My daughter is 2 years and 2 months old and we are getting ready to transition her into a "big girl" bed beacuse we will need the crib for baby #2 in January. She climbed out of her crib once a few months ago but that was it. She loves her crib and sleeps great! We will need the crib by January and she seems old enough to go into a regular bed. We are moving Aug 1st and thought it would be a good time to transition her, a new room and a new bed. Is that too much change at one time? Does anyone have experience with this? I don't want to set up her again and then have to move it a few months later.
Also, does anyone have advice on how to make the move to a new home a smooth transition? I am very worried that the move will be difficult and then another baby only a few motnhs later! I would love any advice:-)
Sounds like a great plan. Go to the library and look for books that show kids sleeping in "big girl" beds and books about moving -- ask Librarian for help.
we were trying to transition our 2 1/2 year old son into a bed a couple months ago because of the need to use the crib for our baby who is due in just a couple weeks. everybody was sleeping fine 'til the "transition". we decided that the cost of a new crib was well worth the sleep we would all get... especially our son. if he was fine in the crib and sleeping through the night, then would would let it be and let him let us know when he was ready for a "big boy" bed. good luck to you and with the new baby!!!
I think making the transition with the move is a great idea! I also think letting her pick out the bedding and some stuff to go in her new "Big Girl" room will really help as well... My daughter did great through all of these transitions, I basically talked about it for a few days just mentioning it casually as things that were coming up... And, when the day came for the big bed, she was ready and appropriately prepared! I would tell her when I was picking her up out of the crib, "When we move, you'll have a big girl bed and you'll be able to get out of bed yourself, YAY!!" or "... and you'll be able to come wake mommy up in the morning!!" or whatever you think would be something she will like about having a big girl bed... Accentuate the positive and be excited with her and for her... And, try not to cry the first time she goes to sleep in the big girl bed with no fuss or muss... Cuz she might surprise you and you might surprise yourself with her having grown so big as to not need the crib anymore...
And, I highly recommend the toddler bed, because it is just the right size for them at this age!! :D
Huggles!!
~S.~
We moved my daughter at the same age when we moved. I wouldn't put the crib up for the baby until she's settled in her bed for a month or so. I'd definitely do it when you move though. We've moved quite a bit and it's always about finding her toys from the box, for my kids that make it feel like home.
One other thing we did was put her mattress and boxspring on the floor so I didn't worry about her falling out at first. It worked out good!
It's a good time to change her bed but let her pick the bedding. Then she'll feel some sort of control.
we just moved to Vegas from Canada in Jan. A big move for our 4 yr old and 2.5 yr old. Our 4 yr old was really excited and she picked out the paint for her new room and helped to pick out some decor. Our 2.5 yr old was too young for that. Just like your situation, we were using the move to transition him from a crib to a big bed. We painted his room the same colour as the old room for a little familiarity, but everything else was pretty new. It was a smooth transition, even with baby #3 arriving in Feb. I think that maybe we as parents, stress over things too much! ha ha. If you decorate the room with things she loves and make it fun, I think it will surprise you by how easy it is. Also, our little guy continued to be a great sleeper in his big bed! He was very proud of his new room. So I say go for it. It is the ideal time to transition her. Involve her in the decisions, paint, decor etc. Maybe even have a little "party" to celebrate that she is a big girl. My kids love that kind of thing. We have cupcakes and, party hats and balloons. Best of luck to you!
I think it totally depends on her temperament and your intuition about the situation. How does she generally do with change? Does she go cold turkey with transitions or does she need more time to adjust? Pay attention to who she is and that will give you the most valuable information when it comes to making these decisions for/with her. I think that also ties into listening to your intuiton. If I were you, I would set aside the agenda or the rush of getting her "there" (the big bed) and think about what she is really needing right now and what the best way for her would be. That can free you up to make the best decision, rather than looking for a "right" way to do it.
Any way you choose to do it, as long as it's based on love and awareness of her needs, will be the right way :)
I think it would be good to get the big bed now. that way when you move she will have something from her old house in the new house. Take her shopping for sheets, bedspread, etc. and make a big to-do about it. It's important to get her out of the crib sooner so she doesn't feel "kicked out" of it for the baby.
Our daughter is almost the same age and our 2nd is due in Sept. I was having similar questions, except without the complication of moving. I am nearly on bed rest, so have been feeling as though lifting her in & out of her crib needed to stop. We just took the side off her crib yesterday. At nap time, she opened her door twice; turned out she just wanted the door left open. Last night she went to sleep just fine without getting out of bed at all (and with the door closed). I am SO surprised. I expect there will be less successful nights, but I guess I'd say just give it a try! We do have books that talk about her being a big sister and they include mention of the big girl bed; we definitely play up the big girl aspect of just about any change. She also loves to bounce on her bed, so was super excited that she can get onto it whenever she wants (I know she shouldn't....). I expect that once the new baby is ready for the crib, we will get a toddler or regular bed for our 2 year old.
I hope whatever you decide it goes smoothly for you. Good luck!
If you have the budget, consider using a toddler bed for the transition. They are the same size as a crib and use a standard crib mattress. You can pick them up pretty cheap at ToysRUs, or get a nicer one for not a ton of money at a kids furniture store. We ended up with one that looks like a day bed (header, footer and back) that is crib-like and bigger girl bed all at the same time.
Email me off-list if you want. We might be ready to give ours up (including the mattress) by August 1.
Talk really happy and positively about moving to an exciting new house and getting new things for the house like new bed stuff and a great big new bed. (If she really likes the idea of "big girl" stuff you can roll with that but if she doesn't like the idea just leave it out and talk about new and exciting.) We made the transition early so that hopefully our older daughter wouldn't remmeber that it was her crib and that the baby was "taking it away from her." she didn't remember at all. Make a big deal about picking out new things. Kohlshas some really cute kids bedding stuff that is a bed in a bad and it can be pretty inexpensive. Focus so much on letting her get to pick out things and make decisions and she probably won't even realize she is switching beds.
We moved our son to a new room & a big boy bed at 23 months. Added a baby sister at 24 months and took away his paci (cold turkey) a 25 months. He did wonderfully through all transitions. My main advice is to not feel sorry for her or act like it is a big deal - it's just what happens. Good luck and congrats!
Go ahead and do the switch before you move, like was said before, so that the new bed is coming from the old house. And don't try to stress too much, toddlers are very resilient and even though she'll be having lots of changes soon, they can't really be helped, and the most important thing in life stays the same - mommy and daddy are still there and still love her! We moved in May, baby was born in June, preschool started in Sept - and my son did beautifully with the transitions.... I have to tell you, the hardest part about adding a second child was NOT the first three months like I thought it would be - it's once #2 starts walking and encroaches on #1's "territory" and toys that they've never had to share on a full time basis (and my son is good about sharing with friends). So sit back, enjoy your new house, enjoy your one and only for the next few months, and then enjoy the sweetness of falling in love with a new baby again!
You never know how kids will react exactly, but I think you have a good plan. Since, she is a girl it may be fun to go shopping for new bedding which may make the whole thing more fun and exciting. I have moved with two kids, transitioned kids to a big bed, had more kids... some times they have acted out and sometimes not. Moving has always been easy. Anyways, I think the move would be a natural time to do the transition.
C., mother of 3, sleep consultant, sleep blog writer www.lullabyluna.com
