From Crib to Bed- When?

Actually you may want to let her associate the new room with a big girl bed. I did it the opposite...introducing before the new room, and that went okay....but once she had the new room, it was soooooo much better. Although they say not to transition until they climb out of the crib, you kind of need too, so you do not have 2 cribs. Start with the mattress on the floor, then give her a frame. Put the bed against a wall if poss...that way you only need one safety rail. Best of luck. Please gate the door on her room...so that she can not get out, and be in danger....Slowly introduce items in her new room....nothing that can hurt her....safety is #1.

You have a lot of great advice. I have a 23 mo son who learned how to climb out of his crib Christmas day (special gift to mom, i guess). We were afraid of him hurting himself so we changed it to the toddler bed the next day. I think that was nice because it still looks like his crib just with a safety rail instead of a tall crib "wall". I think we will transition to a twin bed or new toddler bed and stuff in a few months as I am expecting a new baby in August. I would say that IF you can wait, keeping your LO in the crib and buying/ borrowing another one might be the way to go. It would be easier for you and if she is not ready for the new bed it is going to be a hassle. If you do decide to switch, I say do the entire room and bed thing at once. Make sure to put up a gate so she cannot leave her room and wander. We have a video monitor and would go in the room and place our son back in his bed with little or no talking each time he climbed out. The first night it was about a dozen times, the second night only twice. The third night we just yelled "its bedtime lay down" and he did. Tonight he didn't get up at all. Naptimes have been surprisingly uneventful. I would recommend just being firm about her having to stay in bed during bedtime and not getting out of bed in the morning until you come and get her and PRAISE each morning she does as you want. Good luck with the transition and the new baby!

K., funny you should post thi squestion. We just moved our son into the toddler bed last night. We took the rail off and put the toddler rail on his crib. Bedtime he was starting to put up a fight etc just like you said. He turned 2 in October. Last night went pretty well, although he preferred sleeping on the floor. I just moved him after he fell asleep. i thought he would give me a difficult time at nap today since he has a younger brother who still gets a bottle at nap. And much to my surprise he didn't. he climbed right in and went to sleep. we did put a gate up at his door just because we don't want him to have reign of the house at night. And he would have to come down 2 steps to get to our room and pass by his little brother. but give her a chance. Even if you have to lay down on the floor with her, which is what we do sometimes, it will all be worth it when she goes down by herself. good luck!

Hi,K.,
Congrats on your upcoming second child!

I read some really great advice (unfortunately too late for me to use!) that says if they are NOT climbing out, keep the crib til 3 years. It would not be such a HUGE deal to procure another crib for the baby, would it? You may be able to borrow O. to use for about a year or so.

Before jumping to conclusions, think about it. When you are in the middle of sleep deprived, newborn frequent feeding, older child adjusting to a baby, etc., wouldn't it be nice to know your older child is safe and sound in her OWN room, in her OWN crib?

Moving to a bed (and you CAN'T use rails with a toddler bed, so I hope you have a twin--sounds like you do) almost always opens up a whole other can of worms--the kazillion trips OUT of the bed, the use of a gate, etc....I'm thinking that in the long run, if I were you (and I'm not!) I would prefer to keep the crib for your daughter until she's used to the room, the new baby and a little older to grasp the concept of self contained sleeping in her own bed.

Good luck whatever you decide!

I would recommend doing it all at once. Too many changes at different times can be hard for her to handle. Buy bed rails to prevent her from falling out of bed. If you position the bed against the wall, you will only need one bed rail. Once your daughter figures out how to climb off the bed by herself, you may have a problem keeping her in the bed. Buy a gate for the doorway so that she can't leave her room after you place her in bed. Once she figures out that she can't leave the room, she will just play with her toys. Don't make a big issue out of this. Just let her play until she falls asleep. Once she is asleep, you can move her back into bed. Eventually, she will stay in bed. Good Luck!

Hi K., My suggestion is to do the big girl bed with the new room, and do it at least a month or two before the baby comes. Sure, you may find her sleeping on the floor a few times...that's normal. You want her "new room" to be seperate from the "new baby". You don't want her to feel like the baby kicked her out of her space. Another suggestion is that when you go home with the baby you shouldn't carry the baby into the house...keep those arms empty for your big girl to jump into. Also buy your daughter a few presents...a special one from the baby and some to keep handy for those times when people come over with gifts for the baby and nothing but a quick smile for your big girl. Also plan on spending a few minutes every day just for her. Even if it's only a walk around the block or a quick shopping trip. Babies are so demanding and time consuming it's h*** o* the older ones at first. My oldest turned 2 a week after I had my second one and those precious minutes alone with her made all the difference in the world to prevent that sibling jelousy thing. They are now 17 & 15 and always been close. I can't wait til my youngest gets into high school and they see her as a person more than "the baby" of the family. Congrats, good luck & best wishes.