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There comes a time when we as parents have to admit that our baby is growing up. I don’t know about you, but it was a bitter-sweet period for me. However, each stage in a child’s life is a milestone, and brings with it a whole new world of wonder and excitement. 

They are no longer fitting in the cute 6 month old outfit that Grandma found on her vacation, and their cute little feet are growing. Yet, growing into bigger cute feet, which are still fun to tickle. But, while they are outgrowing their clothes, they are also outgrowing their nursery. 

Yes, it’s time to transition the nursery into a toddler’s room. 

If you don’t have a crib that converts into a toddler bed, then the first change will most likely be removing the crib. You can replace it with a toddler bed, or twin bed.  Either would be fine, but there are a couple differences between the two. 

The toddler bed is typically lower to the ground than a twin bed to prevent kids from injury if they roll out, and often comes with built-in partial rails. It’s a great way to get kids accustomed to sleeping in a bed that they can get in and out of, without climbing over railings.  Scary thought, I know.

A twin bed does not typically come with built-in railings. However, you could purchase separate railings to install, and can be removed when they are no longer needed. 

Also, the toddler bed can quite often use the same mattress as the crib. So, there is no need to purchase a new mattress right away. 

Other pieces of furniture you can get rid of would be the changing table, unless your table doubled as a dresser, and the wonderful rocker that helped you rock your baby back to sleep many nights. 

When placing the furniture, make sure you do not have any pieces under a window, especially something they can climb on. Toddlers are curious by nature and will do what they can to look out the windows. Unfortunately, that can lead to some serious consequences. 

I also like to make sure the bed is not up against an outside wall, when possible. This can lead to a colder night’s sleep in the winter, and warmer in the summer. Also, if it storms out, they are not against a wall in case a tree would fall over, or lightning strikes. 

Unlike the nursery, you now have personality to go on when deciding how to decorate the room. By now you will know if your child likes certain characters, or leans towards certain interests such as music, baseball, or playing with building blocks.