I had a friend mention moving my son 14 months to a toddler bed soon. Just wondering when others moved their kids and when "too soon is too soon?" I know part of it is preference....
Also, my son is a poster child and has been since day one. However, the last week he's been throwing fits for no reason, not drinking his milk or eating very much. He checks out at the doctor fine. Just wondering if maybe it's pre-first year molar symptoms.
We have a 21 month old and we don't plan to move her out of her crib until she's trying to climb out. I stick with what's working. I want her to fully understand the move to a big girl bed and I don't think she's even close right now.
I moved my baby to her bed at 12 months, when she was steadily walking. Lots of parents think were crazy for doing so, but it totaly worked for us. She has never fallen out/off, she has never wondered around the house, and she has abosolutely loved her bed from day one.
It might be his teeth. I was lucky. My daughter would cute 2-4 teeth at a time, and only 1 molar ever bothered her. Most of the time I didn't even know a tooth had cut through. I always gave her teething tablets and cold/frozen wash cloths to gew on when she was really little. Hope this helps. Good Luck!
My 22 month old is still in a crib and I plan to keep her there as long as possible. She's not trying to climb out and is all over the place when she sleeps. I feel more comfortable with her contained in the crib and I think if she were in a toddler bed or twin bed she would be out in a second and not sleeping in the bed. Plus I want her to really understand sleeping in a "big bed" and don't feel she is there yet. As for the teeth yes it could be the molars or maybe a growth spurt or maybe a mild virus. I think there are many, many different symptoms for teething.
We never moved our girls until they literally didn't fit in the crib anymore.
My oldest was just turned 3 when we moved him out of his crib because we were having another baby. The youngest was moved at 18-19 months because he learned to get out of the crib and it became dangerous. Personally, if he's happy in the crib I would keep him there as long as possible. They are contained and safe.
As for his behavior, it might be his teeth, but it also sounds like maybe he's just becoming a toddler. That year between 1 and 2 their appetities decrease and they became very active and independent.
My son is 19-months, and he'll be in his crib until he doesn't fit anymore or I get a sign that he is definitely ready to be in a bigger bed. I think it depends on the maturity of the child, to some extent. My son is not ready to be in a bigger bed - he would be getting up to come find us every 5 minutes! He only just started sleeping through the night 4 months ago!
His molars and his eye teeth were both very difficult. He was fussy, cranky, didn't sleep well, and didn't eat well for about a month before his molars came through, and his eye teeth took several months to come in. It was miserable. I think the symptoms you're seeing absolutely could be pre-molars. Good luck!
My advice (& the advice I'm giving to all my friends) is to keep your child in the crib as long as possible as long as everything is going well!!! We switched my son into a big boy bed at 27 months and it's been a very difficult transition. He was a great sleeper and now we struggle with bedtime and naptime everyday. I wish I would have kept him in his crib until he was about 4!!!! It was one of my worst parenting decisions yet!
Good luck!
Although moms have their own opinion on what is best for their family, we waited until all three of our kids were at least 3 and our youngest was 4 (he LOVED his crib and wanted to stay in it). They slept through the night better, no getting up every few minutes wanting things, and was so much easier for night time training. I often wonder what moms do when swithing at night from diapers/pullups to underwear/panties, even one accident can make a mess of a mattress. I talked with 1 mom recently who moved her 28 month old to a toddler bed and is regretting it.
Our son will be three in December and we just moved him out of the crib to a twin mattress on the floor. It has been a difficult transition. He doesn't sleep as much because he's too excited about his freedom. We kept him in the crib as long as we could. I think the decision is different for every child, but if he's sleeping well in the crib, I wouldn't change anything yet. There's no rush until he's climbing out and the crib becomes dangerous.
It might be teething, but he is also getting to the middle part of his first year. Generally, in the period between 15 and 21 months (give or take), babies start trying to become more independent, but haven't developed enough to do many things by themselves. There is a series of books, the first of which is "Your One Year Old, Fun Loving or Fussy" by Louise Bates Ames, which describes normal behaviors for a "1.5" year old and offers some techniques for dealing with the behavior.
We converted our sons bed somewhere around 18 months. We had the crib set so low and he was so heavy that it was hard to lay him in it. It went great. He was such a sound sleeper we didn't have too many issues with him getting up, but if he did, sometimes we would lay on the floor next to him for a few minutes to get him relaxed and back to sleep. Plus it made him feel like such a "big boy." I think it really depends on your child. I knew climbing was probably not far off either, given he was an active one. I have friends that still have theirs in a crib at 3, and even though they climb out. That makes me nervous in case they would fall. It also made our transition into a full size bed that much easier now that we have #2 on the way.
As for the behavior...it could be molars but I would most likely say welcome to the toddler years :)
As far as the crib goes, it is complete preferance. YOU know your child/sistuation. I moved my oldest to a twin bed (no toddler beds here) at 15 mos. Why? Because she was ready and I was having my second in 3 months. I didn't want her to feel like the baby stole her bed, which she didn't. My second we moved from the crib at 17 mos. We had just moved to a new place and instead of putting up the whole crib again I just made it into a daybed type thing. He was also trying to climb out by that time. Now my 3rd is 15 mos. My husband said it's time to move him. I said no not yet. For one thing I like having him contained if I'm not up yet when my husband leaves and for 2 He is ok with it for now. So it depends on you/your situation/your kid. Each one is different.
we moved our daughter to a toddler bed when she was almost 3. She's almost 4 now and last weekend we moved her to a toddler bed. She never had any problems with sleeping and I fully think it's because we didnt move her before she was ready. I have friends who moved their kids earlier and then complain that they wont stay in bed and dont sleep as well.
We moved my sons at 16 months, the first time because I was pregnant with number two, and the second time because it went so well the first time we figured we would give it go with number two. There was a few nights where he stood at the gate at the door of his room, and he ended up falling asleep at the door, in his toys, even under his bed! I would just put him into the bed so he would wake up there, and in a few nights he got the hang of it. As for the other, I can not say for sure, but I know my kids have gone through this phase several times throughout their days, and they always seem to get back on track.
I read somehwere that you shouldn't take a child out of his/her crib unless you have to, due to climbing out and the chance on injury. This expert said 3 years old was ideal. I certianly wouldn't because a friend thinks you should or suggested it is time. Good luck with the molars, too!
It totally is preference! You'll know when it's time... like when he climbs out! lol. My daughter will be three in November and she's STILL in a crib! Now, I have to explain myself here cuz three seems so old for a little one to still be in a crib. First, she has NEVER tried to climb out, in fact, she loves her crib! She can play in there for hours, with NO toys! Lol. Weird huh? And two, we just had another baby several months back and thought it would be too much change all at once, so we've decided to wait. I absolutely don't think that there's any harm in leaving them in their crib! I know my daughter would do fine with a bed as we've stayed places and she has done great! Maybe I'm not ready... and I think she's fine where she is, for the time being. That could change at any time!
My daughter just turned 3 and she is still in her crib. She can climb out, and with a little more effort, back in, but she has never climbed out at random times. Once she is in there for naps or bed, she stays put until she is awake. She has never hurt herself getting out. We've been thinking it might be a good time to convert it to the toddler bed but she keeps saying that she likes her crib! I think it's a secure spot for her and she likes covering the top with blankets, which makes it even more cozy and secure for her. So she is not ready to give it up just yet, and that's fine by us. Eventually she will just be too big, or she will make up her mind on her own.
