Does Crib Climbing Mean Your Toddler is Ready For a Real Bed?
Some toddlers, even though they're agile in other respects, never figure out that they can climb out of their cribs. Others, often before they or their parents are ready to transition them into a bed, realize they can fling their little bodies over the side of their cribs ... and it's time to have a midnight party!
If a toddler is consistently climbing out of her crib, says parenting expert and mother of four Ann Douglas, author of ?Sleep Solutions for Your Baby, Toddler and Preschooler,? it probably means he's ready to sleep in a big boy bed.
Douglas says that most toddlers transition to a bed between the ages of 2 and 3 years, though this is highly variable depending on the child's temperament and needs, as well as the needs of the family.
"Ninety to 94% of toddlers under 17 months and 77% of toddlers ages 18-23 months are still sleeping in a crib but by age 2 to 3 years, just 38% of children are still in cribs,? says Douglas.
If your kid's a climber but you're not ready to transition him into a bed, or you don't want to take off the side of the crib just yet, you can try a crib tent, which is a mesh netting that goes over the top of the crib and closes with a zipper. It's often used to discourage family pets from climbing in a baby's crib ? but can also help keep your toddler from climbing out.
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