How to Get a 2 Y/o to Transition from Crib to Bed

You know the saying "don't fix it if it's not broken"? I'd just leave her there if you don't need the crib. I put the side down when one of mine kept getting out, and she was fine for another year. Travel is so different - an adventure - that no matter what you do, it'll be a new experience and will probably go just fine. I'd say to just relax and not worry about it.

That's a hard one. My 2 year old goes to sleep the same way. I just put her in her crib and shut the door. We went to a waterpark this past month and shared a room with other family members. Forget it, she wouldn't fall asleep with people in and out. Plus a strange place. I don't think she went to sleep until 1 or 2 in the morning. It really sucked. I was just glad to get home. Maybe because your staying for a week, she will start to get really tired by the third or fourth day and just crash. I think this will be hard. Good luck!

Lm ;well when you go camping, you wont necessarily teach her to go to bed with others, however it will be different, one thing you can do while camping, is either wair till she gets tired and let her go to sleep then, or put her to bed the same way you do now, put in her the bed area, in the tent and close her in? but it may be a strange area, for her to do that, so what else you can do is tell we are going camping, and make her her own litte sleeping area, go to bed together as a family, make camping fun so she will enjoy it when older, things are not like when at home, we loved camping with our kids, it might be hard when you come back home, but tell her, now its time to get back into our home routine, it may be hard for her for a bit, when you get home, but stick to your routine, when you get home, or where ever you go, you have done a good job thus far of her sleeping in her own room, and dont fret over the times, you do have to share time together at night, that is a bonding process, when you get to the campground, you will know what to do, maybe you try different things each night, maybe she will just go to sleep faster due to fresh air, etc, either way dont fret it, just go and have fun, and keep home routine, for home, and or take it with you, just have fun, and enjoy life, D. s

we went camping in a tent last summer when my youngest was just 14 months, and she did fine, i had to lay next to her for a few mins, untill she fell asleep but slept thru the night. we put her in a toddler bed a month ago and it was hell for the first week and a half, so i don't think the two really relate.

For camping and spending the night at my sister's house for the holidays, we had those inflatible sleeping bags - more like a huge pillowcase with an air mattress in a separate pocket on the back. It was great and the kids loved them.

Is there a way to convert your crib to a toddler bed/daybed? This is more of a gradual transition whereas she will still feel at home with her bed, yet be able to get in and out on her own.

My kids (twins) are small so we moved them into toddler beds at about 18 months when they discovered they could climb over the top. Both toddler beds fit in their room, and they actually stayed with them until right after kindergarden. It just fit out situation, and they weren't outgrowing the size of the bed so we left them in them. We tried splitting them in to separate rooms with a twin-daybed for her and a full mattress (the old guest bed) for him - they weren't having it. So, we set the daybed and the trundle up in one room and they shared a room for about another year or so before switching back into two separate rooms. Now she had the daybed to her self and he's in the full.

As far as transitioning, don't start on a week night because she'll want to get up and out of bed many times at first. Make it fun too and most of all, make it seem as if she's in charge of the situation. Let her pick out a new blanket or pillow for the new bed. Let her know that once she's in the bed, it's bedtime and she needs to stay there. Be the hallway police for the first night or two to see if she's going to be the roaming type. Fortunately, neither of mine were so our transition was simple that way. Consistency is the key - if she's up and about, calmly, without eye contact and without conversation beyond "bedtime", take her hand and walk her back to bed, cover her up and walk out of the room. Repeat each and every single time as needed, after the third time, use no words, no emotion, no subtle body language. Be as "mechanical" as possible. This may take 3 or 4 night's worth of hallway policing but once she "gets" that she's going to be walked back to bed each.and.every.single.time, the game will no longer be fun. Not engaging in conversation, cuddling, backrubbing, or any other means of communication with her will say to her that she can't manipulate you into one more book, one more drink of water, one more hug, nothing. It's bedtime - PERIOD.

So, now that she's used to the idea of what bedtime truely is, you can work on the camping scenerio. Get whatever she will be sleeping in for the trip and have a pretend campout at home. Set up the family room, or any other open space and have a few practice runs ofer the course of the next few weeks/month. Be sure to use a lantern (or whatever other battery operated device you will have), etc. and make it a special event.

I think you'll do fine with some preparation. Good that you're starting early!

Don't do it yet! I would wait as long as possible! My boy is very tall and just turned 3. He is still in a crib. Once they are out of a crib they typically stop taking naps too. I do have some ideas about how to do the transition on my blog www.shapinglittlesouls.blogspot.com I think it is under the label TRANSITIONS.
Good luck

Have you ever tried a "sleepover" for your girls. My boys have sleepovers at the weekend in each others rooms. You could buy one of those blow up mattresses that have the built in sleeping bag and let them have a sleepover to get them used to being in the room together, and get them used to a different type of bed. My boys love it, and they do it almost every weekend now. It does help because we went away to England and the boys had to share a bed at my Mom's for a week and they were used to doing that from their sleepovers.
I say if she sleeps great in her crib leave her in it as long as possible.

OMG I would leave her in her crib. During camping, you might could still use a playpen? Or just have her sleep with you. Whatever you decide while camping, you probably won't get the perfect sleep that you do at home, but you'll get by. And then go back to normal routine when you get home, but it may take a few days.