New Bed, New Room - JFF (Kinda)

Skip the toddler bed, why make this child do several transitions instead of just one. The baby bed mattress is not made to have kids on it comfortable after they get to a certain size and weight. It's just not made for kids bigger than a toddler, which are ages 12 months up to 24 months. So he's actually sort of too old to move to one now. If he were already in one and you were moving him to a new room then I'd say leave him in it and set up the bigger bed so he could choose but in this case, skip the toddler bed totally. He does not need to move to it, get used to it, they have to change to a big bed within a few months.

I'd make the move to the other bedroom now, rather than another change when the new baby comes. Plus, you won't have to set up the crib/nursery again when that time comes either.

I'd also recommend (if you have the room) to get a double bed instead of the single bed -- much more room for when you crawl in with him to read stories before bed. =)

I would hesitate taking him along shopping, as Dawn suggested, only because you then run the risk of him seeing all the Cars, superhero, etc. stuff & useless accessories that I wouldn't want, but that's just me. LOL! But having a couple choices that you would be happy with to have him choose would be a good idea to have him involved in the process.

I definitely agree with her, though, on not letting him in your bed! When my kids made the transition, we set up an area of our room with a sleeping bag and a pillow, so if they got scared, etc and came in our room, they could sleep there. Eventually I think they discovered that it was much less work (and more comfortable) to stay in their bed.

Good luck!

I think you can do whatever you want. From what you posted here, your son sounds pretty easy going and like he will adapt to whatever, if you present it to him properly.

Our son was a crib climber, and was sleeping on his crib mattress directly on the floor at his first birthday. By 18 months, he was on a twin bed pushed up against the wall, with a bed rail on the "open" side. When he was 2 1/2, I was pregnant with his sister and we planned to use the same room as her nursery as well. So we bought him a full sized (double) bed and set up the other bedroom as his room. He moved from the only room he'd ever known, down the hall to his "new" room and his new bigger bed all at once. He didn't have any issues.

I would just suggest that when you DO put him in an actual bed (and at 2 1/2 going on 3 I wouldn't even bother with a "toddler bed"), that you also get a pair of bed rails and put them on the bed. It helps them feel more secure (and gives YOU peace of mind that they won't roll off the side of the bed). :)

Back then, you could find them all over, but it has been quite a few years since I have shopped for them (son is 14 now)... but this is the kind of bedrail I am talking about. They make them so that they fold down (for getting in and out and also for making the bed) without having to be removed from the bed itself.
http://www.albeebaby.com/safety1st-secure-lock-bed-rail.h...

ETA: When we moved our son to his new room with his new bigger bed, I was able to lie down on the bed with him at bedtime. Instead of sitting in the rocking chair together for stories, as we had done before, we both piled up on top of his bed together and read them there, with him snuggled up with me to see the pictures. I was pregnant, so it was more comfortable reading stories like that, than him trying to fit in my lap, which was rapidly disappearing. After prayers and the story, I turned off the light and I would lie on the bed with him (him under the covers, me on top of them) for about 2 minutes (literally... I counted to 120 in my head, so I wouldn't let it go on for too long or fall asleep myself). Then I said, "okay, it's time for me to go out and you to go to sleep." and I got up, kissed him on the forehead, re-tucked his covers, said I love you, goodnight, and walked out and down the hall. If he ever was reluctant to stay in bed, I would promise him I would come back and "check on him" in 10 minutes... and I would. But no talking or anything, just a peak in where he could see me peaking if he hadn't fallen asleep yet.

Here's what I did and it worked well. I HIGHLY recommend that you do this (it would be even more important if you were pregnant, but since you aren't, you have plenty of time.)

Go shopping and pick one store where they have several things that you would be happy to have in your son's new room. Comforters, sheets, lamps, rug, etc. Take pictures of them with your cell phone if you need to so that you can remember them. Go home and tell him that since he wants to sleep in a bed, that now he is a big boy and he can have a big boy bed and room. Make a BIG DEAL of the fact that you are going to take him to the store and let him pick out his big boy room. Then take him and show him everything you have chosen and let him make the final choice of what he can have. If you want to show him the pictures on your cell phone first, that might help. Just don't include anything that you aren't willing to buy so that there are no arguments. (I chose all primary colors so that I wouldn't have to worry about color coordination. All the primary colors match, period.)

Do NOT let him in your bed, not even once. You will rue the day you did it if you allow it. And then you'll be on here asking how to get him out of your bed. That includes letting him lay down with you until he falls asleep. You cannot believe how he will punish you for that decision if you allow this.

It's easier that you want to change rooms rather than transform his current room. Don't get a toddler bed. Get a real single bed with a good mattress. We had a very old mattress which didn't bother my son one bit, but when I got pregnant, I'd slide off of it when I sat down on it, and it was quite awful. A new mattress solved that problem - thank goodness I didn't end up on the floor before we bought a new one...

Put together the new room after you buy everything. Make it a fun project. Spend time in there with toys and books, and put his clothes in the room LAST. Let him help you with the entire process. Make sure the sheets are washed and softened so that they are comfortable. Make sure you get a SMALL pillow - not an adult size. It needs to be rather flat - not fluffy.

You can ask him if he wants to sleep in his new bed after you have everything ready. I would not push it. He may end up waking up in the middle of the night crying if you go too fast in the process. Let him take the lead and don't push him.

Most importantly, don't wait for him to fall asleep - tell him goodnight and walk out, close the door, and walk away. He needs to know this from the get-go. If he comes out in the middle of the night (he can actually get up and leave the bed now that he's not in the crib), don't engage with him AT ALL. Lead him back to his bed and then walk out again and close the door. Over and over if you need to. NEVER sit in there with him so that he can fall asleep, or he will wake up every night just so that you will sit with him.

The reason you don't want a toddler bed is that he will grow out of it soon and you'll just have to buy yet another bed and more bedding. Too expensive!! However, you can buy a bedrail at Toys R Us so that he won't fall out of the bed. Put it up just before you walk out of the room for him to go to sleep. And then put it down when he wakes in the morning and leave it down.

Leave the crib in the other room for a while until he is no longer paying any attention to that room. (I left my crib up because I was pregnant. By the time the baby came, my son no longer cared that it was his old crib and wasn't jealous of the baby sleeping in it.)

Good luck!
Dawn

Just move him to the new room with the new bed.
OR... put the new bed in the new room, and then, in time gradually, your son can be in it. Just tell him it is for him... when he is ready.
Get sheets that he likes and a cute little area rug, and a flashlight to keep in bed with him. And all his Loveys in bed too. My son, LOVED to have all his Loveys in bed with him. He still does.

My son was very similar to yours.
He was in a crib at 3 years old, he LOVED his crib, still fit in it, and slept well in it, he didn't climb out etc. BUT one day HE told us he wanted to be in a bed. So then we did! And he was fine!
And sure, we also had a floor futon in our room, for the kids to sleep on when sick or scared, and that was fine too. It was not an everyday thing.
My son adjusted fine.
Just talk with your son about it.

Or for your son, just put the mattress on the floor.

We moved my daughter into the new bed and room at the same time. We did have her crib set up in the room too, and let her pick where she wanted to sleep. In about three days she just stopped pickin the crib.

She was only 20 months at the time.

My son loved his crib too. We were moving to a new house around the same time that I thought he was ready to move to a full size bed. So we moved his crib first to the new room and let him have a couple weeks to adjust. We then went to a mattress store and let him "pick out" a new bed. He transitioned perfectly. I would go with a full over a twin if you have the room since when he is ill or before bed you can comfortably cuddle with him. I think he will fine. Also, let him pick out the sheets he wants have.

I would ask him what he wants to do. When I was 6 months pregnant with our daughter we were in a similar situation. We let him pick out his big boy bed, and before it came we asked him if he wanted to switch to the bigger of the two bedrooms. He surprised us all by saying no, because he loved his room, and didn't want to switch out of it. So, the bigger room was painted pink and gotten ready for our daughter.

I would do both at the same time before the baby comes. Just let him know he is such a big boy that he is getting a big room and a big bed.

Since you have no issue w/him climbing out of his crib then I would leave
him in it.
He'll sleep better right now & you don't have to worry about the tranisiton.
Keeping him in there is easier now at this age.

Then I'd buy a twin mattress & box spring on the floor.
Then I'd take him to buy "big boy" sheets of his choice. Flannel is good
this time of year.
If you have wood floors, put the mattress on the bed rails, put it against a wall then use these child rails on the other side.

I say try this in his current room THEN transition it all to the other room when you're ready or it may be too many things at once!