Keeping 20 Month Old in Toddler Bed

There is something called a crib tent you could try. They aren't exactly cheap and my son learned how to un-zip really quick. When we put him in a big boy bed, we put a gate up at his door and babyproofed his room to the max. That has seemed to work. He doesn't have any toys in there really, only a bookshelf. Sometimes he'd 'read' to himself, but other then that he stays in bed. This way he can't get up and wander around the house by himself.

We moved our son to a big kid bed at 20 months and it went just fine. We put a gate up at his bedroom door (and left the door open) and childproofed his room. It only took him a few nights to get used to it. After a couple months we started leaving the gate off and he'd just wander into our bedroom in the morning.

Yes some kids work out how to get out earlier than others and once they can do that you need to either convert the crib to a toddler bed or move to a toddler bed. There is definitely a little transition as they can then get out and so you have to in many cases work with them to keep putting them back in but eventually they get the hang of it. My daughter is 18 months old and she can almost get out. I have the conversion kit in her room and am trying to eek out another few weeks. But I know I am going to have to bite the bullet soon. Good luck.

I hate to tell you but .....the easy days of crib confinement are over! No matter what kind of bed you get him from now on you won't be able to just shut the door and relax like you did before with the crib. I'm sure you'll find the right bed for your son among the options other moms will list here. So I just want to encourage you to use this transition as the first opportunity to have some basic rules and STICK WITH THEM. I know your son is little, but he's not too young to understand 'no'. You need to find some two year old language to explain to him that he needs to stay in bed.....or do whatever you decide will be the rule for bedtime. Positive reinforcement works well w/little kids I think.....star stickers or little toys/treats when he does follow the rules. Establishing your authority on safety matters now will pay dividends in the future I guarantee!

Good luck.

We switched our first daughter to a toddler bed. She had previously been an OK sleeper, but has been coming into our bed at night ever since. I know, I know, but it was survival because we had our second shortly after the transition. With the second we got a crib tent when she was about 20 months. For us it has been fantastic. She loves her crib and we love not worrying that she'll fall out of a bed. And when she is ready I think we'll switch her to a big girl bed and skip the toddler thing.

We switched our daughter to a toddler bed at 20 months. She actually slept better in that then she did in the crib. Explain to him how he's getting to be such a big boy that he needs a big boy bed & big boys stay in their beds at night. If he gets out, then just keep putting him back in his big boy bed. Don't ever give in & let him get in your bed because he will know that you will eventually give up. It may take 2 to 5 nights of this, but if you stick to your guns he will stay in his own bed. The rule in our house is that you stay in your own bed until the sun comes up.

We just had this issue with our 18 month old. We bought a crib tent at Right Start (they also carry at Babies R Us and Lazars). She LOVES it. We were not ready for her to move into her "big girl bed." She loves her crib and will now even ask to play in her crib with her dolls and books. I was worried about using a crib tent so I posted a question on this site and got VERY positive feedback. So far, so good. It may be tough to keep a 20 month old in a toddler bed if he is smart enough to figure out how to get out of his crib. If you do move him into a bed, I've heard of people totally baby proofing the kiddos room and putting a gate on the door so even if they do get out of bed, they can't wander around the house or get into any trouble in their room. Good luck!

Hi! Check out a crib tent. They sell them at Babies R Us among other places. It is a mesh covering that fits over the top of the crib so your child cannot climb out. Hope this helps! Here is a link for example: http://www.amazon.com/Tots-Mind-Cozy-Crib-White/dp/B00014...

Bummer about your son climbing out. I've heard that some people resort to putting a net on top of the crib. It's designed for keeping cats out, but works as well to keep kids in! I would imagine Target sells them.

Good luck!

B.