toddler beds

Discussion in 'The Toddler Years(1-3)' started by jdio33, Aug 2, 2009.

  1. jdio33

    jdio33 Well-Known Member

    So sorry, I know this has been on here before. Of course I couldn't find it! My DH and I are thinking the time is coming for toddler beds. Logan was half way out of his crib last night (one leg over each side and he was stuck!) so we want to do the switch before someone falls out and gets hurt. Crib tents would do nothing for them b/c they would make it their personal mission in life to get it off.
    However we have no clue how to make them sleep in beds? They share a room. Do we have to empty their entire room so they dont trash it and climb on everything? How do we keep them in their room? We have wooden gates but they do nothing to stop my boys who either pull the latch up, pull the whole thing down or just climb over it! Do I stay in there with them or just let them play around til they crash? How long will it be until I sleep again!!! [​IMG]

    ANY advise would be great!

    TIA,
    Jen
     
  2. ktfan

    ktfan Well-Known Member

    I'd get the Crib Tent II because it completely encases the crib with the zipper on the outside. If they won't stay in the crib or on one side of the gate when you say to, odds are very slim they will listen to you tell them to stay in their beds. I'd exhaust all other options first (meaning crib tents!) then go to beds as an absolute last resort.
     
  3. jdio33

    jdio33 Well-Known Member

    Thank you. I did really think about the crib tent and decided we would get one and try it out. My next question is where can I find a cheap one. I really can't afford a $50-80 crib tent!!! [​IMG]

    My grandma has 4 boys and said she use to throw a big wood board over the top of the crib when they started climbing out. LOL. Would I go to jail for that now? [​IMG]
     
  4. twinboys07

    twinboys07 Well-Known Member

    Wow - I can't even imagine! Times have changed.

    I love my crib tents so very much and am so glad I have them. I was hesitant about the money but am glad that I went for them. I really bet your kids would adjust to them and it's pretty much impossible to get them open (knock on wood!) from the inside. My kids love them - it's just like their own personal tent... and they love to play in tents. GL with your challenging situation!!
     
  5. MichelleL

    MichelleL Well-Known Member

    :rofl: This made me laugh SO hard!!

    I've heard of people switching the door knob, so the lock is on the outside to keep them in. When we first moved our girls to beds, we knew they would get out and play. We already had the dresser attached to the wall (very important!!) so that wasn't an issue, and we only kept a small basket of books and a bucket of stuffed animals in the room. I would definitely keep the bare minimum in there to start.

    As far as keeping them in their beds, there will definitely be an adjustment period as with any phase you go through with them. For us, I made sure I wore them out in the afternoon so bedtime was a breeze. Naptime was a different story. The first week was rough because they wanted to play the whole time. So I would go in after 15 min. and then every 5 after that to firmly tell them it was naptime and get them back in their beds. We had to set the limits with them, as with anything else.
     
  6. Becky02

    Becky02 Well-Known Member

    You can usually find crib tents on ebay or probably even craigslist.

    We used crib tents for all three of mine and I thought my kids wouldn't like them and they all loved them. When we moved my son to a twin bed he was actually upset that he wasn't in his crib anymore and didn't have his crib tent on.

    If you do switch them to beds make sure the room is child proof and all the furniture is fastened to the wall. I would tell my girls when putting them to bed what the rules were and if I heard a little noise I went in to quiet them down (I wanted to be very strict in the beginning and then lighten up if they were good). I went in many times in the beginning and I started out with a warning then the next time I took one of two stuffed animals and then the third time I took the other stuffed animal. If I had to come in one more time (which a warning was given what would happen everytime I would go in) I would take the beloved blankie. Now I also told them if they were quiet I would return the blankie and usually after about 5min or of crying and yelling they want it back they would be quiet and I would give it back. If they were noisy again athe blanket was gone for the rest of the night (well usually until they fell asleep and then I would lay it next to them). It took about a month to get everything under control for both naps and at night. Eventually though I did have to seperate them for naps and one had to sleep in my bed and one got to sleep in their room because they would keep each other up.
     
  7. NINI H

    NINI H Well-Known Member

    We made the switch with my boys before they turned two. I removed everything from their room except a toy storage shelf, toys, and their new bed. My twins destroy everything and can get into almost anything. I put a lock around their closet doors for no access. Their is a gate at their door. They have gotten out a few times, but overall it tends to keep them in. We switched them to a toddler bed. They slept together in a crib and now are together in the bed. We will switch by the end of the year to a full size bed, I'm thinking.
    It was a rough week getting used to the new freedom, but we made it through and they now nap and go to bed happily. I was VERY happy with our decision to transition out of the crib earlier rather than later. My oldest was about 3-3 1/2 when he made the switch and it was harder for him. My middle son was the earliest, at way before 18 months. He was very agile and loved the new bed.
    I could never bring myself to put a crib tent on the crib. But I know they work for a lot of people. It just wasn't for us. We were very happy with moving 3 out of 4 of our boys out of the crib early on.
    You could always try it and see how it works, and be flexible to switch if you don't like the new arrangement. I'd just suggest giving it a good week or two with whatever you decide.
     
  8. Minette

    Minette Well-Known Member

    Crib tents, again. They are really pretty hard to get out of. Even for the most determined toddlers, it takes awhile before they manage to rip the netting -- and then I'm told you can get a free replacement net from the manufacturer. I really think that dealing with the crib tent, even if it's a hassle, is going to be SO much easier than trying to keep them in bed at that age. (Though obviously, as NiniH said, that isn't the case for everyone.) The toddler bed switch goes much better around age 3 -- at least it has for us. Plus, my girls actually loved their tents. Even when they did figure out how to unzip them (past age 2.5), they always wanted them zipped, and only unzipped them in the morning when it was wake-up time.
     
  9. 1girltwinboyz

    1girltwinboyz Well-Known Member

    Ours went better than expected. We turned the doorknob around so we could lock them in during the transition and got a cover for the light switch. That is all. We put them to bed and they got up and tried all kinds of things, more water, pee, boo boo etc. But after a week or so it got better. We would of course unlock the door after they finally fell asleep. But even now they still think its locked and will call to us from the door sometimes ....we moved them around 3ish?

    GOOD LUCK:)

    PS no crib tents. my boys would destroy them in minutes LOL
     
  10. MrsBQ02

    MrsBQ02 Well-Known Member

    We have tents too. J managed to flip himself out of his crib right before his second birthday. I had them overnighted that day- LOL! The boys don't really care that the tents are there. When we accidentally give B the wrong stuffed animal he tries to push it out of the tent, but really, the tents do what they are intended for- keep them from falling out. After all the reading on here, I'm not even going to attempt the toddler bed until they're closer to 3. Only thing I'm nervous about is potty training... but that's a whole other mess! :blink:
     
  11. agolden

    agolden Well-Known Member

    I did crib tents. There is no way my boys are ready for toddler beds. And then we bought another set for the cottage. If I have to get up in the night to tend to someone and I sleepily forget to close one of the zippers, the boys will scream if they wake up and they see them open. I guess they feel really secure having them closed. And this is from one boy who rocked his crib 15 feet across the floor to reach the door knob when he was a year old. Also, both of them foiled my last 2 set of baby gates. So if they were escapable, I'm pretty sure my two would have done it.
     
  12. talivstouwe

    talivstouwe Well-Known Member

    I'm finding a ton of advice in this one. We aren't really thinking about switching to toddler beds yet - our boys haven't tried to get out of their cribs yet. But we realized the other day that our DD was in a toddler bed at 23 months. I just can't imagine Jacob and Boden actually staying in their beds.
     
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