Is Your Child Ready for a Toddler Bed?

Deciding to move your child into a toddler bed can be a major decision for many households. Is your child ready for the change? Will they be afraid of the new bed? Will your child take advantage of their new found freedom? All of these questions and many more will probably be floating around in your head while you consider moving your child into a toddler bed. Here are a few tips on being able to tell if your child is ready for the big move.

Climbing Out- If your child is climbing out of their crib then it is probably a very good time to move them into a toddler bed. Climbing out of a crib can be a very dangerous problem if your child were to slip and fall. Many parents have been woken by a loud thump in the middle of the night from their child climbing out of their crib and landing right on the floor with a hard thump. While others have been awakened by a roaming child who is climbing back into their crib after getting into their favorite snack in the kitchen. So if you notice this happening, it is a good idea to think about getting a toddler bed.

Outgrown Cribs Limits- Like with any baby product, it is a good idea to move your child out of their crib when they outgrown it. Some children will do this sooner than others. You may have a one year old who is rolling into the sides and just down right cramped. While on the other hand there could be a very petite two year old who still has plenty of room to grow in their crib. If you think that your child has outgrown their crib then it is a good time to think about getting a toddler bed.

New Sibling on the Way- One of the big reasons that a child gets moved into a toddler bed is because they have a baby sibling that will be arriving soon and will need the crib. If this is the situation that you are in it is a good idea to begin the crib to toddler bed transition as early as you can. If you make the transition too close to the birth of the new baby then your child could hold some resentment towards the baby. Your toddler will feel like the new baby pushed them out of their beloved crib. So it helps to make the crib to toddler bed transition at least a few months before the arrival of your new baby.

When you finally decide that it’s time to transition your child into a big boy/girl bed, you ultimately have to decide what type of bed to get. There are many ways to set up a new bed. The first type of bed that most people think about when you say toddler bed are those cutesy little plastic beds that you see at your local Wal-Mart or similar stores. These are small, low to the floor and many have built-in side rails. These toddler beds may help the transition go smoother for some children because they look like big toys to enjoy. Especially when you get into the ones that are shaped like race cars and princess castles. Other parents choose to jump right into a regular twin or full size bed when their child is ready to leave the crib behind. You can just start out with a mattress on the floor so that your child can get use to the new bed without fear of having a bed too high and possibly have a long way to fall if they roll off the bed in the middle of the night. Where as if your child does not roll around at night you could go ahead and put the rails and mattress all together without worrying about them falling out at night. The bed type is up to you and how you think your child will adapt to their new bed.

Once you have picked out your child’s new toddler bed it’s a good idea to get some colorful and fun sheets for your child’s new bed. If your child has a favorite cartoon character then they would really enjoy having bed sheets with their favorite character on them. Having sheets that your child loves will really help to get them into their new toddler bed. Another good idea is to put the new bed into the same spot as the crib. This will help your child become more accustomed to the new bed because where they sleep is still the same spot in their bedroom.

When your child is finally moved into their new toddler bed make sure that you keep their bedtime routine the same as before. Your child will need their normal routine more than ever during this period in their young lives. Make sure that you make the new bed part of their routine. You could curl up in their new bed with them and read a bedtime story instead of sitting in the rocking chair. Make a big deal out of their new bed. Talk it up and try to get them excited about being a big boy or girl. A new bed is a fun time and you want your child to feel that too.

In the end, each child will be ready for a toddler bed at different times. My two older daughters were in their big girl beds by the age of eighteen months. Where as, my thrid daughter is twenty-five months old and refuses to even let me keep a side rail of her crib down. She feels safe and secure in her crib and far be it from me to ruin that. She is very petite and still has plenty of growing room and since our crib turns into a toddler bed I don’t have to worry about weight limits. I also highly enjoy the fact that I don’t have to worry about her running around the house at 2am.