Things to consider before putting your toddler into a big kid bed
If you are worried that your toddler may be getting ready to escape from his crib or he already has please think about a few things before you automatically put him in a big kid bed. He may not be mentally ready for such a huge change or he may simply be to young for it. I recommend that children stay in their crib as long as possible, usually between 2 ½ and 3 years old is a good time to make the change. By then they are mentally and emotionally able to cope with the responsibility that comes with a big kid bed, by responsibility I mean being able to handle not getting out of their bed at all hours of the night and wanting you to put them back to bed.
Here are some things to consider:
1. Make sure your toddler’s mattress is on the lowest possible place
2. Remove all bumpers
3. Remove all stuffed animals and toys
4. Have a talk to him about how he may hurt himself if he jumps out of his crib.
5. Invest in a crib tent
The reason we don’t want to have any toys, stuffed animals or bumpers in the crib is so he can’t use any of them to stand on and help him climb out. As for talking to your toddler that depends on his age, if he two years or older that usually works, don’t scare him though as we still want him to love is crib and where he sleeps. As far as crib tents go, I have never had a child say that they don’t like it, in fact most of them love their new special tent on their crib. If you make it sound really cool then they will most likely follow your lead.
Also think really hard about it before you make the change, because if your toddler isn’t old enough or not mature enough then you could be opening a whole new bag of worms for yourself. Especially if your toddler has been a great sleeper and sleeps through out the night then you don’t want to interrupt that.
