Thursday, 05 March 2009
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Advice Needed: How to Transition Your Daughter to a Big Girl Bed
M, who is now 2, has never tried to climb out of her crib before. We like her in there just fine. But I feel like she is ready for the big transition to a bed. She doesn't roll around too much like she used to do. We actually have 2 options since her crib is convertible. It can be a toddler bed, and then eventually a full size bed. (I'm totally jealous since I slept in the twin bed I had since I was little all the way until I got married.)
Option 1: Change crib to bed.
Option 2: Buy a boxspring and mattress for the floor next to the crib.
Maybe I'm paranoid, but I don't want the wandering during the night, even though she can't get to too many places with the safety gate we have up... just her room and our room only.We don't know how she'll handle the change, so I don't want to be dealing with too much resistance if she doesn't like it, and then we'd have to change the bed back to a crib. She has a lot stuff going on right now... she's in the middle of a "separation" anxiety phase, potty training, and we're expecting our second little one.
But then again, having the mattress as well as the crib will take up space. We're not sure about the whole situation because when the baby comes, and M has a hard time sleeping at night, it may also be useful to have a full mattress in there, as well as her crib/toddler bed, so Hubby or I can help comfort her without having to go back and forth from our room to hers, etc...
So my thoughts are all over on this. I need your help.
What do you think we should do? How did you transition your child to a "big girl/boy bed"?
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About the Author
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- From: mamajoyjoy
- Name: mamajoyjoy
- About Me: Full-Time Stay-at-home-Mommy to my wonderful 30-month-old and 3-month-old daughters, and married to the love of my life for 4 years.
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Comments (12)
Just don't rush anything and everything will fall into place.
I'd wait until she's done potty training to move her. That's a lot of change for a little kid to deal with!
My little niece I care for was probably about the same age when she moved to a "real bed". I took her with me and let her pick out a twin size bed at the store and pretty sheets to go on it. Then she helped me take down the crib handing me the tools etc. She got to help me make up her new bed when it was delivered and I did put a bed roll on the floor next to her new bed at night in case she rolled out of bed. I put the baby gate up at her door since I wanted her to learn to stay in her own room at night when she wakes... But since she is such a climber I went ahead and invested in a cheap stick on motion alarm you can find in hardware stores and put it just outside her door in case she decided to make an escape into the other parts of the house. Sounds like you have a lot to deal with right now. Good luck and remember twenty years from now it won't matter if she was in a big bed when she was 2 or when she was 5. Just do what works best for the both of you.... ~Echo
I am in a simalar situation. My daughter turned two in January and is still in a crib. I think she would do okay in a big bed but I am worried about the wandering. On top of that she just lost her binky, we are potty training and number two will be here in four months.
I think that I am going to wait to put her in a big bed for two more months. That will give her time to get over the binky loss and to also be comfortable with potty training. That way it's not to many changes all at once but the crib will still be open for the next little one.
First let me say I would keep her in the crib until she tries to climb out. I am the mom of three, and the only peace of mind I got was when they were in the crib! LOL
That said, if you are bound and determined to get her out of the crib, start by putting the crib mattress on the floor. If it doesn't work out, it is easily put back. Heck it is easily put back each morning so there is room for play. If things look good, convert the crib to the toddler bed. I found that my kids slept better in smaller beds when they were little, I think they don't feel so 'lost'.
Totally your call. My child went straight from her crib to a regular bed before she turned 2.
I agree with the potty trained comment. If she's already potty trained, you could start talking it up. Talk about, tell her on such-and-such date (she doesn't understand exactly, but it's enough) that she's gonna get a big girl bed. Talk about it everyday. See how she reacts to the idea. As the date you set gets closer, tell her it's getting sooner, and soon she'll be sleeping in a big-girl bed. I'd talk it up for at least a month, probably a few months. By then, she'll be so used to the idea there won't be any problems.
I just told my son that this was his new bed. I didn't make a big deal out of it so it was no big deal to him. He went right to bed and had no problems.
i had my son in his crib till he was three. he still never tried to climb out, he was just getting to big. he had no problem going into a twin bed. i put rails up so he wouldn't fall out.
The two biggest suggestions I would make are 1) wait until things settle down a bit at home. That is a lot of changes all at once for such a little person. And 2) if you decide to try to switch, stick to it and don't give up just because she resists. That is not teaching a good lesson and could end in more confusion ... not to mention even worse resisting when you do try again.
With all 3 of mine, I waited until they tried to get out of the crib to move them ... but they were all right around 2 when they did this. My youngest was the earliest at about 20 months - and, honestly, the transition was the easiest for him. We never had any problems.
As for the wandering, try not to worry too much. Especially if she can only get in hers and your room. Look around before bed and make sure stuff is out of reach that she shouldn't have. My kids were in their rooms with the door closed and a safety lock on it - with a baby monitor in the room. So they couldn't get out of their room, but I knew when they woke up. If you are anything like me though, I sleep much lighter now that I have kids and the slightest stirring from them will wake me up.
Good luck with everything!
I'd keep her there till she can vault the bars! My daughter moved into her first bed on her 3rd birthday. She did have a very long cot mind you, and by the end it was so full of toys and books that she had to curl up at the end.
When she did go into a single bed I brought a soft bed rail that went down the side. This made her feel safe and stopped her falling out.
But like I said, keep her in her cot for as long as possible. As long as she's happy don't rock the boat.
Rachel
I would be careful about leaving her in the crib much longer...if she tries to climb out and suceeds while you're sleeping, there could be serious injury.
I just purchased a used toddler bed to refinish for Megan. The plan is to start putting her in the bed for naps during the day around 9 months-1 year [walking]...she can get used to the idea and we'll be awake during that time span, so if she does wake up and wander, we'll know about it and can either direct her back to bed or to her toys...the hope is to teach her not to wander and get into things that she's not supposed to.