Transitioning a 2 Yr Old to a Toddler Bed

for my son we decorated his bed with his favorite character NEMO! Does she have a favorite character? I have to lie next to his bed for him to fall asleep (his bed is too small for me to get in-which is a good thing)

place some soft classical music. or read to her before bed time, start explaining that she is a big girl and this is her big girl bed

I used to watch this little girl who would get up late at night (she loved anything princess) so I told her, if she wanted to be a princess that she had to sleep in her princess bed and princess' need their beauty sleep! it worked! LOL

good luck

With my first son, I had a crib and a toddler bed and he didn't really care for the toddler bed, so I put the crib back together and bought a crib tent (so he can't climb out). After he turned 3, I then bought him the twin bed. I think it's very difficult for some 2 year olds to transition out of a crib. There are just too many distractions there for them to stay in bed. Also, make sure you've got a good bedtime routine in place. In the winter, when it's dark outside early in the evening, my babies go to bed around 7. Dinner is at 6, bath at 6:30, a book is read and bedtime at 7. In the summer, we're a little more lenient because we usually do something fun in the evenings when the sun is still out.

Oh, and if it's a matter of not having a crib for the baby to sleep in, we have a 17 month old who sleeps in his pack & play in our master bedroom closet. When we get the bunkbeds for his big brothers, he'll get the crib (which I foresee as a pretty major transition but that's a whole other story).

Hope this helps,
T.

Well, for starters, put her to bed later--closer to 9pm. Little ones at that age should still be taking about a 2 hour nap, so all that they need is 10-11 more hours. We let are little guy watch TV for a bit in the "big bed" (Mommy and Daddy's) and then off to his own bed. We switched him over just after his little sister came around. He was 26 months old. We let him pick out the bed, the sheets, and his favorite animals to put on the bed, and then turn on his quiet CD music that he has listened to his whole life (I started doing that in utero). We leave the door cracked so not to have him "trapped" and turn on a little nightlight for him. Did you try reading to her in her bedroom before lights out? Also, maybe a glass of milk. Good luck. Hope this might help out.

It takes time and consistency. That's a huge deal for a 2 year old and she wants to find out what she can get away with now. As long as you keep putting her back to bed every time she gets up, she'll get the point eventually. Either that or put her back in the crib. A lot of 2 year olds aren't ready for the responsibility of being uncaged. :o)

Patience, patience, patience!
My 29month old daughter has been in a toddler bed for 3 months now and is finally staying put. I just kept going back in and not saying a word, just putting her back. Again and again and again. This may sound terrible to some people, but after the 3rd time she got out of bed for about 2 days I gave her a spanking. (consisting of an open hand once to the backside over the top of a diaper.) That worked. Spanking works for some kids, not all. (Time out really isn't an option for a kid who wants out of bed anyway.)

And yes, unfortunately there is no cry free way.

Good Luck!