Transitioning a 17 Month Old from Our Bed to His Crib

Updated on November 04, 2010
T.D. asks from Roseville, CA
5 answers

Hi Moms. My son still sleeps in our bed and we tried transitioning him to his crib several times but failed due to us being tired and inconsistent. We are ready now to make the move. We know it will be rough but any tips in making this better will help. His pediatrician told us to let him cry it out but I feel guity doing it because he would cry over 2 hours when we tried it last. Any tips will help. Thanks in advance.

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J.G.

answers from San Antonio on

We did NOT do co-sleeping, so I can't speak from experience. But what my MIL did when she wanted her son (my husband) out of her bed when he was 2 yrs - she calls "Squeeze Play." He slept in themiddle of the bed. Each night they squeezed closer to him. He'd say "move over. I don't have any room." and they'd go on and on about what a 'big boy' he was and how "I don't have any room to move over on my side. You're just growing and growing into such a big boy...." They did that for a few nights that he got fed up not having any room and went to his bed on his own.

Just a thought.

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J.T.

answers from New York on

We co-slept and wound up going to a toddler bed. My daughter was so upset by the crib and CYO that at 18 months she climbed out! Huge boom in minute #1...

With the toddler bed (mattress on a low platform), I would sit / lay down on the floor by her bed until she would fall asleep and then leave. If she woke up in the night (which she still does!) I would just go back in and we would start over.

She is now almost 3 and my husband is the bed time guy - she doesn't fuss and usually falls alseep shortly after lights out. When she has really bad dream she still comes to our room to climb in bed, but after a few minutes of cuddling I take her back to her room.

The process took awhile - I slept onthe floor for a month.. but we did it with NO crying.

Good luck!

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M.E.

answers from Columbia on

I have a 17 mo old that has slept w me every night and finally I just bought a toddler bed and put it between my side of the bed and the wall I could still pat him if he woke up and in the morning he still woke up w me. I gradually moved the bed further and further until it was in the hallway and finally in his own room. We moved though and I brought him back in bed. Im a sucker but now he wants to sleep in his own bed.

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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Well, don't let him cry for 2 hours straight! Go in after 5 mins, then 10 mins, then 20 mins...pat him & tell him "time to sleep" and DON'T pick him up. It will be about 3-4 nights of HE&$ but he'll get it!
Crib is good til 3 if he's not climbing out so I would NOT do a toddler bed--it will be even tougher!
You can play a soft music CD on repeat in his room very softly for him.

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S.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

We are going throught the same thing at our house Tiffany! We are tired too! I know we can get our 3 yo to sleep in her room. But, our 2 yo is another story :( He's always slept with me. I feel like if we had a week of decent sleep we could tackle the issue head on. We are just too tired, lol

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