If you had crib tents, when did you switch to a big kid bed?

So far, we're doing great with the crib tents and the boys really love them. I think we will actually have to get tents for their big beds when the time comes because they love them so much. Anyway, I'm wondering... what should be the criteria for switching to big beds if you have a crib tent to keep them safe and it's working fine? We've already replaced one crib tent because its zipper malfunctioned and we had to cut it open to get the kid out... so, we're dedicated (mostly, dedicated to maintaining a barely-existent naptime). Tell me all about what made you decide to take the plunge... after all, they can't keep the crib tents forever!

 

hmmm, count me in the "use them forever" crowd :FIFblush: We do not have any plans per se of when we are going to switch. So far we are thinking around xmas to have some help in buying things needed for the process :good: But in reality there is no NEED to switch them yet, mine are not night potty trained yet and don't mind thier cribs (also with tents) one bit. Though thier preschool teachers (they do home visits) were a bit alarmed they were still in cribs, lol!!!

 

We switched just before they were 2 1/2, mainly because we were going to Grandma and Grandpa's for Christmas, and they didn't have 2 cribs, and they both climbed right out of the pack and play. But they do have a room with twin beds. So we wanted them used to the beds before the trip.

 

We switched at 3 years 6 months and with absolutely no problems at all to the switch.

 

We switched Erick just before three and Kayci at three and a half. I just decided I was ready to do it and did. Kayci probably would have stayed in that crib forever if I'd let her! She loved that crib tent! I've also seen tents for twin beds, although they are able to open them from the inside. I considered getting them and rigging them to NOT open from the inside but never did.

 

:umm: Why? And they would be alarmed here too. :blush: Mine are still in cribs and I plan on keeping them in there for as long as I can. ardon:

 

We switched right after their 3rd birthday. FWIW, my boys night PTed in tents. They'd call me if they needed to go (we use a monitor so they only needed to say it, not shout) but mostly they held it all night and called me as soon as they woke.

Since it was working so well, I thought we'd wait until after the holidays and switch in January when they were 39 months. They had a nasty habit of holding the poles where they intersect and swinging like monkeys so I knew the tent could support 30 pounds of swinging child. However, I heard a noise one day and came in to find the two of them standing by the crib looking very guilty with the tent completely inverted and one of the poles shattered. I guess they got on the top together and 60 pounds was just too much. I decided it wasn't safe to continue using them so we began our journey into the land of no naps and bedtime chaos. It wasn't pretty.

 

We switched right around their third birthday. Same reason as Debi. They started figuring out all kinds of fun things to do with the tents, but when they both decided to lay down on TOP of the tent, it was over. The poles broke. They thought it was fabulous, I did not. FWIW, I was in the room with them when this happened. That's how fast my boys can be. :crazy:

At the time this happened, I really didn't have any plans to switch them, but was thinking about it. I guess I wanted to stay in denial as long as I could. One of my boys had figured out that if he made a hole near the zipper, he could make it bigger and get his hand out and unzip himself. Between that and the swinging from the middle, I knew the time was coming, I just didn't want to admit it. When they broke the poles, that was it. I think the company is fabulous - we replaced the tents several times each, and the poles that last time. They never questioned me once.

We had minimal issues once the switch was made. We have had to take just about everything out of their room, and the first week was spent seeing how many things they could destroy, but after that, it's been mostly good (they even lost their beds because they would take the mattresses off and prop them up against the wall and make "water slides". Ugh! They now just sleep on their mattresses which are on the floor.) They still take naps, although for the past 5 months we have split them up at nap time because it was getting a little crazy in there. Now that they're split, they take great naps - thank goodness!

 

THEY CAN'T????

No seriously, we started the crib tents in July, and plan on keeping them in them until they turn 3 (in April). We have two family vacations planned for next summer, and both of them they will be sleeping in twin beds. So we figured switching in April would give us time to get them used to big beds.

I love the cribs tents. I'm so glad that Debi and Kristi and a few others talked me into it. Peace of mind is PRICELESS.

 

Oh, our kids would get along swimmingly! My boys like to build bridges between their beds with the mattresses (we're using their cribs converted to toddler beds). They also push the cribs around into different configurations with the favorite being the two beds pushed together to make one giant crib but offset enough that there are openings for easy entry/exit. I've thought about putting the mattresses on the floor but worry that they'd just use them as trampolines and it wouldn't really solve anything.

 

We kept the crib tents until we switched to twin beds at 3y2m. The girls were still quite happy in their cribs, but I just felt like they were getting too big. They were doing a lot of jumping, and I had a vision of the cribs suddenly giving way one day. Plus, I was just feeling the urge to shop for some new furniture.

By the time we finally switched, they could both zip & unzip their own tents (by working a finger through to the outside), and I'm sure they could have climbed out if they wanted, but they just never did. (Amy occasionally climbed in, just to show off.) So there wasn't really a containment issue anymore.

We had minimal problems with the switch. They did give up naps a few months later, but it had more to do with age than with the big beds. And although we do have bedtime struggles where they call us back 10 million times, they don't actually get out of bed and rampage around the room. That's just their personality, but I think it also helped that we switched so late, when they could really understand what the rules are.

 

I don't really qualify to answer because we never did crib tents, but just wanted to put a plug in for switching to twin beds -- it doesn't *have* to go poorly!

Mine are in separate rooms, so that obviously makes a big difference. But, we switched to twin beds a couple months ago, and we've had zero problems. K&K both still nap 2-3 hours as usual, and they go to bed as usual. No drama at all. (Now, knock on wood and spit over your shoulder!)

The only issue we've had is the first night, when Karina got tangled up in her sheet, and called out to have us fix it. That's it!

Now, we do have all the furniture bolted to the wall, in case my monsters decide to scale their dressers or something...but otherwise, it's all good. And, we do shut their bedroom doors at night, and they can't open them yet, so I don't worry about them wandering the house. There is also a gate spanning their two bedroom doors, so in case they do find their way out of their rooms, they can't get down the stairs.

I swear to you that my twins are totally nutty, and I can barely leave the house with them...but we decided to take the plunge with beds, and we're very glad we did!

 

We switched them at around 3 years old since they seemed to understand the concept of staying in bed and their rooms at naptime unless they needed something important.

 

We switched at 3 years and 3 months (one had a crib tent, the other never did.) We had about a week of tough bedtimes, and also have struggled with naps and some early wakeups since moving to big kid beds.

Knowing what I know now, I might have kept them in cribs until about 3.5 or so. (I know a triplet mom who kept them in cribs with crib tents until after age 4!)

We didn't have a bad transition, it was just easier before (and we probably could have kept the cribs for a bit longer, in hindsight.)

Good luck!

Meg

 

As long as I can! I noticed my very tall boys were actually battling with the stuffed animals for space. We are going to visit the grandparents in February and I'm hoping we can rent real cribs and not pack'n'plays. It it is just pack'n'plays, we'll have to have them in twin beds and then it might be trouble when we get back home.

I've been known to say that they'll get out when they leave home for University but they are already getting pretty tall....

 

I was thinking we'd switch around 3, but then we found out that DH deploys a month before their birthday, and I'm not tackling big beds solo!!! So I suppose by default, they'll be in cribs and tents until they're over 3.5!!! Oh well... Don't think it'll scar them for life.

 

We had crib tents at just after 2 and just switched at 2 years 9 months to big boy beds. It was rough for 4-5 days but now it's no problem. My boys were just tall and I thought they could use some more space.

 

We switched right around age 3. That's when we felt like they were mature enough to listen to us when we told them to stay in their beds. In other words, it would not become party central at bedtime. They transitioned really easily, and the decorating of their new big girl bedroom with new furniture and everything was a good identification with turning 3.

I'd say for the first 4 months, they never ever got out of their bed unless an adult came in to get them up. Now they will get up and come in our bedroom in the morning when it's time to get up anyways. But they still don't in the middle of the night.

 

We didn't use tents either, and when we moved I said that I was not bringing the cribs, we'd buy new toddler beds when we got up here. So for the most part, they sleep wonderfully at night. Naps OTOH are a different story. Royce sleeps in our room in a pack n'play, Alice sleeps in the bed.