5 Mistakes Parents Make When Switching from Baby Crib to Toddler Bed — & How to Avoid Them

"Parents often panic when they see that their child has climbed out of the crib and think that the only way to stop this is to move them to a bed," says Lori Strong, a certified child sleep consultant in Austin, Texas, and the founder of StrongLittleSleepers.com. "What often happens is that the child has more freedom and continues to just come out of bed and their bedroom."

"I recommend that parents wait as long as possible before moving their child to a bed," says Strong, who adds that the "ideal" age for switching over to a toddler bed is actually age 3+.

To keep your toddler in their crib a bit longer — even if he's climbing out of it — Strong suggests using a sleep sack. This will prevent him from lifting his legs up over the side of the crib to break free, and if you put it on backwards, he won't be able to take it off, either.

"Also, you can catch your child in the act of trying to climb out," says Strong. "Use a firm 'no' each time to teach your child that they are not supposed to climb out. Do this consistently and they will often stop climbing."

"One common mistake I run into is parents forgetting to make the room and rest of the house safe," says Kerrin Edmonda, a pediatric sleep consultant at MeetYouinDreamland.com. "Now your child has access to their room and perhaps the whole house at night without your supervision. So precautions need to be in place."

If you haven't done so already, make sure that all electrical outlets in your baby's room are covered and that every piece of furniture (aside from rockers and armchairs) is fastened tightly to the wall. Toddlers love to climb, and anything heavy that's capable of tipping poses risks.

"I always recommend a gate to keep him in the room as well," advises Edmonda, who adds that "nothing is scarier than having a toddler wander the house alone at night."

The baby gate doesn't have to be treated as a "negative" thing, either. Edmonda suggests calling it something like the "prince" or "princess" gate and decorating it with ribbons and stickers.

Experts also suggest adding a safety rail when making the switch to toddler bed.

"Toddler beds often have very short rails, or none at all," says Mark Loewen, LPC, a child therapist in Richmond, Virginia. "Adding an extra safety rail will keep the child from falling out of their bed, and also reinforce the idea of staying in it."

According to Loewen, this tends to happen when parents transition their toddler over early, without thinking they need to have a conversation first.

"Parents underestimate their child's ability to understand them," he shares, adding that the end result is often a highly confused toddler, who may not even understand that the new bed is where she needs to stay at night. Ultimately, this can lead to some major headaches at bedtime, which isn't fun for anyone.

Before you even bring the new bed into the room, start talking to your little one about "Big Kid" beds and how cool they are. Explain that soon, she'll be getting one of her own, and emphasize how fun it will be.

When you finally do set things up, bring the child into their room, show her the new bed, and explain that this is where she'll be sleeping at night now. Make sure she knows the expectation is that she stay there all night long, and that she shouldn't wander out of the room or around the house if she wakes up.

According to Strong, communication is everything — even if your toddler doesn't quite "get" all of it yet.

"You need to talk about what happens after your bedtime routine, how they need to stay in bed, when they will be allowed to get out of bed, and when it's time to wake up in the morning," says Strong. Having a "toddler clock" can really help, too, because it rings or lights up when a child is allowed out of bed.

"At least in the beginning, it is going to take more time to get your toddler to sleep," warns Whitney Roban, PhD, a pediatric sleep consultant and the founder of Solve Our Sleep. As a result, your kiddo's usual bedtime gets pushed back, morphing from 8 to 9 p.m. as you struggle to get him down. (Anddddd cue the next-day crankiness!)

Shifting the bedtime routine even earlier will ensure that when your toddler finally does fall asleep, it's still at an appropriate time, advises Roban. Once you've developed a smoother routine, and your child is falling asleep in his new bed without a fight, you can slowly adjust as needed.

Pretty much every kid will test her limits at first and sneak out of her own bed at night to snuggle with Mom and Dad. The key here is to stick to your guns, no matter how hard it may be.

"Tired parents often give up and let them stay," says Loewen, "but that's a mistake."

And here's another doozie: Now that there's room in your toddler's bed for you, you might be tempted to lie there after story time and wait until she falls asleep to leave. Resist the urge! That brief little snooze may turn into an all-nighter, which can seriously screw up your own sleep patterns.

We know it's tempting, but unless you want your kid clamoring for you to stay in bed with her every single night, don't get in this groove.

"Parents need to decide how they are going to respond and stick to it," says Strong. "If you tell your child you are only going to come back in once, only come back in once. If they come out, calmly walk them back to their room. Some children may come out multiple times at night, and it's important to respond the same way every time so that they get the message that they need to stay in bed."

— Additional reporting and writing by Judy Dutton.