Moving Son from Crib to Toddler Bed

I would pick a day, make a big deal beforehand about moving to a "big boy" bed and on that day, involve him in moving the crib, putting up the bed rail and bedding on the bed and have him sleep there that night.
You might include putting up some wall decorations too on that day that are more "big boy", like cars, trucks or other things he likes.
Maybe he could pick something out at the store.
I would try to involve more than just the bed.
And be prepared for putting him back in bed in the middle of the night.
Refer to SUPERNANNY on how to do this and be successful.

I'd suggest letting him nap for a week or so in the big boy bed before moving him into it at night (unless he shows interest in sleeping in at night right away too.) Leave the crib in the room while you are transitioning for nap, and then take it down one he's slept a night or two in the big bed. If he's already a great sleeper, he'll probably do just fine. I have three children, 6, 4, and 1. The six year old was never a good sleeper and the transition for her was difficult, but the 4 year old started sleeping through the night at one month and was learned to comfort herself to sleep fairly easily, and she transitioned to the big bed with no problem. Good Luck

Hi, R..

Your situation is almost exactly like mine. I had a three year old and a baby on the way, and wanted to get the big boy ready for a regular twin bed. We didn't have both at the same time (toddler mattress and twin bunk bed), but we did what you are concidering: talked it up real good. We made a big deal and made the switch all at once (removing the little bed). We got a new pillow and sheet set, but he was already using a big boy blanket (which still gets used eleven years later.) We didn't set up the crib for the new baby at the same time, just in case he would be jealous that the new baby got his bed. A new sheet set over the matress made it look different when it was done.

We also moved his toddler car seat to the other side of the car early, so he wouldn't later feel that baby got his place behind me (the driver). I told him it was so he could see get a better view of me driving.

Later he was glad to share his "little boy" stuff with the new baby, but we were sure to trade some new "big boy" item.

When his little brother graduated up to a big boy bed, we did the same thing: used his favorite blankie along WITH his new Nascar blanket.

It is nice that you want the kids to not be jealous of each other - you'll do fine.

I moved my daughter from her crib to a twin bed (that was in the same room as her crib) just before her second birthday. I left the crib in the room, set up the bed for her, and let her decide when she wanted to give it a try. When she learned that her teddy bear was ready to sleep in the big bed, she was all for it and never asked to be back in the crib. I strongly recommend making sure all furniture is securely anchored to the wall and anything you don't want your child getting into is out of the room...it is amazing how big the mess can be from diaper cream, powder, and a pencil! My daughter was great about staying in her bed for the first month or so. Now that she has had six months of freedom, she will "explore" the room during nap time...this includes climbing furniture, emptying drawers, undressing herself, etc.

Godd luck with the transition!

You probably won't like my advice.... I say as long as he's happy and sleeping well then let him alone. He'll want to move soon enough and he'll let you know. We moved our oldest to his bed just before he turned 3... it was a disaster. We wanted to use the crib for the new baby. He slept great, bedtime and naptime was a breeze and he slept 11-12 hours at night. That all ended the minute we made the switch... bedtime battles (he wandered his room for 2-3 hours after lights out), gave up naps completely, woke early (like 4-5am) to play (no toys in room - they play with anything) and never went back to sleep. So when baby came along a couple months later, we had 2 kids with bad sleeping habits and we got no sleep at all. :-( It took 4-5 months for his go-to-bed-easily behavior to return but he never took another nap again.

We took a different tactic when baby #3 came along... we bought a 2nd crib from another mom in my mom's group. It was pretty much new since it was her 'second' crib and so we paid $50 for a looks-like-new crib and mattress that was only 1 year old. When our daughter was about 2.5 years old (baby was 6 months) she started asking for a big girl bed. Her sleep habits in the crib were great so we were hesitant but she was asking (almost daily for a month) and was potty training so we made the switch. She slept great in the bed and continued her naps for awhile, too. We sold that barely used 2nd crib and mattress for $50 and got our money back so it was worth it. :-)

So... I say wait until your son asks to sleep in the bed. Most childhood experts actually recommend keeping kids in cribs until they are 3 for safety reasons (as long as they are not climbing out).

Hi, I don't know if this would work for you, but here's how we moved from a crib to a "big kid bed."

We are a military family and lived on base in a small house when our oldest was little. Along with her crib, we always had a day bed in her room for guests. When we didn't have guests, my daughter's stuffed animals "lived" on the daybed, and she frequently played on the bed.

Her birthday is in February, and just before her third birthday, we went to visit family in another state for two weeks at Christmas. During the visit, our daughter did not have her own space to sleep, so she got to sleep in a special doggie-shaped sleeping bag on the floor in our room. She loved the sleeping bag, and she didn't have any trouble sleeping in it during our whole 2-week vacation. When we got back to our house, we never put her back into her crib. We moved her stuffed animals from the big bed to her crib since we didn't have space to take it apart and store it right away, and we put her into the "big girl bed." She didn't have any other choice while on vacation, so we didn't know how she'd react when we got home and her crib was still in her room. But she hadn't slept in her crib for two weeks, and she didn't really miss it. We got her Blue's Clues sheets (her favorite show) for the bed to make it "hers" instead of the guest bed, and she never asked to sleep in the crib again. She was very easy-going, so she had not trouble making the switch.

If you take a vacation this summer and decide to try this with your toddler, I have a recommendation. You can set up the new bed, and let him get used to having it in his room. He can climb on it and playing on it and such. Then you can try to see if he can sleep okay without a crib during the vacation. If you are afraid he will resist the switch if the crib is still in his room when you get home, you can remove it from his room before that first night back home from vacation. He can play in his room without the crib in there to get used to seeing the room without it. You could do this a while before the new baby arrives to that he won't feel like HIS bed (the crib) is being "taken" away and given to the new baby. It would give him time to get used to having nobody use the crib before the new baby needs it.

I hope all of that made sense! We figured that if our daughter could make a transition during a time when she had no other choice, then she'd be fine if we just kept up with the "new" way of doing things when we got home. It worked for us. I hope your toddler makes the transition easily for you.

I wouldn't do it cold turkey right now. Maybe take the crib out and leave the crib mattress on the floor and have him transition from that to bed.

Then again, you could wait until Late sept or early october...and start talking about the BIG BOY bed, etc.

I have two children, too. My daughter turned 5 in Jan and my son will be three in Aug.

I moved my daughter to a twin bed (toddler beds are a bit of a waste). I did it 4 months before her little brother was born.

When you move him, move the crib out of the room (if you can) and put it in the baby's new room. make a big idea of the fact that your little sweetie is a big boy and that the bed is now for a baby. Maybe put Thomas the Train or Cars sheets on his new bed-whatever he likes. Put the bed next to the wall and put a bed guard (about $20 at a baby store-or less at Once on a Child) The guard will keep him from rolling out. If you don't want to buy a bed guard, make sure you put pillows on the floor around the bed for the first week or two.

My daughter fell out the first two nights--then after that she was okay. The guard just helps them stay safe. I removed the guard when she was ready to night-time potty on her own (around 4).

There may be some nights when they get up--just take them back to bed, and lay with them a little while to make them feel secure if they need it.

we've never been co-sleepers, so, she always understood that was her bed and we had our bed. I am blessed because both kids sleep well. There's an occasional night here and there that one of them wakes up, but I feel very fortunate.

My little guy will be 3 in August, too. I don't have a little one to put in the bed--and he sleeps great in the bed.

As for me, with transitioning, #2 out of the crib, I am waiting longer just because I don't have another babe to put in the nest...SIGH. I will probably wait until Nov/Dec as I will need to buy him a bedroom set. But who knows, that could all change tomorrow.

Bottom line, trust your instincts, and do what feels best for your little guy.

My oldest stayed in his crib until just before his third birthday, and like you, I would have kept him in there until he was in his teens!! We showed him his new bed and he was not interested. Then out of the clear blue sky he asked one day to sleep in the big bed. He did and he never went back into his crib. My advice would be to take cues from your son. If he is not interested in the big boy bed, then don't push him. He may like the security of the "enclosed" area, or the familiarity of it. Let him know that the other bed is an option and he will let you konw when he is ready. If he is happy where he is, then don't move him. I realize you may need the crib for the next one, but are you going to put the baby into the crib right away? Maybe if you use a bassinette (or in my case my 2nd had reflux and ended up sleeping in the carseat for the first two months of his life) you can buy more time for the older to transition out of the crib.

Good luck and congratulations on your second!

I have two children 22 months apart (28 months and 6 months). I initially wanted to have my son in a bed so that I could use the crib for my daughter. My son has always been a great sleeper and I was concerned that he would not be ready. I didn't want the pressure for me or my son so I purchased a portable crib at a garage sale to get me through the first several months with my daughter. The portable cribs do not meet the new codes but I only planned to have my daughter in it while she was an infant (not moving around).

As for the actual transition, we set up my son's room with his new bunk beds and furniture plus the crib when he was about 21 months old (prior to the new baby). I moved all of his old furniture, etc. into the baby's room plus set up the portable crib. We continued to let him sleep in his crib and didn't really mention his big boy bed for a few months. During this time, we had our daughter and he was getting use to that transition.

One night a few weeks after he turned 2 my husband was putting him to bed and read his stories in his big boy bed and left him there. I was in total shock as "I" was not prepared for the move (emotionally and I didn't have the bed rail up). My husband put pillows on the floor and the first two nights he was on the pillows in the morning (never woke up). After that we put up the bed rail and he has never fallen out since. He never slept in his crib again! I was nervous for the first nap in the bed but he did great (he had been in the bed at night for a few nights before the weekend when he naps at home). About a month or so later, however, we went through a period where he woke up extremely early. This lasted about a week or two. He is doing great. I was actually amazed at how easy the transition was. I know others have not been so lucky.

Hope this helps and good luck with the transition and your new little one.

Try looking at from his point of view. If you wait any longer he is going to think that he is being "kicked" out of the one place he loves to sleep and a new baby is being placed in it. That is kind of like giving the new baby his favorite stuffed animal. Start off by making a huge deal about him getting a big boy bed and as soon as you buy the bed yank that crib out of his room. Keep stessing that he is a big boy and he deserves a big boy bed. Treat it like a rite of passage and use lots of praise and encouragement. Don't give him the option by having both in his room...that will only confuse him and he will mostlikly revert back to the crib. Pull the band aide off quickly and very soon so when you do place the new baby in a crib he won't feel slighted. Good luck

He's definitely old enough to sleep in a toddler bed. Talk up the 'big boy' bed to him. Get him all excited to sleep in his BRAND NEW BED!!!! And when he does sleep in it, make sure you praise him. I would totally take the crib out of the room. Explain to him that since he'll be having a new brother/sister soon you need the crib for the baby, and he gets a brand new bed! How fun! Spend some time playing on the new bed, laying on it, etc. I bet he'll be fine. It seems that we, as parents, stress out more than the kids do! :)

I would talk it up for about a week. Tell him things like next Saturday you are going to get to sleep in your big boy bed. The crib needs to be removed from the room for some reason. I would let him get the bed already again and hopefully it goes well from there. We had a crib that converted into the toddler bed. We let our son help "build" (convert) his crib to the toddler bed and never had any trouble. We transitioned him at about 20 months. We also talked it up for a few days we did it, so he wasn't surprised when it happened. He was very excited to help. He was always a great sleeper and still is.

We just moved my daughther to a toddler bed. She is almost 2. I thought we would have problems with her adjusting to not being confined in the crib and getting up at night. She was a great sleeper in her crib and I was a little afraid at first. She took 2 nights to get the idea that she had to stay in bed and go to sleep, which ment mom didn't get much sleep for 2 nights, but after that she has been fine. We keep the door open only about 2" so that if she needs me she can open the door, and she has been fine. I am also expecting in October so I am really happy that she took to it well. Your little one will do fine just be patient with him for a while. Good Luck!!

D.

Does he still nap? I would talk it up for while first, playing up the "big boy" aspect and then start with naps. "Are you ready to be a big boy and sleep in your big boy bed?" Don't lay down with him- I had a difficult time breaking my tot of that habit. You could also try getting him "someone" special to sleep in the bed with him, if he doesn't already have a comfort object. Or one of those light projection doohinkies to make stars on the ceiling might help. My two year old has a butterfly mobile (from Tropical Trends) over her bed. She likes to look at that when she's in bed. We also play soft music. Just be positive! He probably won't have too much trouble.

You're probably right, changing before the baby comes will be easier than "here's your new baby brother/sister and, oh by the way, s/he gets your bed and you have to sleep here now"! lol
I'd act really excited about it, have him pick out a couple pairs of new BIG BOY sheets, maybe a new teddy to snuggle with? Stuff like that :) Good Luck!

I taught my nephew to sleep in his toddler bed. He was out of the crib but wouldn't sleep in his bed. He would instead fall asleep on the floor downstairs, wherever he felt like laying. No matter what they did he wouldn't stay in that bed. When they put him in his bed they would wake to find him curled up on the floor at the top of the stairs or wherever he felt like going. LOL I stayed with the kids for a week so they could go out of town. While they were gone I put the toddler bed downstairs. When he would lay on the floor, I would put him in his bed. Then I would lay on the couch where he could see me. Eventually when it was time for bed he would crawl in his bed instead of trying to curl up on the floor. End of sleep problem. Every kid goes thru the transition differently. But maybe since it's already in his room you can make it a gradual change. Say...Start with nap time. He sleeps in his "big boy bed" for nap time for a week and then once he's used to the bed then you can start having him sleep in it at night too. Once he's used to the bed completely, take out the crib. Good luck.

We recently moved our almost 2 year old to a big boy bed. We got his room ready and had his new comforter on there with the bed rails. We also moved all of his toys in the new room and encouraged him to play in there for about a week. Then the next week we moved all of his clothes into the new room, and got dressed in there every night and every morning so he would get used to that part of his routine in the new room. That same week we also would read a book or two together in the new bed at night, and then I'd take him back to his crib in the old room for one last story. He was fine going in there to get dressed and everything, but didn't really like the stories. He would stand at the end of the bed and point to his old room with the crib and say 'mine' over and over. But then at the end of that week, we read his naptime books in the big boy bed and, then I told him he was going to stay in that bed to sleep and left the room. He cried for about 10 minutes, and I went back in 1 time to tell him he was ok and give him a hug, but he stayed there and went to sleep. That night we did the same thing, and he only cried for about 3 minutes. By the next day he was just fine and has been sleeping in there ever since. Hope that helps!