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Advice on switching LO to his toddler bed

Addy1227Addy1227 member
in Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
LO is on the younger side for this, he's 19 months, he doesn't try climbing out although he does use it as a trampoline. My dilemma is I bought a mini crib to save space not knowing that my toddler would be off the charts. His mattress is 38 inches long and he's pushing 36 inches so in that sense I just don't feel like it's safe for him to use anymore. He could easily get out but doesn't and seems rather content in his crib so I hate to switch but I'm worried he'll get hurt. He got his feet stuck through the bars the other day so that was the decision maker.

Anyway, FTM here, what are some ways to make this as smooth as possible? He likes to play in his crib before falling asleep so I just don't see the transition going smoothly. SO and I were thinking to move him in the middle of the night but I don't know if waking up in a different place will freak him out or not. LO does not like to cuddle and will not fall asleep if SO or I are in the room so I see us laying him down and him just getting out right and trying to make a game of it. TIA!!
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Re: Advice on switching LO to his toddler bed

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    ashiscuteashiscute member
    Personally I'd leave him in there.  If he isn't trying to climb out and is sleeping well then I don't see the problem.  My DD got her leg stuck in her crib.  I still left her in there till she turned 3.  

    If you are going to move him I definitely would not do it in the middle of the night.  I would freak out if I woke up in a completely different place so I'm sure he wouldn't love it.  If you get him a toddler bed just do your routine like normal, lay him down, and leave the room.  If he gets out of bed and comes out of the room put him back down.  Also, make sure any furniture is safely bolted to the wall in case he climbs on it.  
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    valeriegpvaleriegp member
    I agree with PPs. You can get a breathable bumper at Target, or at this age even a regular bumper would be okay. And if you do decide to move him to a bed, definitely don't do it in the middle of the night. That will probably totally freak him out. It would freak me out!
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    homebirdhomebird member
    Do you feel comfortable with the idea that he may be roaming around his room at night? Can he open doors?



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    nanabanana06nanabanana06
    We just did the switch this last week. We got a twin mattress and put it right on the floor. After doing the whole toddler bed thing with my daughter we decided to save money and skip a step. We baby proofed his room and reversed the handle on his door so the lock is facing out. He did perfectly fine. He actually loves it.
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    BeevolBeevol member
    We switched our daughter at 22 months to a mattress and box spring on the floor. One thing that helped with the transition was talking it up for a week or two before hand - by the time she finally got to sleep in her big girl bed, she was practically begging to go to bed (something that never happened before, or since). We didn't do a slow transition like I've heard some people do (like bed for naps, crib for bedtime), we just set the bed up Saturday morning and put her down in it for her nap that afternoon and that was that. She plays in her bed and sometimes get out to get other toys, but the room is baby proofed and the door (which she can't yet open) is shut.
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    DawnJM25DawnJM25 member
    DD was 28 mo when we converted her crib to a toddler bed. If I remember right, we were going to start potty training in a month or 2 and wanted her to be able to get out of bed if she had to go.  She tested the boundaries at first. She would get out of bed and play in her room sometimes, or come and get us for different things.  Naptime was the harder time of day for her to stay in bed.  I can watch her on the video monitor and talk to her through that, so just a little reminder to get back into bed usually does the trick.  She's now almost 3 and still gets out of bed for different things.  We just gently remind her to stay in bed.  But she's also potty trained and she can go on her own, so I want her to get out of bed to do that!
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    Addy1227Addy1227 member
    We have a toddler bed that a family member passed down to us so we'll use that. I baby proofed his room months ago so I'm not too worried about him roaming at night, I'll obviously double check everything before the switch. He can't open doors but even if he could we set up a baby gate in front of his door so he won't be able to roam the house. As much as I would love to leave him in the crib it's just not a safe option in my opinion, he can't even stretch out, his legs are always bent up against the sides.

    Thanks for your suggestions!
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