How old is too old for the crib?

So, our almost 3-yr-old is still in the crib. He's never climbed out; I don't think he's even thought about it. I always thought we'd wait until he tried to climb out to figure out when he was ready for a toddler bed. Now, I think it's going to be more about potty training.

We've had little luck so far with PT. He'll go sometimes, but never on a regular basis. He just has no interest in it. We've tried every kind of bribery, etc. I'm willing to wait a little longer. I'm still hoping it will just click one day when he decides he wants to stop wearing pull-ups. So, I don't think nighttime training will be an issue for awhile.

Second, when he stayed with my parents, they let him sleep in a big bed. He did great, but he did end up on the floor (they don't know when he rolled off, he didn't cry or anything, and he climbed back up into the bed before he called for them in the morning). The next time he spent the night, he asked to sleep in the pack n play, which is really too small for him, but I guess he wanted the security of the walls on the bed. So, that tells me he might not be ready to be out of a crib???

Anyway, at what point do you think a kid is too big for a crib? I'm considering starting toddler beds at his 3-yr birthday. Our crib is convertible, so it would be the same, with just a shorter, more narrow wall on the one side, so he can get out. If he still wants the comfort of the crib, should I leave him in there until he needs to be able to leave to go to the bathroom?? Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts or experience...

 

I switched my two to big kid beds when they were almost 3.5 and that was mainly because my SIL was having a baby and we wanted to give her their crib since the transition would be here soon for us. :good: Plus, they stopped napping. As far as PT'ing goes, them being in cribs didn't affect that at all. They still aren't night trained so they don't go to the bathroom at night.

 

My boys climbed out at about 2.5 YO or I would have had no issue with leaving them in a crib until they were closer to 3. It sounds like you could go either way. If you are ready to transition him to a bed, then maybe do that and get some rails to keep him in and make him feel safer. I dont think it matters at this point for PTing since he is a bit of a ways off from being night trained. GL with your decision.

 

Thanks!! This makes me feel better - I was thinking that around 2 is the normal age for switching - we might just leave him in there longer, if there's no reason not to...

 

Hi:

On the advice of other wise twin moms on this forum, we waited until after age 3 (3 years and 3 months) to switch to big beds. We then went right to big beds (twin) and skipped the toddler beds. In hindsight, I wished we had waited just a little bit longer, but it was fine.

A friend with triplets waited until her kids for 4 years old. Then, she was able to package the big bed shift with all sorts of expectations about "big kid" behaviour.

I think moms with singletons move to big kids bedns earlier sometimes. For me, I just know that we all needed good napping and easy bedtimes and my kids were not really ready for the responsbility of big kid beds until after age 3.

Good luck!

Meg

 

My boys are still in cribs and will be for awhile (they are 27 months). I plan on skipping toddler beds and going straight to twin size. I can take off the one side of the crib and make it into a day bed and will most likely do that in the beginning. My hope is that by 3 1/2 or another year they'll be in twin beds.

When I go in their rooms in the morning, my one son would lift his leg up in an attempt to climb out. When I seen him do that, I turned the crib around so it's now higher in the front. I would be very suprised if he was able to climb out now.

Right now they are both in speech and DT. Until they can understand and speak a little better I do not see why I would even attempt to try regular beds.

I know when I put them down for a nap or at bedtime they are safe and can't get out and for me that's all that matters.

 

As long as they're safe in their cribs (ie not climbing out and falling and getting hurt), it's fine for them to stay there. It's not like there's any age where they're "supposed" to be out of cribs! Some kids are out at 2, and others are happy in cribs at 4. Of course, if you're doing nighttime PT, then he'd need to be able to get out of bed, but it sounds like you're not anywhere close to that yet.

My kids are still in cribs, and I have no plans whatsoever to change that. They're happy and safe, and with toddlers, I never rock the boat unless there's a good reason! :lol:

 

We did this for all of our kids and just put up a bedrail. Then we went right to twin or full sized beds.

 

we waited until their 3rd birthday...it conicided nicely with the first time my son climbed out of his crib!

 

We switched at age 3 to toddler beds and it went great....they are still in toddler beds now at 4.5. Mine never climbed out either, it was just too hard to get them in/out once they got so big!!!

 

We bought beds that change to twin beds, and when the switch was made, they were almost 2.

I say that if you don't care if he's in a crib, and he doesn't care that he's in a crib, leave him in there. We were in the process of moving so I didn't want to have to reassemble the cribs for a few months. . .

 

I don't think there is any "correct" age.

My older two never slept in a crib but went straight from my bed to twin beds. My daughter was on a top bunk at age two with no issues.

My twins are almost 3 and happily sleep in cribs. I keep the sides down so they can get in and out easily. Some nights/naps they will sleep on the futon in their room, but mostly in their cribs. Switching to a bed requires work on my part, so I can imagine leaving them there until they ask for beds likes their sibs.

Certainly not something to worry about. If it ain't broke don't fix it!

 

Great idea - we talk about big boy beds sometimes, so I guess I will just wait until he asks for it. Someone teased me about him having "security" issues and that's why he needed the four walls on his crib. Obviously, he's not unusual. : Thanks so much for the responses!!

 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I was researching beds this weekend and just freaking out about how I was going to manage it all and then I realized they were perfectly happy in their cribs. I had planned to get them out before we go to Florida next winter so my folks wouldn't have to rent cribs (they are way too big for pack'n'plays) but after reading pp, I might just have them in big boy beds and put them back in their cribs when we get home if it's ok with them.

I have crib tents and I must say, I don't think I'll ever sleep as soundly as I am now if they are not contained. Selfish me.

 

We waited until about 2 weeks before the girls 3rd birthdays, which happened to be Christmas, and then gave them the beds as a Christmas gift. They were thrilled. We really talked it up and they were wanting them and asking for them. So I felt they were ready just for the fact that they really wanted the beds themselves and would talk constantly about them. We were also potty training at the time, so we also used them as rewards for filling their sticker charts up with stickers. It all worked really well for us. We had very little transition problems.

 

My twins (boys) were in cribs (and happily so) until about a month before their fourth birthday. At that time, we moved them to twin beds with bed rails. We made a big deal out of the big boy bed thing and the transition was seamless for us. My kids are small, so they still had enough room in the cribs, and would have stayed in them longer I think. It was me who suddenly felt like, wow, they are almost four and still sleeping in cribs...I guess I better move them.

 

I used to joke that I wanted to keep the girls in their cribs until they were 18. Well at 2.5 one of them tried to climb out, fell, hit her head and had a minor concussion. I would have kept them in the cribs for as long as possible but the day after the fall we converted the cribs to toddler beds. We just gave them full size beds for their birthday (a little early) because we got a really nice deal on them.

Anyway I agree with pp's who say keep them there as long as possible as long as they're not trying to climb out.

 

When they are 30 it won't matter, but for now it will to them and you. My two are 2.5 and we will be in cribs as long as we can. Then I want to go to real beds without the toddler bed thing. My friend did a mattress on the floor which I like that idea. I might even buy double mattresses so if they wish to sleep together they can, or we can use it for overnight guest bedroom.

So my answer would be 5 yrs old ? hehe

 

This is a great idea - seems like maybe a slightly cheaper way to go, too, buy the mattress first and the bed later...

 

I think mine really are ready to transition, especially since they keep treating their crib tents like monkey bars, but while DH is gone, and I'm the only parent to deal with everything- they're staying put in their cribs until he gets home! Sure, they'll be over 3 and a half, but oh well!!! That's just the hand of cards we were dealt-- they'll survive.

 

My friend's son LOVED his crib and was happily sleeping in there until the day before he turned 5 years old. On his last day as a 4 year old, he told his parents that he didn't want to sleep in the crib anymore and demanded that they get rid of it RIGHT NOW! It turns out that he was having a birthday party the next day and did not want his friends to see a crib in his room. :lol: So his transition from from his crib to a bed went very quickly.

 

18 doesn't sound terribly unreasonable does it? I am of the camp that as long as they still fit, are sleeping, and not doing death defying stunts to get out I am in no hurry to change. My kids ASK to get in their cribs now, and that's fine by me. I don't want them prowling the house alone night and we all sleep better knowing they are safely corralled inside their cribs.