Toddler Bed Help! - Cleveland,OH

Hi B.,
My son was 3 in May and is still in his crib!! I asked my pediatrician and he was completely fine with that and actually said his son was 3 1/2 when they transitioned him. I have also read a lot of articles about it saying 3 is a typical age to switch from a crib to bed. I personally have heard horror stories (from my sister and friends) about bedtime battles (in and out of bed) and so that is why I waited. Also, my son never tried to climb out so it wasn't an issue. He is still comfortable there and used to it.
Most of the people responding said it's a great time and I think if you think he is ready, go for it. But I think it totally depends on the child and if you think it will be a battle, I would wait. Good luck.

Perfect time for toddler bed! I would advise that you go straight to a regular twin bed. My three were never in a toddler bed long and they wanted to be in a "big bed". I just thought that it was a waste of money. Good luck, I have tried several different approaches to this staying in their bed thing. Play up the fact that their a "big boy" now and an older brother and maybe it will make the transition better.
SAHM of three 14,9,4 very happily married.

Hi B.,

I think this is a great age to switch your son over. My daughter was about this same age when we moved her from her crib to a bed - and it was for the same reason. My husband and I just tried to make it a big deal. We had just moved into a new house as well so we had some of the same concerns. We just started out telling her a few weeks before moving her over that she was becoming a BIG girl and was ready for a big girl bed. We got her a sheet and comforter set for the bed that she picked out. We really tried to make it a fun and special event and we had absolutely NO problems with the switch! We put her to bed the first night and told her what we expected from her in the new bed - such as not getting out, not playing..etc. She went straight to sleep and we've never had to sit in the room till she fell asleep or use a gate. I know every child is different but this worked really well for us. Good luck!

I started my son in a toddler bed when he was 25 months old. He is now 29 months and he loves his big boy bed, especially since we bought him his superhero bedding! It probably took a good week for him to get used to it. The first three days were the most difficult but he adjusted rather well. Sitting by the bed will only make it worse - he will want you to do that every night. What we did was we laid him in his bed, shut the door 3/4 of the way and stood by the door for a minute or two until he just lay there without getting up...the first few days he was so excited he kept getting out of his bed. He likes having his favortie music put on for him as well, I think it helps keep him in bed. Also having his blanket and a stuffed animal could help. Remember he is only 2 so he will get out of his bed on occasion...if he can open his door you might want to put a gate up or have an alarm that goes off when the door opens or set a monitor in his room so he can't wander the house alone. Make his bed a special place for him so that he feels like a big boy. If you do the same routine EVERY night before he goes to bed he will catch on and bedtime will be easier in the toddler bed - Our routine: we put his pjs on and give him his milk about an hour before bed, and right before bed we tell him it's time to brush your teeth and he gets in bed and we say a goodnight prayer and I turn on his music and close the door.
I hope this helps.

The best thing to do is to put him in his bed now and teach him to fall asleep on his own. You can use gates to help keep him in his room but chances are he'll climb the gate at some point. Do not sit in there until he falls asleep because then he will not learn to sleep on his own and he will always want someone to be in there with him. You and your husband have got a newborn that needs to be tended to now and your older child has to understand that mom and dad can't stay there until he goes to sleep. If he gets up lay him back down and continue to do this until he understands that he can't get up out of his bed once he is in bed. It will take a little bit of time but he'll figure it out. He is not too young for the bed either. My youngest was in a toddler bed shortly before he turned two and has done great with it. Get that interest back in that bed and get him interested in it as well and things should go fairly smoothly all in all.
D.

I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7 and 4.

Hi B., I'm brand new to this helpful mamasource. I went through similar situation with my kids (20 months apart) - put them together in same room, my little guy did much better when he was not alone, they hate feeling lonely. And they will bond - noone cares, your aim is to get more sleep for your family. Our two yer old never woke up the other as you may worry, they tune it out. But put toddler bed against wall on one side and couch cushions or safety bar attach to other side. Since he is only 2 i think a gate is good, but tell him the gate keeps all the scary stuff or whatever he might be afraid of out (verses him in). We even filled a spray bottle with water at one point and told our boy it was magic spray "monster spray" or "bear spray" or whatever, spray it all around so he can see you do it if he is afraid tell him that makes all the bears, monsters, scrary stuff go away, (he was always telling us there was some darn thing scaring him in his room scary) and Tell him he is the best big brother and you need him to protect the baby. Put his fav. blanket or sleeping bag on his bed, and a poster on his door, tell him he gets a special surprise if he stays in the bed all night then, for 2 nights in a row, then up it to 3 and 4, when he gets to 7 you do something real special, or go for icecream, let it be somehting he gets all excited about, for him and each morning thank him for being the best big brother and taking care of the baby. Get a bed time ritual going that clues him bed time is coming and it is a nice thing, pj's maybe an hour ahead of time, I used bubble blowing in the bathroom, then teeth brushing, then a story, have a choice of 2 or 3 of his favorite books, let him choose - all of this makes child feel in control of the situation, and if he has trouble listening, stop mid sentence and let him fill in the story, or get him to point to things, to get his mind off of stresses and focused. and make sure there is a night light. Soft music also helped us, on a radio volume very low, but make sure cord and radio can't be pulled down on him. We tried all kinds of stuff, i'm hoping this helps. And i'll share this with you, the same kid that would never sleep for more than 20-40 mins round the clock, (until 23 months) when I finally put them together, now has to be dragged out of bed by his ankles for high school. Good Luck!

we all use a gate. so they can see out. they will finally go to sleep. it might take a while for them to get it, but you just have to bee firm.

My girls were 3 when they went in big beds but I have a 2 YO nephew who sleeps in his great. Try laying with him on the floor until he falls asleep then go sit at the door until he falls asleep then in the hallway then down the hall until he can do it by himself. Sounds weird I know but it works and you will be much happier after he can do it by himself.Let me know if this works it has for many but all in all you know your son and you have to do what will work for him

We just moved our youngest to her first big girl bed. She is 17 mos. The older two transitioned well at that age also. The trick is to make sure that they are tired when you put them to bed. Summer is easy, because they are playing outside and ready to sleep at bed time. I usually just put her in bed, kiss her goodnight, and kneel by the side of the bed and sing a song and rub her back for a few minutes. If she doesn't go right to sleep, I'll give her a sippy of water or milk. If she gets up, put her right back in bed. She'll get the idea. We have a baby gate on her door, so that she doesn't wake up in the night and wander around the house. She usually calls for me when she wakes up anyway, so its really just for my peace of mind. Good luck!

My twins will be 2 this month and last month one of them hopped the crib. I got a lot of good advice from my request on mamasource. We were going to just put twin mattreses on the floor but chose instead to just take one side of the crib off. Both boys are in the same room. The first night we stayed with them but I knew that for them if they were going to do it on their own we just had to put them down and walk away. Since the little one almost hopped the gate we had to close the door. We did our bedtime routine as always, took them to their beds, kissed them goodnight and walked out. They cried, got up, tried the door, etc, but after a few nights they were sleeping in their own beds. To be honest, I was expecting them to sleep on the floor, with each other, to get to things on the book shelf ( I had removed everything but books and stuffed animals). I knew I had to do this because their little sister is expected to arrive next month. If you have any other specific questions just let me know. They are both sleeping great now. Good luck!

Hello B.!
We switched our son to a toddler bed at age two and it went pretty well. The first few nights, though, he went to sleep alright but woke up in the middle of the night and came into our room. So we just moved the bed into our room for a few nights until he got used to sleeping in it and then moved it back to his room and he's been sleeping there just fine ever since. Be flexible and make some slow transitions if you need to. Best of luck,
J.

My son (23 mos) is on his second week in a toddler bed, in a new house/bedroom. I have been sitting with him until he's almost asleep. (He knows i'm leaving but out of it enough not to care.) We told him he had to give up the crib for his new sister that's coming in Sept. and had started just having him take naps on the toddler bed for about a week prior. The first couple nights he was pretty wound up about the whole thing and took a long time to settle down but I threatened to leave him fall asleep by himself if he didn't lay down and that did the trick for me. He fell out of the bed the first two nights but since then has been awesome and even climbs in it when I ask him to. I'm going to start weaning him off having me sit there in the next couple weeks...all in preperation of the new one coming. Good Luck!!

He is definitely old enough to be in a toddler bed. Both of my boys transitioned over between 18mo and 2yrs. Make it exciting and yes, you can put gates up for safety. My biggest piece of advice is to BE CONSISTENT. Change is never easy for little ones, but that doesn't mean you just give up. He will get used to it.

For one of my boys, I did have to sit on the floor next to his bed for a few nights while he fell asleep. Don't talk to him or interact, just sit there, put him back in his bed if he gets out, and each night move closer and closer to the door. Eventually, you won't have to sit there anymore. Nightlites can help them not be so scared - just depends on the child. Good luck!

My son moved to his toddler bed at 25 months. We got him really excited for it before we actually moved! He helped me put it together (watched mostly, but would hand me parts). I think that helped him with the transition. I did put a baby gate in his doorway at first, because I was worried about him wandering the house in the middle of the night. He did great, though, and it was down within a week. Have him be involved in the process - picking out bedding, helping move the bed, anything he can do. We just kept telling our son what a big boy he was and how his new bed was special and just for him. We didn't have a new baby in the picture, though, but I do know this adds a little bit more difficulty (we had other problems when his sister did come - not with his bed, though). He switched to a full-size bed a few months before age 3 so we could have the mattress back for the crib and did fine. I am currently due with my third, and my daughter will have to move to a toddler bed around 18 months. We'll see how that goes! Good luck!