18 Month Old Going from Crib to Bed...HELP!

I think I would keep doing the naps , just to get her used to it. But, remember- with a new baby being born soon, a lot of changes might be too much for her ,plus you need the extra sleep! Let her stay where she is comfy! Maybe you could use a bassinet for the new baby, for a little while until she is ready.
Good Luck!

I wouldn't rush her. Unless she is displaying a desire to get out of her crib, she is way too young. My son is 2 years old and my baby is coming tomorrow. I bought him a crib that converts to a full sized bed. Your baby is not a big girl, she is just a toddler- that's a lot of pressure.

Did you try special sheets that she picks out herself? That's how we potty trained our daughter... she picked out big girl underpants that she could only wear if she would go on the potty. It may just be too early for her.

hi i had my son in his big boy bed at 18months
first thing you need to get rid of the crib for right now and put her to bed in a big girl bed and i called it that so he thought he was a big boy
and it went very smooth after the first couple days

I am about to experience this. I have a 16 month old, and another one due at the end of March, so I have a litte more time, but I want to get my daughter into her new bed long before the new baby takes over 'her' crib. I think that it may be confusing for your daughter to go from the crib at night to the bed in the day. I know for us, getting my daughter to nap in the day is a challenge in itself. It often takes up to 15 minutes of crying before she goes to sleep. While at night she just lies down and grins at me til I'm out the door. So perhaps, if you just took the crib away and put her to sleep, every time she goes to sleep, in her new bed, then she will quickly realize, "ok, this is the place I sleep now." Going form bed to crib could be more confusing to her than a gentle transition. Also, the other suggestions of a new nightlight or blanket, or even a stuffed animal to sleep with, something that she picks out is a great idea. I am just amazed at how much of an opinion my daughter has on fashion and style. She definitely has her preferences.

My daughter was 26 months when we moved her to a big girl bed because we were having a baby. We kept her aware of her sister throughout the pregnancy and explained to her that she'd have to start sleeping in her big girl bed so that her little sister would have somewhere to sleep. The closer it got to the baby being born the more willing she was to try sleeping in her big girl bed. We did keep the baby in a pack-n-play in our room until she started sleeping through the night, but after that we put her in the crib in the same room with my older girl.

The way you worded something made me think you have the big girl bed in a different room from the crib. If I understood that right, that could be part of the problem. Being in unfamiliar surroundings make it harder. If I'm right, then I suggest putting the big girl bed in the same room with the crib.

My daughters are 15 months, to the day, apart. I didn't want to buy a second crib, so i had decided to have the baby in a bassinet for 3 months. when Lilly was 17 months and the baby was 2 months... she climbed out of her playard while we were on vacation. that sealed the deal! i wasn't about to have her climb out of the crib. so when we got home, I turned her crib into a toddler bed, and kept it in the exact same spot as it had been before. we had a twin bed in her room already also, that she played on (and soon became her new bed... she was familiar with it by that time).
after about a month, I went in and took the crib out of her room. then that night, i put her to bed very sleepy in her new bed, and voila, she was now in a twin bed. I'm so glad I did it that way, because it's nice to be able to take her somewhere and she can sleep in a regular bed (on vacation).

each time I switched (crib to toddler bed, toddler bed to twin bed), I did it at nighttime when she was very tired. then she woke up in her new bed, and i think that made it easier. I also gave her a pillow when I made the first switch, and I think that helped (she didn't have a pillow when it was a crib).

it sounds like her bed is in a different room than it was before? is there any way to switch her in her old room? I think one change at a time is probably best.

Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would wait another few months if she's not ready. Could you buy a bassinet for the new baby? We actually bought another inexpensive crib for the new baby for the transition. I think it was $99.00. I have two children that are the exact same age difference as yours will be. I wouldn't push it and try again when she's two. I know people who have kept the crib through year three!

C.

Try making a big deal out of the big girl bed. Have a party for her, maybe. Give her something special to sleep with to comfort her. A nightlight might work if it's too scary for her. We gave our son a squeeze flashlight so he could use it if he needed it. That made him feel so much better. My son loved his bed but didn't want to stay in it. We put up the gate and ignored the crying and pleas to come out. It was not always easy but our persistence paid off. After a few nights of crying and falling asleep at the gate he finally stayed in bed and fell asleep within 15 minutes.

Hi J. - Here is my story about the crib/bed transition and things I think worked well for us...

I waited until about 6 months after the baby came before I took my son out of his crib. I bought a 2nd crib for the new baby. My son was almost 30 months old when he transitioned from the crib.

When I was ready to take my son out of the crib - we took him shopping for mattresses. He got to try them out in the stores, we discussed him having a big boy bed. We discussed other family members who sleep in big boy beds etc. Then, in one day we took the crib out of his room and set up the new bed - with him helping with the whole process.

We also painted his room, and re-decorated in a theme that included his favorite toys - JEEPS. He came with me to the store to pick out some of the things we used to decorate and let him be in the room as we made the bed, hung up new pictures in his JEEP theme.

He had a few rough nights when he said he didn't like his new bed, but that was over soon. Also, my son never tried to climb out of his crib, and still 3 months later waits in his bed for me to get him when he wakes up?!?!? So I guess I am lucky there!

Good luck to you and Congratulations on the new baby.

Hi! We had our second in Feb. Our kids are exactly 18 months apart. When we were getting ready to put our oldest in her new room, I had her help me get it all ready. She helped me make the bed, put her clothes in the new furniture, and then some of her toys from the playroom. I think this helped her realize it was a special place for her. Then the first night after we did all that, she climbed in her new bed and wanted to sleep there.

We did give her a new night light since she could now get in and out of bed. But we have her sleep with the door closed (its safer that way in case of fire) so she couldn't get out of room.

We never had any problems. She just made the transition like it was no big deal. I think if you make it special, but not a big deal, she will be fine.

Good Luck!

let her pick out some decorations or something that makes the new room hers. not something that you think she'll like but something that she actually picks out. you may be surprised what she comes up with but that is what she, as a new little person, wants to have. it may make her more comfortable in there.

also let her pick out her nightlight. if she doesn't like what you have in there now, it may be keeping her up.

we put a gate at the door when we gave our daughter a new bed. she cried and fell asleep in front of the door for about a week, and then she loved her big girl bed.

make a big deal about how she's a big girl now and only babies sleep in cribs.

the other thing we did for the first couple days was put the pack and play in her room as an alternate for sleeping in. she never wanted to sleep in there so i think that helped a little with the transition.

it may be a bit of a hassle but if the problem persists maybe disassemble the crib so she has no choice but to sleep in the new bed.

our nap and bed times were a little more special during our transition and i would lay on the floor next to her bed for a few minutes just to keep her company for the first few nights.

Hi J.:

I hate to tell you this but I worked with a sleep coach recently when my son stopped sleeping through the night and she told me that children can't really handle sleeping in their own bed emotionally until they are 3, which I thought was late but she said that there are a lot of studies showing this to be true. She said that unless they are trying to climb out and endangering themselves she highly recommends waiting.

Could you possibly borrow a crib from a friend until she's older? Maybe that would be less stressful for your both.

Good luck,
B.