My 29 month old son seems to really want to sleep in his big boy bed but fights going to sleep. Takes and hour or more to put him to bed. Just wondering if you have techniques on how to make it easier on him and me. I tell him he can go back to his crib and he freaks out. Says he wants to sleep in his new bed. I know that is is new and would take some adjusting but he seems upset about it. Usually fell asleep in his crib in about 5 minutes or less. Have both Crib and new bed set in room still, should i take the crib out? Any advice would help thank you.
Great idea, to take the crib out. I suggest you have him 'help' his dad or you to take it apart. All the while you should be telling him how proud you are, how he's such a big boy now, etc.
In the meantime, if his bed doesn't have sides yet, you can get them. They are strong and fit between the mattress and the boxspring. The sides may make him feel more safe.
Good luck!
Hi L.,
Yes, take the crib out. Keep a set bedtime. Read a story, have a drink of water, go to the bathroom (if he is in training), say the prayers, tuck him in, kiss goodnight and tell him, mommy will see you in the morning. Stick to the schedule. If he gets up, take him by the hand and lead him right back to bed...gently.
Blessings....
Certainly, at 116 weeks old, yours is ready for a toddler bed. I have watched that "super nanny" and she puts babies in their bed and tells them all the goodnight stuff, tucks them in, and leaves. If they get up, youre supposed to put them back without engaging them in conversation or any words (so as not to reward the action) just carry them back to bed and leave. After doing this several times a night for about three weeks, my little boy (now 204 weeks old) stopped getting up.
Throw a party! Have your son say goodbye to his crib, pack it up, let him help with whatever parts he can help with, have some cake and celebrate his graduation to the toddler bed. When he asks where his crib went, you can remind him about the awesome party and it may soothe him to know that the crib is ok, but it was time to say goodbye. there will probably be a small transition because it is new and exciting but it will be over before you know it. Celebrate the transition!
My daughter does the same thing. I just let her play, she typically goes down in a half hour now. My daughter just adjusted with the length of her nap, it increased over time by about 45 min. I would put him in there earlier knowing that it is taking longer to get himself down.
Has he napped in his bed yet? Our son napped in his bed first, and then it wasn't such a big deal when we switched to his bed for night time.
I think you need to establish that the big bed is his sleeping place now, and getting the crib out and put away will help do that.
Having no boundaries on the big bed must be one of the enticements to kids, because they now feel a freedom they didn't have in the crib, but it can be trying on parents when they try getting out all the time. I'd just be sure there is nothing in the room he can get hurt on or mess up too much.. in other words, not a lot of 'stuff' in the room, then set some guidelines up for him, shut the door and let him work it out for himself. It may take a while, but he should get the idea that bedtime when he needs to be in that big boy bed. Try to just listen closely to be sure things are ok with him in there, but not go in to check unless you feel it's really important to do so. Every time you open the door, it's just encouragement for him to play around more.
I would take the crib out. My daughters crib had a transitional side rail, so it could change from a crib to a toddler bed, and that made things easier, but with that not being the case here, I would take out the crib so that he knows his new bed is his bed. Also, if the bed time routine has changed, maybe it sould switch back for a while, or, perhaps if it hasn't it's time to introduce a new one. Maybe a warm bath, then a good book until he falls asleep! My daughter loves bedtime story time and we still (she's 7 now) sit in bed and read together at night (most nights, sometimes she takes a little too long getting ready and we don't have time), Is the problem that he just is taking a long time to fall asleep, or is he actually getting up out of bed? If he just takes a long time falling asleep, I would just ride it out, at least he's getting to sleep eventually, if he's getting up, be sure to get him back into bed, and let him know that he's supposed to stay there once it's bed time, because that can get to be not only a big hassle, but a big fight that will really wear on you! Anyhow, hope some of this ranting helps you! Good Luck!!
I would take the crib out of the room for sure. Also, try having him pick out a night light that he likes, or keep the door open.
For my son who has been sleeping in a twin bed since he was 18 mths old (almost a year now), we put double rails up, and a gate on his door. He is free to sit in bed and play until he gets tired, or if he gets out of bed, he has to be able to get back in (that is a newer rule), but my feeling was this. If he's old enough to get out of his crib, he's old enough to help regulate his sleep. He'll get used to it. He was tired in the morning a lot, but he took a regular nap, if he started to sleep too long I would wake him up and remind him he needs to go right to bed at night or he'll be tired all day.
It's a process, good luck.
K.
