The crib to toddler bed transition can be a challenge for many parents. Learn 10 things you should do when you make the switch.
For each of my kids, the decision to transition to a toddler bed happened when they each climbed out of their cribs.
One fell on the floor and cried while another landed on his feet, wondering how he got there. And the other somehow straddled the edge of his crib, hooting and hollering, “Mama look, horse-y!”
You may have found yourself in the same predicament, shocked and scared to learn that your toddler can now climb out of his crib.
Or perhaps you’re pregnant and want to get your toddler a new bed rather than another crib for the baby. Whether she wants to or not, she needs to adjust to a toddler bed to make room for her new sibling.
Or maybe your toddler likes the idea of a big bed and its newfound independence. No more “baby” crib for her!
No matter the reason, the transition from a crib to toddler bed can often come out of nowhere, forcing parents like you and me to act fast.
Table of Contents
Transitioning from a crib to a toddler bed
But after having slept in a crib all her life, your child might still find a toddler bed overwhelming.
She runs after you as you make your way to leave the room, or wakes up in the middle of the night wanting to sleep in your bed. She might even feel resentful of the new baby sleeping in “her” crib, or overcome with sadness at no longer having her old sleeping arrangement.
However normal or expected these emotions may be, they can still feel challenging for many parents. Thankfully, you can do plenty not only to respond to her behavior, but to prepare her for a toddler bed to begin with.
Let’s begin with preparing her for the transition into a toddler bed. Later, we’ll talk about what to do when that transition doesn’t go so well.
1. Frame the change as something positive
Your toddler can feel overwhelmed with this big change in her life. One of the best ways to ease her anxieties is to frame the toddler bed as something positive.
For instance, talk about how much she has grown so much that she no longer fits in the crib and now needs a new bed. Get her excited about the idea of hopping in and out of bed in the mornings and evenings, all on her own.
And don’t say that you need the crib for the new baby (even if it’s true). Instead, talk about how she’s growing up so fast that she can be just like mom and dad with her own bed.
At the same time, keep your enthusiasm in check. Have a genuine conversation without overdoing how cool sleeping in a toddler bed is. She’ll see right through the antics and might feel more anxious than excited.
Free printable: Do you struggle with getting her to take a nap? Download The Five Habits That Will Make Your Child’s Naps Easier! Discover the five steps you need to do to finally get a break while she naps. Join my newsletter and grab your copy below:
Plus, you’ll also get my newsletters, which parents say they LOVE:
“I feel like you have been looking in my window. This gave me hope and practical ways to move forward in my never ending toddler tantrums, million diapers a day, always messy house, never ending work filled life. I will try reflecting today. Thank you.” – Abigail
2. Install a toddler rail
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links, which means I will earn a commission—at no extra cost to you—if you make a purchase.
Confession time: One of my twins fell at least five times on the floor because it took me that long to finally get a toddler rail. The poor thing slept in a crib that, while it converted to a bed, didn’t include an extra rail. I even tried putting pillows on the floor to catch him should he fall (#momfail).
If your crib doesn’t come with a separate bed rail, you can still buy an attachment. This will allow him to still get in and out of bed, but prevent him from falling should he roll around.
And make sure you get one for the right bed size, whether converted beds, toddler beds, or twin beds. We got this bed rail that attaches to a converted bed:
3. Explain the rules
Though exciting a toddler bed can be, explain to your child the rules she should follow. After all, this is still so new for her, so it’d be unfair to expect her to know how to behave without prior experience or explanation.
For instance, let her know she should stay in bed until you or your partner come in to get her up. Or you can even get an alarm clock with a light timer that turns on, signaling the time she can get out of bed.
4. Read books about sleeping in a bed
Reading children’s books is a fantastic way to help your toddler understand changes in her life, including a new toddler bed. Hearing how other characters deal with a new bed will help her feel less alone and anxious.
Read these books a few days or weeks before the big change so you can open a dialogue about what to expect. Then, continue to read them as she settles into her new sleeping arrangement. Here are a few books specifically about sleeping in a new bed:
- A Big Kid Bed is Coming by Liz Fletcher
- Big Kid Bed by Leslie Patricelli
- A Bed of Your Own by Mij Kelly
- Big Enough for a Bed by Apple Jordan
- Big Bed for Giraffe by Michael Dahl
5. Make the room safe and comfortable
Think of your child’s room as her new “crib.”
In the past, she was contained within her crib, but with a toddler bed, she now has access to her entire room. Even if you explain that she’s to stay in bed, don’t chance it that she’ll follow that rule every time.
Instead, make the room safe by removing items or clutter she can trip on in the middle of the night. Clear the pathway to the door in case she tries to open it. Any toys you don’t let her play with unsupervised should go in a different room.
Move most items out of the way to lessen any danger now that she’s more mobile.
At the same time, keep the room comfortable and calm. Remove any battery toys that light up or make sounds—now that she has access to them, she might play with or even step on them by accident. And keep it tidy and organized to avoid over-stimulation.
Learn what to do when your toddler wakes up every night.
6. Use a night light
Your toddler might feel scared transitioning to a toddler because of a fear of the dark. In fact, I believe my eldest began climbing out of his crib in the first place for that reason.
If you feel like she’s afraid of the dark, consider using a night light to ease her anxieties. And even if she had been fine with the dark, a night light will help her see, should she get out of bed for any reason. Even though she should stay in bed, the last thing you want is for her to trip or bump into something.
How to help your toddler stay in bed.
When your child resists sleeping in a toddler bed
Let’s say you did all the above: you talked about the transition from a crib to a toddler bed and read books all about it. You encouraged her with positive words and even bought her a new night light.
What if, despite all those steps, she has a meltdown? I’m talking a banging-on-the-door, won’t-stop-crying, “Don’t leave me Mama!” meltdown?
Not all kids take to a toddler bed smoothly. Even though I was relieved my twins took to their toddler beds easily, my eldest didn’t want anything to do with his new one.
What can parents do in these cases?
7. Put a doorknob lock inside the room
This might seem crazy, considering we’re talking about locking your toddler in her own bedroom. But think of it this way: in the past, she was “locked” within the confines of her crib. Now, she’s within the confines of her room.
My son had reached the age where he could turn the knob to open the door. Any time he didn’t want to stay in bed, he’d open the door and look for us.
The thing is, we didn’t want him roaming our home, and instead wanted him to sleep safely in bed. So we put safety doorknob locks on the inside of his room. Other parents said they used a baby gate as another option (don’t forget to install wall protectors, too!).
This prevented him from leaving the room, just as the rails of a crib had prevented him from getting out and about.
Take a look at these 7 items that will help make for a smooth toddler bed transition.
8. Check in every few minutes
Now that you have doorknob covers to keep your toddler in her room, you can then check in on her every few minutes.
Let’s say she’s still crying when you close the door to her room. Start by setting your timer for five minutes. When it goes off, open the door, walk her back to bed, and tuck her in. Explain that she needs to sleep in her bed and that you’re in the next room. Then walk out and close the door.
Keep this and all interactions subdued and minimal, and 30 seconds at most.
Then, set your timer for 10 minutes, and do the same thing. If she’s still crying at the 10 minute mark, open the door and walk her back to bed again. And repeat at 15 minutes again until she finally falls asleep. If you have your old baby monitor, you can use it to see what she’s up to without needing to open the door.
Another thing: It’s okay if she falls asleep on the floor for a few nights. There’s no need to carry her back to her bed and risk waking her up in the process.
9. Encourage your toddler to sleep in her bed, not yours
I get that we’re always there for our kids when they’re scared. But letting your toddler sleep in your bed because she’s scared tells her that her bed and room aren’t safe places to be.
Instead, avoid the temptation to give in and let her sleep in your bed. As tired as you might be, this only reinforces her beliefs that she belongs in your room, not hers.
Acknowledge her fear (“You’re scared because you’re sleeping in a bed for the first time”). Then, reassure her that all is well and her bed is a warm and safe place to sleep.
Conclusion
It took about two weeks before our eldest was 100% fine sleeping in his toddler bed. No sitting next to him, no yanking on the doorknob, and we didn’t find him passed out on the floor. He slept the whole night in his bed, safe and snug.
Your child may be the same or completely different, like my twins. With them, they had the added benefit of not being alone in the room, which helped them feel less scared. They also saw from day one their big brother sleeping in a big boy bed and knew the transition was a normal one.
Whether your child is eager or scared, going from crib to toddler bed is a big one they all make. No longer are they the little baby you laid in the crib, but are now big kids, complete with their own big kid beds.
Get more tips:
- What to Do When Your 2 Year Old Wakes Up at Night for Hours
- Transitioning to a Toddler Bed at 18 Months
- 8 Mistakes You’re Making When Your 2 Year Old Refuses to Sleep
- How to Get Through the 2 Year Old Sleep Regression
- Toddler Climbing Out of the Crib? Easy Solutions to Help You
Don’t forget: Join my newsletter and download The Five Habits That Will Make Your Child’s Naps Easier below:
Transitioning right now. He is almost 2 1/2 and has climbed out 5 or 6 times in the past few weeks without getting hurt. I figured a good time to change before he gets hurt. He cries only several times for the first hour or two and then sleeps through the rest of the night in the bed (first night he slept on the floor for a few hours but got back into bed himself). It is a crib that converts to toddler bed so it is definitely recognizable to him so I would hoping it woulnd’t be too traumatic. I didn’t give him a pep talk before…just showed him his new bed and got excited. 2 days so far….keeping fingers crossed and hope I’m doing okay.
Sounds like you’re on the right track, Lisa! It can definitely take a while before it’s 100% smooth. My eldest also slept on the floor the first night or two 🙂 I’ve got my fingers crossed for you and the little guy!
Have you removed all of his toys from his room or have you just shut the door and let him do whatever until he falls asleep. I am torn if I should clean out her room so there is nothing to play with except her night light?
Our toddler son basically cannot spend a waking moment alone in his new bed. Whenever he wakes, usually two or three times a night, he comes to our room to my side of the bed and waits to be taken back to his room. He stands quietly with his head resting on the bed or even lies down next to our bed. That’s what happened about an hour ago and why I’m writing now at 3:50am. Right now I spend 60-90 minutes each night sitting by his bed until he falls back asleep, from putting him down to repeated night wakings. However, thus far we’ve actually left our and his doors open, so he’ll be safe if he gets up in the night. Then I read your post. Ive ordered the color changing clock and door lock. I hope those work. Thanks.
Hope it works, Drew! I’ve found that the waiting by their bed til they fall asleep method only continues that habit, eg they start expecting that every night. Sleep training them to stay in their room has helped, especially if you treat sleeping in his room with confidence, that you know he’s safe and there’s nothing to worry about. Also make sure that you check in every few minutes if he’s still fussing and crying so he knows you’re still here.
I like your ideas about transitioning. The issue isn’t her getting up and throwing tantrums or crying out. I mean this is an occasional incident where she does these things. Our problem is she just wont go to sleep and so she just gets up and turns the lights on or starts playing. She used to be so easy to put down now it is taking an hour and a half to get her to fall asleep and we have been doing this for 3 months now. The only way I can get her to go to sleep with in 30 min is to lay next to her crib until she falls asleep that way she can’t get up. I have tried the fade method. I still will sit in my room so I can see her ( I leave her door open so I can see when she has gotten up) but I keep going in and telling her to get back to bed and we have made no progress. My husband wants me to shut the door and just let her do whatever it is she wants to do and eventually she will go to sleep which is great and all but she typically sleeps 10-11 hours at night and now that we are in a toddler bed she wont nap either so I am afraid between letting her just stay up as long as she is in her room and not napping now ( I do lay her down but she just lays there for an hour to 1.5 hours- wont sleep) she is not getting enough sleep and is having meltdowns and very crabby sometimes. I don’t know what to do at this point. do I shut the door and just let her sleep when she is ready?
Hi Angela! I would agree with your husband with a quick change: I would shut the door, but go back in every few minutes (for instance, every 10 or 15 minutes) to put her back in bed, turn off the light, etc., and then shut the door again. This way, she knows you’re still there, you’re able to check and see if anything really is the matter, and you’re reinforcing that it’s time to sleep with the lights off and in bed. In time, she’ll accept this as the new norm, and not you sitting in her room waiting for her to sleep. Hopefully in time and with consistency, she’ll know to simply stay in bed all night 🙂 Good luck! I know it’s rough, and at three months it can feel defeating at times. Hopefully this helps!
Angela – what you went through is what we’re going through right now. Did you have any luck with a bring specific ?