Moving 16-Month-old Out of Her Crib?

She is way to young to be in a bed. I would definitely not do it. She has
not climbed out, so why the rush.

Hi
I moved my 8 month old into a twin bed when he had continually climbed out of the crib to crawl in bed with his big brother for over 2 months. He was happy there and worked out great.
Also agree to start potty training when they start showing an interest because if you miss that time it takes longer to train them.
God bless you

I actually converted my daughters crib at 16 months. At first it seemed like a good idea but apparently at 18 months is when they decide they want to wander into their parents bed.

First let me say congrats on the adoptions, your children are all blessed. As for the bed thing I have to say go for it. We did it with our daughter, she was only a year old, the crib (my sister gave to us) broke so we went out and bought her a twin mattress and box spring and put them on the floor; I figured she was always taking naps on our bed and did wonderful so why not. I have to say that was the best thing we ever did, she potty trained within a few months and by the time she was 2 years old she was completely potty trained day and night. We let her lead the way, she let us know she was ready to potty train so as long as we were home and it was summer time we let her run around the house without any pants unless company came over then she went and got her big girl pants and had to show everyone her potty and underpants, it was so cute. Anyway follow your daughter's lead, from the way you are talking she sounds very much ready so you have nothing to loose. Let me know how you make out.
T.

I would wait a few months, like 12 actually, before you try her out in a "big girl" bed. At 16 months, she'll never stay in her bed all night/morning and is way too little to explain it to and get compliance from. The only way you can keep her from wandering is with a gate in the doorway of her bedroom and, even in a totally childproofed room, there will still be WAY too much for her to get into in the middle of the night/wee hours of the morning. I really recommend getting a crib tent to keep her from climbing out and waiting to move her to a bed until she's big enough to be safe if she does wander.
As for potty-training at this age, it is really early and not likely she will be able to be dry/use the potty at night by herself for quite a while, even if she's doing well in the daytime. I wouldn't let this outweigh her safety wandering around the house or playing in the bathroom while everyone is asleep.
Good luck!

We moved our 15 month into a twin bed and put a bed rail up so she wouldn't fall onto the floor and I put a gate up at her door and she did great even when we brought baby brother home when she was 18 months old. If she is interested in potty training I say go for it. My daughter did pretty well when we started training about 22 months. But my son is 18 months now and he is all about going "potty" and now that I have called attention to what is going on down there he is starting to grab his diaper when he goes. So I am going to start his training immediately. But be ready for one of the most frustrating things - potty training. Try to be calm and patient because they will do well one day and terrible the next. GOOD LUCK!

My son went to a twin bed directly from the crib and it worked out perfectly. The first night he stayed up in his room "chatting" to himself for hours and then he finally fell asleep. Funny thing is, he never wandered around. Even in the mornings, he would call for us to get him out of his bed just as he did when he was in the crib. This lasted forever. It's really not a scary transition and they love it. My daughter moved easily as well and never wandered around the house. Just be prepared that she may not fall asleep right away but it will work out! My son was 15 months when we made the move - mostly because we had another on the way that needed his crib.
Good Luck!

Start potty training NOW. There is a window before 2, take it and run! My daughter was completely trained, including night, by 23 months. I wrote this a while ago:

Spend 10-15 minutes every morning "playing" in the bathroom. After the session, you (the adult) goes to the bathroom. Try to time it for when you think she needs to go. My daughter would sit contently on the potty while we read books. It is very common for them to go immediately after they get off the potty. Performance anxiety of some sort. It will pass.
2. Flush her poop down the toilet everyday, saying "pee and poop go in the potty." Let her flush it.
3. It takes 12-15 hits for them to understand "control." So, in the beginning, your job is just to get "hits." Then, once you've gotten about 12, she should understand how to use the muscle and go on "command."
4. Once control is down, you have to work on timing. With little ones, a tight schedule is best. I think of it as teaching "potty etiquette": you go first thing in the morning, after a meal, before leaving the house, etc.
5. Once you are at a 90% success rate, put cloth trainers on her (gerber makes some great ones you can get at Target, get a few packs!).
6. Asking to go is something that takes them time to learn, especially when they are really young. You can't expect them to not get distracted, etc. So, in the beginning, it's YOUR job to make sure they don't have accidents. Success breeds success and confidence, and your job is to be their cheerleader here. Whatever you do, don't ask if they need to go. NO is the favorite word of Toddlers, and at 16 months they especially love it. So, instead, you give them control but ask leading questions, "do you want to go on mommy's potty or on yours? do you want to go before snack or after snack?" etc. When my daughter was really resistant before nap or bedtime but I knew she had to go, I would ask her "do you want mommy to carry you or are you walking?" I'd then distract, distract, distract!!!!!!!! Seriously make going to the bathroom a set of rules, thereby creating the habit system that will help her to master control. And don't be surprised if she sees how long she can hold it after she has control! They love to play "how big of a pee can I possibly hold!"
7. Get her her own potty. I got a three in one, so the top pops off and fits on a regular toilet and it closes up to be used as a step stool. I think it really helps when they are young so they can take themselves without your help. And don't be surprised if after a while you find pee in the potty.
8. I read that it takes 8 months after they've "got it" to be accident free, with some kids taking up to 2 years.
9. I also read that night training follows day training by about 5 months. I found this to be the case with my daughter. She would be dry most nights, but 5 months after I put her in trainers, she stopped having night time accidents completely. I told my daughter she had to be dry 5 nights in a row before she could wear undies to bed. She wore undies for a good month and then had a two week regression. So expect regressions with night training.
10. The best reward is praise. Create a "happy dance" for successes. Then get on the phone and call everyone and tell them she went. Let her hear them praise her too. Save rewards for when you absolutely have to use them. I used stickers to get my daughter to go when she refused when we were out in the world and she was in trainers. I then used gummy fruits and real underwear for poop training.
11. Poop training: if you can, work this first. If you do, the rest should be much easier. She is young enough that if you time it right, you might have some real success. A few suggestions I read: when you think she is going to go, watch like a hawk, and talk to her about what is going on. Mention the gas, pressure, etc. I did this for a week, then, I physically took her to the potty when I saw the face and tried to "catch it." After two catches, she noticed the signs and would tell me.
12. Tell her a million times a day, "pee and poop go in the potty."
13. Tell her a million times a day,"if you feel pressure, say 'mommy potty.'"

The most important thing: never show negative emotion, no matter how frustrating the process might be. When she has accidents, just say "pee goes in the potty," and take her to the potty and put her on it, reinforcing where it is suppose to go.

Sorry for the long ramble!!!!! One more thing: studies have found that children motivation is directly correlated with the motivation of the parents. If you have decided she is big enough to be out of diapers, then either she is or she isn't. The less confusion you show, the more confident she can be. Potty training is a hard process. There are tons of concepts for her to master, etc. So, the best thing is to be patient and supportive. I really think a "no going back" approach is the way to go. Believe she can do it, and she will do. It may take a few months, but she will get there.

As to the bed, I have a few friends that move their kids to a big bed early like that (we waited till around 20 months)....The kids have some sleep issues. Also, be aware: the sooner they get out of the crib, the sooner they tend to give up naps!

You could try it if you want. If you teach her to not get out of the bed, you won/'t have to worry about wandering.

I completely agree with Missy F. Way to early. Don't rush it.

I moved my sons at 16 months, and simply put a gate on their door so if they did wake at night they could not wander the house. They did fine with the transition. I potty trained my oldest at 18 months (pullups) and was in undies by 24 month, because he showed readiness, so if the signs are there go for it, just don't push too hard. My youngest son was 2 1/2 before we started, because that was when he showed he was ready.

A friend of mine moved her kids at very young ages because they were really close in age and she needed the crib for the newborn. I think her older two each moved out of cribs by 14 months and straight into twin beds.

If your daughter is ready, go for it. If you want to use the frame, buy her a step stool and get a good quality guard rail so she can't fall out. Otherwise, a mattress on the floor is great since she is still so little.

To keep her from wandering the house, you should put a baby gate on her door or keep her door closed. Otherwise, there is really no way to keep her in her room. Obviously that eliminates access to the potty (unless it's in her room) but at 16 months, she probably won't be able to go without your help anyway.

K.
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Both my boys came out of the crib at about 24-25 months. They didn't have trouble or wander around. Of course my second always had big brother. Anyways, it was never their personality that I would worry about them wandering. They would climb out of their crib and come lay down with me. I used a side rail for my boys when I took the side off the crib. Just go with your gut.

My 16 month old is in her big girl bed, and had been there for 4 months. She does great. At first we put up a baby gate to keep her from wondering. But a few times it made too much noise putting it up and we would end up waking her up, so one night we just said forget it. If she gets up we will hear it. When she does wake up she comes right in our room (we dont have any stairs or anything though). If you really want to see if she will sleep, do a test run and see how she does. Ours sleeps on a bed that extends to a twin size (although she's on a shorter length), its low and has head/foot rails built in. Its called an extindible bed (from IKEA), and we love it. Mine is also very interested in potty training and we have started getting her used to it. She goes with me every time I use the potty and everytime gma uses the potty, when I say I have to go "pee-pee" she runs to the bathroom door, and I have started putting her on her potty seat every morning just to get her used to it. This is just our way of introducing her to it. Good Luck!