Toddler Bed Help

BinksMomma3016

Im sure this has been asked before, but until it relates to you, you just dont pay attention. Anyway, DS is going to be 18 mo and we are thinking of converting his bed to a toddler bed. He is starting to climb, not necessarily in his crib but everywhere else. He will still wake up in the middle of the night once and a while, cry for less than 5 mn and go back to sleep. What do you ladies do as far as keeping your child in the room? So if he does wake up, what keeps him from staying in there and going back to sleep? Or if he is putting up a fight to go to sleep, how do you get him to STAY in his bed? Is he too young or is he ready to start? Im not sure, but during the day when he gets tired he lays on his floor, so I was thinking if his bed was accesible he would lay in that. We also have another lil one on the way. What do you think, help please! Thank you!

howleyshell

When we transitioned at 28 months we locked him in his room.

We couldn't risk the safety issues of him roaming the house (and stairs) while we slept.

Once he was older we took the toddler door knob safety thingies off the inside door knob of his room. 

We were lucky as our transition went off without a hitch.  He didn't realize that he could get out of his bed by himself and just assumed he had to stay in it until I came to get him out.  We had a couple of weeks of that before he figured out he could get out on his own.  Once he figured that out it only took a couple of times of him trying to get out of his room before he realized he couldn't operate the door and would just go get back into bed.

I will tell you that I'm really glad we bought a second crib.  

It was nice being able to tend to the infant in his room knowing the toddler was safe in his crib and not roaming his room getting into things or roaming the house where I couldn't see him. 

jlw2505

I skipped the toddler bed and went right to twin beds with my girls but to answer your questions, 18 months is not to young if you think your child is ready.  I don't beleive their is a right age as every child is different and reacts differently to things.  I moved my odler DD at 18 months and she did awesome, never got out of bed unless we were in the room.  I swear, I think she was close to 3 before she realized she could get out of her bed if I was not in the room.  DD #2 was just moved into her big girl bed a few weeks ago at 17 months.  She has had a harder tranisition but she is also working on a few teeth.  I keep both of their bedroom doors closed when they are sleeping and their rooms are 100% child proofed so they can get out of bed but not out of their rooms.  It has not been an issue so far.  My older DD who can now open her own door has only come out a few times and she has come right into my room and we just take her back to her bed or if its morning/end of nap - go on with our day but tell her she is to stay in her room when she gets up and call for us.  My younger DD gets up every morning and stands near her door quietly for a while and then if we don't show up (I sometimes hear her get up and walking) then she cries for us.  With the teething she has been waking at night but once we get her more Tylenol for the pain, we get her back into her bed.

Jerseygirl16

My oldest started to flip herself (yes, flip head first) out of the crib at 16 1/2 months.  Needless to say we immediately moved her to a twin bed.  She hated it.  Would not stay in bed for anything.  Her room was child proofed so we just locked her in there.  For the first few months she slept on the floor in front of the door but eventually she moved into the bed and from then on was fine.

Now we just got a toddler bed for our 16 month old so she can share a room with big sis when the baby arrives in January.  So far she hates it and I'm not sure how to go about the transition without also putting my oldest through hell.