Another question re. moving to a big bed

[*Natasha*]

So we are TTC2 at the moment so it has been on my mind when we have the 2nd do i move DD to a big bed? I always wanted to wait until she was 3yrs old. We have 2 cots so that isn't the issue.
So from experiences ladies those who moved thier toddlers early around 18-24 months compared to when they are older around 3yrs old please share.

[Diegos Mama]

I moved both of my boys around two years old.  I think a lot depends on temprament believe it or not.  Diego's a total rule follower and stayed in bed with little effort. I think we rewarded him with a gummy bear vitamin in the morning if he stayed in bed.  With Emilio it was even easier and D & E share a room so Emilio was quite happy to be in a big bed next to his brother.  I simply told him that if he got out of bed he'd have to sleep the rest of his night in the crib.  He was transitioned in a matter of days and his nightwakings vanished.

Whatever you decide, I would recommend starting with naps in the bed, keeping nighttime sleep in the crib for a bit.  With that said, though, I see no reason to rush things.  If your daughter is happy in her crib and not climbing out, then why push it.  Truly, I think the older they are, the easier it is as they understand more.  Emilio was climbing out of his crib (and into it again!) on a regular basis, so we transitioned him for safety reasons.

[~Angie~]

I have been debating the same thing about when I want to move DD into a big bed. We are moving overseas, so have to bring a big bed for later on and would be much easier to not have to bring a crib also. I think I have decided to just go ahead and bring her crib along and keep her in it as long as possible. Here is why:

We moved DS to a bed around 19 months. He did great with it. Never got up, always went right to sleep. BUT, he has always been a great sleeper. Never one to wake much at night and usually goes to sleep fairly quickly. DD is not always such a good sleeper. Plus, once they are in a big bed as soon as they are awake, they are up. DS used to wake in his crib and would go back to sleep. Now, when he wakes, he is up and so are we.  IMO  if you have two cribs, I would leave DD in her crib as long as possible.

[Florencia]

I'm also one of the "if it ain't broken don't fix it" school of thought. DS adores his crib and he's almost 2 and a half. He hasn't attempted to climb out of it yet so I'm leaving him there as long as he wants to. She'll let you know when she's ready by her behaviour.

[Janice Anne]

Hi Natasha,

We first started trying to move ds#1 into his big boy bed at about 24 months. Everyone said to try naps first then progress to nighttime. Nothing worked! He looooved his crib. Only once climbed out when we took too long, in his opinion, to come and get him one morning.

He would cry, cry, cry when we'd put him in it. It wasn't until he was 2.5 years old that he went over to the big bed with little fuss, and a bit of bribery. I bought a small number of little toys I knew he'd love. I put one toy on a shelf near his bed but out of reach and showed it to him. Then I told him he couldn't have it until he slept the whole night through in his bed. Worked like a charm! I had to do the prize thing for about 1 week when he finally just forgot to ask for his prize in the morning.

He would occasionally ask to sleep in his crib but I just firmly say no and he doesn't push it. Sicne then we'd have ds#2 who is now sleeping in the crib and ds#1 has no issues with it.

Good luck!

Janice

[Wilsmon]

We moved DD when she was just under two, and spent the next several months sleeping on the couch outside her bedroom door, meeting her at the door several times a night and putting her back to bed in hysterics. 

I guess you could say I am in the "leave them in the crib as long as you can" category.  I am with DS who is now 22 months.  Probably will get a crib tent when/if he does start to climb out and wait until 2 1/2 to 3.  Have been told by other "sleep experts" on other sites that they have more ability to understand rules and boundaries at this age.

[Wilsmon]

I guess I should add that neither of mine have ever been sound sleepers either.  Just told my MIL this morning that if DS was a sound sleeper that rarely woke at night I would probably consider it earlier, but he still is hit and miss and generally wakes up at least once a night just to check and make sure we are still here.  Figure he would do the same thing in a big boy bed but get up and come looking instead of yelling!

[TDR'smom]

We just moved our 18 month old ds to a big boy bed.  His crib was actually one of those convertible ones where you take the side off to make it into a day bed.

Ds had been climbing out of his crib for about a week, so we decided to bite the bullet.

Surprisingly he has done really well.  It has been about 2 weeks now. 

Routine, routine, routine....was the key.  We kept the same nap and bedtime routines so we had very few problems.  The first day or two we had to go back in because he kept getting out to play around in his room.  But now he stays in his bed.  Only problem is that he wakes up a little earlier than normal to play in his room.   



All that being said, I agree with some of the earlier posts that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".  I would have been fine with ds staying in a crib till 2-3 years old, however with him climbing out, it was becoming a safety issue. 

Good luck with whatever you decide!!   

[Carter'sMama]

We just moved Carter into his big boy bed this weekend!  He has been having naps in it for about 3 months with no problems (he is usually a great sleeper, no night wakings etc and has never tried to get out of his crib).  I had promised Dh we would have him out of the crib by Xmas so he would be completely used ot it by the time # 2 comes beginning of April!  The first 3 nights were great, a couple of night wakings due to his bad cold but he went right to sleep.  Tonight however, I had to put him back to bed about 6 times because he kept gettign up and banging on his door.

I woudl say if you have no rush then keep her in her crib!  I wish Carter could stay in his crib, but we only have the one crib and his big boy room was painted and all ready for him to move into.

[*Natasha*]

Thanks Ladies for your imput. I think we will keep DD in a crib for as long as we possibly can.