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Some people will tell you that the appropriate time to move your child to a bed is when they are 2 1/2 to 3. Others will say when your child begins to climb out the crib. For my son, the time came when I became pregnant and found out that buying a toddler bed was a heck of a lot cheaper then buying a brand new crib.

My son was about 20 months when we decided to move him into his toddler bed. We did not try to justify it for him. We did not tell him the crib was for the new baby, because we did not want him to get jealous. We just explained that the bed was for big boys and that's what he was.

I think one of the most important things we did was allow him to be in the room while we put the bed together. He watched as his daddy got everything screwed tight, placed the mattress from his crib in the frame and put all of his bedding on to the new bed. He was not scared, but excited at this new contraption that was in his room.

The first night, my son ran to the bed and jumped on it. We tucked him in and wished him a good night. After a few minutes, he came flying back out into the living room. We placed him back in the bed, explained that it was bed time and he stayed for the night.

Now, about 3 months later, our son loves his big Boy bed. When we tell him it is time to go to bed, he runs to his room, jumps in bed and waits patiently for us to tuck him in. He stays in his bed and does not get up, even in the mornings when it is perfectly okay. He will sit and wait for one of us to tell him it is okay before he jumps out of bed to begin his day.

I think the most important advice I can pass on is to keep your child involved, let them know what you are doing and be firm with your bed time and routine. After a few days of your child jumping out of bed, he or she will figure out that it is no different then their crib and will begin to understand that they need to stay in bed once placed there.

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