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Is your toddler suddenly fighting bedtime, waking overnight, or making you question whether the crib is still working? In this episode, Allison breaks down one of the most common (and stressful) questions parents of toddlers face: Is it time to move from the crib to a bed?

This question often comes up during moments of panic—sleep regressions, big life changes, or developmental leaps—but the answer isn’t always what parents expect. Allison walks through the three most common reasons families consider making the switch and offers an honest, experience-based take on each one.

You’ll learn why:
— A sleep regression is rarely a crib problem—and why switching to a bed often makes sleep harder, not easier
— Daycare cot or mat sleep doesn’t automatically mean your child is ready for a bed at home
— A new baby doesn’t have to mean your toddler gives up their crib
— Climbing out of the crib deserves attention—but doesn’t always require an immediate bed transition

Allison also shares practical, safety-focused strategies (including sleep sack tips that save many families from transitioning too early), guidance on the ideal age for moving to a bed, and how impulse control plays a major role in successful toddler sleep.

If you’re trying to decide whether to hold onto the crib a little longer—or you’re worried you’re “behind”—this episode will help you slow down, reassess, and make a plan that supports both your child’s sleep and your own sanity.

Allison mentions two of her one hour, $27 workshops that are available when you need them:
How To Quickly Recover From A Sleep Regression (15-30 Months)
How to Prepare Your Child for a Smooth Crib to Bed Transition Workshop

Looking for expert guidance on your child’s sleep? Allison offers two free age-specific guides to help you discover how much sleep kids need to thrive—at any age. Get your free copy now: 0-2 Years Old or 3 to 10 years old

From baby sleep to toddler sleep, daycare naps to sleep training—How Long ’Til Bedtime? is the podcast for parents who want practical, guilt-free sleep tips they can actually use.

Hosted by pediatric sleep coach Allison Egidi, each episode delivers real solutions for every stage—from navigating newborn sleep struggles and weaning night feedings to helping your 3-year-old fall asleep independently (and stay asleep!). Whether you’re trying to make sense of daycare sleep patterns, craving your evenings back, or simply need a working mom podcast to keep you grounded, you’re in the right place.

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Scroll down for a full transcript of this episode.

222. Is It Time to Switch From the Crib to a Bed?
Allison Egidi: Before we dive in today I have to share a pretty wild story with you guys. The night before Christmas Eve, so the eve of the eve, I pulled all of the gifts that I had hidden in the unfinished part of our basement into the workout room, which is also in our basement, so that I could wrap them. Then Christmas Eve morning, I was back down there helping Ainsley wrap her gifts and doing just general holiday prep. Around 10 a.m. I came upstairs to take a shower and at one point I bent down in the shower to put something down and I felt a sudden sharp shooting pain in my knee, the knee that I had reconstructed years ago and the one that always gives me the most trouble. It was intense, but after I got dressed, it kind of seemed to pass. And I went back to doing Christmas prep. And then a little while later, as I was walking upstairs, the pain came back super intensely. And this time it felt different. Like actually I maybe really just blown something out in the knee.

But I gave it a second and then I could still put weight on it and I got back up the stairs. However, over the course of 90 minutes, the pain escalated very quickly and by 2 PM I couldn’t put any weight on it and I was on crutches. When I finally sat down to ice it and I pulled up my pant leg, the skin around my knee looked really dark, almost like a bruise was forming. When I took the ice off 20 minutes later, Oh my gosh, you guys, I’ll spare you the picture. Although I did send it to my family and friends. There was this huge, nasty, puffy white area above and over my kneecap. It looked crazy. And I have had a lot of injuries and I was like, what the heck is happening? By 5:30, I was debating whether I needed to go to the ER.

Luckily, one of our neighbors is an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in knees and she came over to take a look. After a full evaluation and lots of questions that I thought were so random because she was having me rehash my entire day, she concluded that I had likely pulled a spider out of our unfinished basement and somehow during the wrapping or doing things, it had gotten up my pant leg and a poisonous spider bit me in the knee some point earlier that morning and then it that’s why it progressively got worse. So what the heck? I mean seriously and if you guys have known me throughout my whole childhood if any of my friends are listening they’re thinking yeah this sounds really on brand because I have had the most random injuries and other random things like I’ve been stung by scorpion. I’ve just had really random things happen. Anywho, my friend and the orthopedic surgeon said it would either get worse quickly over the coming hours and I would end up in the ER that night or it would improve noticeably overnight. I was at this like real turning point. By the grace of God it improved overnight and I was able to gingerly start walking on it Christmas day which really felt like a Christmas miracle because when I went to bed, it felt like I might not ever walk again. Now I have to say, while the pain is pretty much gone, definitely the sharp shooting pains, the skin is not totally normal. I’m going to have to investigate that because now we’re a couple weeks out. I need to investigate why the skin still looks messed up, but otherwise I’ve recovered. So here’s my sleep takeaway though. I know this is going to feel like I might be taking a big turn here, but there is a sleep related takeaway. Because the whole evaluation from the orthopedic surgeon happened in our living room, my girls overheard the conversation, including the discussion about the poison potentially entering my joint and creating an infection and walking me through what the signs and symptoms would be as to whether I needed to go to an ER with a surgeon or a different, see a different type of doctor in the ER. So she was just walking me through all those things and the kids heard it all. Everyone was calm during that. No one seemed too anxious or antsy. They were so calm. I didn’t even really think about them being there. But before bed, Ainsley told me that she was worried that I would have to go to the hospital in middle of the night and that we would leave while they were sleeping.

And I haven’t really thought about that or fully registered how much she absorbed from hearing the conversation with the doctor. So I reassured her that while I certainly hoped I wouldn’t need to go to the ER, if I needed to, I would be going. And if that was the case, that we would absolutely wake her up and tell her that we were leaving to go to the ER before we left. And afterward it hit me that I really probably should have proactively had that conversation with both of the kids after they heard that whole conversation, or even if they hadn’t heard the conversation, maybe even more importantly, if they hadn’t, and I knew that that was a potential option. And this ties directly into something I tell clients all the time, and that is that children need predictability around sleep.

It’s very unsettling for kids to wake up and realize that things aren’t as they expected. And this is why I always recommend telling your children if you’re going out to dinner and a babysitter is coming over after they’ve already gone to bed. I’ve worked with many families where with the best intentions, they put their toddler to bed, the sitter came over, they went out to dinner, and then the toddler woke up and found a sitter, even a sitter they know and love, sitting there, but it’s not what they expected. And it can create lasting anxiety around sleep. That’s how these people have ended up in my orbit because we have to help their children work through it. So just a friendly reminder.

If you’re leaving the house after your kids go to bed or you know, like in my example, there’s a good chance that you might need to leave the house, let them know ahead of time so they aren’t caught off guard. Okay, on to today’s episode. If you have a toddler and you’ve been wondering if it’s time to switch from the crib to a bed, this episode is absolutely for you.

Hey there, Allison here and welcome back to How Long ‘Til Bedtime. Today we’re talking about a question I hear often from parents of toddlers. Is it time to switch from the crib to a bed? And usually this question doesn’t come out of nowhere. It shows up during a rough season, a major sleep regression, big life changes, or a moment of panic at bedtime.

So today I’m walking you through the three most common reasons parents start to wonder if it’s time. And I’m giving you my honest, experienced base take on each one. Number one, my toddler is in a major sleep regression. Maybe a bed would be more comfortable. This is by far the most common reason parents start questioning the crib. Your toddler is suddenly fighting bedtime.

They’re waking overnight. They don’t want to get into their crib. It really just seems like they don’t like their crib anymore. And eventually the thought creeps in. Maybe they’d sleep better in a bed. Here’s the spoiler. They won’t. It might help briefly, but it’s very unlikely to stick. And the truth is this type of transition gets me a lot of clients.

And I’m of course always happy to help anyone who gets into any sort of sleep pickle figure it out. And I do it all the time. That’s literally what I love doing is getting people out of unintentional sleep situations that they get into. But I also love saving parents from having to even navigate bigger regressions.

A sleep regression is not a crib problem. It is a developmental, behavioral, and or schedule issue. Switching to a bed during a sleep regression does not fix the root problem. And the reality is, is that it will likely fuel the problem and potentially introduce a brand new one. Now, in addition to resisting sleep, your child is navigating new freedoms, the removal of a physical boundary, the crib walls, increased boundary testing, i.e. getting out of bed repeatedly despite being told to stay in bed. That’s now an option. And often increase anxiety around the whole concept of independent sleep because now they’re really needing to be more independent thinking. If sleep is already shaky, a bed will rarely stabilize it. More often, it makes things harder for everyone involved. I strongly recommend addressing the regression while your child is still in the crib and saving the bed transition for when sleep is consistent and in a really good place.

I have a basic one hour, $27 workshop that’s all about helping your child recover from a sleep regression specifically designed for toddlers with the language you should use if they are still in the crib. So I’ll be sure that we link to that in the show notes if that’s of interest, but you want to get past the regression before you make the transition. I also want to make a quick side note on daycare sleep because this comes up all the time. So I want to talk about it. Parents often say, but my child sleeps great on a cot or a mat at daycare. And I get that. I get why we would think that that could also be the case at home, but solid naps on a daycare cot or mat are not proof your child is ready for a bed at home.

Daycare sleep and home sleep is like apples and oranges. At daycare, the schedule is extremely consistent. Expectations are very clear. Caregivers need those toddlers to sleep so that they can take breaks. And there’s powerful peer pressure because everyone’s doing it. All their little friends are also laying down. At home, emotions run higher because their parents are involved. Routines are often more flexible. Expectations aren’t always as consistent and there’s zero peer pressure to stay in their bed at bedtime or at 2 a.m. So please know that sleeping well on a mat or caught at daycare does not automatically translate to successful bed sleep at home.

Okay, reason number two, we’re having another baby and don’t want to buy another crib. This one is very common and very understandable, particularly when you’re a planner who prides themselves in being practical. It feels logical to think, let’s just move the toddler to a toddler bed and avoid buying another crib. But here’s the honest truth. The only thing that’s worse than being up all night with a newborn is being up all night with a newborn and a toddler. A toddler who’s moved to a bed before they’re developmentally ready and right before a major life transition of getting a new sibling is much more likely to leave their bed, wake frequently, need constant help falling asleep, and back to sleep.

Here’s the better option that sometimes surprises parents. Keep your toddler in the crib. Buy another crib. Buy an inexpensive crib. IKEA has some great options. Or if you really don’t want two cribs, put the new baby in a travel crib, which you probably already have. A travel crib is an absolutely acceptable and safe place for sleep throughout your baby’s entire first year and potentially beyond. Keeping your toddler in the crib buys you time. It protects your toddler sleep and it’s going to support your mental health during an already intense season when you welcome a new baby.

Reason number three, my toddler climbed out of the crib. Okay, this one does get everyone’s attention, including mine. And I went through this with my first when she was two and a half years old. But I have to say after three days, I was able to get her to stay in her crib and she stayed there until she turned four. If a toddler is consistently climbing out of their crib, meaning they’ve done it more than once, safety really does matter. It is very important here.

But before you jump straight to moving them to a bed, I want you to consider trying this first. If your child isn’t using a sleep sack anymore, or you’ve never used one, either introduce or reintroduce one. And I want to make a side note here because I talk to a lot of parents about this often. Your toddler does not need to like wearing the sleep sack. It might take both parents to get them into the sleep sack. But I would encourage you to go ahead and gently wrangle your squirming, kicking, biting little alligator into their sleep sack and just do it before you sit and read books and their bedtime routine. You’ll give them a little time to calm back down. If you had been using one or have been using a sleep sack, but you have a kiddo who has discovered that they can get out of it. They can unzip it and take it off. Hopefully you have one where if you turn it around backwards, they can’t reach, reach the zipper. If your toddler is unzipping the sleep sack from the bottom, I’ve been hearing a lot about this lately by the way, because I think all of these sleep sacks have switched to having kind of two zippers. So you can zip from the bottom or from the top.

If your toddler is figuring out how to unzip from the bottom, even if it’s on backwards, here’s another tip. Sew a small piece of fabric over that bottom zipper so that they can’t even access the bottom zipper. You don’t need to access it either. We just need it to go at the top. So you can just totally cut that zipper off from them being able to access it. And if you’re someone like me, who has zero sewing abilities and doesn’t have your mom living right nearby who could sew it on, I will tell you that a lot of dry cleaners have folks who will do basic alterations and they can help you make needed adjustments to your child’s sleep sack. Getting a child back into a sleep sack has saved so many families I work with from having an early bed transition.

Most climbers lose the ability to swing their leg over the railing once their legs are contained within the sleep sack because the sack catches their leg when they go to swing it over. If climbing continues, even with these adjustments, then yes, it may be time to reassess because we certainly don’t want your child head diving out of the crib.

So while nine times out of 10, I think the sleep sack can stop the climbing, one in 10, it just won’t. And that’s just the truth. And if you’re forced to make an abrupt change because of safety concerns, then the adjustment might be trickier. And I’ll be honest, this is when a sleep consultant can probably be incredibly helpful to work with you on a setup and language and an approach to use with your child if they don’t quickly take to sleeping independently in their new bed.

So when is the ideal time to transition from the crib to a bed? Most toddlers do best staying in the crib until at least the age of three. And often if you can swing it closer to three and a half or even four, assuming that safety isn’t an issue and they’re able to actually stay in the crib. Keeping your toddler in the crib longer is a gift to them and to you, but it’s a gift to them because you’re allowing their brain more time to develop impulse control. And impulse control is what they need and what helps them have that ability to register that they should stay in their bed after you tuck them in and you leave their room at bedtime, or when they wake up, that they can resist that urge to immediately hop out of bed and leave the room.

I was able to keep both of my girls in their crib until they turned four, and I swear to you, it was one of the best parenting decisions I have ever made. I had a plan. They knew the plan well before the transition happened because I communicated my plan in three-year-old appropriate language. They had developed more impulse control and they both made seamless transitions from the crib and into the bed. Even my highly sensitive, naturally impulsive child had zero problems with this transition. When you do decide to make the transition, you want to do it with a clear plan. This isn’t something to spring on them one random weekend. The whole surprise here’s a new bed an adorable comfy new bedding is maybe initially exciting to a toddler but when it actually comes time to sleep there is a good chance that their anxiety or impulsive behavior will win out and they won’t give two hoots about the cute new bedding that you either surprise them with or let them pick out.

If you want to plan for this transition, I walk parents through my full step-by-step process, including the language to use in my how to prepare your child for a smooth crib to bed transition workshop. It’s a one hour, $27 workshop designed to set both you and your child up for success in this area. So if you need a plan, you can check that out. I’ll be sure we link to it in the show notes. if you’re In the thick of this decision right now, here’s what I want you to remember. A sleep regression is not fixed by a bed. Fix the regression first. Easy daycare, cot or mat naps do not equal home readiness for a bed. A new baby doesn’t mean your toddler has to move out of their crib.

And I would encourage you not to do it for that reason. And while it may force a transition earlier than you want. Climbing out of the crib doesn’t always mean that you have to make that transition away from the crib. I say it often and I’ll keep saying it. The crib is your friend, you guys. The crib is your friend. The crib is your child’s friend. The crib is so great. It is a safe, wonderful place for your child to sleep and they will have their entire rest of their lives to sleep in a big bed.

If this episode was helpful, share it with a friend who might be currently questioning whether they should transition their child out of the crib or just share with anyone you know who still has a child in a crib so they don’t fall into the trap of transitioning too early.

I will see you next time. As always, thanks for joining me. Bye for now.