7 Easy Steps To Turn Graco Crib Into a Toddler Bed
Kids always transition fast from the time they are born to the time that you will need them to sleep on their own. But one thing I have to assure you is that it is always a process that will involve several steps so that the baby can learn on its own where to sleep and why it needs to sleep there. For those that bought Graco cribs and assembled them on their own, then life at this point is never to be difficult because you understand how you managed to put it together.
Converting a Graco into a toddler day bed is just having to make the crib have that classic and sweet look. What you need to know is how to remove the drop side and make it unique looking. This is not like converting it into a full-size bed where you will need many materials to use and adding some items like mattresses. There is just little disassembly that will be needed for you to accomplish the setup.
When the conversion is done well, you can be sure that the bed will be able to take your toddler through preschool or up to a 50-pounds weight limit where now you will need a full bed for him or her. Here are the steps that you will be needing to go through.
- Step 1: You will need to remove the bedding and the mattress so that the crib becomes empty. This will also give you room to be able to set it up well for disassembly. The drop-side should be set to be as high as it can go.
- Step 2: The step that will follow is one of removing the rail stops. Some call them to block brakes. They are usually found at the bottom of each plastic that is below the drop side. What you will need to have is a screwdriver, the Phillips head will work best for you. They are the best to be used because the block brakes have been made resembling Philips head screws.
- Step 3: You now need to pull the block brakes away out of the plastic rails. Don’t discard them completely because they will be of use another time when another baby arrives.
- Step 4: You need now to lower the drop-side gradually. When you see it falling below the block brakes, it will come off by itself off the rail. Now you will be at liberty to remove the drop-side.
- Step 5: Setting the mattress stretcher is now the next step. This should be done to the lowest position. If you find it necessary, you can remove the ¾-inch bolts that are used to attach the stretcher to the legs.
- Step 6: Align the holes in the metal tabs found on the stretcher. It is advised that the alignment is done with the lowest corresponding holes in the legs. You can now put the bolts back and tighten them up.
- Step 7: The final step that you will need to do or handle is to replace the mattress and then make your bed as you desire it to be.
No better time is set that you can use to replace your child’s crib with a toddler bed. Most of the children just make a switch when they are around 1 ½ and 3 ½ years old. But always wait until your child is around 3 years so that you can leave him/her to transition to the use of a bed.
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Is it a must for a toddler bed to have a guardrail?
This is a playful time for the kids because they are learning to turn around more often, learn to get into and out of bed, and many much more things they are getting to know. At first, you will need to have a guard rail, yes. But the one that you will have is to protect the kid from falling over the bed. That means that you need to use low rails that are made to scale as compared to what you will find in cribs. They will ensure that your child is safe and even if they sleep wildly, you won’t have any cause for alarm to worry about.
Some of the things that you need to know about cribs:
Anything related to your baby and its usage should always be rated safe for use. A crib is one of the items that you need to ensure that its safety is guaranteed. Here are some of the things that you need to know about cribs,
- A crib should not have toys and cribs in it, keep them out. Not everything that a kid plays with is safe all the time. They might look adorable yes but always need some supervision when handling them. Leaving them with the babies is dangerous as they might cause a suffocation problem, which you might even be aware of until you go to check on the baby and then, you realize, it has died. Keep them off completely
- A crib should not be near windows. A window is one of the things that will draw the attention of the kid and will not always be a good thing in the long run. Windows have blinds and cords and they might turn out to be a strangulation problem to the kid that might be playing with them. Keep them at a safe distance where the kid will not be able to access them.
- Ensure that the crib is assembled correctly. Anything that you are not sure of with the assembling procedure, don’t force it, ask for its usage and how it’s done. Wrong assembling of the crib might make the kid fall hence getting injured. Ensure it is strongly put together so that there will be no harm caused when the baby is sleeping or playing on it after it has woken up.
- Use the required crib sheets. The correct kind of crib sheets will ensure that they always stay in place and are hence safe for use. so always invest in a tight and fitting type of sheet for your crib and that will be a wise investment that you could have managed to get. Don’t have anything loose on the crib as that might be a suffocation problem at the end.
- The mattress should fit tight. The mattress is also one of the things that you will consider. It should be budge-proof. Having it fit tightly is advantageous as it will ensure that the kid is not caught between the mattress and the crib as it plays around and tries to understand why the mattress is a bit softer than other parts around.
Relevant article: Best Crib Mattress For Toddler
Some minor but serious things need to be aware of too. For instance,
- It’s good to avoid having or buying drop-side cribs, they might get loose anytime
- Avoid older cribs that have the potential of harboring lead paint
- If you can, going for a new crib is always the best, old ones might come with challenges
- Cutouts are not the best in a crib as the baby’s head might get entangled in the cutout.
As you have seen, either having a crib or a toddler bed, all need some safety regulations. So long as you are having some kids around, you can be sure that their health and well-being are always important and top priority. Anything that will be a mess to the kid cannot be tolerated at all because that is a health hazard around the kid. Do everything right if you will be the one handling cribs and toddler beds.
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