Hot on HuffPost Parents:
Christie O. Tate: I Love and Welcome My Daugther's Rage
Rob Watson: A Gay Dad's Open Letter to the Parents Who Are Seeking to…
How to Make the Move from the Crib to a Toddler Bed
Filed under: Development/Milestones: Babies, Feeding & Sleeping, Development: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Sleep
Is your toddler ready for his own bed? Credit: Getty Images
They've slept in their cribs for months -- or years -- but at some point, it's time to move your little ones into beds.
Generally, kids start this transition anywhere from 18 to 30 months, and, as each child develops differently, the adjustment can take more than one night or week. Here are some tips for easing the sleeping arrangement change.
Deciding it's time. Moving a child from a crib -- or your bedroom -- to a toddler bed depends on a number of factors, including determining whether your child is ready to sleep alone.
Also, consider whether nightly feedings might keep your child from transitioning. If so, the added stress caused by moving to a separate bedroom or toddler bed could be more than you can handle. Start to decrease night feedings in an effort to create less nighttime dependence. Since the crib or cosleeping is a nurturing, comfortable place, you may need to sell your child on the idea.
Generally, kids start this transition anywhere from 18 to 30 months, and, as each child develops differently, the adjustment can take more than one night or week. Here are some tips for easing the sleeping arrangement change.
Deciding it's time. Moving a child from a crib -- or your bedroom -- to a toddler bed depends on a number of factors, including determining whether your child is ready to sleep alone.
Also, consider whether nightly feedings might keep your child from transitioning. If so, the added stress caused by moving to a separate bedroom or toddler bed could be more than you can handle. Start to decrease night feedings in an effort to create less nighttime dependence. Since the crib or cosleeping is a nurturing, comfortable place, you may need to sell your child on the idea.
Safety concerns. Children who pull themselves over a guardrail or shake the railings may be signaling that the crib is no longer a secure place. Other children may show signs of outgrowing the crib by waking up as they wiggle around and bump into the crib railings.
Choosing a bed. During the changeover, take your child's age into consideration when it comes to selecting a bed and determining its placement. An easy transition for a child older than 18 months might be the baby mattress, an adult mattress or a futon placed on the floor next to the parents' bed. Gradually increase the distance between your bed and the child's to help with the different sleep arrangement. If the child has difficulty with the move, decrease the space when necessary.
Moving rooms. If your child will be sleeping in his own room, a low-to-the-ground toddler bed -- which uses the child's crib mattress and familiar bedding -- is a good option. An adult bed or futon kept low to the ground might also work well -- just add a box spring or bed frame during a future shift. Railings, added to a toddler bed or adult-sized bed, allow an extra element of safety between the bed and the floor.
Get your child accustomed to sleeping alone by sitting down or lying next to the new bed with him and perhaps reading a few books as he drifts to sleep. Other kids simply need you to check in on them periodically.
Stay patient throughout the transition process, and realize that independent sleep might, at first, seem scary to your child. Be compassionate to your child's needs to discover what works best.
Related: Co-Sleeping: Is it Right for You?
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
Recently Asked
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
How to Build a Nursery - Choosing Crib Bedding
The Great Beginnings staff will show you how to create a perfect nursery - Choosing Crib Bedding for Your Nursery
-
How to Make the Switch from Crib to Bed
Dr. Janet Kennedy explains how to make the switch from crib to bed.
-
Nursery Furniture Line of Petit Nest
Daddy Clay travels to the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas to learn about PetitNest, a new line of baby furniture. He speaks with award-winning designer Lonni Paul as well as actress and new mom Tiffani Thiessen about what makes this furniture so special. This nursery furniture line features baby cribs, dressers, chairs, changing stations, bedding and wall art. The ladies weigh in on how they feel about dad participating in the design of the baby nursery.
-
Good Sleep Routines For Your Toddler
Struggling to get your toddler to bed? Dr Carol Cooper shares her advice on good sleep routines for toddlers here.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 1 of 2)
3-30-2010 @ 9:57AM
julie said...we just took down the crib and had a mattress on the floor. kids all sleep in beds now. doesn't have to be so difficult as this.
Reply
3-31-2010 @ 8:24AM
rob said...they mention 18-30 months as the transition period ..hmm at 9 months i could vault the guardrail and at 24 months i no longer wanted the plastic toys and could take all the doorknobs off the doors and unassemble the electrical outlets.....i could walk at 11 months
3-31-2010 @ 10:04AM
Thithee said...Gee, rob, feeling just a touch insecure? Short man syndrome? Small....feet....syndrome?
11-02-2010 @ 9:32PM
Rachelle said...I'm a Nana and have a baby proofing and child safety store. I meet three or four Moms each week concerned about the transition from crib to bed and is their child too young. The newer style cribs, like a sleigh, with a higher back to the wall and often with a front side that doesn't drop is more and more problematic. Little ones under a year learn that they need to go over the bar to get out...and many succeed. You may not like the concept, but many moms really like the idea of a crib tent. Unfortunately, these will not work on a "sleigh type" bed unless the four posts are of identical height. We'll then talk about a mattress on the floor...transitioning to a bed with side rails, or even a toddler bed. Next concern is "what if my child gets out of bed and wanders around?" I discourage closing and locking of their bedroom door. Here's what I suggest: Make his/her bedroom very safe. No hanging blind cords, no lamps to knock over, use anti-tip furniture straps on dressers, changing tables, book-cases or any other piece of furniture that might be precarious. Remove anything that might tempt your child to search and destroy! Make easily accessible soft toys or favorite books. You'll know which ones to leave out. Purchase a good quality pressure mounted gate with a door. Your child will be in a safe restricted area. You will be able to hear and if need be get to the baby quickly. You might want to place a low voltage night light either in the room or in the hallway as well. I hope that this adds to the discussion. I really like to hear new ideas.
3-30-2010 @ 4:01PM
acm said...yeah, and they're conflating two totally different issues -- moving from crib to bed, and moving out of a cosleeping arrangement -- which makes it difficult to say anything useful at all...
Reply
3-31-2010 @ 9:51AM
Thithee said...Exactly, acm! They should have stuck to one situation, or at least dealt with them separately instead of back and forth. For our son, who has NEVER once slept in our bed and was perfectly content in his crip, we just dropped the front railing and added the toddler railing, and there you go. Same mattress, sheets, smells, etc. He is SO PROUD of his "big boy bed" and talks about it constantly. And I'm so relieved that we never started the co-sleeping thing...I can't imagine moving him to his own bed from ours!
3-31-2010 @ 7:35AM
janet said...I raised two children and this was never an issue...it's called life..growing up..children sleep just like adults if we let them..give them a bed and let them sleep there and they will learn to love it just like adults do...
Reply
3-31-2010 @ 8:38AM
marilyn suzanne said...I found that all of my three kids were eager to transition because they could see(and we talked this up a bit) that these changes meant that they were "gettin to be big kids now". That appealed to all of them. Most all kids want to be like the big kids. Another thing you might consider is asking them what they want to do. Having some input allows them to exercise some decision making ability and also makes it seem less like something is being forced on them.They are taking some ownership of the decision....makes it much easier...but you need to lay a little groundwork leading up to the change. Set the thought out there. Give them some time to see what you want them to see...that it's a "positive" thing.
Reply
3-31-2010 @ 8:06PM
barbara said...Ask your doctor when it will be that your baby is CAPABLE of throwing a leg over the rail -- or, leaning over the rail to topple over! Don't wait for them to try it until they are succesfful!! Our pediatrician told us (20 years ago, now :) that when the CHILD'S NIPPLES are at the same height as the crib rail (while the baby is standing in crib), the baby should be moved out of a crib to a bed. A FALL FROM OVER THE CRIB RAIL CAN BE HAZARDOUS -- A FALL OUT OF A REGULAR BED RARELY IS!!!
Reply
3-31-2010 @ 10:06AM
Doris said...There is another issue in providing a toddler with a bed in another room. Our grandson gets out of bed and doesn't understand,unless someone lies down with him in his bed untill he falls asleep, that he is to stay in his bed at night.
Suggestions for convinvincing him to stay put? As, he seems to want to join the adults who stay up later then he.
Thank You.
Reply
3-31-2010 @ 1:07PM
karen said...My grandaughter just moved from crib to bed in her own room. (always had her own room) Age 24 months. Parents put safety gate up in doorway.
4-01-2010 @ 4:10AM
Terri said...When my kids were that age, we were very firm in the policy that they didn't have SLEEP in their bed, or even STAY in their bed, but that they HAD TO stay in their ROOM, quietly, all night once we put them to 'bed'. (They each went into 'big kid' beds at about age 2 and were always in a small adjoining, but separate, bedroom to ours from birth til that age, and went into a bigger room down the hall around age 4 I think).
You can't force them to sleep, but they do need to understand that they can't disturb others, either. Usually with quiet, they fell asleep quickly.
Occasionally, we'd hear one or the other banging around, but it soon stopped. We also provided plenty of books from a very young age, to encourage 'reading' in bed, a good 'quiet' activity, that all of us, kids and parents, found calming at the end of the day. (No scary books though! LOL).
3-31-2010 @ 9:45AM
Ronda said...Our now almost 16 month old has been in a toddler bed since just after Christmas (13- almost 14 months old). He never slept for more than a half-hour to an hour in his crib EVER. So when his big brother (now almost 3) got his Big-Boy twin bed at Christmas time, we gave the toddler bed to baby.
First night in the crib in his own room with his brother and he slept right through it. Kid just didn't want the constraints of the crib.
His brother was 18 months old when he got the toddler bed for Christmas. He didn't take to it quite as well. He was more excited about being able to run around at night and play without the railings to keep him in.
We just turned on the baby monitor, closed the bedroom door and let him play until he passed out. Even if it meant 2am (which it was not). Soon he was saying his prayers in bed, cuddling up to his Elmo and falling fast asleep at his appropriate bedtime.
Kids are different. Age guidelines are less reliable than your mothers instinct. ALWAYS go with your gut...no one knows your kids better than you do.
Reply
3-31-2010 @ 11:49AM
Courtney said...I'm so glad they mention night feedings for this age range (18 - 30 months). Part of the landscape for a lot of parents when it comes to transitioning to a toddler bed is night nursing. Extended breastfeeding is so unheard of in the US but mostly because people who do it hide the fact that they do due to a fear of judgmental reaction from those around them. I extend nurse and don't hide the fact (and my son is 3 years old) so for us night weaning (getting rid of those night feedings) was necessary before selling him on the idea of a toddler bed. This was at about 2.5 years old - that, and getting a really fun Disney 'Cars' bed (it looks like McQueen) made it a complete success.
Reply
3-31-2010 @ 10:10AM
SKL said...Yep, my brother was climbing out (successfully) well before he was a year old. My daughter 1 climbed out at 15 mos, got scared, and never tried again. My daughter 2 never tried at all. I converted both cribs to toddler beds right around their 2nd birthdays. No drama. Initially the kids went to sleep as normal. Soon they started getting out of bed and fooling around, then got tired of those games. This resurfaced from time to time. Finally I disconnected their light so they couldn't play all night. (They have no night lights, etc.) But, they have always been allowed to get up and go to the bathroom.
Reply
3-31-2010 @ 10:18AM
jag said...When each of my 5 kids starting climbing out of their cribs, I would put the mattress in the lowest position and remove one side of the crib. Make sure its sturdy enough. It makes the transition easier. Once I established a good bedtime routine, it became their choice to stay in bed.
Reply
3-31-2010 @ 10:16AM
SKL said...An intermediary solution for a child who can climb out but still wants her crib: lower the side rail and keep it that way. She won't roll out of bed in her sleep, but there will be a ladder-like arrangement (top crib rail, mattress, bottom crib rail. floor) for her to safely climb in and out if she is so inclined. I lowered my kids' crib sides when they were able to climb out, even though they didn't actually try it after that. I also kept a spongy rug on the floor in case they did fall. Around age 1.5 or so, the girls started climing into the cribs but not out.
Reply
3-31-2010 @ 11:26AM
Kimberley said...My boys and one daughter slept in their own beds all the time and I was so proud of their sense of independence. Only on scary stormy nights did I let them into the marital bed. I thought this would make for solid foundation for good kids who knew they were loved. One of my boys went down the way wrong road and I worry about him daily at age 22 that he will never grow up. My daughter turned out to have cognitive delays anyway so having her own bed did not really help her out or hurt her. My youngest, the surprise baby, turned out to be the best kid, mature and together. So, I cannot say that forcing my kids to stay in their own beds did them any harm or good. There are so many other things that happen in a child's life that shape and mold them into the grownups they become. I am not saying that letting a child in your bed is a good thing, one must afterall show concern for the marriage relationship and alone time with the spouse, but I fail to see how it could harm them if done in moderation. As long as children know from the get go that sleeping in thier own bed is part of growing up to be a big boy or a big girl, then I think it can be a lovely, loving thing to be with mom and dad sometimes.
Reply
3-31-2010 @ 11:49AM
KatieCouric'sNemesis said...These articles make me laugh.
EVERYTHING is problematic, apparently. Where is COMMON SENSE? And, if a parent doesn't have any, they probably should NOT be parents.
Worried about your child getting out of bed and wandering? How about a BABY-GATE in the doorway? Easy for Mom and Dad to open/climb over while keeping the child in the room.
Worried about what time to transition from crib to bed? Why? I figured out how to climb out of my crib, according to my parents, sometime around my first birthday. Their solution? They made a bed on the floor and turned the play-pen upside down over me. I have a great photo of the toddler version of me shaking the bars of the playpen, looking like a convicted felon clamoring for freedom. It was not a portent of things to come for the nay-sayers in this crowd.
It's YOUR CHILD. Talk to your parents and aunts and uncles if you want good, practical advice. Not the lower end of the journalistic food chain that thrives on AOL by publishing inane, poorly researched, and badly written (not to mention the absence of EDITING) articles for consumption by the gullible.
Reply
3-31-2010 @ 12:10PM
sonia said...I know a woman that still allows her 3 year old to share a bed with her and her husband. HOW SICK IS THAT ?
Reply