Big girl/boy bed question for you ladies

mylove2005 · November 2009

DH and I are at odds about when to transfer DD to a girl bed. I am the one saying that she is not ready yet because of the fact that she does not sleep soundly through the night. She wakes up atleast 2 times a night between midnight and 6 am. She is not trying to climb out yet. DH seems to beleive that since my niece has been sleeping in her big girl bed since 2.5 and she is 3.5 that DD should be and I have tried to explain that she has been sleeping through the night since 3 months old. She was ready.

So our question is at what age did you move your DC and how did you know they were ready.

Thanks so much

Marce921 · November 2009

How old is your DD? DS starting nose diving out, right after his 2nd birthday. So, we switched him then. If he hadn't of started that, he might just STILL be in the crib. LOL

DandelionMom · November 2009

We moved all 3 girls when they tried to climb out of the crib, right around their third birthday.

FriskyPanda · November 2009

DD is 2y8m, My plan is to wait until she is able to climb out. I'm slowly getting her room toddler proofed so when the time comes there won't be so much to do. I'm just not ready for my kid to have that much freedom, especially when we're asleep.

We may move her earlier because her friend at school has a little sister and has been telling DD and the other kids that only babies sleep in cribs. We'll see how long before she starts asking.

penguingrrl · November 2009

At 16 months DD flat out refused the crib. We had just gotten back from being away for the holidays and she had been sleeping in a sleeping bag and got used to it I guess. She screamed any time we got near the crib. I switched it to a toddler bed and she went back to being a great sleeper.

mylove2005 · November 2009

Marce921:
How old is your DD? DS starting nose diving out, right after his 2nd birthday. So, we switched him then. If he hadn't of started that, he might just STILL be in the crib. LOL

She will be 3 on the 22 of December

minnasmommy · November 2009

S started climbing out of her crib at 15 months so there was NO WAY we were putting her in a big girl bed that early. she is still in her crib thanks to her crib tent.

I'm planning for around her 3rd bday which is in january.

K&KMOM · November 2009

Kyle moved to a big boy bed at 22 months. We were working on getting his big boy room ready (he moved rooms) and it was almost done and he randomly escaped from his crib. We never looked back.

august06mom · November 2009

DS was almost 3 years, 3 months. Moving to a bed is not a milestone or something that needs to be hit. If she's fine, I say leave her.

LanaM · November 2009

Ethan was in his crib until 2 years and 9 months old. I would've liked to keep him in there longer, until 3.5, but we were expecting DS2 in 3 months and figured it was a good time to switch.

J hates his crib. He's been sleeping with us for almost 3 months now. He slept in the crib at my parents' 1 night this weekend, but he would not go near his crib.... so we are thinking of getting him a toddler bed. He's 19 months old.

lsufan · November 2009

We moved Evan at 18 months because he was climbing out and refused to sleep with the crib tent. We moved Bennett out of the crib just before he turned 2 because we needed the crib for #3. Buying another crib was not an option, because there's nowhere to put it. If Bennett were the youngest, he'd still be in the crib.

katie277s · November 2009

We turned DS's bed into a daybed at 2 years. He never tried to climb out, but he was ready. We used the rail for about 2 weeks, and we haven't had a problem since.

Kids are ready at different times. I would tell your DH not to worry about it. Unless she is trying to climb out of the crib, keep her in as long as you can!

Andrewsgal · November 2009

DD climbed out of her crib at 15 months, then not again until 18 months. When she did it at 18 months, we had just found out I was PG with DS. We turned her crib into a toddler bed, it went so well we had her in her big girl bed by 20 months.

jessicaclare · November 2009

We moved DD at almost 2.5, because we wanted to use the crib for DD #2. She was a very good sleeper prior to the switch, though. I was nervous, but it was a very easy transition. She never gets out at night and even waits for us to get her in the morning. Doesn't even get out during naps. I'm not sure if that is the norm, but she was clearly ready.

If you don't need the crib for another baby, and she sleeps well in it, why rock the boat? Its not like its a milestone or anything, and plenty of kids stay in their cribs until they are past age 3. I don't think I'd mess up her sleep patterns until she really is too big to sleep in it. JMO.

hikerbeth · November 2009

I decided I wasn't going to move my DD until 1) She climbed out, 2) She asked for a big girl bed, 3) She was nighttime potty training and needed to be able to get out of bed.

At 28 months (to the day) she told me she wanted to sleep in a big girl bed and that was that. I took the rail off her crib for a week just to make sure it wasn't a fluke and then set up a twin in her room. I firmly believe there were no "transition issues" because it was her own doing. She didn't even start climbing out of her twin bed on her own in the morning 'til she was 3.5.

hopefulmom · November 2009

Most were 2 1/2 - 3 when they moved to a toddler bed and 3 1/2 when they moved to a big bed. My oldest DD was 4 when she moved out of a crib into a full size bed. She loved her crib. lol

jen5-03 · November 2009

I moved DD to a twin bed at 16mo because a) she was a crap sleeper; b) we were co-sleeping starting around midnight every night after a few hours in the crib; and c) she slept on a mat at daycare so I figured she could stay in a bed.

It went well, she slept better there and she's never gotten out of bed at night - if she wakes up, she cries/calls for us.

My DD did wake up several times a night for a long long time, but did it a bit less in a big bed than the crib and was more willing to go back to sleep in her own bed once the crib was gone. Plus, with the extra night wakings, it is really nice to be able to lay down with her if that's what it takes for us all to get a bit more sleep.

I vote for giving it a trial run. Pull the crib mattress out, plop it on the floor and see if she sleeps better there. If it doesn't work just toss the mattress back in the crib and nothing is lost but an hour or so of sleep maybe.

MichelleWP · November 2009

My oldest was 2.5, my younger all moved just before their 2nd birthdays (to free the crib for the new babies with the boys, and it worked so well I did the same with my DD). My daughter wasn't sleeping through the night at that point, but immediately started sleeping through once she was in her big girl bed! In my experience moving earlier has been much easier.

s_angel · November 2009

We moved DD#1 tonite! She is almost 3yr 2m - we were in no hurry whatsoever as she wasn't trying to climb out. We only moved her today because we got such a great deal on a bed!

Punk*Mommy · November 2009

Both my DS and DD were out of the crib and in a toddler bed around 14 months.

DS was because I was expecting DD and wanted to free up the crib, and DD was because she was climbing everything and I didn't want her to climb out of her crib and hurt herself.

patty78 · November 2009

We moved DD a few months before she turned two. Part of her crib broke and I thought we would try a toddler bed rather then buying a new crib. She did very well! Just last week we bought her a twin bed, she will be 3 in March. She is actually sleeping sooooo much better. I think her crib mattress had gotten very uncomfy and her new mattress is so much nicer then the crib one.

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