hi everyone we just recently like 4 days ago moved into a bigger home. my daughter turned 3 on Nov 5 th and she is still in a crib because of the upcoming move. well she will pull every trick in the book to stay up . her crib turns into a daybed-full bed but i have chosen to keep it as a crib until she gets used to this new home. she has been falling asleep with us and then my husband or myself take her into her room and she stays there until the morning we make a fuss everytime we enter her room but she will not fall sleep in there on her own. there is wallpaper in her room now and she tells me that "those are bugs" they are actually little roses. i know i may sound impatient its only been 4 days 3 nights the transition is h*** o* me so i am sure its beyond overwhelming for her. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thank you to all in advance
Just keep being consistent with the bedtime routine. Try to be patient (an elusive practice for me). She will get used to it, but it will take a long time. A year from now, you will look back and laugh. (here's hoping!)
As long as she is out of sync anyway, you might as well convert the crib to a bed now. Or you will have to disrupt things again to do it later.
Hi Holly,
My daughter was 4 when we moved last year. She was leery about a new room also. One thing that helped was to involve her in decorating it and helping to pick out things for it. We did not have time to paint, so I chose things that would be simple to add: a new bedspread that she picked out (even though she didn't need one), some butterfly and flower appliques for the walls, curtains, a pink fluffy bean bag chair, some flower throw rugs, one of those round netting things to hang above the bed, etc. I found reasonably priced things at Marshall's and TJ Maxx. Ikea also has cute things for kids' rooms. She loved picking things out, and we put the beanbag chair next to a bookcase, so now she has a comfy reading area to look at her books. She feels like this is her own special place now. Involving her in the decorating may help your daughter to claim the room as her own instead of a strange place. www.livingreenathome.com
H.,
Congratulations on the move!
I think you need to change the wallpaper. Whether they are roses or not, to her, they are bugs. She may just be afraid to sleep in the room with the bugs. Why not let her pick something out that she likes to be on her walls, or just paint them for now. I'm sure it doesn't sound too appealing to add another project to your plate, but it may pay off wonders in the end.
Good Luck.
L.
Congrats on your new home. I know how it can be exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. My kids were 1 yo and 2 1/2 yo when we moved into our new house. Luckily, they didn't seem to have any sleep problems during the transition. We tried to keep things familiar for them. We used nightlights nad played their lullabyes. We made sure they had their favorite blankets/stuffed toys to cuddle with. We also tried to make my 2 1/2 yo have a little bit of control by allowing him to decide every night if he wanted the door open all the way or part way.
I would recommend finding a way to get your daughter to fall asleep in her room so you don't have to figure out how to break that routine later on. What about a sticker chart to reward her - with a special treat or activity after a whole week of sleeping in her own bed? Or maybe allow her to pick a special poster, angel, or family photo to hang on the wall to "keep her company" while she is in her room? If you have plans to redecorate her room and get rid of the "bugs", could you consider doing so sooner rather than later?
r.
We moved to Pittsburgh from out of state when my youngest turned three. My suggestion to you is to maintain your normal routine...the same one you had in your old home. Don't let her go to sleep with you if didn't let her do that in your old home. Take some time with her in the afternoon or mid-morning and just sit in her room. You could name some of the roses "bugs" on the wall paper near her bed...suzzy, jilly, annie...cute names that she can remember and say. Make up stories about how the roses are from the angles garden and are there to help her have pretty dreams of gardens and flowers to play in. Think outside of the box. But really the big thing is routine and structure. Kids thrive on both and they make them feel safe. Since you just moved not only does she have to get used to a new home, but everything is someplace new, stuff is in boxes and all confussed...it can be very scary for a child. Just make things as normal as you can as quickly as you can and she will settle in nicely. Hang in there. Congrats on the new home!!
My advice to you,unfortunately is not how to transition your child. But rather I wanted to tell you a tip I learned to remove wallpaper is to use watered down fabric softner rather than those pricey removers. It is not only cheeper but leaves your room smelling fresh. I also hear it works just as well. Maybe you allcould have a sleepover in her new room. Maybe if shee sees how "fun her new room can be she will want to sleep there. You could also try rewarding time spent in her new room by letting her watch Tv in her room in the morning for a few minutes when she wakes or a few minutes before bed. You could also try to reward her with her own "Big Girl Bed". Ok I guess I did have a little advice about transition too, good luck.
My sons were 3 and almost 5 when we moved and it was difficult on them. The pediatrician told me that children at this age identify in a HUGE way with their home surroundings and moving is like divorce or death to a small child. After hearing that, I understood why they had such a hard time. He said to be patient, keep things routine, and let both boys decorate their own room anyway that they wanted to so that they took ownership. We went on the berlin wallpaper website and let them order stickers for their walls in any design that they wanted (each room cost about $40) then we let THEM put these stickers on the wall by themselves. It's been 2 1/2 years in our new house and my kids still talk about the old house.
