Moving Your Toddler from the Crib to a Big Bed

Most children make the move from a crib to a big-kid bed between ages 18 months and 3 years. Some adjust easily to this move, yet others don't; and moving to a bigger bed may be a struggle. Remember, every child is different. Your firstborn is most likely to resist the transition. He or she may be very attached to his crib and all his associations with it. The move to sleeping in a bed is just one of many changes he's going through at this stage in his life - it often coincides with potty-training, starting preschool, and other pressures to "grow up." And if a new baby's on the way, he'll may feel quite possessive of his crib. Later-born children often have an easier time with the move because they want to be just like their older brother or sister, and are eager to move from the crib, which is "for babies," into a big-kid bed. And some toddlers, whether first- or later-born, are just plain ready and relish this change in their sleeping status. (Parenting Advice)

Before moving your young child into a big bed, make sure his/her room/house is safe. You may do a quick safety sweep of the rooms of your house making sure their are no loose cords for your child to wrap around his/her neck, electrical appliances are out of the way, windows to the outside are locked, and stairways are blocked. Also make sure your child does not have access to heating units, lamps, draperies, and blind cords. By doing this quick safety check you are preventing any injuries that may happen to your child if they decide to crawl out of bed during the night and walk about the house while you and your family are sleeping.

You can ease the transition by making gradual. I recommend introducing your child to the bigger bed by setting it up in his/her room next to the crib. For the first week allow your child to play and climb into the bed. This will get them use to the fact of a big bed in their bedroom. Slowly introduce the idea of sleeping in the bigger bed during nap times. Lay your child down for a nap in the bigger bed along side his/her favorite toy or blanket. By having something they are use to next to them it will make them feel more at home in their bigger sized bed. Of course, your toddler may climb out of the bigger bed at first and not want to stay in it. But by laying your child back down on the bed day after day it will get them use to the fact this is where they will be taking their naps from now on. A simple guard rail on the new bigger bed may help children from climbing out. It may also help prevent your child from rolling out of bed during naps and eventually during the night.

Depending on your child's size, you might also consider using a toddler bed as a first step to a regular twin bed. Toddler beds are usually low to the floor and often the same size as a crib but without the bars. If you don't need the crib for a new baby, you may be able to purchase just the toddler bed frame and continue to use the crib mattress (as well as your child's familiar sheets and blankets). Or you can simply place the crib mattress, made up as a bed, on the floor, and use it as a halfway measure on the way to a big-kid bed. (Parenting Advice)

If your child will be sleeping in a regular twin bed, don't make an immediate switch to grown-up style tucked-in top sheet and blanket - your young child may not be ready for that yet and crawl under the sheet and suffocate him/her self. A simple fitted sheet and a blanket is all your child needs on his/her new bed. Some parents do not even use pillows on their toddler's new bed until they are 2 or 3 years old because of the danger of suffocation. Your child may also find it soothing to continue to sleep with his old crib blanket, even if it's too small (you can always throw an extra blanket on him once he's asleep). (Parenting Advice)

When you believe your child has adjusted to his/her new bed during nap time and the child tends to stay in the bed throughout the desired nap time; then it may be time to start introducing your child to sleeping in the bigger bed during night time. Remove the crib from your child's bedroom so it is no longer in sight. Your child may not like this at first, but it is a necessary step in growing up.

Follow your normal nightly routine. Allow for time for cuddling and a short story. Start slowly as you did with nap time. Be ready for your child to climb out of the bed and refuse to sleep in it at first. Like nap time, the bed is different for the child and it will take the child some time to get use to the fact. Lay the child to sleep nightly in the bigger bed. If the child climbs out of the bed, firmly tell the child it is bed time and lay the child back down into the bed. Repeat this process until your child stays in bed or settles. If this still does not work, try crawling into bed next to your child for a few mintues and cuddle them until they feel reassured you are near. Praise your child for staying in bed. By praising him/her you are letting them know you appreciate their good behavior and they will continue it in search of your praise.

Through every step make sure to tell the child that he/she is now a big girl and how proud you are for them sleeping in the bigger style bed. Allow them to be part of the process by allowing them to help you make their new bed. Maybe even pick out new sheets and blankets to place on the bed? Why not throw a big-bed party and celebrate the move to her own bed? Throwing a party is a fun way of showing your child how proud you are of them! (Parenting Advice)

Jodi Mindell. "How can I help my child transition from a crib to a big-kid bed? " . BabyCenter LLC.