This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Kids & Family

Switching to the "Big Kid" Bed

When do you know that it is time to make the switch?

Trying to determine the right time to switch from a crib to a “big kid” bed can be difficult. There are a lot of factors that can go into the decision. So what time is the right time to make the switch?

Nicole:

We’ve just started toying with the idea of a big kid bed. I always thought I’d keep our daughter in her crib as long as possible. She likes it, she’s never climbed out of it (or tried to... and if she wanted to, she could), and I like the peace of mind knowing she can’t just get out of bed in the middle of the night. But she spends a lot of time at my parents house and they have a pack 'n’ play for her. The last time she spent the night, while she still fit fine in the pack 'n’ play and doesn’t complain about it, she stood up in it when I was getting her out and she looked HUGE! That, for me, was the sign to switch.

But how? Most of my friends children are older and they have all already switched to toddler beds with fairly high success rates. And yet the thought of switching her scares me, and it’s for completely selfish reasons. I’ve watched “Supernanny”, I’ve seen the kids who make bedtime a nightmare because they just keep getting out of bed. And if you’ve read The Mom Squad before, you know that my child can be a bit rambunctious. I don’t want bedtime to turn into a big ordeal that I have to stress out about every night. As a parent, you have enough to worry about. But I’ve got to do it. I just need to suck it up and get it done!

We ordered her big kid bed this weekend. We bought her a pretty iron bed and it’ll be here soon. We’ve played around with different ideas. Setting it up next to her crib so she can get used to it. Taking the side of her crib off to get used to being able to get up in the middle of the night. But we decided to just go cold turkey and take her crib down one day and put her bed up. Here’s hoping it goes a lot more smoothly than the horrible nightmares I’ve made in my head!

Bethany:

We had always said that we would make the switch at the age of 2. But, Claire turned 2 when I was still pregnant with Joey. (He has always been a big boy, even “in the belly” as we say.) So just before her second birthday, I could no longer reach into her crib and pick her up because my big belly wouldn’t let me. After a few nights of Papa putting her in her bed instead of me, I was feeling left out. So, we decided to just go for it. We made the switch and turned her crib into toddler bed mode.

I was worried that she would fall out. A friend had just made the switch with her daughter and suggested I put a “crash pad” (folded over comforter) next to her bed just in case. She fell out the second night, but hasn’t since. I heard a sad little thump and she cried, but wasn’t hurt, just confused.

As I mentioned before, I put in her doorway during nap time and bed time. This keeps the dog out and keeps her from wandering the house looking for Mommy in a state of sleepy confusion. She knows how to open doors, we have some steps in our house, and there are too many other things to worry about. I sleep much better knowing that she is safe in her room no matter what.

Another worry I had was that she would get up and play when she should be sleeping. She has always gone to bed at night really well, but nap time is a little more tricky. (Even in her crib, she would play and talk during what was supposed to be nap time. Unless she is really tired, it takes a few times of me going in to remind her it is time to be quiet and lie down.) Well, she did get up to play during what was supposed to be nap time (and still does occasionally) but she’s much better about it now.

The switch wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We all got used to it pretty fast actually. She loves her “big girl bed” and I think it really does help to make her feel more like a big girl too.

It’s almost impossible to predict when it’s a good idea to do anything with children! Parenting is a lot about trial and error. We all want the switch from a crib to a toddler bed to be a smooth transition, but we never really know when we dive in to make the change. Making the switch and hoping for the best is really all we can do!

Don't forget to check out Campbell Patch - Mom Squad on Facebook! We answer your questions, take your suggestions, and offer up support to our fellow Moms.

Find out what's happening in Campbellwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?