How We Transitioned Lee from a Crib to a Montessori Floor Bed

I thought that moving Lee from his crib to a toddler bed would be a milestone moment for the family, one fraught with mixed excitement and longing as our baby became a “big boy.” 

Turns out, I over-romanticized the moment because, at 18 months, Lee was more than ready to ditch his crib and transition to a Montessori floor bed. 

Here is how our experience transitioning Lee from a crib to a toddler bed at 18 months went...

How did you know Lee was ready?

Lee had been looking a little cramped in his crib for a while, but one day he simply refused to sleep in his crib. I guess “enough was enough” for him because he darted to his reading nook and buried his head in the throw pillows. After a few attempts to get him into his crib, I eventually gave up and just let him nap on his soft play mat from Toki Mat. (Note: Toki Mat’s website points out that their mats are not treated with flame retardants and therefore are not intended for sleep. So what we were doing was actually a dangerous no-no.)

Soon after we converted Lee’s crib into a toddler bed-- figuring he was ready for a proper bed. However, the elliptical shape of the crib and mattress still seemed really confining for Lee as he continued to protest sleeping in the bed. He treated his converted toddler bed like a chaise lounge and would just sit in it with his stuffed animals. 

Finally, we ordered the Krummelur Foam Crib Mattress from IKEA and the Montessori Floor Bed from Sprout Kids. The mattress arrived ahead of the floor bed, so put the mattress on the floor while we waited for his bed to be delivered. I think this actually helped Lee with the bed transition as it was comparable to his Toki Mat and was not a far fall should he roll-off-- which he did. More on that later...

Once the Montessori Floor Bed arrived, we assembled it in under 10 minutes with no tools-- it was really that simple. Lee immediately flopped onto the unmade bed and announced, “Night night!” 

Are you afraid he’s going to walk around the room when he wakes up?

Yes, initially I was anxious that Lee would just start stumbling around his room in the dark if he stirred in the night or if we didn’t reach him immediately after he woke up. Surprisingly, he hasn’t tried to break out of his room or even wandered over to his tempting toy shelf. Lee still wears a sleep sack for his naps and nighttime sleep which I think prevents him from easily jumping up and out of bed. 

Are you worried he’s going to fall out of the bed?

Yes, even though his floor bed is practically on the floor, I was still nervous for him to roll out of the bed. The first few nights we would find him in the middle of his bedroom, asleep on his play mat; it was admittedly very shocking to glance at the baby monitor and see Lee as a little bump on the ground. After those few incidents, we started propping his poof ottoman against his bed which has helped to fence him in. 

We realize that we are exceptionally lucky that Lee took to his bed so quickly and for some parents, it is a real struggle for their child to stay in their beds through the night. I was prepared for this to be a harder transition and did some research in anticipation. Here are some articles I found helpful and interesting if you are about to make the move from crib to “big kid bed”:

Moving Your Baby Out of the Crib and Into a Toddler Bed by Dr. Harvey Karp

How a Montessori bed supports learning by Monti Kids

From Crib to Toddler Bed: 7 Tips to Successfully Transition Your Child by Dodo Coaching