2 1/2 Year Old Boy Just Started Sleeping in Big Boy bed...need Any Advice

Hi K.,
My son turned 3 this week and we just transitioned to the toddler day-bed 2 weeks ago for his "birthday". He is about 80% potty trained but still sleeps in pull-ups during the night so I never had the issue of him wanting to get out of bed to go potty. He never tried to get out and he is a wonderful sleeper so I never pushed the issue of getting him transitioned before now. I would simply ask, if he is NOT fully potty-trained to the point where he is getting up to go potty at night, then what's the rush? Why not leave him in the crib until he's ready. Besides, he's not going to be sleeping in a crib until he's 5, lol! There will be a good time to transition him when he's ready and it will make life a lot easier for you both. (kinda the same concept of potty training - you really can't rush it, or it's just worse for the both of you!) Best wishes!

p.s. I used to live in Henderson too!

C.~

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Hi K., I have a son who will be 2 and 1/2 at the end of september. We moved him into a big boy bed in april, right after he turned two. I have music on for him to fall asleep too and a fan ( cause he gets really hot.) and he does really well. When we tell him good night he will ask me if I will leave the door open so I tell him that I will, but if he gets up then I shut it. He usually will get up and then I tell him ok, now I am going to shut the door cause you didn't stay in bed. Sometimes after I shut the door he will cry but only for about 30 seconds and then he is out like a light. I do have a door knob cover on his door so that way he can't get out of his room in the middle of the night ( he usually doesn't wake up but just in case) and wonder around the house. I was going to metion too that I do not have a night light in my son's room because he will get up and play instead of going to bed. I hope this helps you. Good luck and God Bless you and your family.

Dear K.,

You won't have to do it every night if you are consistent and do it now until you know he is comfortable and secure. He will let you know, just be consistent. C. N.

I say put him back in his crib, if that is an option. I am not an expert, by any means, I only have one child so far that has moved to a toddler bed. I waited until I felt he was old enough to control himself and stay in bed when I told him to, and he was ready to potty train (plus, climbing out of the crib was becoming far too exciting for him to resist climbing out and destroying his room). He was 2 yrs 9 mos when we made the switch. We told him he had to stay in bed until we came in to get him (which was the same as when he was in the crib). It solved the problem of climbing out because there was no longer a challenge of scaling a crib side, so he obeyed and stayed in bed (he tested it a little later down the road).

If all of the sleeping trouble has started only because of the bed switch, I would put him back in the crib. If he is suddenly waking up frequently and crying (when he didn't used to) it sounds like maybe he is not ready. I know plenty of people who keep their kids in the crib until 3 years old. I don't think it should be so hard when they switch and you should be able to keep the same routine of going to bed. If he could get himself to sleep in the crib and sleep all night, get back to that, then put him in the toddler bed a little closer to 3. You could leave the toddler bed in his room in the meantime, if it's not too crowded, that way he would get used to it and may want to play in it. When you think he is ready for the "responsibility" of sleeping in a big boy bed, talk about it in advance, maybe a day or two before. Let him know it's coming and it is very exciting that he gets to sleep in a big boy bed. And then the day of the switch, talk about it a couple of times, talk about his responsibility to stay in bed and sleep, let him know what you expect of him and give it time to sink in. Try to engage him in the conversation and get responses from him (depending on his language ability). That seems to help with our son, at least. It seems to help him if he has time to think about things in advance. I don't know how much time he actually spends "thinking" about it, but it certainly makes a difference with him if he knows about something in advance. And he is a talker so it's not hard to get him to engage in conversation with me, but it seems to help him understand things better when he makes the connection verbally. I get his thoughts on the matter then I have had him say things like, "I stay in my bed," or "I don't cry and fuss." May sound a little silly, but it helps him!

I hope you find a solution! Good luck!

This is what we do honey. We are MOTHERS. Your job as such will be that way until he gets used to it, and he will.

Wendy

Hi K., you are doing fine by the way. ;)
We transitioned to a toddler bed when my middle child was about 18 months. This was in effort to prepare for her baby brother, who was due in a few months. We thought she might have a hard time, still being so young.
Let me say that we had a few sleepless weeks that followed! For the first 2 weeks either I or daddy had to sleep next to her on the floor on a pad...keeping her close and comforting her when she sat up or got upset. By the third week, we were able to sleep in our own bed and she in hers. She got up every now and then, but we just put her back into her bed. By the fourth week she was sleeping in her bed like a champ. All in all, not the most pleasant for all of us, but our persistence and patience definitely paid off.
I’m sure that your little one will pick it up in time...and hopefully resume his 12 hour nights! (that is awesome by the way!)
Take care and GL!

Good for you! we are co-sleepers too and when you decide it is time for your baby to sleep in his own bed it sounds terrible but you need to leave him while he is still awake. he may whimper, cry or scream for you but you need to kiss him goodnite - give him a hug - tell him I love you and that you are going to be close by. then walk out. try a gentle music in his room. when he calls for you, go in and reasure you are still there and only a call away. then do the kiss/ love you again and walk out. it will take a few nites for him to realize you are indeed close by and that will help him to fall into a deeper sleep. if he does wake he will remember - you are close by...

right now he falls asleep with you there - and wakes alone. that startles him and wakes him all the way up sometime in a panic. then you have to start all over again with the sleeping routine.

I have 4 kids and it is not an easy task to move them to their own beds but it will go smooth if you stick to your guns. do your best not give in to stay with him or take him into your bed once you decided. it will set you both back to the painful beginning.

just remember - you and your husband deserve sleeping without little feet and arms in your face!!!

good luck!
:)
C.

K.,

My 4 year old did the same thing. We moved her into a toddler bed when she was 2 1/2. The first night she got into bed with us, then the second night also. On the third night my husband layed in front of her door and everytime she got up to come in our room, we sent her right back to bed and only said we would see her in the morning. It only took that night, she never did it again. In fact she would call us in the morning to come and get her even though she could get out on her own!

Good luck!

L.

Hi K., Give him time to adjust to the new sleeping arrangments, a big boy bed can look pretty big compared to a crib. At the same time though you don't want to keep going in his room 3 times a night, and have that become a nightly habit. at 2 1/2 he is old enought to understand when you tell hime to stay in his bed, except of course if he has to go potty then he can get up to go potty, tuck him in read him or tell him a story, pray with him if you guys pray, say i Love you and i will see you in the morning, I also would have a night light in the room, I had fish aqyariums in my kids rooms with a blue light that we turned on at night, blue is calming and relaxing. Hope this helped. J. L.

I have a 25 month old girl and we went through the same thing. I would sit with her until she fell asleep and then go to her room up to 6 times a night. Unfortunately there is no way to skip this part. Each night I would move closer to the door until eventually she went to sleep on her own. She has been in her toddler bed since 15 months but I sometimes still have to go console her up to 2 times a night...we also have a 3 month old sharing the room so I can not let her cry it out. I would if I could though. I do remind her frequently that this is her big girl bed and Mommy and Daddy sleep in their bed also. Make sure that he likes his bed and isn't afraid of something in the room when it is dark.

Each time you go in after he has gotten up this is what you do.

1. Say goodnight again and tuck him in.
2. Maybe give a silent pat or kiss then tuck in.
3.Tuck in say nothing and do not look at him be as boring as possible. Repeat this step as necessary.

Good luck to you.
Following this took us 2 weeks to get her back to sleeping through the night and I think now when she cries at night it is nightmares not just because she wants to get up because it happens a lot less frequently now.