Moving to a Big Girl Bed

My son will be 17 in 3 days. We bought a twin bed when he was about six months old because we had borrowed a crib and put the bed in his room. When he was a year old, we put the crib mattress on the floor for the first move out of the crib and that went fine. In a few months we bought the bed rail and put him in the twin bed against the wall with the rail. No problem because he'd seen this bed every day. He's always been laid back, still is, so we had no problems. About 6 bed styles later, he'll be graduated from high school in June and we'll have an empty nest. Time flies so enjoy her and the new little one every day.

I used to run a childcare business out of my home and one of the requirements was that once children were 12 months old, they could not sleep in a crib. I thought this was a great idea, so when my son was 12 months we got him a toddler bed and he has loved it ever since. Yes, they will get out of bed, but until recently (he's 2 1/2 now) he couldn't opened doors, so we would just close his door, started with a crack but he went through a phase of not wanting to go to bed and was making a game out of us putting him back into bed. He is now better at it again and we are back to a crack. He has some toys in his room and he will play for a little bit and then get tired and get into bed. He never leaves his room in the middle of the night. My younger son is 8 months and we are planning on doing the same thing with him. Good luck!

When our oldest son moved to his big bed we put a gate up across his doorway at night,and naptimes, just so he couldn't roam the house. After a couple of nights when we put him to bed he settled himself on the floor in front of the gate, with his blanket, and that's where he slept every night for about a YEAR. Preferred the floor to his bed.

So, I guess my advice is -- you don't know WHAT they will do. Be prepared for anything. Good luck!

hi tamara,
my 2 daughters are about the same amount of time apart as yours will be.
congrats on your 2nd baby!! (and the 1st,)
what me and my hubby did was we moved her mattress out of the crib and onto the floor. we had her like that for a few months so she could get used to it. by the time our 2nd baby came, we had her in a toddler bed. she always had a tough time going to bed, even as an infant. i mean she would scream at the top of her lungs until she fell asleep.
she doesnt do that anymore because she is so concerned about her little sister. but lately, whenever i put her down to sleep, she would pat her pillow and say lay down. i would read her a book, and yes i would lay with her for a few minutes, then kiss her goodnight and leave.
she would talk herself to sleep, or i can hear her with her book. she will turn the lights on and look at it.
since she and her sister share the same room, i still got the baby monitor up, so i can hear her. if not, she will knock on the door until i get up.
i do keep their bedroom door shut, but since she is quite the little explorer, we have a child safety door knob on the inside of the door, so i dont have to worry about her wandering around in the middle of the night and getting into who knows what.
we tried the gate thing, but she either climbs over it, or takes it apart. the door knob thing is the only way that will keep her in. we tried locking her door, but she figured that one out as well. she is too smart for her own good.
i wish you and your husband lots of luck. and tell him thank you for protecting this country of ours.

we were forced to make this transition at 18 months when a move resulted in a 3 week delay of our furniture. Army move across country actually. We went to a toddler bed. and 8 ish months later moved to a twin bed with a rail one side against the wall. We put a gate on her door so she couldnt get out and possibly get into the bathroom, fall down the stairs , all those things you imagine happening in the middle of the night. My little one was one of those kids that baby proofing stuff were no problem to get around we called her Houdini baby, she even was able to get out of her tightly strapped in 5pt harness car seat. We just recently took the extra tall gate off my just turned 4 yr old's doorway.To keep her in bed , some books to look at by nightlight might work or you may just have to keep putting her back in bed, I can't tell you how many times I came up stairs and found my son asleep by his gate. Until he started staying in his bed on his own at night I was afraid he was a sleepwalker lol.

I would keep the door open....she needs to feel safe and that she can come to you when she needs to.

What I did with mine is just keep taking them back, hugging them, not much talking because that just keeps them more awake (especially during the middle of the night). They would give up after I just kept taking them back. Just lovingly escort or carry her back. Good luck!

Good luck with that one! My parents recently rushed me in moving my old little girl's bedroom set out of their house and into my 4-year old daughter's room. Therefore, in order to get the other piece of furniture out of the room, I had to get rid of my 23 mos old crib. I felt that it was too soon, as he had not yet attempted to climb out. I still have our gate at the top of my stairs so I'm not worried about him hurting himself in the middle of the night. He doesn't get up in the night, but only when I first put him in the bed. He thinks it's funny, as I look up to find him in the doorway of my bedroom. I put him back in the bed about 4 to 6 times. But, once he's sleep, he's sleep. I think introducing the bed this early (months in advance), you're daughter will do fine. I'm still having issues with my 4-year old joining my husband and I during the night hours. We don't feel her get in the bed, anymore. As we awake, we know she will be in the bed somewhere. lol - good luck! Congratulations on the new baby!

My son was about the same age and we never really had a problem in the begining with him getting out of bed. But when he did start, it became a game to him (well, he tried to make a game out of it) and we just nipped it as fast as possible. I would sit in his doorway and put him back in bed if he got out without talking or looking at him. In the middle of the night, one of us would just take him back to his bed, rub his head for a few and then walk out of the room.

Good luck and Congrats on the new baby coming soon!!
S.

When we moved our son to a toddler bed, we put a gate at our door so that he could come to our room when he woke up. We live in a small apartment, so the rest of the rooms are all child-proofed. If we were still in our house we would have put the gate at his door b/c the nursery was upstairs. If he wakes up he comes straight to us. Don't worry about it being early, we moved our son into his toddler bed at 12 months b/c he would no longer sleep in the crib. He is 18 months now and sleeps there most of the time.

My son got one of those cool car beds when he was about 20 months or so. We put a gate at the top of the stairs to keep him from roaming around. But the only place he roamed to was our bed where he finished most of his nights until he was five or so! And guess what he's 15 now and that didn't ruin him like everyone told us it would:) I agree with the Mom who said that you just don't know what they will do, so take a couple of precautions and see what happens.

I just went through this with my seventeen month old twins. I posted on here to get advise as well and most of the moms recomended a baby gate to keep them from roaming the house while we were sleeping and unable to monitor them. However, we chose to just pull the door to. We leave it cracked so they can get out if they wake up though. Our home is TOTALLY babyproof! There is nothing that they can get into if they were to roam about before comming to our room. There are no coffee tables with. Nicknacks or lamps to fall over. All toys are picked up so they can't trip on anything. A night light is left on for them on the path to our room. Bathroom doors are shut and locked. Kitchen cabinets have baby latches on them. Our bedtime is soooo much more peacefull now! Rather than over and hour to rock both of them, I put them to bed and sit at the foot of their bed till they are sleeping which usually takes twenty minutes. Then if one should happen to wake in the night he just gets up and comes to our room. He then leaves behind his brother peacefully sleeping because he didn't have to scream or cry to be let out of the room. Keeping them open to get out has worked wonderful for us but if your home is not one where you can remove any obstacle that they may encounter then please please put a baby gate up to keep her in her room. I also think it is a very good idea to move her to the big girl bed now rather than wait for the. New baby to arrive. Her changing beds is a cool change for her rather than a baby taking her comfortable crib. Good luck and congrats on the new little one! They are Gods biggest blessing and responsibility!

H.

I'm due in mid March with a boy too. We moved our daughter to a full size bed with rails not long after she turned 2. She was so used to us getting her out of bed from the crib, that it has never been a big deal (and she's almost 3 now). We just told her to call for us when she woke up, and then one of us will get her. She does know to get up if she has to go the bathroom though. She only gets up by herself if we tell her to. We leave her bedroom door "cracked," no gate. It seems that if you don't make a habit out of letting her get up herself, she'll just wait for you (at least that's how it's worked with us). Amazingly this is one area of life where we haven't had many issues or struggles. I hope it turns out that simply for you too!

YEs, she will come out of the door. You will just have to keep walking her back in there and putting her back to bed. alot of times we would wind up laying there until our son feel asleep in the end because we were too tired.
My opinion is she is too young to understand that. I wouldnt do it until she starts climbing out of her crib. Which is diff. age for everyone. I have a 22 mo. old. She would never stay in her room if i put her in a bed. My friend had a son at the same time so he is 22 mo. and she is due in March with her 2nd too and she is going to have a crib in each room. Is it possible for you to have another crib that you could borrow?
You do what you have to do. IF you have to do it then I would get ready for a struggle for a while but she will eventually get it. Takes time.

Hello Tamara

We moved our son when he was 12 months. He struggled a little because when he got out of bed he couldn't get back in. The gate was in the door and he would get up and come to the gate and yell for my husband or I and when neither of us came he would lay down on his sleeping bag and go to sleep. After about a month I would lay him in bed kiss him goodnight and he stayed in bed. It will only be as hard as you make it.

Good Luck

B.

I say buy another crib and spare yourself the grief. I think 20 months is too young to move to a bed and do not understand the concept of willingly giving up the last containment device you have! I know, I know, lots of people do it and it works out okay, but every friend I have who has moved their child to a big bed before the age of 2 1/2 has really regretted it. I tried it for a week with my two year old because I thought it would be fun and it was so not fun. We had to return her to her bed about a thousand times all night every night. As soon as we turned it back into a crib, we are all sleeping great. I'm hoping we can make it to 3 years old before we transition. If you do go ahead with it, get a lot of patience and a bottle of wine for yourself. And yes, I agree with the other moms that you need to make sure any areas they may wander to are toddler proof. Good luck!

My husband & I moved our 2 year old son to a twin sized bunk bed. We put rails around his bed. We had problems of keeping him in bed for about 2 weeks. We would have to take him back to bed and tell him that he had to go to sleep. After two weeks he started staying in his bed. We would leave his door open, I don't believe in closing a child's door. I hope that this help you.
P. S