When did you make the switch to a bed?

[emmiem]

The benefits of a toddler bed is that it is low to the ground. There are side rails built into the bed. My DD fell out of a twin bed although we bought two side rails and pushed them in. There was still a gap by the head. Also, with a toddler bed, you don't have to buy new linen or yet. I know that I am having a tough time matching new twin size linen with her wallpaper and Jack and Jill bath paint job. My DD is very small- 25 lbs and 34 inches at 3 years old so a toddler bed is the way we will go even though we tried the twin.
Emmie

[egoldber]

Well, we got Sarah a toddler bed this summer. After a couple months sitting in our basement :( I got DH to set it up. For a few days, I talked about the big girl bed, etc. and get her used to the idea. One day I asked if she wanted to sleep in it, she said yes, and she slept in it for a week. Hooray!

BUT! Then we went to Disneyworld for a week (where she slept in a double bed in the same room with us and fell out of bed 2-3 times :( ), cam ehome and she REFUSED to have anything to do with the toddler bed. That was the middle of Novemeber.

After that, I gradually moved all her clothes and her toys into the new room. We bought a train table and set it up in there. I asked her nearly every day if she wanted to sleep in her big girl bed and she kept saying no, no, no...

While we were away this last couple weeks, we stayed at my in-laws. There she slept on a small fold out bed (slightly largere than a toddler bed), but pushed into a corner, so it was all cozy and snug and enclosed. She really dug that and slept pretty well there.

FINALLY, this week, she wanted to nap in her big girl bed. So the last few days she has been taking her nap in the toddler bed. One night she actually asked to sleep in it, but that only lasted until 3 am, when she screamed to go back in the crib. So at this point we are napping in the toddler bed and night sleeping in the crib.

Funny little buggers aren't they???

[Lynnie]

Just recently at 21 months - I got a toddler bed off e-bay in august, but my son never seemed interested, and the two times we tried to put him in there to sleep, he would just get out and walk back to the family room. The day he turned 21 months old, just a couple of days ago, he apparently decided that he was ready for the toddler bed. He had started screaming at bedtime, which was unusual, cause he had been a great sleeper, and constantly stood at the side of his crib, shaking the rails. So the other night, when I went in to calm him down, I took him to his new room to rock with him in the glider, and he said "no" and pointed to the toddler bed. I put him in it, and he was asleep in 10 minutes and slept peacefully through the night.

I was regretting the purchase of a toddler bed, but now that he is sleeping in it, i think it was probably worth the $100 or so i spent for bed and mattress combined (toddler bed from e-bay, mattress from bru). I do want to get a twin bed soon, so i can totally decorate his room before the second baby comes, but will probably live with the toddler bed a little longer. it is good to know that he won't have far to fall if he rolls out at night !

[Elisa]

I have two, a 3 year old girl (Cecilia) and a 2 year old boy (Julian). Cecilia dropped her nap at 18 months but continued with afternoon quiet times. She slept in a crib that converted to a toddler bed and then to a full sized bed.
I kept the railings down in her crib and she was able to climb in and out by herself. When she stayed in her crib at night I knew she was ready for her toddler bed. I decided to switch her crib to a toddler bed when I was getting big with my second pregnancy, so she could get in and out by herself. The day I switched, I made her room more like a little girl's room and removed the baby decorations. It also happened to line up with her potty training. She was thrilled to have her big bed.
Just recently, we switched to a full bed and she loves it. She has not fallen out out of it except when her brother slept with her in it! I guess we had it easy with her.
Julian is still in a crib but I leave the railings down for the most part. He can get in and out of it by himself. I haven't switched to a bed yet because I don't want to give him incentive to drop his nap now! At night, he does not climb out of his crib but he does cry when we put him to bed (he calms down after a few minutes and talks himself to sleep). He will sometimes get out of his crib during naptime but goes back in and stays in to sleep after I tell him to. Sometimes, he will want to get in bed with his sister. Only once has he fallen asleep with her. One time, I found him awake in her bed chatting and singing while his sister was out cold. This was a huge hint that he may start wandering around if I were to switch him to a bed now. Plus I think at this age, he likes the small area the crib provides--it's like a cubby hole for him.
For Julian, I will probably go straight to a twin bed. He has no problems climbing up and down things, so the height should not be a problem. I would like to use his toddler bedding longer and a toddler bed would allow that, but I won't buy one unless I find a really good deal because he is as tall as his sister and would outgrow one quite soon.

[jal]

Age 16 months!

For various reasons, we had been letting Patrick sleep with us from about the time of his 1st d'day til age 16 months.

We had had enough and finally DW agreed to make Patrick sleep in his own room even if it did mean letting him cry it out (something she never allowed up to this point).

Well we quickly discovered that he WAS NOT GOING TO SLEEP IN A CRIB ever again. We tried the mattress on the floor trick. DW had to spend the first few nights with him, but within a week, he was sleeping ON HIS OWN AND SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT (something that rarely ever occured before this time).

At this point, we have the mattress on a box spring (box spring currently on the floor). He fell out of bed once, but hasn't ever since.

[JP4]

My first 2 sons are 21 months apart and their room was downstairs and ours was upstairs. We used a monitor, but didn't want our toddler wandering around at night. We decided to just get another crib and let our older son stay in the crib. It worked very well for us and was well worth the expense of another crib. Our children have all stayed in the crib until about age 3.