Crib to toddler bed: when is the right time to switch?

Q: Crib to toddler bed: when is the right time to switch?

Hold off as long as it stays safe, ideally until close to age 3, when a child is able to understand and keep a “stay in bed” rule. Switch earlier only if your toddler keeps climbing out even with the mattress lowered and the crib bare, or has grown past the crib’s height limit. A new sibling, an 18-month or 2-year regression, or bedtime resistance don’t justify a switch, and a bed usually makes them worse.

The case for waiting

For a child who hasn’t developed impulse control yet, the crib supplies it. In real life, plenty of children younger than about 2.5–3 can’t reliably stay in an open bed just because they’ve been asked to, no matter how well they understand what you said. Families who make the switch at 18–24 months frequently swap one problem for a larger one: read my toddler won’t stay in bed.

Reasons that justify a move, and reasons that don’t

Good reasons to move	Poor reasons to move
Climbing out again and again even after the safety steps below	The crib is needed for a new baby (give the newborn a second crib or a bassinet)
Taller than the crib manual’s limit, or about 35 inches (89 cm), the height at which MedlinePlus says a child should stop using a crib	Reaching age 2
Nearly 3, asking for a bed, and following simple rules during the day	Resisting bedtime or waking during the night
Night toilet training that means reaching the bathroom	A regression, a house move or a new daycare happening that same month

A lot of families start thinking about a bed once bedtime turns into a fight. That fight can be resolved while your child is still in the crib, and Actually Sleeping coaches families with babies and toddlers from newborn on, so fixing sleep first, before changing beds, is well worth it.

When your toddler climbs out

Drop the mattress to its lowest position.
Use a regular sleep sack, which restricts how high a leg can go. Never a weighted one.
Take away footholds: bumpers, big toys, and anything in or next to the crib that could act as a step.
Avoid crib tents and homemade covers. Citing strangulation and entrapment hazards, the CPSC has recalled crib tents and advised parents to stop using them.

If your child keeps getting out anyway, the crib is no longer safe, and a bed or a mattress on the floor becomes the safer option.

Treat the whole room as the crib

As soon as a child can get out of bed, the entire bedroom must be safe for them to be in on their own:

Fix dressers, shelves and TVs to the wall.
Cover outlets, and secure electrical cords and blind cords.
Clear away small objects, medicines, toiletries and anything that can be climbed.
Install a gate at the bedroom door or the top of the stairs, and lock windows or add window guards.
Pick a low bed or a toddler bed, with purpose-made guardrails, positioned away from windows.

Why the move so often backfires

Lots of toddlers stay in bed for the first few nights, then realize they can get up, and bedtime becomes an endless game of walking them back. Parents who switched beds to solve bedtime resistance discover the resistance can now walk. The bed didn’t create the problem; it took away the one thing keeping it contained. What truly calms bedtime is a child who can fall asleep independently plus a limit that both parents enforce the same way.

Our approach to cribs and beds

Actually Sleeping coaches families with babies and toddlers from newborn on, whether the child sleeps in a crib or a bed. When the family has the option, Dr. Sam’s plan usually keeps the crib in place until sleep is solid and adds a move to a bed later, if one is needed. For toddlers already sleeping in a bed, the plan addresses getting out of bed as well as falling asleep, and comes with bootcamp-style coaching before the first night and daily 1:1 check-ins. Toddler parents describe their experience in reviews from families of children 12 months and older.

Thinking about a bed because bedtime has turned into a battle? Book a free consultation before you switch.

Want your baby sleeping like this?

With Actually Sleeping you get 1:1 coaching: Dr. Sam writes a sleep plan for your baby, we coach you bootcamp-style before the first night, and we check in daily until it is working. We have coached 700+ families, collected 129 video reviews, and put our guarantee in writing: 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days, or a full refund.

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Common questions

What age is best for moving from a crib to a bed?

Close to 3, for most children. Go earlier only for safety, for example climbing out in spite of a lowered mattress, or growing past the crib’s height limit.

Should my toddler move to a bed ahead of the new baby’s arrival?

Ideally, don’t move for that reason. If the switch is genuinely necessary, make it at least 2–3 months before the birth, or hold off until a few months afterward. Using a second crib or a bassinet means you don’t have to rush.

Which is better, a toddler bed or a twin bed?

Both are fine. The important things are that the bed is low, has suitable guardrails and is in a room that is fully childproofed, with furniture anchored to the wall.

My 2 year old got out of the crib one time. Is it time to switch?

Not necessarily. Drop the mattress to its lowest setting, put your child in a regular (not weighted) sleep sack, and take out anything that could serve as a step. If climbing out continues, the crib is no longer safe, and a bed becomes the safer option.