Help with Toddler at night...bed or Crib???

I put both of my kids in a twin bed at 15 months. I have a friend who has her almost 2 1/2 year old in a crib too, and I wish she'd move him out of it. It's so much easier to transition children before they're old enough to grow attached to certain things. Both of my kids slept through the very first night of sleeping in their twin beds, without a flinch, even when I first laid them down! I just put up a safety rail and lined the foot of the bed with big floor pillows. I broke my kids of things at younger ages, so therefore never had to experience any of the things women talk about, like "how do I take my kids' pacifier away?" I took pacifiers away at 6 months, so my kids could learn to soothe themselves with their minds, and not a material thing. I took bottles away at 12 months, and my kids never even cried for them. Bed at 15 months, I think I'm onto something here since my kids have never had to suffer being broke of a particular act or object.

Once a child is climbing out of the crib - ditch the crib! It's VERY dangerous to have them climbing in and out. I've seen alot of 1-3 year olds come in with broken legs from falling from the crib... most of them had been doing it without falling for several months before the fall. My kids all went to a twin bed around 2.5 years old and we never had any problems.

The key is to keep him in his room. Then the room becomes the 'crib'. Expect him to sleep on the floor by the door or even in the closet for a few weeks. It's normal. My kids would just fall asleep on the floor by the door for a few weeks. Eventually they learned to just fall asleep in bed because it was more comfortable. Another key is to not have toys in the room. I'm amazed at the number of people who complain because their kids don't sleep once out of the crib... why would they when they have toys to play with? There are books in our children's rooms, and now that they are older and well used to sleeping in a bed, a handful of toys. The toys stay in the toy room or family room, though.

I am so jealous! My son was getting out of his crib at 14 mos and so we transitioned him to his toddler bed right around there. We bought the bed and put it in his room in order to help him transition- but he immediately went for the big boy bed and believe it or not- we have never had a hard time keeping him in it. He does wake in the middle of the night sometimes but that is completely unrelated to keeping him in the bed. I am all for transitioning when children are ready and it sounds like he is ready. Why try to hold him back in the crib?

As for potty training, why not keep diapers on until he is dry through the night? Does he wake now to wee in the night? We are potty training right now too and he works on it during the day but goes to bed with a diaper. I wouldn't complicate the bed with potty training- no matter where he is sleeping you will have to deal with that.

We switched our oldest child to a toddler bed (at 2.5 years of age) nine months before we had our second child & the transition wasn't as difficult as we thought. We had to deal with our oldest climbing into bed with us initially but it was worth it to do so before our second child arrived. Once you have two children (one being a newborn), your time s limited. The transition could have been much more difficult & time-consuming. In fact, if your child is tall like ours then I would suggest switching to a twin bed instead of a toddler bed. Our son used a toddler bed for only six months before he outgrew it.

As a bonus, you can get the baby's room ready early & not have to buy another crib!

Good luck in whatever you choose.

Based on personal experience, ditch the crib. Our daughter broke both bones in her arm after falling from the top, apparently. This was on a carpeted floor. She had never shown any indication of climbing out. Since you know he does, get rid of it. It will work, kids seem to enjoy their, "big girl/boy" bed. It's a fun step for them to take. Good luck.

Hi S.: I remember those days!! Mine are now 15 and almost 12, and it's been awhile, but no matter how tired you get, there is always something else to wake you!! They do, and I stress the DO part, get over it all. Be consistent, and stay the course. When our son began climbing out, my husband had him help to "build" his own big boy bed, and he LOVED it!! I took photos, and now we have the memories preserved. Even on his big boy bed, I put up side rails, in case he fell out. Which he did anyways, but slept through it all!! He was so determined to stay in his big boy bed, that whenever he got up in the night, I would ask him if he needed a chance to go back into his crib, or if he really wanted to stay in his big boy bed. Sometimes he would think about it, and sometimes we would just go right back into his room, and leave his door open just a "crack" and usually he was fine.
Also, we decide early on, that we would not "lock" him in his room. He would get too scared that he could not get out, and wind up having a total tantrum. We talked to him and told him we would not lock him in, but he had to agree to stay in his room, even if he didn't want to. That took quite a while, but he discovered if he had a flashlight, or he could turn on his bedside lamp, he could look at his books, or play quietly (stress quietly), and he would always fall back asleep. As time went on, he would sleep through the night all by himself. But it did take awhile.
D.

We recently had our second child, and after he was born we decided to transition our daughter into her big girl room and bed. She never learned how to climb out of her crib, but she was getting cramped and would call our name in the middle of then night until we came to get her. Then she would refuse to go back to bed, unless it was our bed. Now that she is in her big girl room, she sleeps in there all night. She has walked across the hall into our room only 3 times, but we walk her back and she will go back to sleep in the big girl room. Go for the transition. I think it was harder for me, cause it is another way that my baby is no longer my baby. I think I wanted her to stay small and in her crib forever. We also are throwing her pacifier away tonight, because she has bit a whole in it, and we are not buying another one (since she is 2.5 yrs). All these changes. Potty training has been a joke, because of the new baby. I am sure she will start showing interest after the newness of baby brother disappears.

I would go to the big boy bed. The only reason to keep him in the crib at this point is because he can't get out - and now he can. Unless you try a crib tent. But if you are planning on using the crib for his sister, it will be easier on you both if he is well transitioned out of it. That way he won't feel like you took his bed to give to the baby.

As for the potty training - I'm not sure what to do about that.

Good luck

First off...DO NOT put the gate on the door that prevents your son from getting out of the room. My husband is on the fire department and I don't think I need to tell you why it's NOT a good idea. Those things should not even be on the market!
Secondly. My son was 18 months when we took him out of his crib. It will be tough the first few nights, but he'll get used to it. It's really not as hard as you think...GOOD LUCK!

Big boy bed time.......we put my daughter in when she was 18 months, and she did great. Theres really no point if he can get out anyways! As far as the potty training goes, I am doing that now, so no helpful advice on that subject. Sorry!

I think it would be smarter to make it into a bed.let him adjust to being a big boy.my little brother started in a "big boy bed" when he turned 2 and it worked out great.also with the potty thing does he wear pull-ups at night?have easy off pajama's and a pull-up and have a night light in the bathroom so he can go by himself.

I agree with the previous posters, it's definitely time for the big boy bed. Plus with another on the way, you can get the transitioning out of the way well before the crib is needed. Both of mine were in toddler beds by 18 months and even that young, they did great. Your son should be fine.

With the potty training, as annoying as it is, be grateful that he is waking if he needs to go. Putting diapers on at night, in my opinion, hinders progress. And the other option, requires cleaning a wet bed everyday. Not fun either. My son is right around where yours is with regard to potty training. Most nights if it's necessary, he will wake me, but he still has accidents. One thing you can try, (it's been pretty successful for us) is make him try to do pee pee right before bed. My son usually gets just a little out, but it's usually enough to get him to sleep through the night and stay dry. HTH--Good luck