Transitions into "big kid" beds

[aaemommy]

Pedi mentioned this morning that we should start thinking about transitioning out of the crib. She said most wait until 2 but with his height and how much he climbs, she could see him figuring out how to climb out earlier than that. She doesn't want us to do it around baby time (early May) so we don't give him the illusion that baby is kicking him out of his bed.

Anyone else have pedi's that have mentioned this, or started thinking about the process? Tbh it scares me more than a little. He's such a good sleeper and I don't want to mess with that!

[gahorseygal]

DD is already in a toddler bed. But I felt she was totally ready for it and didn't want to have to worry about it now (I'm due 5/27). We did it around Thanksgiving. She had no issues, a few times I had to walk her back to bed but she's a really good sleeper. She loves that she can climb into bed herself. And her little toddler bed is the cutest thing ever.

If I didn't think she could handle it I would not have done it. She sleeps a solid 11 maybe 12 hours and in the morning gets up and stands by her door, waiting for one of us to get her. She crawls into bed herself at night when we tell her it's night night time.

Our pedi hasn't said anything to us about it, I don't think they asked last time.

[Courtniko]

DD was never OK in the crib, but she did well when we put a queen mattress on her floor (she is back to co sleeping now though). We have a gate on her door, but we generally left it open. She would just walk into our room when she woke up.
Not sure if this is any help at all, but DD realy did just fine on a mattress on the floor.

[ice61313]

Interesting. Nora is kind of stuck in her crib for now because we are storing some boxes In her room.

Is your LO going to be rooming with baby from day 1? If not, it could buy you some time.

[puffandstuff]

DD#2 is still in a crib and I plan on transitioning in the next few months. With DD#1 we switched by letting her take naps on the mattress on the floor. Once it seemed she stayed on it we moved the mattress to the bed frame. She just turned 2 when we did the transition.

[Deleted]

So M has started trying to climb the crib, and this morning she came thisclose to falling out. I think it's time to order the toddler bed conversion kit.

She's generally a good sleeper, but I do worry that if she has a bad night she's going to get out of bed and flail around. aaemommy I feel you on not wanting to mess up a good thing. And I'm losing the last thing in the house that could actually contain her!

[minervamae]

None of my girls slept well in cribs and my oldest started climbing out at 18 months, so we've always switched to a twin on the floor about then. DD3 switched just 2 weeks ago. She sleeps much better now. Before there were always 2 or more wake ups, now it's one or none. She doesn't come to us when she wakes, she cries where she is.

[weeklyplanner]

No rush here. He sleeps in sleepsacks, which limit his ability to climb, but I'm not sure how long he will fit into them. He climbs onto couches, etc., but he's not a monkey baby. I don't plan to attempt a switch until he's 2 or older. He doesn't nap most days or only naps 20 min, but quiet rest time in the crib for about 45 min is a must for both our sanity. There is no way he'd stay in a toddler bed and rest. I'm hoping to delay the transition for as long as possible.

[Deleted]

Feb 23, 2016 14:56:11 GMT -5 weeklyplanner said:

No rush here. He sleeps in sleepsacks, which limit his ability to climb, but I'm not sure how long he will fit into them. He climbs onto couches, etc., but he's not a monkey baby. I don't plan to attempt a switch until he's 2 or older. He doesn't nap most days or only naps 20 min, but quiet rest time in the crib for about 45 min is a must for both our sanity. There is no way he'd stay in a toddler bed and rest. I'm hoping to delay the transition for as long as possible.

God I hadn't even thought about naps.  On weekends she will stand in her crib and scream for 2 minutes, then plop over and go to sleep.  This isn't going to work in a toddler bed.  I guess as long as she isn't trying to climb out of the crib in the middle of the night i can keep her in there longer? Right? 

[mimsy]

We transitioned at 15m because she was climbing out during the day.
It's rare she climbs out at night or falls out. It wasn't my first choice, but it is nice because she will go sit or cuddle on her bed if she's tired.

[caybeh]

DD is still in her crib but hasn't tried to climb out too much. Most of the time, she just talks to her teddy bear when she wakes up. I haven't really thought about transitioning her, but I bet she would do fine.

We moved DS at little over 2 and straight into a twin bed.

[weeklyplanner]

Feb 23, 2016 15:30:12 GMT -5 @slmck said:

@bazi45 not sure if this would work with your crib or not but here's an idea: I have a friend whose little guy was starting to climb out but she wanted to keep him in the crib. She removed the bottom section (like the part that holds the mattress up) and put the mattress on the ground. Her crib came low enough that he couldn't get out or get stuck under the slats but he also couldn't climb anymore

ETA: she got the idea online somewhere so I'm sure if you looked it up there would be a better explanation

I know someone with twin boys who did the same thing. It worked for them too!

[peachesncream]

We have thought about it. We are scared to transition too - she sleeps so great and never tries to climb out. But we are too cheap to buy two cribs... so for now the plan is to transition DD to a twin bed around August and hope and pray new LO can get by in a RNP or PNP until then. Fully expecting that plan to blow up in our faces.

[gahorseygal]

OOPS moved to randoms

[aaemommy]

Feb 23, 2016 13:33:53 GMT -5 ice61313 said:

Interesting. Nora is kind of stuck in her crib for now because we are storing some boxes In her room.

Is your LO going to be rooming with baby from day 1? If not, it could buy you some time.

We're not planning on rooming them together at all- at least not until they're both sleeping relatively well. DNW them waking each other up all night long! We'll start DS2 in our room in a cradle, and move him to the crib when he grows out of that. We always have the pnp as a backup if he needs to move out of the cradle before A is done with the crib.

[aaemommy]

Thanks for all your input, ladies! I think I've decided he's not ready to have free reign of his room yet. I think we'll wait a few weeks anyway and see where he is. It won't be a huge rush as far as the baby goes- we can always use pnp for DS2 if we need to for a little while. My biggest concern at this point is safety. But I think he has another couple weeks to a month. Maybe I'll do it when I'm off for spring break in late March.

[jamjoyful]

We transitioned on accident in a way. We purchased an extra bed and tossed the mattress on the floor in her room. She loved it so much that we let her spend the night there. She slept all night and so we just kept putting her there. I had no intention of moving her out of her crib before two. It just worked out that she slept better there. If he sleeps fine in a crib, I would leave him.

[gahorseygal]

Feb 23, 2016 21:51:18 GMT -5 aaemommy said:

Thanks for all your input, ladies! I think I've decided he's not ready to have free reign of his room yet. I think we'll wait a few weeks anyway and see where he is. It won't be a huge rush as far as the baby goes- we can always use pnp for DS2 if we need to for a little while. My biggest concern at this point is safety. But I think he has another couple weeks to a month. Maybe I'll do it when I'm off for spring break in late March.

I would definitely try it then - maybe with just the mattress on the floor as other PP's suggested. 

[sjshark]

Oh boy. So many of you are already making the transition or at least thinking about it! I want her to stay in her crib for forever!

[mimsy]

There are days I wish she still could use the crib.

[skylark002]

He is in the crib and we aren't moving him any time soon. He doesn't climb and we just bought a second crib for the new baby. I like him being contained and his door doesn't shut the whole way (old house).

[starrynight14]

I plan to keep LO in his crib as long as he's not attempting to climb out, which he hasn't yet.

[annapunkalunka]

I've considered it since I don't really want to buy another crib for baby 2, but we've finally hit our groove with her sleep and I don't want to mess with it at this point. I think I'll just wait and see. Reevaluate where we're at in a few months.

[gratefulgirl]

DD1 was transitioned just about 1.5 mo. before DD2 came into a new room and bed. She was almost 2.5 and other than saying she needed her bed to be more "cozy" (it's a twin), she was great. She didn't even realize she could get down on her own until 2 or 3 months later. We had zero issues until we threw nighttime potty training into the mix.

DD2 will probably be in a pack n play in the future big girls' combined room for a bit until she's past 2 unless her climbing gets more skilled. Then our plan is a trundle for her for a couple more years before we are comfortable with them having bunks. I worry a lot more about her transition because she is so intense. She is currently my great sleeper and mixing her, DD1, and a big bed all in one room is terrifying.

[bobloblaw]

Sometime between now and August we will start transitioning LO to his new room.

[sosayweall]

We bought another crib. DS's was a hand me down anyways. I put him in sleep sacks and he hasn't even attempted to climb out.

[greysonsmom]

Since I woke up at 4am to see on the monitor that DS had one leg over the rail we will be making the transition ASAP.

[weeklyplanner]

Feb 25, 2016 12:54:17 GMT -5 greysonsmom said:

Since I woke up at 4am to see on the monitor that DS had one leg over the rail we will be making the transition ASAP.

Well, now the crib is ready for the new baby! He's just being a good big brother.

[aaemommy]

Feb 25, 2016 12:54:17 GMT -5 greysonsmom said:

Since I woke up at 4am to see on the monitor that DS had one leg over the rail we will be making the transition ASAP.

Yikes! This is what makes me so nervous to wait much longer! I'm glad you woke up before he got all the way over!

[redhorizon343]

Feb 23, 2016 14:56:11 GMT -5 weeklyplanner said:

No rush here. He sleeps in sleepsacks, which limit his ability to climb, but I'm not sure how long he will fit into them. He climbs onto couches, etc., but he's not a monkey baby. I don't plan to attempt a switch until he's 2 or older. He doesn't nap most days or only naps 20 min, but quiet rest time in the crib for about 45 min is a must for both our sanity. There is no way he'd stay in a toddler bed and rest. I'm hoping to delay the transition for as long as possible.

Exactly the same. All of it.

I'm debating giving her the boot to a bed anyway just because we have another on the way. But I think I'm ok with buying another Ikea crib.