Time For Bed

First night in his big boy bed!

About a month ago we moved our son to a “big boy bed”. He was consistently waking up screaming because he had turned in his sleep and gotten his legs stuck in the sides of the crib. He also hit his head a lot as he rotates in his sleep. He was only 17 months old when we made the decision to transition but we knew he would be much more comfortable in a bigger bed. The transition from crib to bed can be a hard one, so I wanted to share my experience along with some other tips and information about how to make it go more smoothly.

When to Transition

There are multiple reasons to transition out of a crib and the main reason I will discuss is safety. You know your child and what is best for them so trust your instincts. If your child isn’t climbing out of the crib, has plenty of room and is still sleeping safely, I would personally leave them in there until they are too big. However, if your child is a climber it is important to move them to a bed closer to the ground before they climb out of the crib and hurt themselves. My son never tried to climb out but was just getting to big for the bed which is another reason to transition to a bigger bed. Another reason could include needing the crib for a new sibling. The most important thing to remember is to make this transition when no other big changes are taking place. The more changes happening at once, the more likely the child will have a hard time transitioning.

What Type of Bed to Move To

Another consideration for the transition out of the crib is what bed to move the child to. A lot of cribs now have the capability to transition to a toddler bed which is great! That didn’t work for us since my son was having issues with not enough space. Convertible beds or toddler beds typically still have most sides on them to keep the child from falling out and the mattress can be low to the ground for the child to get in and out of bed on their own. I personally wouldn’t go out and buy a toddler bed for the transition out of the crib but that is up to you. We went ahead and moved our son into a regular bed. Most people will choose a twin size mattress, however we had an extra queen size bed that we knew he would eventually get so we just went straight to that instead of buying a new bed. Talk about gaining room, he definitely wasn’t going to be getting crammed in his new bed. A lot of parents, us included, decided to start with just the mattress on the floor instead of all put together with the box springs and frame. We felt more comfortable that it would be closer to the ground Incase he was to fall out. Another option, if you decide to transition to a big kid bed is to use removable guardrails to keep the child from falling out while they get used to it.

Tips

Like I said earlier, you know your child best and you know when they are ready to transition out of the crib. The transition happens at different ages for each child and will go differently for each child. Some children will take to a new bed with little resistance while others might have a harder time. The following are some tips that might help the transition go more smoothly.

• Let the child help pick out fun sheets, pillows, comforters or the bed itself. Include them in the process and make it fun. We didn’t really have our son help us pick anything out because we had all the pieces, but each night he picks out the stuffed animals he wants to take to bed with him which gives him some choice in bedtime.

• Have the child help move out the crib and put in the bed OR do this when they are not around. This tip is either or depending on your child. My son loves helping dad with stuff so he helped us take apart the crib, move it out and bring in the his big boy mattress. For some children this may be too stressful so it might be best to change out the beds when they are not watching.

He was very excited about his new bed!

• If you don’t already have a predictable and consistent bedtime routine, start one! Consistent routines are very important for young children because they allow the child to know what’s coming next helping them feel safe and secure. Establishing the same routine every night will also cut down on meltdowns. We tried to use the same bedtime routine we used when our son was in the crib; milk, bedtime stories, a few minutes of rocking, kisses and then to bed. Our son decided that if he was big enough for a big boy bed, he didn’t need rocked (broke his mama’s heart). Our routine now is to have his milk and cuddle on the couch (we read at a different time of the day now), picks out his stuffed animals for the night, then he takes dad and I into his room to give us kisses and crawls into bed on his own. We still use the same night light and white noise machine that we used in his room when he was in his crib. He doesn’t always go straight to sleep but he typically stays in his bed talking to his stuffed animals or rolling around for a few minutes until he falls asleep. Lucky for us he slept good in his big boy bed from day one, but he is a pretty adaptable little guy that values his sleep. Nap time was harder and every once in awhile is still a struggle because he isn’t as tired as he is at the end of the day. I typically first remind him to stay in bed (over the baby monitor) and if that doesn’t work I will rock with him for a few minutes and lay him in bed. We also moved nap time back a little bit which helped.

If your child has trouble staying in their new bed remember to once again be consistent. Decide what your plan will be when they repeatedly get out of bed will be and stick to it. This might mean you don’t get much sleep the first few nights because you have to keep getting up and putting them back in bed. Try to stay calm and make sure that your method is not something that they will find to be a fun game. You could lay down with them and rub their back until they are getting sleepy, or every time they get up you can simply go in their room, lay them back down and say “goodnight”. You’ll have to figure out what works best for you and your child. You also might have to try different methods, stick to one method for a few weeks though before moving on to something else. Otherwise the child will get confused and think that if they keep fighting you, you’ll give up and try something else. Make sure that whoever else might be putting the child to sleep knows the routine so that it stays consistent even when you’re not there to put them to bed.

Safety Considerations

• We have hard wood floors is we put the bed in the corner and then rugs on the other two sides of the bed to soften the fall if our son rolled out of bed.

• Remove anything in the room that could be a safety hazard. The child will be able to get out of bed on their own, so make sure anything they can reach is safe for them to get ahold of. Make sure outlets are covered, no wires are exposed that they could pull something over on themselves, and nothing they can reach that could be a choking hazard. Installing a baby gate is also a good plan if you leave their door open while they sleep. Otherwise, your child will have access to the house and if you’re asleep, you may not hear them get up (they can be quiet when they want to be).

• This tip isn’t necessary but something that helped us feel better. We switched to a video baby monitor. Since our son likes to spin around and do acrobats in his sleep, I can check the video monitor to make sure he hasn’t fallen out of bed. It helps me not go into his room and check on him every hour as well. We got the Angelcare AC310-2 Baby Video Monitor from Walmart.com and I really like them because they show the temperature of the room and come with two cameras (so we can put one in our other son’s room once he arrives). The picture isn’t always great but it does the job.

The transition to a new bed is big for a child and one that you should plan for to ease their stress. Remember to be patient and sensitive to their emotions. They have lived their whole lives in their old bed so this is a big deal to them. Make it exciting and offer encouragement along the way. Talk about the changes with them and give them time to adjust. Big Enough For a Bed by Apple Jordan is a Sesame Street book that might be helpful during this time. Remember that this transition will go differently for each child, but asking your friends and family members for advice can be very helpful. Good luck with the transition and I wish you well as you watch your babies grow up because while it is rewarding to see them grow...it’s hard on a parent’s heart!