crib to a big girl bed

I always switch my kids from crib to toddler bed between 12-15 months as long as they are proficent at walking so that they can get in and out. What you can do is either put a baby gate across her doorway, so you can see in, or put one of those white, handles that goes over top of the doorknob on the inside of her door for safety, but you might want to put a monitor in there since you won't be able to see her. You'll want to make sure her room is very safe and that you can hear her at all times.

Our son didn't sleep in a crib, he slept in our bed for his first 1 1/2 years of life, we set up the toddler bed and when he wanted to, he went in there to sleep. I put a baby gate up in the hallway so he can get into our room, but not the living room, kitchen, bathroom, the rest of the house.

I have 3 kids and they were all different, but I can tell you this... They moved to a toddler bed when they figured out how to get out of their crib. They were between 12 and 16 mos. My advice is to put your kid in a big girl bed when she expresses the independence to want out of the crib. Let her help pick out her bed and bedding(this reinforces the importance of the bed). Then, when it's bedtime, make sure to shortly explain that she needs to not get out of bed until she can see the sun, or whatever. You can put a baby gate in her doorway so if she gets out of bed she can only destroy her room. My son would get out of his bed and go into the living room and turn on a movie, no big deal. My first daughter would get on the counter and get into the sweets, I found out because she wasn't very good at hiding the evidence, she was 14 mos old. Just make sure before you go to bed that everything dangerous is put up, like hanging cords or small glass things. The house looks different at night and with no supervision, kids think that its a big playhouse. Only you can decide when she's ready.

I am one who moved my child into a big girl bed when she was 12 months only because she was always crawling out of her crib and you would hear her hit the floor. We did it to stop her from getting hurt. I also have little boy who is turning 1 next week and he is not ready to move out of his crib. Just look for signs