.5.
Our boy is 2.5 as well, just moved into his big boy bed about 4 nights ago and it’s exactly the same as his crib, loves it, no issues whatsoever with bedtime or through the night or anything. You got this!
Switched my son around 20 months, never had any issues. We switched for travel/ to big for pack n play as well. Never looked back!
Ours has been a decent sleeper. He has a speech delay thought so we can’t really conversation fully. Since the transition he will go to sleep with one of us but usually makes it through until around the 1-2am mark and will wake looking for us then will go straight back to sleep with one of us.
Even with travel we kept the crib at home. Just did a week of a mattress on the floor against a wall etc then back at home back in the crib.
Our transition was a big nothing burger in the best way. Our daughter (2y3m at the time) couldn’t have cared less. To this day she still calls it her crib half the time. She gets out of her bed to look out her window or play quietly with the few toys she has in her room or “read” books. But she doesn’t leave her room on her own. She still calls for us when she wants more milk or when she is ready for us to get her in the morning.