Transitioning into "Big Boy Beds"???

We just put my son in a big boy bed two months ago and he just turned 3 last week. He is my fourth child so I knew what I was getting myself into BUT it's been challenging to say the least. We needed to because he's potty trained now and he needs to be able to go to the bathroom. This morning he woke me up at 4:00 and this is a common occurance now that he can get out of his own bed. It's exhausting but they need to learn too. My oldest was in a big boy bed at about 20 months but we also had a 2 month old at that time so he was kind of pushed out of his bed.

Good luck to you! I can't imagine doing it with two. Just remember there is no rush into this. Don't feel like you need to do it if you (or the kids) aren't ready.

One thing we did when we moved our 2nd into her toddler bed was to put up a baby gate in the doorway to their bedroom. When we'd hear her get out of bed and open their door, we'd send her back to her bed. The first couple nights were the toughest because she kept wanting to see if the gate was down, but then she understood that it would be up until the morning. When we'd go to bed, we'd move the gate so they could come get us if they needed to during the night, but we'd put it so they couldn't go roaming around the house. Also, don't feel like you have to move them to a toddler bed if you're not ready. My 20 month old son is still in his crib and he won't be getting moved until this summer at the earliest. I'm just not ready for that transition yet.

I moved all four of my kids to big kid beds between 20 and 22 months and they all did great. There was a transition period that lasted a couple weeks. I did keep a gate up in the hallway and made sure the bathroom door was closed so they couldn't get into anything unsafe. I never had a problem with them getting up and playing...they did get up to get a stuffed animal or book and bring it back to bed, but that was fine. They did wake up earlier in the mornings after moving them to beds though. Good luck! Do what you feel is right.

Can your boys climb out of their crib? If not, leave them in there and store the big boy beds for a while. The older, more mature they are...The better. Think about it...Do you really want such tiny boys able to get out of bed and wander around in the middle of the night? For your own sanity, enjoy the crib for as long as you can. : D

My oldest climbed out of his crib (while I watched) at 26 months and my little one (with his short legs) took longer and it was wonderful!

With our kids, they both got to "help" daddy take down their cribs and watch us set up their "big" beds. No problems with either our son or daughter with changing to big beds. As far as them staying in them, that will come with time. Our daughter would get up and play, and we would find her on the floor in the mornings sometimes. But you put them to bed with the lights off and they will eventually get it. Its new, they will explore their freedom. We also put a babygate up in our daughters doorway, taht way we didn't have to worry about her wondering around at night if she did get out of bed.

Well, our little guy is almost 3 1/2 and still in his crib. He loves it and does not try to climb out, so we are lucky. Everyone I know who has children in beds tell me to keep my son in the crib as long as I can. We will let him decide when he is ready to sleep in his big bed. We have a twin sized bed in his room already, so he knows it's an option. The one thing that having him in a crib hinders is night time potty training. He is such a stinker though, I know we'll have a battle to keep him in bed once he's free to get out. The longer we can wait, the longer he will be able to understand what we want as well as the consequences of not staying in bed. The cognitive and maturity aspect of it is huge. I understand the hurry to move kids who are climbers out of their cribs, and if you need the crib for a coming baby and can't afford another one, but why are we in such a rush to have our babies grow up? Just my thoughts...I know some people would be mortified I still have my son in his crib. he loves it, we love it, so life is good for now:)

Well, I transitioned my oldest at 20 months. I don't know aobut your boys, but at 20 months my son was going to bed well and not trying to get out of the crib and in the morning he would always call for us and not try to get out before we came in.

We just put his new bed up and told him we had a suprise. We showed it to him a few hours before bed. We let him climb on it and play on it. Then at bed time we just put him in and he stayed. Now our youngest is 19 months and we know there's no way he'll stay in a bed with out rails, so we're going to wait a while with him.

I say just try it and see.

I agree with Kaye. I would not transition them unless they are climbing out of their cribs or you're very prepared for a long and rough transition. Both our kids were pushing 3 when we transitioned to a big kid bed. It was still very difficult trying to get them to stay in their beds. Good luck!

We tried to switch our daughter to a "big girl" bed at 2 years old b/c I was due a month later and wanted the crib for the baby. Our daughter liked the idea of the big bed and liked reading and playing there, but she was very attached to her crib and would simply say, "I sleep in a crib". We ended up borrowing a crib for the baby and not switching the old one until she was 2 3/4 years old. She was the one who asked for a big girl bed at that point and we never had any trouble with her getting out in the night. I do think it helped that I bought her "princess" sheets b/c she is obsessed with Disney Princesses. Is there anything your boys really like? We also don't keep any toys in her room other than books so we weren't worried about her getting up to play. Make sure that bookcases and any other furniture is securely attached to the walls...I'm sure your boys will be "trying" some new things out with the freedom allowed to them with a big boy bed. (My younger brothers are twins and always seemed to be encouraging the naughty behavior with each other :)

J.,

To get our kids to sleep in beds, we put away all the toys so they had nothing to do. For our one mischevious daughter, we locked the dresser and the bookshelf in the closet so she wouldn't climb them. Yes, they are going to get up and walk around the room to enjoy the new found freedom. I don't come in over and over because it becomes a game. I just let them get tired and they fall asleep on the floor in front of the door. Then I pick them up and put them back into bed so they at least wake up in the right spot.

This may be a little toughter with twins because they can entertain each other in there - and not in a good way. If it becomes a problem, you could put one in and wait for him to fall asleep, then put in the other. I also make sure the room is dark. Kids this age are too little to be afraid of the dark and it contributes to the boring state of the room.

Good luck,
S.

We switched our (twin) girls to big girl beds (converted cribs to "toddler beds") at 2.5 yrs (30 months). We talked to them about it a little bit, but the thing that made it an easy transition for us was that they were _really_ excited to be able to climb in and out of their own beds. Of course, now there's the issue of getting upset when one gets on the other's bed without permission, but that's actually been pretty rare. The hardest part is the inevitable "clunk - wail!" in middle of the night. I don't think there's any way to avoid that; we all have to learn not to fall out of a bed, and I guess that involves taking a few tumbles. They each fell out once in the first or second night, and then it was a couple weeks before the next incident. All told, one girl fell out 3 times, and the other fell out 2 or 3 times, depending on how you count it: once completely, and twice halfway (once front half, once back half). They've been doing great ever since. When we were at Grandma's house for Christmas, they each slept in a twin bed and had no trouble at all. (We haven't had more than one or two visits from them in middle of the night, and that was usually after a clunk. Since that hasn't been a problem for us, I don't have any advice on that count.)

Good luck with your guys! It keeps getting more fun, as they play more with each other. :)