When do you switch from a crib to a big bed?

The move to a big bed feels like a milestone, and it's often made too early. Usually with the best intentions: sleep is going badly, and a big bed looks like a solution. By a big bed we mean a toddler bed just as much as a regular bed. What counts isn't the size, but that your child can get out on their own.

The rule: good sleep first, then the bed

Kyra doesn't beat around the bush here. Wait until your child sleeps well before moving to a big bed.

The reason is simple once you hear it. In a crib, staying put is the only option. In a big bed, getting up is an option, and that comes on top of a sleep problem that was already there. You solve nothing and you add a variable.

If you do sleep coaching in a big bed while your child doesn't sleep through yet and gets out a lot, Kyra says that creates unnecessary battles.

The exception: when climbing gets dangerous

There's one reason not to wait, and that's safety. If your toddler climbs out of the crib and it gets really dangerous, the step from crib to toddler bed is the right one.

In that case, make the room safe first, because a child who can get up at night also walks around.

What comes with it right away

If the switch goes ahead, clear limits belong with it from the first evening. Not later, when it goes wrong, but right away.

Kyra's approach for a child who gets out anyway is the same every time: calmly walk them back without discussion. That's worked out in the toddler who keeps getting out of bed.

Also tell your child beforehand what's going to change. At this age, explaining what's coming works better than correcting when it happens.

When sleep still needs to come first

If bedtime is still bumpy, start there. A fixed evening with a predictable order does more than a new bed: the bedtime routine, and with stalling the toddler who won't sleep.