When should I move my son to a toddler bed?

Question

My son is 16 months old right now, and i'm curious as to when i'm supposed to move him to a toddler bed, or what signs to look for to know he is ready for that kind of move. He very rarely goes right to sleep when we put him down to bed, he likes to play with his toys and then go to sleep. It's the same when he wakes up in the morning, he likes to play with his toys before getting up. I am really worried that he might roll off and hurt himself since he is never in the same position when I check on him at night as to in the morning.

Answer 1

I kept my daughter in a crib until about a month before she turned 3.  

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that you should wait until 3 or until they climb out of the crib or potty trained.

In my opinion, the longer they say in the crib the better.  But you need to do what works for your family.

Answer 2

A short and simple answer: The rule of thumb is to change to a bed when they attempt to  climb out of the crib. Otherwise they can hurt themselves if left in the crib during these escape attempts. Also make sure that there is a mounted gate at the top of the stairs if the bedroom is on a second floor, in case he leaves his room.

Answer 3

Girl... WTF? He isn't even 2 years old yet and you think he should get a toddler bed?

WAIT UNTIL HE IS A TODDLER! He is still a BABY!

If he can't figure out how to WALK then he shouldn't be allowed near a raised platform without barriers to stop him from falling to the floor and snapping his fragile little neck!

Wait until he is AT LEAST 2.5 YEARS old... Even then, wait until HE is ABLE to cope with it...  

Answer 4

Believe like 2yrs. But really there;s no age when u feel his ready!!!!

Answer 5

I moved my son to a toddler bed at 14mths. He was fine with it, it takes some effort to make him go to bed sometimes, as opposed to staying up and playing, but thats what happens with older kids as well. If he's walking then he's ready for a big boy bed. If he's constantly bumping into the sides of the crib, he needs a real bed. If he's outgrown the comfort level of a crib then he needs a bed.

Any kid who is walking and talking, is not a baby anymore, and therefore needs to progress to the next stage.

It'll take a couple weeks for him to get used to it, but that would happen no matter what age he is. I recommend doing it now. Encourage his independence. If he gets out of bed and plays with toys in the morning before really getting up, let him do so..he'll let you know when he wants to come out and start his day.

To start him off, make naptime occur in the toddler bed, and keep the crib up for overnight. he'll gradually be able to sleep in the toddler bed all the time (my son did this within a week).

Waiting until they climb out is a silly idea. it shows that the move is long past due, not finally an issue.

Answer 6

If he's not climbing out of it at all, then I would wait.  You could always put the toddler bed in the room so he gets used to it.  Or some people just go with a twin bed and put up a rail to stop them from falling off.  Other twin beds you can get are already pretty low to the ground.  

Answer 7

Do NOT rush it, despite the advice that clueless liberals might give you.

Children have a natural fear of the dark and like to be with their parents.

Answer 8

If you think he is ready do it.  As soon as my son was getting to tall (that he might try climb over his cot) I moved him to a bed (less to fall).

And make sure you get a bed gaurd you pick one up quite cheap these days.

Answer 9

depends on the baby. my best friend moved her 18 month old to a toddler bed cuz he started climbing out to explore at nite.  she would find him curled up on clean laundry, at the foot of her bed, under the kitchen table, etc., because he couldn't climb back into his crib. so she put him in a toddler bed (less distance to fall out) and put two gates at his bedroom door...(max. security, but he's a little houdini...)

Answer 10

16 months is a bit early I feel.  If he is happy in his crib then leave him in this crib for a bit longer.  When he turns two, and can understand more, talk to him about a toddler bed.

Don't worry about him falling off.  Just get a bar to put on the side of the bed.  My daughter is 4 and still rolls around like crazy.  She would fall off if that bar wasn't there.  

Answer 11

i don't think he is ready cz my baby brother just turned 3 and only a few months ago did he go to a toddler bed.

but it really depends on the baby.

Answer 12

Soon as he is able to climb them rails it is time to get him into a low laying bed or even a mattress on the floor. If your child is able to pull a leg over the railing of the crib it is only a matter of time before the whole body is toppling over the edge and it is a long fall for a tiny tot from the top of a crib railing. Much safer for them to roll off a toddler bed that is less than a foot off the floor than a crib that is about 5 feet off.

My son moved into his bed at about 15 months. We never seen him crawl out of his crib but we would see him coming down the hall or in our bed in the morning, clearly he was climbing out.

Answer 13

I changed my son from a crib to a toddler bed, about three months before he turned two. The signs i got were of him climbing out of the crib just for the simple fact that he didnt want to be in the crib anymore. Hope this helps!!!