I struggle with this too. I have a large 3yo but she has never climbed out so we've had the outlook "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I am really uptight about her sleeping a full 12h and us getting our alone time as adults. But OP, I think at 3.5 I would transition. Needs to be working toward night potty training at that age and have easy access to a toilet.

Older DD switched right before her 4th birthday
Younger DD is still happily in her crib at 2.5
DS busted out of his crib Hulk style shortly after he turned 2.

Anonymous wrote:We had twins so we had 2 cribs. The crib worked for them. We took one side off when they were older so they could go to the bathroom. I think they were 4 or 5 when we redid their rooms with an older theme and switched to twin beds.

+1 I didn’t switch my twins to real beds until they were 4 because they didn’t wake to use the bathroom at night and they weren’t climbing out. They shared a nursery in our previous house, but we moved when they were 3 1/2 and since then they’ve been in separate bedrooms. We didn’t want to change everything about their sleep arrangements all at once, so they stayed in cribs for 6 more months and then we bought beds.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, you should transition her to a bed. No need for a toddler bed at 3.5, just get her a regular bed -- twin, full, queen, whatever you want her to have long-term. You can get bumpers if you feel like she needs them.

+1000 Toddler beds are a waste of money. DC was in it for 6 months. just jump to a regular bed.

I guess my main question at this point is: what is the advantage of keeping him in the crib? Are there any reasons you are worried that he can't handle a regular bed?

I agree with PPs that at some point it's just easier for them to get into and out of bed on their own. A bunch of people made a big thing to me about how moving from crib to bed was so terrible because they get up a lot, but it wasn't my experience. And I remember when my DD started getting up for the bathroom on her own, washing her hands, and then going back to bed without involving us at all, around 4 or 4.5? So nice. I'd want to expedite that process.

Also, yes, you don't need a toddler bed and I would personally skip it because then it's just another transition you have to go through when your kid outgrows it. We went from a crib to a low platform full size bed and it's great to know she can be in this bed indefinitely. We started with it pushed against a wall with a foam bumper on the outside, but by 5 bumpers were gone and it was pulled out from the wall. I really like that we can do bedtime reading in bed with her. It's also great when she's sick and I need to keep a close eye on a fever or she has stomach bug and needs someone nearby to help if she gets sick. One of us just sleeps in the bed with her and there's plenty of room.

Anyway, that's my plug for moving now. I just don't see any advantage to waiting.

DD was still in her crib at 3. We were procrastinating on transitioning her to a toddler bed and then one night she developed a horrible fear of her crib and completely refused to sleep there anymore. We tried a crib mattress on the floor for a few months because she would not sleep in the toddler bed (converted from the crib). But she slept horribly on that and eventually got a bigger (in our case) a full size mattress. For her, we have learned it is important to have the bumpers - she likes to roll around a lot and likes having something to roll up against. No idea if your child will be anything like this but just be aware it may take some trial and error to find the right arrangement for your child, and a crib mattress on the floor may or may not work.

Why would u switch to a toddler bed? Just switch to a regular bed. And yes it’s time.

We had twins so we had 2 cribs. The crib worked for them. We took one side off when they were older so they could go to the bathroom. I think they were 4 or 5 when we redid their rooms with an older theme and switched to twin beds.

I didn't know kids slept in cribs for that long.

My main concern would be having the bathroom be easily accessible to him. Can one side of the crib bars be dropped, so he can get out if he needs to ‘go’ suddenly.

I’d worry right now he’s just using his pull-up if/when he feels like he needs to pee in the night. Just because he’s in a crib and there’s no feasible way to get to the bathroom quickly.

Yes, you should transition her to a bed. No need for a toddler bed at 3.5, just get her a regular bed -- twin, full, queen, whatever you want her to have long-term. You can get bumpers if you feel like she needs them.

We were in the same boat at 3.5. DD loved her crib, never tried to climb out, even kept up a 1.5 hour nap in there happily. We happened to move just before her 4th bday and it was a good transition point. She slept just on the crib mattress on the floor for a bit (stayed at hotel between houses) and that worked well to get ready for toddler bed once it was set up. She has really loved the independence, and it is so much easier for her to get up for a cup of water or to get a tissue herself. I will say that the first couple of weeks were a tiny bit tricky as she got used to not being in a crib. The novelty of autonomy was super fun to her and she exercised her option to get out of bed the first several nights. But that wore off and she was back to being a great sleeper.

You could try a transition using the mattress on the floor for a number of days and see how it goes. Before we packed up our stuff, we had the mattress on the floor in her room during the day and at bedtime we let her choose whether she wanted to sleep just on the mattress or wanted the mattress to be put back in the crib. She never chose the crib, but it was nice she knew it was an option. You could certainly do that so your child feels the security of going back to the crib if he needs to rather than going cold turkey, though that may not be an issue at all.

Otherwise, we made sure that she had a role in picking out new bedding for the bed to get excited about it, and that she has a thermos of water, a tissue box, and a flashlight right next to the bed to get what she needs. We do use a white noise machine that has an OK to wake function that she typically waits for. You might try that again in tandem with the bed.

Its not urgent, but probably need to get ready to switch him in the next few months - 6 months, just for independence wise i guess.

It would be easier for him to run to the bathroom from a toddler bed.

3.5 year old is still fine in his crib, and does not try to climb out though he’s certainly capable. I’m beginning to wonder if he’s mature enough to switch to a toddler bed and if he would benefit from that autonomy. What considerations should we have before making the switch and any tips for doing so at this age? A

A few notes:

- he usually goes down fine at bedtime but occasionally wakes overnight or very early wanting to get up for the day
- he’s never really adhered to his ok to wake clock and is generally not a great rule follower
- he is day trained but wears pull ups to sleep, usually calls for us if he needs to go #2 in the mornings
- his room is child proofed and does not have a lock on the door

TIA!