My family will be moving within the next couple of months due to financial reasons. My son is 26 months old. What is the best way to transition him to a new home. Right now he sleeps in a crib in my bedroom. I will probably continue to have him in my room with me for a short while after we move. Any suggestions to make this transitions easier for him.
Well we found a new place but it is smaller than the house we have now. So he will be staying in my room until we find something bigger. We had to sign a year lease and are hoping to save money to buy something by then. Thanks for all the suggestions. I hope he adjusts well. We are taking him to see the new house tonight.
L.
If it was me, I would just put him in his own room. Why make him go through 2 transitions? If you move and put him right in his own room it is 1 transition. Instead of a new house and then when he is adjusted to the new house then moving to a new room. Just my point of view.
Hello. Best bet is to follow your regular routine the first few nights in the new place. Chances are he will be so tired from all the excitement that he will sleep as usual. Just make sure all his regular stuff is in his crib for him. When I moved with my daughter who was 17 months old at the time, she went right down as usual. No problems. Good luck.
Ok here is my experience, we moved when my son was 14 mo, he was in a crib in his own room before and after and it didn't really change too much that i could blame on the move, he was always a bit of a poor sleeper before and after. Then we transitioned him to a bed at 17 mo because his little sister was on her way. That was rough for 3 days but we were consistent and it was fine, any change to the routine after that and it threw him off again, but like i said i don't think i can blame it on the move, or the bed, or the new baby. And you can't controll everything, they deal with it and you deal with it and those are great life lessons. My big thing was that if we as parents were consistent then i found my son did better, if we let things slide for a night, late bedtime, snuggles in our bed then we paid for it.
I think he will be fine, just make a plan on where you want him to be, and how you will deal with it if he has trouble.
also, I love hearing you say, you might be happy just to have one child, he sounds very loved and I think that is super!
Hi L., My youngest was just turning 3 when we moved to PA from Ohio. My best suggestion is to keep things as routine as possible for your son. Keep his crib in your room, keep his sheets & blankets the same. Don't change laundry soap/softners to keep things more familar. Don't make a "big deal" about the move and keep the excitment/tension down as much as you can. Moving can be really unsettling so expect his sleeping/habits to be a bit off, but you should keep to his normal daily routine/schedule as much as possible. Some kids move really well, some don't. We didn't really have any problems with our 3 girls (2,5 &7 at the time). Best wishes & Happy Holidays
L.,
Just a personal experience. My brothers family moved when my nephew was the same age. He became fussy and didnt sleep well. My mother always said it was because in the old home they had pictures and decor that he was familar with and comfortable. They didnt hang anything on the walls and the room was very different. I dont know for sure but the familar surroundings seem logical. Good luck on your transition.
Hi L.,
I would suggest that you explain to him as much as you can, in simple language. Talk about the move often. Small children learn through repetition, so get him used to the idea of moving, what that means, what he can expect, what his new room will be like etc. If you raise your expectations of him, he may rise to the challenge and surprise you. We had a similar situation when my son was 2 years old. From the time my son came home from the hospital, he shared a room with my daughter (two years older than him). He had never known things any other way. When we moved (to another state) the children got separate rooms and I worried about how my son would react, since he idolized his big sister. At the new house, he got a new "big boy bed"(full size bed) in addition to a new room all of his own. To my surprise he was delighted, with having his "own" space, he never slept better and not even the first night did he have issues. He loved spending time in "his room", I would find him playing in there and he decided that he did not like having a night light and that he wanted to sleep with the door closed. So give your son the opportunity to rise to the challenge of being informed about what is happening and what he can expect. I had also made a small photo album of our old house, his room from different angles, all the other rooms, the staircase, the front of the house, etc. I never used the photo album, I was prepared for a hardship, but it never came. I explained to him what was going on, what I expected from him and got him involved in the process (helping pack his things). For us it worked out better than I could have hoped for, so I say new home, new space, go for the "big boy" aspect and but his bed in his new space. Most importantly be Happy about His Bed in his New Room, weather or not you are really excited about the move, make it a positive experience for him and it will be a positive experience for all.
Good Luck
L.,
I have 3 & 6 year old daughters... One of the best pieces of advice I got when my first daughter was born was to get them into their own room as soon as possible. My suggestion to you is...this move is the perfect opportunity to introduce his room to him. New house, new room and make it exciting for him. It may take him a few weeks to get used to the idea but put in a baby monitor and gates if necessary and he is on his way to toddler independence!
Good luck with your move!
Pack and Unpack as quickly as possible.
See if you can get into the place your are moving into earlier than the move date to clean and child proof. I was amazing how much we had to child proof this summer when we moved with three little ones. A different model stove required that we purchase knob covers and an oven lock. We had done it so gradually in our old home we forgot all we had to do. The girls were pulling the oven door open and landing on the floor it was crazy.
My oldest was 23 months when we moved, and we had just added a baby sister 6 weeks before the move. I was really worried that it would be difficult for her to deal with 2 big changes so close together, but she did fine. We did have the chance to come to the new house and show her her room prior to moving in, but she only saw it once, so I'm not sure if that helped too much or not. I did make sure that I kept a couple of boxes of her favorite things and her usual sheets, etc. as available as possible. They were the last things on the moving truck and the first things off, so she was able to see that her stuff had come along with us. We had a local move, so it was only a short time. For a longer move, I probably would have put those couple of boxes in the car with us.
Just be as consistent as possible and your son will adjust fine. Some kids may have an adjustment period, but some are able to move seamlessly. My daughter never showed any signs at all of being upset or confused, and she slept just fine. Be prepared for some glitches, but also try to remain positive since you may have no problems and your attitude will help set the tone for your son.
Good luck!
When i was 3 my parents moved. I was still in a crib, and when we got to the new house my parents put a bed in my room. I would not put him back in your room, he will never want to leave! seriously! my niece and nephew still sleep with their parents and they are 3 and 9!! rediculous if u ask me. I dont want to sound harsh, but you cant baby unless they are still BABIES! and your son is not a baby anymore but a toddler who needs to learn where his space is.
