Daughter Is 13 Months Old, When Should I Move to a "Big Girl" Bed?

hi there,
My daughter will be 3 and we still have her in her crib. The reason we do is because she has never ever tried to climb out and she sleeps great and I don't want to mess with that until I absolutely have to. Everyone's situation is different. Some people take their child out of the crib because they are having another baby, etc,etc.. for us the only difference between the crib and the big kid bed is that we will be taking the front piece of the crib off and adding a wooden piece that keeps them from falling on the floor.. LOL

IMHO, my recommendation would be to keep her in the crib as long as possible, which is when she can crawl out of it on her own. At this age, they cannot self-manage much and there is too much freedom outside the crib. Then you have to deal with her not going to sleep because she is distracted by all the things she can reach, wandering around in the middle of the night, which is disruptive and also can be dangerous.

Not until around 20 months or so at least. The safest spot is in a crib until they can climb out.

we moved our daughter when she was 3 years, 2 months. I wouldnt hurry it.

We like keeping them in the crib as long as possible because the transition has always effected their nap schedule. I left the side of the crib down when he could crawl out and it still served as a guard from rolling out but didn't have him climbing out from such a height. My guy just moved to a big boy bed and he's almost 3. Just worked like that. He's the only one who wasn't moved because a new baby kicked him out, but just because it was time. Toddler beds are great and when you think your child will transition well is the time to introduce it.

Whenever she is ready. You can try it for a couple of nights and see how it goes.

My daughter transitioned herself at 14 months. Initially I just had a full mattress for her on the floor so that she would not hurt herself if she falls and then after about 3-4 months I put the mattress on a bed.

Just wondering why you would want to do that? I would think that it would complicate things. One year olds don't have the reasoning capability to stay out of danger, or if a fire happens, to be where you can find them. Their obedience is hit and miss, even if you do train her to stay in bed until you come and get her out in the morning, etc. If she can get down from high places, can she reach the doorknob, open it, and explore the house when you're asleep or not there? And then there's falling out of the big bed (if it's raised, I mean). What if her two year old temperament (which you'll probably see in about 5 months) is adventurous, obstinate? For now, you still have the restriction of a crib during naps and night time. Do you want to be on high alert during those times? Also, during potty training, crib sheets/pads, etc. are easier to change out than a bigger bed. Just some things to think about.

it really depends on what you (and your LO) are comfortable with. My twins actually seemed to *like* their cribs because it was their own private space that they didn't have to share with their sister. They were almost 4 years old when they moved to regular beds.

If you're afraid of her climbing out but don't feel she's ready for a regular bed, you can get a "crib tent" which is a mesh screen tent thingy that you attach to the top of the crib - some kids actually think it's sort of fun to be 'zipped in to their tents' at nap time/bed time.

You're supposed to move them when either a)they start climbing our or b)they reach 36 inches.

I waited till my son's knew how to climb out of their crib (around 2 yrs old, slightly sooner). My friend's son was near 3 because he never attempted to climb out. Don't fix what's not broken.

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No too young yet for a bed , at the earliest I would say 18 months , my son was 18m when he went to a bed but he was very steady on his feet (was walking at 10m). His middle sister was 2 1/2 before she went to a bed and my 2 yr old is still in a crib.

not until you absolutely have to.. my son is 3 and in a crib.. he is safe and secure in the crib.

mydaughter moved to a bed at 3 1/2..

keep her in the crib as long as you can.

Hi there,

My son is almost 20 months old and we just moved him into a toddler bed. He was trying to climb out all the time and I was afraid he would fall out. He is very tall for his age also, so I knew it was only a matter of time.

He is doing pretty well so far. I still keep the monitor on during his nap and at night. He doesn't cry anymore when he wakes up though. Instead, he gets out of bed and opens the door and walks out into the living room. Thankfully (and sometimes unfortunate) I am a light sleeper so just hearing him open the door wakes me up.

It has been a bit of a challenge getting him to settle down each night before bed and well, at nap too. We read some stories, I make the room dark, and then he lays in bed and we'll recap the day or sing some songs until he falls asleep. It's a work in progress, but I have no regrets so far.

13 months seems a little young to me, especially since she cannot walk on her own yet. I planned to wait until my son started trying to climb out. I was hoping it would be after two years old, but we're getting close!

Good luck!

Both of mine could crawl out of the crib at 15-18 months. We put the crib mattress on the floor for a few days, then put the twin mattress on the floor for a few days. The next step was moving the twin bed in with rails.

One positive thing was that our kids were able to come to us in the middle of the night if they woke up instead of us coming to them!

My grandkids all moved to toddler beds by 18 months, they never got up and wandered around at all. They all started taking naps in it and then gradually went to it at bed time. I think the younger they move the less they feel free all of a sudden and start the wandering. I say move her sooner than later.

Don't hurry it. Too much trouble to get into. You could have another year to go.

Consider what she can into if she can get on the floor on her own. If you do this be sure her room is child proofed and put up a gate. Buy side rails to keep her from falling out of the bed.

I think every kid is different. We changed my daughter to a twin bed with a side rail on her 2nd birthday and she had no issues with it. She is a very low key, compliant child and we have NEVER had issues with her coming out of her bed or her room at night. I actually had to train her to come out on her own in the morning because she would sit in her bed and call for me to come and get her, but I was always nursing her baby brother at that time. So, at age 2, she was totally ready for a big girl bed. My son, on the other hand, just turned 2 last weekend and there is NO WAY I am ready for him to come out of the crib. He isn't nearly as verbal as my daughter was at that age and he is definitely a more strong willed child than she ever was, so I'm going to leave him in the crib for awhile longer until he seems more ready to understand that he has to stay in bed and/or until he starts to climb out of the crib. So far, he isn't doing that, so we're leaving well enough alone. I definitely think you would want to wait until they are at least 18 months - 2 years old, but that's completely up to you as the parent. Just be sure her room is completely baby proofed so that if she does get out of bed at night to "play", she won't hurt herself. I just always felt more comfortable having them in the crib as long as possible. Part of the reason we switched my daughter when we did was because we were going to need the crib for my son and wanted to do it a little early so that she wouldn't associate losing her bed to her brother. Otherwise, we might have left her in a bit longer also. I think the crib is the safest place for younger children so that they can't get into anything they shouldn't, so I'm waiting as long as possible. Hope this helps!

If she's not climbing out--let her be. It's a whole new ballgame getting them to stay in a bed and it helps if they have a little more maturity to understand the concept. 3 is good. Make sure you lower her crib mattress.

I moved my older son out of the crib at 15 m/o; I was due with my younger son 4 months later, so wanted to complete the transition before the baby came. Your daughter sounds like my son -- he could get in and out of the crib with no problem. [I moved my younger son out of the crib when I found that he and my older son were climbing into it and jumping in it, like a little personal trampoline. I think he was about 13 m/o, but can't remember for sure.]

So, I definitely don't think it's too early to move her; the only caution would be that some babies when they have the extra "freedom" of a toddler bed end up getting out of bed a lot more than they would have with a crib. My older son never did, but my younger son seemed to. [Since he could get out of his crib, I don't know if being in a toddler bed made much difference, but it might have.] Still, as long as you "nip it in the bud" and make sure your daughter knows that bedtime = staying in bed, you'll probably do okay.

I wouldnt do it until she starts climbing out

As long as she is not climbing out of the crib I would leave her in it. She can't walk yet and probably can't climb in or out of a "big girl" bed. My daughter is 19 months and loves her crib and has not tried to climb out. We plan on leaving her in it as long as possible. She is also too short to climb in and out of the twin bed we have, even with a step stool.

There are no 'hard and fast' rules about it. I slept in a baby bed until I was old enough to REMEMBER climbing out of it! (It had metal railing, and it was COLD on my legs as I stepped over them. LOL) I was 5 or 6. Of course that was in the early '60's. LOL

It's purely a matter of choice, though. Some kids are ready and anxious to 'advance' early on, and others hate change, feel insecure, etc. (according to their temperament, confidence, self-sufficiency, etc). Just play it by ear.