Many people are concerned about moving their child from their crib to a toddler bed too soon or too late. There are some general guidelines but it really comes down to each individual child.

If the child is starting to climb out of the crib then you definitely need to start the process of moving him/her from the crib into a toddler bed. There is too great of a risk that the child can fall and injure themselves while climbing out of the bed.

If your child is three feet tall or taller you should probably move them out of the crib because they are just getting too large for most cribs. Any time you feel the child is too big, or active for their crib you can move them. If the child has started potty training they may need to be in a bed to allow them to get up and use the bathroom as needed.

Most children can be safely moved to a toddler bed anywhere from 18 months to 3.5 years old. Many child experts recommend that you wait until the child is closer to 3 before moving them. This is a big change for most children, they are giving up their familiar and comfortable crib. This can make it a very stressful situation for the child, if it seems to be causing undue stress for your little one you are certainly better off to hold off and wait a little longer before moving the child.

Whenever you do decide to move the child try to get them excited about it and carefully monitor how they are reacting to the change.

Steve Welker Owner & operator of http://www.toddlerbed.net