3 year old in a crib...please no flames :)

CountryatHeart

Alright flame if you must, but here it is.  DD is still in a crib.  She turned 3 in June.  She has a decent amount of room in there still.  She's never made an attempt to climb out of it, and seems very comforted by it.  She is potty trained, but still wearing a pull up at night. I hadn't made a big deal out of getting her moved out, because I realize a toddler bed is the same mattress, therefore the same size.  But a friend made a comment the other day about it, and now I feel like a complete idiot, like I've done a major fail.  So how old is too old for the crib? Are we already at that point? We were planning to move her to a twin in the next 3-5 months (for sure by Christmas).

KathrynMD

If your LO is happy and comfortable, I don't see any issue.

I JUST moved DD to the toddler bed about a month ago and I think I might have waited a little too long.  She was happy in her crib, but moving to the toddler bed was a bigger deal than I realized.  I kinda wish I'd done it sooner and may she wouldn't have noticed it as much, kwim?

 

CountryatHeart

KathrynMD:

If your LO is happy and comfortable, I don't see any issue.

I JUST moved DD to the toddler bed about a month ago and I think I might have waited a little too long.  She was happy in her crib, but moving to the toddler bed was a bigger deal than I realized.  I kinda wish I'd done it sooner and may she wouldn't have noticed it as much, kwim?

 

Yeah, I totally see what you are saying, and I'm afraid at this point, we'll have that issue too

nictel

I am exactly where you are - DS turned 3 end of June and sleeps really really well in his crib.  (We're still working on the potty training.)  He has never tried to climb out and still has a ton of room.  I'm planning on moving him sometime between now and Christmas - probably around October.  My pediatrician seemed to think if he was a fabulous sleeper and a napper, don't mess with it!

CountryatHeart

smsalat:

I won't flame, but this is my point of view:

 If you DD is potty trained, and wears pull up at night, what happens when she does get tranisioned into a twin or toddler bed, and she doesn't realize that she is supposed to go to the potty at night and not in her pants.  DD was in her twin bed at 24 months, and potty trained about nine months later.  She started using the toilent at night just before she turned three.  How is she supposed to leave if she is stuck in a crib?  What if she thinks it is okay to go in bed, and doesn't realize that she needs to use the toilet at night, like she does during the day?  That will be IMO, a more difficult habbit to break. 

Take my opinion as you wish, but it is just a different perspective for you to think about.

 

I totally here what you are saying here, definitely something to think about.

CountryatHeart

nictel:

I am exactly where you are - DS turned 3 end of June and sleeps really really well in his crib.  (We're still working on the potty training.)  He has never tried to climb out and still has a ton of room.  I'm planning on moving him sometime between now and Christmas - probably around October.  My pediatrician seemed to think if he was a fabulous sleeper and a napper, don't mess with it!

Good to hear I'm not the only one! Yes, I also forgot to mention, she takes an awesome 3 hour nap in there every day too!

Smores730

I don't think it's a big deal. She's content in there..whatever! I think if your DD was wanting to get up and potty she would have started screaming your name out to help her. Unless she thinks it's completely not an option and you could have started a bad habit like suggested above. Then again, some kids don't night train till way late and it's not that big of deal.

MaxandRuby

EH, to each their own. DS1 (3yr) has been in a toddler bed since 25.5mos. He climbed out of his crib though. DS2 (almost 2yr) will probably be in a crib until at least 3 unless for some reason he needs a toddler bed. DS2 is special needs though so the crib in general will just be safer for him; however, I'm not sure how much past 3 I'll keep him in a crib. IMO, even though I intend to keep DS2 in a crib for awhile yet, 3 seems "old" to be in a crib.

aboulhos

My DS is almost 2, and he is a great sleeper in his crib.  If all continues this way for the next year, my plan is to skip the toddler bed and move him to a full size bed and redo his room into a big boy room for his 3rd birthday or the Christmas after he turns 3, which will mean he'll be 3 years and 3 months.  I've heard if it aint broke, don't fix it.

CountryatHeart

Smores730:

I don't think it's a big deal. She's content in there..whatever! I think if your DD was wanting to get up and potty she would have started screaming your name out to help her. Unless she thinks it's completely not an option and you could have started a bad habit like suggested above. Then again, some kids don't night train till way late and it's not that big of deal.

Yeah, she does know to call me if she has to go potty, and oftentimes she will call out in the morning when she wakes up.

susanmosley

I can't figure out why this would be flame worthy.  Your child sleeps happily in her bed.  Why would you NEED to change to a different bed?  What was your friends comment that made you feel like you've done a major fail?   I'm confused why a 3 year old in a crib is an issue?

charmgal

CountryatHeart:

Smores730:

I don't think it's a big deal. She's content in there..whatever! I think if your DD was wanting to get up and potty she would have started screaming your name out to help her. Unless she thinks it's completely not an option and you could have started a bad habit like suggested above. Then again, some kids don't night train till way late and it's not that big of deal.

Yeah, she does know to call me if she has to go potty, and oftentimes she will call out in the morning when she wakes up.

My 31 month old is in a crib.  Whatevs.  She loves it, it is her safe place.  She has never asked about getting a bigger bed.  She has plenty of room in her crib and she's never tried to climb out, even though I'm sure she could if she tried.  She is fully potty trained during the day.  If she has to go potty after we put her to bed but before she goes to sleep, or if she has to go in the morning when she wakes up, she'll call out for me. She wears a diaper while she's sleeping.  Besides, our house is laid out in such a way that I'm not letting her go to the bathroom unassisted at night anyway at this point, since I'm not having her roaming around by herself.  So even if she was in a big bed, I'd probably gate her in her room.  She's on the main floor next to the kitchen and we're upstairs.  When she is old enough/able to stop wearing a diaper at night, I'll tell her she needs to get out of bed and go to the potty when she has to go.   Accidents don't happen in potty trained kids because they don't know better than to pee on themselves, they happen because they're unable to get to the bathroom in time, or wake up, or whatever. 

ETA: I meant to quote the pp who talked about her being confused about where to go potty at night.

Toddler101

A toddler bed is a great move for her, it will make her feel more like she is still in a baby crib setting. There are some great tips @ https://www.toddlerbedandmore.com/toddler_tips-html. See here some great info and articles as well.

laurenFaith

My DD is still in a crib and turned 3 the end of June. She's fully potty trained and doesn't wet the bed at night. She goes to the bathroom right before she goes to bed and then when she wakes up.  She's happy and comfortable and I like that she's contained in there!

We actually bought her a twin bed almost a year ago but she's not interested in it. Our take on parenting (pacis, bottles, food, STTN, potty training, etc.) has always been that she does everything when she's ready. We follow her lead and it's worked for us! 

I don't think it's a parenting fail and I totally wouldn't give it another thought until your LO is ready! 

laurenFaith

susanmosley:

I can't figure out why this would be flame worthy.  Your child sleeps happily in her bed.  Why would you NEED to change to a different bed?  What was your friends comment that made you feel like you've done a major fail?   I'm confused why a 3 year old in a crib is an issue?

ITA! 

Paigeo

We switched DD to a bed a month after her 3rd Birthday.  I think as long as your LO fits in it, is happy and not climbing out then it isn't a problem.

VTbride05

DS stayed in until just after age 3. Like your LO he loved it, had room and never climbed out. We made the switch to a twin size bed and never had a problem. GL!

megan&jay

No flames here!! DD turned 3 end of May and still in a crib. We have no interntions of taking her out until she starts having issues sleeping or #2 comes along (not even pg) and she isn't potty trained. We had her 3 year check-up a few weeks ago and pedi didn't care at all, he said there will be a point where she will ask for a bed but since she sleeps fine then not to worry about moving her. 

pting is another story, she is very strong willed and wants nothing to do with it. Going in her big girl underwear and just tosses them in the trash 

macchiatto

I don't think it's a big deal either. My boys are 2.5, still sleep well in their cribs and haven't tried to climb out yet. I don't plan to push the issue until closer to 3 unless they try to climb out or it otherwise becomes a problem.

Lisichka

laurenFaith:

My DD is still in a crib and turned 3 the end of June. She's fully potty trained and doesn't wet the bed at night. She goes to the bathroom right before she goes to bed and then when she wakes up.  She's happy and comfortable and I like that she's contained in there!

We actually bought her a twin bed almost a year ago but she's not interested in it. Our take on parenting (pacis, bottles, food, STTN, potty training, etc.) has always been that she does everything when she's ready. We follow her lead and it's worked for us! 

I don't think it's a parenting fail and I totally wouldn't give it another thought until your LO is ready! 

I completely agree with this. My DD will be 3 in September and I'm not planning to move her out of the crib yet. We'll probably move her to a twin bed before the new baby comes along, so that #2 can have the crib. Honestly, if she's content in there and sleeps great (one of the reasons we're putting it off is that I'm terrified she won't nap anymore and bedtime would be hell!), I'd keep her in the crib.

tablook

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byrne15

ds was 3 years and 2 months old when we switched to the big boy bed.

he wouldve stayed longer if i let him!

Cytina

CountryatHeart:

Smores730:

I don't think it's a big deal. She's content in there..whatever! I think if your DD was wanting to get up and potty she would have started screaming your name out to help her. Unless she thinks it's completely not an option and you could have started a bad habit like suggested above. Then again, some kids don't night train till way late and it's not that big of deal.

Yeah, she does know to call me if she has to go potty, and oftentimes she will call out in the morning when she wakes up.

I have a gate so S can't get out of his room by himself to go potty, so even though he sleeps in a toddler bed, it's the same thing from that perspective.  So no worries there... I do think though the longer you wait the more trouble you might have with the transition but who knows?  Your LO may make the transition just fine regardless.  What's cool about her being older is that she can help pick out the bedding, etc.  We moved S at 18 or 19 months to get the crib ready for DS2 and he was too young to pick anything out.

AngelaU1971

My 2 older kids were both in their cribs after 3.  They switched over to twin beds before their 4th birthdays and had no issues.  I think as long as the kid isn't trying to climb out and is still comfortable in a crib, it's fine!

charmgal

smsalat:

charmgal:

CountryatHeart:

Smores730:

I don't think it's a big deal. She's content in there..whatever! I think if your DD was wanting to get up and potty she would have started screaming your name out to help her. Unless she thinks it's completely not an option and you could have started a bad habit like suggested above. Then again, some kids don't night train till way late and it's not that big of deal.

Yeah, she does know to call me if she has to go potty, and oftentimes she will call out in the morning when she wakes up.

My 31 month old is in a crib.  Whatevs.  She loves it, it is her safe place.  She has never asked about getting a bigger bed.  She has plenty of room in her crib and she's never tried to climb out, even though I'm sure she could if she tried.  She is fully potty trained during the day.  If she has to go potty after we put her to bed but before she goes to sleep, or if she has to go in the morning when she wakes up, she'll call out for me. She wears a diaper while she's sleeping.  Besides, our house is laid out in such a way that I'm not letting her go to the bathroom unassisted at night anyway at this point, since I'm not having her roaming around by herself.  So even if she was in a big bed, I'd probably gate her in her room.  She's on the main floor next to the kitchen and we're upstairs.  When she is old enough/able to stop wearing a diaper at night, I'll tell her she needs to get out of bed and go to the potty when she has to go.   Accidents don't happen in potty trained kids because they don't know better than to pee on themselves, they happen because they're unable to get to the bathroom in time, or wake up, or whatever. 

ETA: I meant to quote the pp who talked about her being confused about where to go potty at night.

Well, if a child has to scream or call for a parent to come get them out of a crib, then the parent has to walk them to the bathroom, you are adding on time (even if you are right next door to the child's room) for them to have to hold it and an accident is more likely to happen, IMO.  Wheras if a child is able to get up and go on his/her own, that cuts the time and an accident may be less likely.  Oh well. 

I look at my daughter (granted she is on the large side for three) and there is no way I could see her in a crib at this age.  I feel that night potty training would have been very difficult to do, considering, just one night started getting up and going by herself.  ts my opinion, each to their own though. 

 Sorry, I wasn't clear.  I'm not night-potty training her until she's in a bed, not while she is still in her crib.  My point was, she's not going to be confused by me telling her to get up and go if she needs to, just because she used to go in a diaper while she was still in a crib. 

la79al

DD1 turned 3 mid May and is still in a crib.  She has been fully potty trained for over a year and I can count on one hand the number of accidents she has had in her crib.  I like knowing where she is and if she doesn't want to go to bed at night, she can whine and complain but she can't get up and fall down the steps in the dark. 

CountryatHeart

Thanks girls, so all put great perspective on this, and made me feel so much better!! I'm going to go ahead and keep her in her crib until Christmas when we'll do her "big girl" room, as long as she continues to be happy!

BlinkingLight1

Throwing in my 2 cents... I don't think this is flame worthy. DS is still in his crib. He hasn't tried to climb out and he's fine there. He also isn't potty trained. We have a lot going on right now (we just moved and we're having #2 any day) so I didn't want to throw too much transition at him at once.

xmasbabymama

I think you are totally fine, why rush it? 

I slept in a crib until I was 4 and my sister slept in it until she was in kindergarten. We both knew how to climb out of it, but didn't. My mom's feeling was that we were happy and why would she mess with it. Both of us were potty trained at 2.5 (overnight as well, we just called for help in the AM). Neither of us had a problem switching to a bed. I think that I actually had a room ready to move into (with a big bed) when I was 3 and my mom would ask me if I wanted to, but I just didn't.

My daughter is 2.5 and is in a bed so that we could use the crib for our son and there are many nights that I honestly wish I had just bought a 2nd crib.