Transition to a Big Boy Bed

Dear K.,

With the economy the way it is, I would suggest doing a very inexpensive solution to get you through the next few months.

1. Keep the baby in a pack n' play or portacrib if you have one. She will not outgrow it before the end of the year. Then you don't need to buy anything.

2. Pick up a USED toddler bed and buy a new mattress for your crib. Then your expenses are new mattress for crib and either new bedding for toddler bed or new sheets for crib. Keep in mind that the SIDS info still says no blankets or pillows before age 2, which can be a problem if you go to a toddler bed. Try looking online for used toddler beds on your local newspaper or craigslist, etc.

3. Pick up just a mattress for a twin bed and put it on the floor. You need to keep a baby your son's age low to the ground, so the box springs and bedframe would just be added cost right now and something else to move later.

Good luck! C.

1 mom found this helpful

Toddler beds are really safe and can be made fun. If he's into cars you can get him a race car toddler bed and that will draw him to the bed. If not you can take him with you to buy the sheet and stuff for the toddler bed in his character of choice and that will get him excited about his new bed. Good luck!

14 months is way to early. YOu will be sorry if you take him out of the crib now. How old is your daughter? Can she stay in a pack and play a few more months?

Hi, K.. Well, try not to rush getting the older child into a different bed than what he is used to. Then again, you don't want to make him jealous by him seeing that you are taking away his crib and immediately putting his baby sister in it. So you need to establish a balance over time before making this transition permanent.

Does your son ever fall asleep on the couch or in something like a big recliner chair? If he can nap in something other than his crib, or even sleep through the night already in something other than his crib, then he might be ready to go to a youth bed. However, at 14 months, I would DEFINITELY use a bed rail to keep him from falling out of bed. These metal rails are shaped so that they are anchored under the mattress, and they take up about half the open side of the bed so that if the little one rolls over, the bed rail will catch the child and not allow him to roll off the bed. Be careful what you purchase because they are usually made for kids over 2 years old, and you don't want to get one that is so big that the child's head can get caught between the rails.

See if he would be happy taking a nap alone on your bed during the day, and see if he feels secure. It can be scary for a small child moving from the closed-in security of crib walls to a wide-open space like a bed. He is old enough to understand, too, that he can fall off the side of a bed, and this can give him anxiety. If he can nap happily, try setting up the bed somewhere and seeing if he's happy sleeping on it at night. Give him lots of praise for sleeping outside the crib. Let him know what a big, strong boy he is!

If he can transition to a bed well, I have another suggestion: dismantle the crib and let him get used to the bed at least a few weeks before you put the baby in it. You absolutely do not want to have your son feel like he is displaced in favor of the baby. Make sure you pay him lots of attention so that he is very secure in the fact that you love him as much as ever, even though he is making a transition.

I hope all goes well.

Peace,
Syl

Start putting him in there at nap times first. Then after he's comfortable with that, you can start at night. I have done this with my 4 and it has worked everytime.

Do you have a pack N Play your daughter could use as a crib until your son is a little bit older? I think he is a bit young yet, and like Victoria said, you will want to take the crib down completely and have it down for a while. We went through this with our two, not wanting to buy another crib, (they are are 18 months apart) and our younger slept in the pack N play as his crib for a while, and it worked very well (and took up less room).

I think I would consider a "trial run" before moving him out of his crib permanently. Try making him a palette on the floor (so he won't roll out of his big boy bed) and see how he does there. Nothing will stop him from waking up and getting out of bed. Also, definately put up a gate. You don't want him wandering the house while you are asleep.
S.

Don't let anyone tell you he's too young- every child is different. My last child is still perfectly happy in his crib and he's almost 2.5.... But for my firstborn, I moved him out at 13-14 months because his baby sister was on the way (they are 16 months apart and I wanted him to be happily transitioned long before she arrived.)

Unless you have money to burn, do NOT buy a toddler bed. He'll just outgrow it and you'll need to buy another bed all over again. A twin bed is fine for a toddler. As a matter of fact, you can just go with a twin mattress on the floor -you can get a softsided mesh toddler rail for it that tucks under the mattress, but you may not need one depending on how much he moves around and if you can push it up against the wall in the corner of the room.

I think he is way too young to be in a big bed. I would look for a crib second hand. You can usually find cribs in good shape in a consignment shop. Another crib will take up less room than a twin size bed and the same room as a toddler bed. I also think moving him out of his space to put her in it would be a really bad move. We are also in a small house (2 BR/1 Bath) with two kids and its tough enough to have them sharing without adding in the extra stress of him getting removed from his space to accommodate his new sister. He is about to hit the first real regression phase and you will compound it terribly by doing that to him. It is suggested that you give a toddler 6 months to transition to a new bed, and your son is only 14 months. Squeeze in the space and get another crib.

Been there...I bought a single bed for my oldest with a rail on the side, as we tend to roll around...and let him pick out his new sheets and comforter...However, he did wake up and wander, usually to my side of the bed to ask me if I am awake.! Those days are long gone, so I can say they don't last forever; but we must have patience to outlast the stages we all go through.
And believe me, when he sees a new sibling in his old bed, it may be an issue. So, just make light of it. He's the "big boy" now, and that will create some confidence that everything's OK. "Cribs are for babies"
Best wishes on your move. That is stressful enough for all of your family. Many Blessings

How long are you planning to wait before moving the baby into the crib? I would think you are going to want to take the crib down completely for at least three or four weeks (longer if possible) while your son transitions to a toddler bed. Let him keep the sheets/bedding he is used to on his toddler bed (even the bed ruffle). (Often you can pick up a used one VERY inexpensively - we got ours for $20, and the price of some elbow grease and a bottle of bleach). Once he is adjusted nicely, then put the crib back up for the baby, and I would put a new sheet set on it, something "girly". I know it will be a pain to take it down, just to put it back up, but I think it will help your son adjust, not just him changing beds, but him giving up "ownership" of the crib as well. The new girly sheets will also help it seem like a whole different crib, not the one he used to sleep in.
Emotionally, it really wasn't a big deal at our house. That said, there could be a lot of problems you may have to deal with regarding keeping your 14 mo old IN the bed, once he is there. lol It will require a lot of patience on your part, putting him back into bed over and over again at bedtime. There are many posts on this site dealing with this issue.
If he is feeling displaced, you might be able to reason with him just a little bit as the process goes on. "Next January you will get a whole new room. What color would like it to be?"
Good luck with all the transitions coming your way!

Start out by putting him in his big boy bed at naptime. That way you can start teaching him to stay in it, then again he might not get out. My son got out but I keep another little boy and he never gets out, just depends on their personality. Have him take his naps in the bed for a week or so to see how he does then try it at night. If you are afraid he will get out at night, put a gate up at his door or close the door. If he can open the door then get one of those kid safety door handle things at the store and use that. If after a week you think he isn't ready for nighttime then wait another week. He will do find but go ahead and start now so he can get use to his big boy bed and that way he won't feel like the baby is taking his bed (crib). Anymore questions I would be glad to answer them. :)

We found ourselves in that situation when our second son was only 15 months. With all 4 of our children we did basically the same thing. We made it a big thing to be a big boy (and girl) and got them a new pillow and sheets. The first few nights we always had issues with them getting up. With our oldest son, and now our 4th, we've had to compromise and let them sleep on the floor sometimes. Eventually our oldest son stayed in his bed and I'm sure our 4th will too. With the other two, they just got back in bed and after a few nights stayed there. When they moved from the toddler bed to the regular beds we also bought them a new bedspread.

I have been through this 3 times and I have a few tips. First, be sure to get a toddler bed and the guard rails to go on the sides. Second, be sure to do this transition for your son a couple months before you transition your daughter to the crib. If the transitions are done too close to eachother, your son may relate that move to his sister and have some resentment toward her. I would hate to see that happen. Lastly, be consistent in keeping him in the bed. If you allow him to switch back and forth, it could cause some problems.

In addition, you may want to start by transitioning him during naps first and then move to night time transitioning.

HTH

S.

The only thing I can say is to make it a special time with special bedding so he doesn't connect the two with his baby sister. You don't want him to feel like she is moving him out of it. One thing I would reccommend since he is so young is putting up a gate at the door of his room. It will take a while for most children to stay in their beds. Being in a big boy bed gives him a lot of control of when he gets up & what he does. But if you put the gate up then the worst thing would be that he would be playing in his room instead of leaving the house. This is what we did with our daughter when we had to do the same thing to make room for her brother. Good luck!

He is so NOT too young to move to a new bed. Just make it one that he'll be comfortable in and give him a teddy bear or something to cuddle. Toddler beds are a waste of money. There are twin size beds that you can lower. Just get one that you can use without a box spring. My hubby cut a piece of plywood to support the mattress, we pushed one side of the bed against the wall, and put a rail on the open side. We've never had any problems. Our little girl can get out and in as easily as she wants.

He won't have a problem with his sister moving into his crib if you get him acclimated to his new sleeping arrangements first. This is what we did with our babies, and we NEVER had one problem. If he loves his new bed, he should be fine with his little sister moving into the old one. I think my little girl was in her new big girl bed for a month or two before we put her little brother in her old crib. She did not even care.

Also, to make the switch, we did it first at night when she was very sleepy. She did great for about a week, and then she discovered she could get out. So, what you have to do if your son keeps getting out, is keep putting him back in until he finally doesn't get out anymore. It will wear you out, but if you are consistent, it will work. He may or may not be crying, but you just walk him or carry him back and lay him in bed. I made sure not to talk to my daughter or even look at her while she was in this transition stage. It worked! Now, if she gets out, I can kiss her and tell her I love her or sing her a song, and she knows to stay in bed.

Don't let anyone discourage you in this. You are doing the right thing. I'm sure some kids are more difficult than others to train, but at least he's young and hopefully more easily trainable at this age than an older age. Just be patient. Sorry, but you will be very tired. Best of luck!

HE'S a BIG brother!
Get him sheet sets with kids character he likes and he'll love it.Put the bed against the wall, that way you'll have 2 sides protected. Get railing for the 3rd side and if the crib will be in the same room, it can serve as a railing at the foot of the bed. He'll feel good sharing with his baby sister (for now).;)

I had no problem with moving any of mine to big beds. Was lucky enough to be able to move them into full size, but I think that they were all waking themselves up in the crib by that age. Make sure the bed is low and put a bed rail up. If he sleeps well through the night normally, then he shouldn't have any issues. My youngest switched at about 14 months, so don't worry!!
I also agree NOT to buy a toddler bed. Waste of money!