Each of my children were different when it came to the transition from a crib to toddler bed. I don’t know that there is any right/wrong way to do it, as long as you figure out what works. My oldest was transitioned to a toddler bed at a year old, because he was able to climb out of his crib himself. We got him the really cool race car bed for his first birthday and within a few weeks tried to begin to transition him. Although he liked playing on the bed, he didn’t want to sleep on it. I had to think outside the box and figure out what the difference was. That’s when it hit me, he feels comfortable with the bars around him. I put his toddler bed against one wall and the crib pushed against the other side. This gave him the security to sleep in the bed but the bars to make him comfortable.
I slowly moved the crib away from the toddler bed and he was fine with it. Although it took a while to figure it out, it was a fairly easy transition. My second was a little easier, maybe because she was used to sleeping in a play pen, we were in a transition period and we had to use a playpen as a crib for awhile. I was able to put her in the toddler bed for naps and soon she happily went to bed at night in her big girl bed. The youngest child was the easiest and just started sleeping in his bed no problem. I think this is because he wanted to be a big boy like his brother. As you can see, each child is very different and just because something works well for one child, doesn’t mean it will for every child.
But how do I know when to transition my child to a toddler bed? No one can really tell you when you should or shouldn’t transition, this is all up to you. I know many people that keep their children in cribs well over two years old. Personally, I moved all of my children over at a year old. It is important when your child is potty training they are put into a toddler bed to ensure they are able to get to the restroom when needed. Ensure that if your child is able to climb out of their crib, you have moved the mattress to the lowest position. If they are still determined to escape from their crib, it is important for their safety to move them into a toddler bed.
