I know it isn't related to geocaching, but I want to know what other geocachers with toddlers have done. My daughter is almost 2 years old. When should I start thinking about getting a toddler bed?

She has NOT climbed out of the crib, yet...

My daughter is three, going on 4 at the end of the summer. We had to move her from crib when Hurricane Katrina hit (family moved in) - she was just 2. We bought a "chair & a half" futon for her to sleep on - actually she slept on 2/3 of it - it is the width of a twin. She slept on that until recently. We just purchased a twin (with a bedrail) for her with princess sheets. You've never seen a 3 year old so happy to go to bed!

Personally, if I were to have moved her "when she was ready", it probably would have been when she tried to climb out or when her length/weight exceeded the limits of the crib. In other words, move her when it was necessary.

If I had it to do over again, without the Act of God, I would move her from the crib to a twin, without the intermediate toddler bed. Now, she might have started out just with the mattress on the floor or with gates on both sides, but looking back, I do not see much of a need for a toddler bed.

My $.02

We have never gotten any of our girls a toddler bed. They went from crib to twin bed.

Our youngest is 3 1/2 now and has been in the twin bed for since her 3 yr old b-day. We have bought all of our girls a big girl bed for their 3 yr old b-day.

Just after our middle daughter turned 2 she began to climb out of the crib. We were not ready to buy her a big bed yet, so we lowered the crib mattress and took off the sides. That way she would not fall out of the bed and we did not have to buy a toddler bed for the interim.

Now is you go to an open bed be prepared for taking extra time at bedtime....since they can come and go as they please and also be prepared for them to visit in the mornings since they can get up when they wake up...FUN FUN FUN.

Both of my kids came out of the crib when they were 2. My now 18 year old daughter went straight to a twin bed with custom siderails her father made her, though I would recommend just a "tuck under the mattress" rail.

My son had a crib that converted to a junior bed by taking off the front and it was low tot eh ground, so we didn't even use a guardrail. The back side of the crib now serves as the headboard for his double bed that he went into at three. It was a nice transition.

Regarding kids being able to get out of bed.....just say that at night, that gives you the opportunity to train them to get back where they need to be past their bedtime....in the morning, they can either knock and either be invited in, or not....or just enjoy them jumping in between.

When my son was 18 months old, we would put him to bed in the crib either for afternoon nap for at night. Then while in the other room we would hear a loud thump. Here he would come. We finally caught him in the act. He would standup, grab the top rail and jump, flip over and as his feet went over his head, he would turn loose, and then land on his feet with a loud thump. So we got him a twin bed.

I'm wondering how many times he fell on his head before he got the flip juuuuuust right to land on his feet.

It would explain a whole lot.

I am still prone to fall out of bed, and they dont make cribs in my size. I know that explains alot.