Crib to Bed Transition - Tampa,FL

Hi D., we had the same situation, we moved my son to a bed at @21 months and he NEVER cried or got out! We bought a "toddler bed" and he wouldn't go near it, then we got just the top part of an inexpensive twin size bunk bed and it was perfect! It stands about 3 feet off the ground (similar to a crib) and has a rail all the way around (similar to a crib) and he is now 3 and can easily get out of it but doesn't. Each morning he calls me to come get him out :) I highly recommend it

D.,

Of course every child is different, but here's our story. My son was a great sleeper in his crib. He never, ever tried to climb out. We were given a toddler bed and just put it in the garage. Eventually, my son saw his other friends with their toddler beds and thought he wanted a "big boy bed" too. So in June, at 38 months, we went for it. Let him pick out his own sheets, made a big deal about putting it in his room, took down crib, said "goodbye crib"...

He wouldn't stay in the bed. After sleeping next to him on the floor for almost 2 months in an effort to keep him in the bed, we quit, put the crib back up and if he got out of bed more than once, he slept in the crib!

About 2 weeks ago, we noticed that we hadn't had to put him in the crib in about a month so we asked him if he was ready to put the crib away. He agreed and so far so good, except if he gets up in the middle of the night. Then he wants one of us in his room and will keep getting out of bed until one of us is sleeping there again. He had never gotten up in the middle of the night until recently and it is because he is wearing big boy underwear to bed and sometimes having accidents. I'm assuming this too is a phase and he will eventually stay dry and I'll be back in my bed.

So, if yours isn't trying to get out of the crib...just either buy or borrow a crib for the new baby. You could easily have your first in the crib for another year or so...
Plus it is much easier to know that your older is staying in bed and not wandering around, or pitching toys at your sleeping infant.

Cheers,
C.

My case might be unique, but my son was sleeping on a regular twin bed at 10 mos and he wasn't rolling off or anything. He's been sleeping in that bed ever since. Funny thing is, now that he is 3.5yrs he has fell off once or twice more than when he was a baby! - lol. It depends on how the child sleeps.

we talked up the fact that my little guy was going to get a race car bed for his 2nd bday well in advance. i had just had another baby & he's currently in the cradle in my room, but will be in the old crib soon...didnt want it to seem like he was stealing his brother's crib! we got the big guy all excited for the big boy bed & then set it up in his room while he slept. when he woke up on his bday, the race car bed was in his room, all covered in balloons. he was super excited & wanted to play sleep in it right away. he tried to nap in it that day, but it was too exciting. but he did sleep in it that night. having the crib and bed in his room (with no new baby to compete with yet) gave him the choice. whenever he seemed too amped up to get to sleep, i'd ask if he needed to get in the crib. twice, he did, and went right to sleep, but otherwise, he's just slept in there like a big boy. i do put a baby gate on his door just to keep him safe from wandering at night, but he's never actually tried to get out of his room and just waits at the gate for us in the morning. we worried abut the transition more than he did! just make the bed fun & you should be fine :)

Hi D.,
When I transitioned my oldest to a toddler bed (cause it was given to us), I put it in his room for a while when he was still in the crib. I wanted him to get used to it and it not be a change all at once. Then, he started with just naps in it and then to all night. We did have issues with getting up, but you just keep putting them back to bed without engaging in conversation and it will work. Good luck!

Hi D., I have just moved my 2 yr old in to her 'big girl bed' as she decided it was time to climb out of it.... I wasn;t ready for this move at all but thankfully she took it rather well. We put a baby gate on her door but only use it of a night time after we have gone to bed as I don't her wandering the house of a night time.

We explained to her her she was going to get a big girl bed to sleep in, and that she could choose it. We went to toys r us and gave her 3 to pick from initially she choose the cars bed and thomas the tank!!! daddy said no, lol. So then she chose the princess bed. We involved her in setting up the bed and bits that came with it and then just did our night time routine as normal. I had to only go in once as she had dropped her teddy and couldn't find him but thankfully she transitioned well.

Nap times where a different story - but i did exactly as I would have done for her nightime sleeps as seen on super nanny, it took me an hour to get her to nap but she slept for well over her normal hour... all i did was the usual nap routine, change her tush, read a little story and then tell her i will see her soon and leave the room, the first time she came out I took her and put her back in to the bed and told her it was nap time, the nexx 5 times she came out i did the same thing but didn't say anything to her eventually she got the msg and went to sleep, I had to do this for a couple of days but now she naps better in the bed than she did in the crib.

Hope it all goes well for you.

I have a 2- almost 3 yr and an 18 month old. The oldest we switch into a toddler bed around 2 months ago. Getting him to lay/sleep in it wasn't a problem...its keeping him in the bed that's such a pain! And we're still working on it:-p My advice, since a new baby is coming around the corner, is to hold off on moving son into the big boy bed. Just b/c you'll have your hands full w/ the little one, it would just give you piece of mind that you won't have to worry about your son getting up in the middle of the night and it will not be so traumatic for your son getting used to his little sibling and changing his routine. Try the transition in a couple of months when the household won't be so crazy! Good luck

Hi D.
I agree, go right to the twin bed (with side rails). If your child is moving to a new room do that NOW. We painted the new room and the child helped-made her really excited to move into it. We kept telling her it was her new, special room. Then we put both the crib and twin bed in that room. She got to choose which one to sleep in at night and nap time. With the option of a pillow (very flat one) and bright colorful bedding, it didn't take long before she chose the "big" bed all the time. We then moved the crib back into the the other room and explained the baby would be using it. Worked great.
If you are on the 2nd floor, definitely close the gate at night. Our little one did get up once and walked down stairs and cried because she couldn't find us (we were sleeping). Good luck!

rule #1 for you: get a baby gate!! My kids were never allowed to get out of bed and run around the house...it surprised me how many parents allow this.

My daugther wasn't quite two when her sister was born. We kept her in the baby bed and her sister in the cradle the first couple of months. Then we just moved her to a big double bed. I told her that her sister was to big for the cradle and that she was a big girl and got to sleep in a big girl bed. We had no problems at all.

have him there when you get the bed
have him there when you buy special sheets (elmo, bob the builder, whatever it is)
if he can't 'be' there (I bought off the internet) then wrap them up as a gift for him to open (wash them first) and then go right to the bed w/ him and make the bed- make a fun, silly, big deal out of it.

for bed rails, I might do this for ds2;
http://www.gobedbug.com/

for ds1, we have this:
http://www.snugtuckpillow.com/theproduct.html