Knowing when the time is right to move a child from the crib to a toddler bed varies with each child’s development. The first time you find your child climbing out of her crib will be your first warning sign that she is ready for a toddler bed. Second, when your child becomes successfully potty trained, will be another signal to move him from the crib, so that he may go to the potty when necessary during the night. Third, if the arrival of a new baby requires the crib, your toddler needs to be transitioned to a big kid bed at least 2 months before the new baby arrives. Also, look for other signs such as sleeping through the night and the ability to self soothe. Most children reach this stage of development between 15 and 36 months.
Jodi A. Mindell,Ph.D., author of Sleeping Through the Night: How Infants, Toddlers, and Their Parents Can Get a Good Night’s Sleep, believes parents should wait as long as possible before making the switch, preferably until the child is closer to 3 years old. There are safety issues to consider because an 18 month old might wake up and roam around the house at night while the parents are asleep. Consider timing very carefully, don’t make more than one change in a toddler’s life at one time. If he is changing daycare centers, or gaining a new brother or sister, or moving into a new home, or potty training, this is not the time to switch beds. One major change at a time is enough for a young child to cope with.
Making the transition to a larger bed can be difficult for young children who feel safe and secure in their familiar crib. Make this new stage in your toddler’s life exciting for him. Talk with your child about growing up and changing to a big kid bed. Let him join in the excitement by helping to pick out his new bed and the bedding for it. This helps him develop ownership in the bed even before he sleeps in it. If you don’t have a toddler bed, place the crib or twin mattress on the floor for the child to sleep on until he is older. Or, if you already have the bed, maybe he can help pick out new sheets or a new stuffed animal to sleep with. Be sure to include something that belong to him from his crib. Try to put the new bed in the same location as his crib, to keep the night time visuals familiar. Keep a night time routine, going to bed at the same time every night and do not allow him to get out of bed to join you in your bed, not even one time. It only takes one time to break all the training you have been practicing.
If your child has trouble staying in his new bed, a children sleep expert, Mandy Gurney, Millpond Children Sleep Clinic, recommends a gradual retreat program to help teach children to settle alone at bedtime and go back to sleep by their self during the night. This technique will minimize crying and is less likely to disturb others in the house and the lucky parent whose turn it is to stay in bed!
Gradual retreat is a method of gradually distancing yourself from your child little by little until she no longer needs your presence to fall asleep at bedtime.
It should teach her how to return to sleep independently during the night.
STEP 1
After her usual bath and bedtime story routine, get her into bed with whatever cuddlies she sleeps with, and stroke her arm or shoulder as she settles.
STEP 2
Stop stroking and gently pat her to sleep. After a couple of minutes of steady patting start to pat intermittently, with gradually increasing intervals between contact.
STEP 3
Place a hand very lightly on her and rest it there for a couple of minutes. Then remove your hand and quietly “shhhhhhh” her as she drifts off.
STEP 4
This is where you start to quietly move your chair further away from her bed – quietly move it two feet away and sit for a couple of minutes; then move it to the middle of the room for a couple of minutes; and then move to beside the door. Once you’re in this spot, sit for 10 minutes to make sure she’s sleeping deeply. If you think she is, move your chair outside the door and give it another couple of minutes if you feel it’s necessary.
Keep up the good work
You’ll need to sit with your daughter and repeat this procedure, every time she wakes in the night until she has gone back to sleep again. You can customize this technique to suit you better – for example, you might want to sit by the bed on your chair or leaning against the wall until you’re sure she is asleep.
Depending on how well she’s coping, repeat each single step for three nights only and keep any interaction with her to a minimum.This sleep method normally takes around three or four weeks to complete. It’s likely to be challenging and frustrating for the first few nights, but eventually your child
will learn to settle herself and you shouldn’t be hearing the pitter patter of tiny feet late at night!
Toddler Beds
Toddler beds come in many different shapes and styles to match each child’s individuality. Your child’s new bed should be a place where he wants to sleep because he likes the bed. Some little girl’s prefer a very feminine bed like the Tiffany Rose Toddler Bed. It is an all wood bed with a bow embossed on the headboard and the foot board with beautiful rose bouquets coming out of a green bow. Trailing rose buds run down the side of the bed. This toddler bed has accompanying side pieces such as a vanity and stool, storage bench, doll cradle, table and chairs, and doll high chair.
Or, a young man may be interested in a jeep. You might choose to set his room up with a safari jeep in a jungle theme. This Safari Jeep Toddler Bed is made out of solid wood and painted to look like a zebra. While sleeping in this bed, little adventurers can dream about wild adventures in the outback.
For those children who have parents in the military, we have the Military Jeep Toddler Bed with a Foot Locker Toy Box. These boxes, made of solid wood, will be around for awhile. Little soldiers and adventurers need a good rest after a long day of adventure. They love sleeping in their special bed, dreaming of tomorrows adventures, and they are ready for dawn patrol the moment they wake up. A standard sized crib mattress fits this little adventurer’s toddler bed. All wood construction and hand crafted from laminated Baltic birch and other solid woods. The Bed measures 29 x 53 inches. The entrance is 12 – 13 inches above the floor. Available in Military Green or Pink.
The Foot Locker Toy Chest is a basic, tough box to hold lots of stuff. The safety closure keeps the lid from slamming on 
little fingers. Made from all wood construction and hand crafted from imported laminated wood. Available in Green, Yellow, Red or Pink The chest measures 15″ x 15″ x 29″
Choosing a toddler bed can be fun because they come in many different shapes and styles for whatever design you decide to use in your child’s room. Just be sure your child likes the bed and wants to sleep in it. After all, that is the goal,
