Making the Move into a Toddler Bed.

I would make a really BIG deal out of him having his own room and new big boy bed. Maybe even reward him staying there the first couple nights.

I actually have a couple suggestions for you. First one is make a big deal about it. Buy him new sheets in his favorite character (if you can afford it). Tell him how exciting it is that he has his own big boy bed (if your excited about it he will be too).
Also make sure to stay with him until he falls a sleep for the first couple of nights.Maybe put glow in the dark stars on his ceiling and make sure he knows your right down the hall or stairs which ever the case may be. Hope my suggestions help.
A. C.

When my son moved into his toddler bed he also got a new room. My son loves tractors so my hubby did a John deere tractor theme and my son LOVED it. I agree with trying to make it really special for him. Maybe paint his room his favorite colors and favorite character. My son did really well the first few nights then he attempted to come into our room. We just kept putting him back, I gotta tell you I think it took 10 days for him to adjust. But he's been in there over a year now and loves his room. Good luck to you and congrats on your new home!

A., SAHM to Mikey (3 on 10/26) & Emily 7 months

Hi B. my name is M. im a 31 yr old mom of 2 one on the way, A little trick I did with my 3 yr old is at bed time go into their room and play with him or read him a story and if hes sleepy he'll fall asleep in his room or you can put a tv in his room and put in a tape he likes or a channel he likes and they will fall asleep in their bed watching tv. My daughter has a big bed and when it really got bad I would actually lay with her until she fell asleep then go to my room but if your son has a baby small bed you cant do that one, I hope I gave you some good ideas though its really hard my daughter is 3 now and she still sneaks in bed with me after I;m sleep! hahahah good luck! M.

The transition is going to be tough on the little one. He will probably "sneak" into your bed in the middle of the night till he get's use to the new house. Try a night light, putting him to bed early enough where you are still up for a little while, so if he wakes up he's not frightend. If after a little while that doesn't seem to work try laying down with him till he falls asleep, then you go into your own bed. Like I said it's going to be tough, my first daughter slept in my room till she was almost 3 years old when we finally moved into our own home.She got use to the comfort of waking up in the middle of the night and seeing me there, so she'ld fall back to sleep. When we did move she was in her own room with a night light for comfort, and sometime in the middle of the night she'ld come into our room, grab the blankets that hung over the edge of the bed and curl up on the floor.I never really minded her sleeping on my bedroom floor, and finally on her own she stop comeing in there every night. Every once in awhile when she has a bad dream she comes in and sleeps on the floor, but she's 8 now so that's few and far between. I NEVER ALLOWED HER TO GET INTO BED WITH ME!!! I never stopped her from sleeping on the floor, she felt safe and comfy Every child is different, all I can do is tell you what worked for me. i wish you luck, but remember this is a big move for him and he needs to feel "safe" Good luck, let me know how it is going.

Hi B.:)
Congrats on your new home! I have a 2 year old daughter and although she would rather sleep with us, she has been in her own bed since she was about 20 months. I think since you will be making the move, and he will have a new 'big-boy' room and his own big-boy bed, you need to find a fun yet calm routine to begin the transition. Sit by his bed while he is in it and read him a book or 2. Then talk for a few minutes about your day. I'm not sure how much he is talking, but I always find this is a great way to connect with my daughter and to reinforce the good parts of the day, the new memories we made, and to even talk a little about what to expect tomorrow. Then after a few minutes, say your goodnights. I find it helps to say the same thing each night, such as "I love you, have good dreams. See you in the morning!" and then leave. The thing is, is that whenever you need to change a behavior, you need to be ready for it to change as well, and then you have to stick to it. Honestly, it usually only takes about 3 days for a behavior to change, but YOU need to stick to it. If he comes out of bed, you walk him back. If he comes out again, you take him back but DO NOT interact with him. Keep doing it and remember not to interact with him. He'll quickly realize that you mean business and that he is not getting what he wants. He may scream and cry, but you need to stay calm and stick with it. I have faith in you, and think in the long run how much good you will be doing for your son in developing better sleep habits! Just really try not to give in, because once he knows you're a pushover, it will be harder for you when you need to change other behaviors. Also if you think it would work, use his new big-boy room as something you are very proud of him for. Also, once he is in his new bed for the whole night, give tons of praise! Maybe even take him out to buy a new book or something small and tangible so he'll remember what a good job he did sleeping in his own bed.
You can do it!! Good luck with your move!! Just my thoughts, and I hope they help:))

i would tell him he has to start nite out in his own bed but could get in bed with me in morning..all 4 of my kids went straight from crib to twin bed gives much more room to move around & have nitelight..& stuffed animal to sleep with got a Build a Bear place around you?

Hi B.,
When we decided it was time for our son to sleep in his own bed & room we just made a "BIG" deal about him being a big boy & getting his own "big boy" bed. I had planned on letting him pick out his own sheets etc... but to my dismay we could not find any character sheets that would fit a todler bed. So what we did was let him pick a new blanket for his bed. Many stores sell "throw" size blankets that fit almost perfectly on a todler bed. Well he picked a Thomas the Train blanket & that was all he needed. He loved the idea of being a "big boy" & having his own special bed. He did have to line the edges of his bed with ALL of his favorite toys for quite a few weeks too (an idea he got from his big sister & her stuffed animals) but being surrounded by the things that made him happy helped him to sleep on his own & we in turn were happy.
Hope all goes well for you.
C.