Poll: when did you transition out of the crib?

[MoJo]

I've heard so many "definitive" answers that I'm confused!

1) When potty training - DC needs to be able to get to the toilet.

2) When DC can climb out of crib - the danger of falling is greater than most other dangers.

3) When DC's armpits are at the rail? I just read that in the most recent Parents magazine.

4) Not until even a crib tent won't contain DC!

So, I'm really hoping the answer isn't #3. My 16-mo-old is already that tall, even with the mattress on the lowest level, and I'm NOT ready to let her out! (PG mommy needs her sleep!).

I'm assuming that we'll keep DC#2 in the PNP bassinet for around 6 months, like we did with DD. And I'm assuming by then, when DD is 2 1/2 years old, it will be about time to move her out of the crib anyway.

But please say now is too early?

[maylips]

I'm not much help - I put "other" because we transitioned DD out of the crib around 28 months or so to have the crib available for DS. She was still very happy in the crib at that stage. But to make you feel better, she's also now very happy in her big girl bed and while she may get up a tad earlier than she used to, her sleep habits are still really good.

[KrisM]

We transistioned about 2 years to get the crib ready for the next kid. They both moved just fine.

[Clarity]

We transistioned about 2 years to get the crib ready for the next kid. They both moved just fine.
:yeahthat: DD1 was nearly 2.5 when she moved out of the crib so DD2 could move in.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Oh goodness, no. Now is too early. Even when they first start putting a toe on the rail is too early IMO. Mine jumped out 9 times in one day, so we got a video monitor and put her in the big bed we had set up.

DS2 is staying in the crib as long as possible. Probably not doing the crib tent thing, but I may. Our boys are sharing a room, but when he can climb in/out, he may go into DD's room just so he doesn't climb into the baby's crib. We only keep ours in our room for 2 mos.

[egoldber]

I used it until I was sick of it. With Sarah until she turned 2. With Amy, just after she turned 1.

[arivecchi]

A few months ago. Total mistake. Next one will stay in the crib as long as possible with a crib tent.

[elliput]

At about 2 years 3 months, DD became fascinated with the bed (her room had a twin bed in it as it was a guest room before she was born). We went to IKEA to browse and she wandered around the bed section for nearly 20 minutes trying every single bed and saying "bed, bed, bed" the whole time. It was hilarious- and tiring. :dizzy: Also, when it was bedtime she would scream if I tried to put her in the crib, but would happily fall asleep in the bed. Once she was asleep, I moved her back the to crib for a couple weeks until she figured that one out.

[BabyMine]

When DS could climb/fall out we switched. He was a little over 2. You DD is way to young to transition.

[elektra]

My kids are 2 years apart and DD at 2.5 is still in her crib and will be until she starts climbing out. I just bought a second crib for DS ($99 IKEA version) so they each have their own.
When the climbing starts is when I'll make the move.

[MontrealMum]

We're waiting until pt'ing (closer to age 3), and hopefully we will have also moved by then. Goodness, I think DS' armpits were at the rail by 10 months!?! I'll have to look back at pictures. That's just nuts. Strangely, although he's wild all day long (go go go) he's never tried to get out of the crib. Into it, yes. Out, no. I imagine he physically could have done it at 18 mos or thereabouts. He loves his crib and his little environment in there :) If I were you I'd try to get as close to 2 as possible, and maybe later.

ETA: just looked at some older pictures and DS' armpits were at the rail of the pnp by 8 mos. Don't know how that compares to the crib mattress on the lowest setting as it's not set up anymore, but I'd imagine it's comparable.

[Melaine]

Sleep sacks really extended our crib time, but they still climbed out by a little over 2.5 so we switched then.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

i think it all depends, but basically I would say when the kid starts climbing out of the crib. my MIL was telling me that my DH began climbing out of his crib at 9 months. By his first birthday, they had to get him a toddler bed, as there was no way he was staying put inside a crib.

i am pretty shocked that some people can keep their kids in cribs until 2.5 years old...i guess girls are just different from boys, and they don't try to climb out as much? My brother was similar to DH, as he was a climber...by 1.5 years he was climbing out and my parents had to get him a bed.

[jent]

DD is 2.5 and still happily in her crib, so I see no reason to change until she starts asking.

We are PT'ing, but we still put her in diapers for naps/bedtime.

[citymama]

We got rid of the crib sides at 3 and a few months because she was climbing over the rails in the middle of the night. And boy, do we dream of the days when she was in the crib. Life hasn't been the same since - or sleep hasn't, for any of us, anyway. Keep them in the crib as long as humanly possible!

[amandabea]

We moved DD onto a mattress on the floor at 18 mos and then to her big girl bed (a queen size bed) at 20 mos. She has only gotten out of bed once or twice on her own. It worked for us to transition early and I have no regrets.

[infomama]

Dd1 graduated from her crib because she was climbing out. We actually put her back a couple of times but she was persistent and enough was enough. We had to put a gate on her door so she wouldn't leave her room at night because she wanted to be in with us more than anything. It was a *really* rough phase for us a new parents. She took to emptying her drawers and chucking her clothes in the hallway to prove her dismay. DH and I thought we were done for but it passed...
Hope Dd2 doesn't get the itch anytime soon.

[the2bobs]

DS1 has been stripper baby taking his diaper off in his crib when he's bored since he was about 12 mos old. So around 15 mos we tried the toddler bed. Went great for about a week then he wouldn't stay in it anymore. We put a gate at his door and he would stand there and cry at night--until we went in to rescue him. At naptime he would only fall asleep in it if I got in w/ him. As I was pregnant at the time and so tired, I was happy to get a nap. Which only made things worse. After several wks of trying everything to get him to sleep in his bed, we finally gave up and put him back in his crib. We tried toddler bed again around 21 mos and had the same problem. He actually loves his crib and has only climbed out once. Just wish he'd keep that diaper on. He's nearly 2 now and will stay in the crib for a while longer. We bought another crib for the baby.
Don't be in a hurry to move to a big bed. Most kids won't stay in them, they go to bed late, get up early, etc. IMO, 16 mos is too soon.

[MoJo]

I'm so glad NO ONE thinks I need to listen to that line in the magazine!

DD is happy in her crib, and I'm happy to have her there.

She took off her diaper once (when DH left her in her crib for a nap wearing nothing else because it was warm this summer), but so far she hasn't figured out how to unsnap her onesie or her sleeper. And after cleaning up that event, I nearly always make sure she's wearing something she can't get off!

[hellbennt]

ds1 'had' to move on out during his 2nd yr, bcse of ds2

ds2...ok here goes...where's the blushing embarrassed emoticon?
he's still in his crib at age 3! he loves it! he doesn't climb in or out!
we're all happy...he uses the toilet during the day and wears a pullup for sleeping still (and we're fine with that!)...:love-retry:

[Naranjadia]

We're in the middle of it right now - at 2 years 8 months. DD was getting out the crib several times a day. DS couldn't yet, but there would be hell to pay if one twin got a big kid bed and the other didn't.

They still share a room, so that makes the transition that much more challenging.

[ThreeofUs]

Transition?? DS1 wanted out of the crib from the first time we laid him in it. ;)

DS2 seems to like it a little better. Maybe he'll stay sleeping in it longer....

[jacksmomtobe]

I voted other....For DS he was a little over 2. He just seemed ready for a big boy bed and didn't have strong attachment to his crib. His little sis was coming in a few months so I wanted to make the switch before she arrived. I got him a bed with trundle so he started out & actually still sleeps there since it is so low to the ground. He was more of my mover in bed so I felt more comfortable keeping him low. DD was 2 3/4 because I felt she would try to climb out of her crib and dh's cousin's child broke his arm that way. She has slept in a big bed more than her crib so she was also ready. Now is definitely too early for your child. I think your plan of waiting until she is around 2 1/2 is probably a good one. Both my kids spent a lot of time in the PNP when they were young so your future arrival should be fine too!

Good Luck!

[mom2binsd]

I can't imagine a little one that young not in a crib..as you'll see below.

DD was 3 1/2 and even then she was content in her crib, DH just wanted to convert her crib to her toddler bed.

DS who is currently 3 1/2 is soooo happy in his crib, we put a tent on it at age 2 when he started climbing out and we weren't ready for him wandering, too many safety issues in our home that weren't easily fixed...now he could unzip the tent but he just loves his crib...he loves to put his feet against the rails and zips himself into his tent...I don't know if he's ever gonna want out of there!

[hellbennt]

DS who is currently 3 1/2 is soooo happy in his crib......he just loves his crib...he loves to put his feet against the rails and zips himself into his tent...I don't know if he's ever gonna want out of there!

:yeahthat: phew!:ROTFLMAO::love-retry:

[mnosky1]

DD was in it until about 3 - we had a house project going on and couldn't move her into her new room and then once it was finally ready she didn't want to so that was fine with us. She never once climbed out. I had read that if they try to climb before 18 mos you are in trouble and may have to move them but by 18 mos they should understand, no, no climbing and you just redirect them. DD obviously wasn't a climber though.