Transitioning your child from a crib to a bed is a really exciting transition, but it can also be nerve-wracking! We’ve done it twice now, and while it went smoothly both times and sleep is literally my job, I was still just as nervous!
You just never know what will actually happen.
So in this blog, I’m going to walk you through my top tips for transitioning your toddler from a crib to a bed, including:
- The ideal age to make the crib-to-bed transition
- How to include your toddler as you prepare to transition them to a bed
- What not to say that first night in their big kid bed
- How to help your toddler through the crib-to-bed transition while also having consistent boundaries
- The importance of a toddler clock
And so much more!
What is the best age to transition your toddler from their crib to a bed?
We recommend waiting until your child is as close to three years old as possible before making the crib-to-bed transition!
Even for the most verbal two-year-olds, the newfound freedoms that come with a big kid bed are hard to understand, and we need to make sure our kids fully grasp the expectations that come with this new territory. Not to mention their ever-developing impulse control!
It’s one thing to understand the words, “Stay in bed until morning,” but it’s another thing to actually have the impulse control to do so.
We’ve had many families come to us because their child was a great sleeper until transitioning out of the crib and it all went downhill from there, and it’s often because the transition happened too soon. Their child isn’t quite ready for that level of responsibility yet! (And in case you’re wondering, yes, we’ve definitely encouraged some parents to put their child back in the crib when we worked together!).
Can you wait longer than three?
Absolutely!! Our girls were both 3.5 when we transitioned them, and to be honest, they would have happily stayed in their cribs even longer. But both times friends were giving away their extra bed for free, so we jumped on the opportunity! And I know people who have kept their kiddos in their cribs well into age four! When it works, it works.
Another “milestone” I suggest waiting on before transitioning to a big bed is dropping the final nap. Naps can be a tricky part of the sleep puzzle as is, and I’ve heard of many families who have transitioned their toddler to a bed while they were still napping every day, but the transition made that nap become a huge challenge, or sometimes just not happen anymore.
And we all know that sleep begets sleep, so missing a much-needed afternoon nap every day will certainly impact nighttime sleep.
So perfect, world, try to wait until your little one is at least three years old to transition them out of the crib, and try to wait until they’re done napping.
Now, if you have a daring toddler who has already climbed out of the crib, or it seems like it’s just a matter of months, we can’t always wait until they’re three.
How to Handle Crib Climbers
Safety is absolutely a huge priority here, so if you’re reading this and you’re nervous about your toddler climbing out of the crib, or they’ve already tried to, first, read this post with some tips to keep them from climbing out.
If you’ve tried all the tricks and they just keep climbing, I totally get it. You do have to transition them to a bed, and sometimes that happens before the age of three. And if that’s the case, it could certainly be a challenge to teach them to stay in their bed all night, but it’s necessary.
My top tip for you would be to treat your child’s bedroom as their crib. So make sure all of the furniture is anchored, there are no toys in the room for them to play with, and there’s nothing dangerous you wouldn’t want them getting into. And if they can open the door, I even suggest using a door knob cover or a baby gate so they can’t leave the room. We certainly don’t want a toddler able to roam the house in the middle of the night!
That way, if they get out of their bed, they are totally safe. And if they happen to fall asleep somewhere on the floor, or on their bean bag, they’re totally safe! That is definitely not a battle worth fighting. Even though it’s so sad to see your little one not sleeping on their beautiful new, comfortable bed you got them, let them sleep where they sleep! Keep tucking them into their bed each night, and they will eventually realize their bed is the best place to sleep.
What if you’re pregnant and need the crib for your next baby?
Another reason many families consider transitioning their toddlers from a crib to a bed before the age of three is because they are pregnant with another baby and want the crib available for their next baby.
While we certainly want the crib to be ready for the new baby eventually, that baby can absolutely wait! They can sleep in a bassinet for the first several weeks of their life, and from there (or even from the start) they can sleep in a pack ‘n play for quite some time.
All three of my girls actually slept in a pack ‘n play for at least the first year of their life, and my oldest actually slept in a pack ‘n play until she was 2.5, simply because that’s all we had space for.
So no rush on getting big brother or sister out of that crib!
How to Include Your Toddler While You Plan the Crib-to-Bed Transition
This is a very exciting transition, and it’s a big deal for both you and your toddler! So let them in on what’s happening and when, and involve them as much as possible!
Talk about how they’re going to start sleeping in a big bed in X number of days and stick to that plan. You could even do a paper chain countdown!
Then invite them to take part in the switch. Maybe they hand you tools as you take the crib apart, or help you “build” the new bed. Consider letting them pick out their new sheets, or decide between two colors for their bedspread.
We want your child to be excited and feel like they have some say in this new change happening!
So once it’s time to transition, just do it! Don’t give them the option of their crib or their new bed, simply remove the crib and make this new big kid bed their now bed.
What NOT to Say When Transitioning Your Toddler from their Crib to a Bed
I know that your biggest fear when making this transition is that your toddler is going to get out of bed. I HEAR YOU! It’s a very real possibility. However, you are very likely thinking about this way more than they are.
If you normally lay your child in their crib, kiss them goodnight, and walk away, DO THE SAME THING when they’re in their bed! Follow their normal bedtime routine and they will very likely do the same thing, as well, and go to sleep.
As you’re preparing for the crib-to-bed transition, and as you’re tucking them in on the first night in their big kid bed, do not say, “Now remember sweetie, don’t get out of bed!”
Because you’ve now just planted the idea in their little heads that getting out of bed is a possibility, and it’s now much more likely that they will try to get out of bed.
Simply kiss them goodnight with an, “I can’t wait to see you in the morning!”
There may come a time and place when you do have to remind them to stay in bed, and we’ll get there, but those first few nights are NOT the time.
And that leads us to our next tip, which is…
Grace + Boundaries + Consistency
It’d be awesome if you made this transition and your toddler never got out of bed, and that is totally possible. AND it’s still possible that they take advantage of this newfound freedom and try to get out of bed. That’s okay, and it doesn’t have to last forever!
So first, GRACE.
If your toddler gets out of bed, stay calm and walk them right back to bed. Remind them that it’s bedtime, it’s time to lay down, you love them, and you’ll see them in the morning.
Next, BOUNDARIES!
You are walking them back to tuck them in bed again and say goodnight. You are not going to read one more bedtime story or get one more drink of water, and you’re not going to sit in there for 20 minutes as they fall asleep. We don’t want them to learn that if they get out of bed they get a nice little “reward” for doing so, as this will incentivize them to keep getting out!
And, of course, CONSISTENCY.
You will do this each time they get out of bed, whether it’s bedtime or in the middle of the night, and this will happen whether it’s mom or dad. Again, we don’t want them learning any little ways around the new “system.”
Now if it’s been about two weeks since you transitioned your toddler from the crib to a bed and they are still struggling to get out of bed most nights, it’s time to get creative and put more systems into place to help them learn these new expectations.
This would be a great time to make sure you snag our bedtime routine chart and boundary cards to help you set up some “bedtime rules” and stick with them!
I also want you to know that some kids seem to have a “honeymoon” phase when they first transition from the crib to a bed, so if your little one does really well at first and stays in bed all night, but then starts struggling after a few days or weeks, that’s totally normal!
Remember…grace + boundaries + consistency.
Why Using a Toddler Clock is So Helpful When Transitioning from the Crib to a Bed
If you’re not already using a toddler clock (my favorite is the Hatch Rest!), and your kiddo is two or older, and especially if you think the crib-to-bed transition is on the horizon, it’s time to start using one now!
We want it to be very clear to your toddler when it’s nighttime and when it’s morningtime. So if they wake up in the middle of the night, or stir at 5 am and think it’s morning time, we want them to quickly realize it’s still nighttime and they should be sleeping!
A toddler clock is the perfect way to take the pressure off mom and dad from constantly having to say, “It’s still nighttime.” Instead, your child can learn to take that responsibility upon themselves, check to see what color their light is, and if it’s not yet green, for example, they know it’s still sleep time.
Because if your little one’s room is super dark, as it should be, midnight versus 5 am won’t look any different to them! So a great way to avoid those pitter-pattering feet down your hallway at all hours of the night, wondering if it’s time to wake up, is to use a toddler clock.
And if you’re listening to this and your kiddo is already in a big bed, or the transition has to happen asap because they’re crib climbing, that’s okay! You can absolutely start using a toddler clock now. Just know that it may take a bit longer for your child to fully understand because they don’t have that natural boundary of the crib rail keeping them put.
Final Tips When Transitioning Your Toddler from a Crib to a Bed
Go right for the twin or full-sized bed rather than a “toddler bed.”
It’s totally fine if you take one side of your child’s crib and turn it into a toddler bed. However, if it’s a possibility, I always prefer going right for a normal bed!
One, you’ll have to get your child a bigger bed down the road anyway, so why not now? More importantly, the toddler bed looks a whole lot like the crib, and if your child has been a crib climber, this will be all the more inviting (and easy!) to jump right out of.
So let’s just make it feel altogether different!
Use bed railings.
If there’s any way to prevent your toddler from falling out of their new big bed in the middle of the night, we certainly want to do so! You can use something like these bed railings on either side of the bed. Or you can use something like this “bumper”, or even something so simple as a pool noodle if you’re not concerned about your toddler moving around too much.
We started both of our girls with the classic bed railings, and now they both simply have one soft bumper under their sheets on one side of the bed. They’d probably be just fine without it, but neither is comfortable with the thought of not having it, and I have no problem keeping it!
Read the bedtime books in your child’s bed.
Rather than reading your child’s bedtime books in some sort of rocking chair or bean bag, move your reading time to the child’s bed! Then when it’s time for lights out, your child is already comfortably in bed and there’s one less transition to remind them that getting out of bed is an option.
Conclusion
I know the transition from crib to bed is overwhelming, so hopefully you’ve walked away from this blog post feeling more confident to go about it! You CAN get through this transition and still have a solid sleeper.
As with anything when it comes to toddlers and older children, consistency is key! It’s important to set boundaries and remain consistent with them so your child knows exactly what to expect at bedtime and throughout the night.
But remember that equation I shared earlier! Boundaries and consistency were in there, but so was grace! Changing from crib to bed is a big change for your little one, and they may take some time to adjust! Give them grace, give yourself grace, and know that their great sleep will be back before you know it.
And if it’s not? Remember that boundary cards freebie I mentioned, it’ll help get you back on track!
And of course, if sleep just got so off track when you transitioned your toddler to a big bed and you don’t know where to even begin, or your toddler is still in a crib but sleep is awful and you can’t even fathom what it’ll look like when you have to transition out of the crib, that’s exactly what we’re here for! Learn more about what it looks like to support families of toddlers and older kids so everyone can get the sleep they need.
With Grace,
Lauren
