crib to big kid bed

[tt3]

How did you guys do it, and what age?

[Don-Dad]

The wifey and I were just talking abou this topic the other day. I think you'll get a wide range of ages, our first son jumped out of the crib at 13 months so we moved him to a toddler bed and it was a battle to get him to sleep in it.

Son #2 is 15 months and shows no signs up jumping out the crib yet. We might move the toddler bed into his room and see how he likes it.

[Indy]

Rachel just turned one a couple of weeks ago and we've been talking about the same thing. She's really good about going down for naps and sleeping at . In fact, she'll come to us asking to be put to bed, and that's why we've been considering moving her to a bed she can get into on her own. She hasn't tried climbing out of the crib yet and I'm not she will--she's pretty content playing in her crib.

Has anybody tried this? If so, what were the results? Her room's kid-friendly, so it wouldn't be a big deal if she got up in the middle of the night.

[jeffus]

We moved from crib to toddler bed when we found her climbing out of the crib. One leg over the side and no safety rope!

I guess it was around 18 months when we introduced the toddler bed.

It was shortly thereafter that she raided the fridge and bathroom in the wee hours of the night. Get 1 of those doorhandles that won't let a kid out but the adults in.

[hockeydad]

I asked a similar question a while back. Been giving it a lot of thought. And I came up with a plan. When it starts to get a little bit closer to 1 year we'll bring a toddler bed in the room but keep the crib as well. Then long before she shows any signs of vaulting we'll start her having one or two naps a day in the toddler bed. That way it's during the daylight, I can be awake to watch her and she doesn't have to go cold turkey. At night she'll stay in the crib. Once she's used to the toddler bed for naps we'll try a night then nights until eventually the crib is bye bye.

I of course have if this will work, but it's similar to what we did with the bassinet - crib transition. And on paper it sounds like a great idea.

[tt3]

Hock, thats exactly what we're doing, she's got a toddler bed in her room and the crib too. Thing is, she's almost two (a week away) and is perfectly content to sleep in her crib, she hasn't yet tried to escape. I thought "hey, I'll let her nap in her bed today" yesterday and it was crayZ ridiculous! She ended up napping in her crib :?
Jeff, we've got a gate to put across the doorway, inspired by your story.
(That and the cat liked to push her door open and meow by her crib, dang cat.)

More more info! When you started them, did you put them back in everytime the got out, or let them figure it out with sleepless nap times or whatever?

[jeffus]

Yup, we put a gate across the door too.

Well, first we put a rigid gate across the door. She climbed over that.

Then, we tried those things that go over the doorknob and prevent you from turning it. She'd pull it off and just keep going.

Then, we put a lock on the outside (locking her in). Oh, she didn't like that at all! And we were split on how safe that was or what long term damage we did by 'confining' her to her quarters.

Then we tried a roll-up gate. Made of fabric. Rolled out like a lamp shade and attached to both sides of doorway. That stopped her cause it would give enough so she couldn't climb over. So then she would just stand in her doorway crying for us.....

We gave up. These days we just let her go. She's a little older now and we're not too worried about her safety-wise. We don't have any stairs either. Sometimes we find her camped out on the sofa with the TV on - passed out cold.

[tt3]

The stairs are one of the bigger fears for us, we've got some pretty steep ones, and our rooms are on the second floor. Thankfully she hasn't found ambition to be a climber yet! When you first introduced the bed, though, how did you deal with them getting out and walking around?

[jeffus]

Well we finally settled on one of those electronic fences for dogs. Set-up a perimeter and when the victim, I mean child, crosses a boundary she would be issued a 'correction'.

I'M KIDDING!

Although, it is an intriguing prospect.......

[Indy]

And here I was considering razor wiring the loft area... I suppose if the electric fence is out of the question, so is the razor wire.

[jeffus]

I won't tell anybody. What you do in your own home is your business.....

[Weston]

You know all jokes aside, I think you can buy an Infrared motion detector for cheap at lowes or home depot...hook it up to a bell and set detector up near doorway...kid crosses beam and triggers bell to wake parents up.
And I'm pretty sure they sell something similar that you can attach to the doorway, when the door opens and the contacts break a bell goes off.

Sorry for the idea if it sounds out there. Just watched Oceans 12 last night (it stunk btw) :?

[Indy]

Bells? Try an air horn. Trip that a couple of times and I'm sure the kid will never come out of that room. I'm all for aversion therapy.

[Jackson's Dad]

You could just go all Edgar Allan Poe on her and brick up her room. "But I don't want to sleep, Montressor". (Eww, sorry, creeped myself out.)

[Tim E]

(Thoughts from the new guy)

Both my boys transfered to beds around 18-20 months. The first when we needed the crib for our second. My youngest is built like a tank and was pretty much shaking the crib to pieces at that age.

For transition we stripped the room bare and just had a mattress on the floor - toys, books, furniture, everything out. The key for us was we got them a fisher price flash light which was their one toy in the room, and it was something that they could "control". And it was something we could control..... Did the bedtime ritual, tucked them in and closed the door. They could do anything they wanted in the room other than cry and/or pound on the door. Penalty was loss of the flashlight until they behaved - which was effective because it was the *only* thing they had. As the routine got established and adhered to, the room slow bit by bit got put back together - if there was any acting out, the room got stripped again. Worked extremely well for us, was pretty painless, and we haven't really had many sleep/bedtime issues to date.

Then, we tried those things that go over the doorknob and prevent you from turning it. She'd pull it off and just keep going.


Remove the little rubber gripper grommets and zap strap or tie the cover on the doorknob. Worked for us until the boys were quite old and strong.

Tim
SAHD almost 5 years, 5 & 7 yo boys