Now that I've (hopefully) convinced you to hold off on the transition, let's discuss WHY the transition should be made. Some of you are reading this and saying, "I had no choice! He was climbing out of his crib and I was worried he would hurt himself."
It can be so frustrating and scary when children start to climb out of their cribs! Some kids are just climbers while others never even attempt to get out of their cribs.
If your child is a climber:
1. Put the crib mattress on the lowest possible setting. This one seems like a no-brainer but sometimes it gets missed.
2. Dress your child in a sleep sack for bed. This can help keep his legs enclosed and unable to stretch far apart. You can also purchase special pajamas that make it nearly impossible for a child to swing their leg up and over the edge of the crib.
If you are a DIYer, simply sew a strip of fabric between the 2 legs of your child's pajamas so that they cannot spread their legs far enough apart to swing a leg up.
3. Depending on your type of crib, turn your crib 180 degrees so that the low front edge becomes the back edge and the high back edge becomes the front edge. Most convertible cribs are built this way.
When children climb out of their crib, they are climbing to get to the door so this trick often works because they don't think about climbing out the back edge. You've just added several inches to their climb and they probably won't be able to succeed.
4. If you've tried all of the above and there's still a chance your little can climb out, it's time to make the switch! Child-proof their room, create a visual/physical boundary at the door, and treat their bedroom like it is their crib moving forward.
If your child is NOT a climber:
Wait. Don't rush this transition.
A transition to a toddler bed should be a reward. It should not be used as a solution to poor sleep.
If your child is sleeping poorly, removing the boundaries of a crib will only make it that much harder to improve their sleep. I have found that children who climb out of their cribs also tend to be the same children who have poor sleep habits and struggle with falling asleep at naps and bedtime.
It is much easier to teach a child good sleep habits while they are young, less mobile, and confined to a crib. If you notice that your child has poor sleep habits and often fights bedtime and naptime, get help now before they are older. It will be much easier on you and them!
Once you do reach that point when everyone is ready for the transition, you probably would like to know HOW you should proceed.
Make sure their room is child-proof since they will now be able to roam freely. Have outlets covered, make sure any dressers or bookcases are bolted to the wall so they don't tip, and it would be a good idea to remove all toys from the room.
If you have trouble keeping your toddler in their room after several nights of being consistent in your response, you can try 2 stacked baby gates in the doorway or a childproof doorknob cover.
A toddler clock is also a good idea. I recommend the Mella sleep trainer clock (save 10% with my code: allthesleeps10). It's perfect for visually teaching your child when it's wake up time and when they can come out of their room each morning. This clock is a great tool but you'll need to be willing to enforce it in order for your child to catch on.
Lastly, when dealing with toddlers and preschoolers, it's important to remember that they know how to TEST you! So while their tears and protesting can be really hard to handle, they know that their tantrums can make you bend to their will.
So make a plan and stick to it! Be firm and each time you have to walk your child back to bed, keep all interactions to a minimum.
