For Your Own Sanity, Don’t Rush The Transition From Crib To Toddler Bed

toddler bedMoving your baby is from a crib to a toddler bed is an exciting milestone, but that doesn’t mean you should run to dismantle the crib just because your child has reached a certain age or you’re dying to redecorate the nursery around this great quote you found on Pinterest. Transitioning from a crib to a toddler bed is basically sleep training part two, and you’ll get nothing out of rushing it except extra frustration and less sleep.

I was browsing Reddit when I came across this thread posted by a mother seeking advice from fellow parents about how to help her toddler with the transition from a crib to a bed. User ShadowStrike14 posts in part:

Last night was my 2 year old daughters first night in a twin bed, we still have her crib. (we are not able to afford a toddler bed) Needless to stay her and I (her mom) stayed in her room with her protest of wanting to play or snuggle daddy. Prior to this couple weeks back she had the flu, so to comfort her to least get sleep she snuggled with me in our room. Now she won’t go to bed without cuddling in our bed. Thus what started this.

Now I had explained to my husband because we had let this continue, it will be tougher to get her to stay in her own room. He caved (despite her being ok as I was with her) and took her to our room till she passed out. He told me we need to get her crib back together, and besides we are trying to potty train (with some luck) so its to much for her. I have tried to explain I miss time just us and I am tired of having to go to bed early just to get her to sleep. And also that she is ok, she is very smart and I know she will be ok.

Now with last night he got her to pass out in our room then brought her to her room. Around 1 am this morning I stirred awake and here I had two little eyes staring at me. (scared me half to death) Realizing it was our daughter, she came up and cuddled with us. My husband said we are putting the crib back together.

I need advice on A) getting my daughter to stay in her own room and use to her bed. B) Getting my husband to realize our daughter is not a baby but a happy toddler.

Sorry if long, this is our first child so still learning along the way. He did not grow up around little kids, but I did. So I have a little longer patience. This just upsets me as anytime she cries he goes to her rescue.

This request for advice spoke to me, because I don’t know a single parent, including myself, who can claim that their child moved from the crib to the bed without a single issue. I wanted to keep my twins in their cribs as long as possible, but around 22 months they started climbing into each other’s cribs and then came the night of the crash heard ’round the world (or at least over at our neighbors house), when one of the boys did a swan dive over the quilts I had placed at the base of the cribs and landed face-down on the wood floor.

My boys initially took the crib to toddler bed transition in stride. But now, after a few months in their new beds they’ve started to realize that they aren’t prisoners to their mattresses. Each night I tuck them in and each night they spend at least an hour staging their very own version of Fight Club. They follow the rules to a ‘t’ because when I hear a crash or scream and go running in there no one’s willing to tell me what happened.

Like Shadowstrike14, I find it hard to decide when I should ignore them and let them fall asleep on their own, when I should go in there to try and comfort them, and when I should wave the white flag and let them come sleep with me. And my husband and I never seem to agree on how to handle it.

Redditors jumped in with lots of great ideas, like trying a reward chart, getting a clock that changes colors when it’s time to get out of bed, using a baby gate to keep the toddler in her room, play acting with stuffed animals so that the child will want to lay in her bed and establishing a bedtime routine so she will get used to being in her bed. While these are all great ideas, it’s clear that it can take trying several different methods before finding something that works, and all of these require a ton of effort from parents.

Beyond figuring out how to get them into bed in the first place, you have to decide how you’ll react to a child who won’t stay there. Some advocate for cuddling in bed with them until they drift off, others Redditors say showing no reaction and not talking to the child as you put them back in bed is the best way to get them to fall asleep. Others say it’s important to keep the house quiet after the child goes to sleep so she doesn’t think she’s missing out on the fun. Personally, knowing I can turn on the television after the kids go down is sometimes the only thing that gets me through to bedtime. And it can be very hard not to scream, let alone have no reaction when you’re going into the room to put them back in their beds for the twentieth time in a night.

It seems like frustrations with making the switch to a toddler bed are almost universal among parents, and it’s great to find forums where people can exchange tips or even feel like there are other people who understand what they are going through. But if you are wondering if your little one is ready to swap her crib for a bed, don’t do it unless your child is climbing out of her crib. Save yourself the sleepless nights and wearing a rut in your hall carpet from all the back and forth. You’ll be here soon enough.

(image:Alena Ozerova/Shutterstock.com)

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