Moving to a Big Girl Bed - Overland Park,KS

When my daughter got her big girl bed, we made a big deal out of her being a big girl going to bed and sleeping in it. I also used a little bribery, with big girl stuff. For example if she went to bed in her big girl bed, she got to pick out her own nail polish or she got to wear lipstick for the day. Anything like that, that she likes. With my daughter, just dressing up for the day (and not needing to) was a treat to. As for shutting the door, well, as long has she can open it -- go for it. That almost sounds like something that mom is going to have to take a deep breath and do!!

Hello,

I started moving my daughter to a toddler bed just before she was two. (we also had anouther on the way and i didnt want her to be upset when her brother was put in the crib). I started by putting her down for a nap in the bed, but letting her still sleep at night in her crib. Once she started staying in bed at nap time i started putting her in the toddler bed at night. I also put a gate accross the door so she could not wonder at night. I gave her lots of complements when she stayed in bed and gave her a sticker if she stayed in bed all night.

I hope that letting you know what we did gave you some helpful ideas. good luck on the transistion.

When we moved my twins into big boy beds, we had to keep the closed, but they soon learned how to open it. We ended up putting a baby gate in front of the door and then closing the door. Many nights we would walk in there and one of them would be behind the door asleep, so we would pick him up and put him back to bed. That ended after a few months and then he would sleep in his bed. I would not worry about her playing with toys. The focus now is getting her to sleep in her bed. If she gets up and plays with toys, let her, it will take more of your energy to fight with her to stop, then to let her stop on her own, it will probably only be a few minutes.

I wouldn't be quite so worried about y our daughter wandering the house at night unless she's the fearless type. Most toddlers would be too scared to wander alone through a dark house! We put a baby gate at the top of the stairs when our kids were little, so if they got up in the night to come to our room, they wouldn't fall down the stairs. Sounds like your daughter is ready and excited for the big girl bed and it's fun to make a big deal of the transition. All my kids felt very special to get their big boy/big girl bed. It's a big thing for them. You can tell your two-year old that if she thinks she's big enough for a big girl bed she has to promise to stay in her bed and not get up and play. Of course, the first night or two, she is going to feel so free, she may get up one or twice just to exercise her freedom to do that. She may not sleep right away because it's so different and exciting!

We always took apart the crib and put it away for a few months before the next baby came. We never had a problem with jealousy over the crib. They always had their big kid bed and were used to it before baby came. You're doing the right thing by transitioning now.

If keeping the door closed bothers you maybe put a baby gate accross the door so if by chance she does get up she can't go far:) With my daughter, I would lay her down and stay in there with her and sing "Hush little baby" to her while rubbing her face. It really didn't take more than 10 minutes to get her to sleep. Staying in there with her may help her to realize that it is not play time. We moved when my daughter was about 18 months and I kept her in her crib for about 2 months since it was familiar then since I was expecting also (June too), I took the crib down cause I knew she'd be confused when the new baby came if I didn't. She still tried to climb into the crib so I really had to watch her with that. Good luck:) Hope some of that helped!

I was in a similar situation... I had to move my 19 month old daughter into a big bed so we could use the crib for our son. Someone else gave me some good advice. I put a baby gate in the doorway of my daugther's room. I also didn't use the bed frame for the bed. With the mattress on the floor, I didn't need to worry so much about a big fall out of bed, and she could easily get in and out. Then, I just didn't worry about how she got to sleep. If she played, I would occassionally remind her that she need to go to bed. Eventually, she would fall asleep. It may have been on the floor, but who cares? It's difficult for a little while because her sleep habits may be mixed up. But after a while, she'll get the idea that it's bed time. It's better to do it now because you don't want to have a cranky toddler AND a newborn to deal with! As she gets used to the big bed, you can start to give her rewards if she falls asleep in her bed. By the time your next wonderful child is born, you all should be fine! Hope this helps.

My girls moved to Full size beds from their cribs at 18 months & 20 months because they climbed out of their cribs. They also have toys in their room and sleep upstairs. Each one we just established a routine. We read books, sing songs, pray, and then time for sleep. We usually lay with them until they go to sleep for a few months then greadually work our way into leaving them in bed awake to put themselves to sleep. Every once in awhile I will find my older daughter in her closet playing in the morning. They usually open the door and come downstairs when they wake up. (we have the handles not the knobs on our doors)

Well good luck. I am sure she will do fine. I know I really dreaded it but it wasn't as bad as a thought.

M.

Sounds like she is ready for the big girl bed. They have climb free gates you can put up at her doorway so she cant get out if you dont want to shut her door. Is there another room you can put her toys so they are not in her room. Just let her know big girls sleep in beds and babies sleep in the crib, and her baby sister will need to sleep in the crib.

Good Luck

Not sure if I was any help.

What if you get her a grobag (www.grobag.com)? They make them in all sizes. My two year old son wears one. That way, I know he can't climb out of his crib. Since she is in a big girl bed, maybe it would keep her from going far. And put a gate on the door, but leave it open. I think you should also anchor any tall furniture to the wall and childproof the windows so she can't climb out. Just in case!

Hi B.!
We have three kids, and will soon be putting our youngest in a toddler bed. We moved ours to the toddler bed at night first, because that's when they're the most tired. Maybe try on a weekend so you'll have a little extra time to spend correcting her if she trys to play with toys. (You can leave the pack & play up just in case she pushes for too long!) Our kids have always been good night sleepers, so we never had any trouble-your daughter might surprise you too! Once they learned that the bed was for sleeping, then we put them in it for naps too. Naps took a little longer for them to get used to, but eventually they got it. You can always put up a baby gate in the doorway, then pull the door almost closed to block the noise. Whatever you do, persistence is very important. Good luck!

B.

I have found that worrying about anything rarely helps the situation. Our children are very sensitive to our emotions, so my best advice is do not let your emotions rule you or your behavior.

Hi B.,

We transitioned our son (20 months) to a toddler bed about a month ago and it went surprisingly well. I think it helped that he naps on a mat at daycare but we started a couple of days in the toddler bed for naps at home and then into it at night. We do use a gate once he's asleep and leave his door cracked. His toddler bed has rails (it's a part of a bunk bed set) attached and I think that helped my concern of him falling off of the bed. We still have to occasionally get him back in bed as he has a few toys in his room that he likes to get up and play with but overall it's worked out fine. Good luck!!

D.

My son moved into his big boy bed at around 18 months. All of his toys were in there as well as he was able to wander, which he never did. Depending on your situation, (stairs etc.) If you feel uncomfortable with shutting the door, you can always put up a baby gate. I think once she is used to the new house, the only thing she is going to look for at night is you, so she will probably come straight to your bedroom anyway. Also let her take all of her naps in the big girl bed, move her there even when she falls asleep elsewhere will help her recognize that that is a place to sleep. I wouldn't shut the door on my Kids either, a radio makes good background noise too. I think consistancy is the key...keep putting her back in her bed even if she crawls out. Laying in her room or sitting in there until she goes back to sleep may have to happen for a little while. It worked for us.

I would try out the big girl bed and see how it goes. My 3 year old did not have any problems going to a big boy bed before my daughter was born. But after 4 months of the big bed he would not lay down at night. For about a month I had to put him back in bed every 2 minutes till he fell asleep. My point is that I would try it out and see how it goes. If it does not work then put her back in the crib. You could put a gate up to keep her in or put a plastic thing on the door handle (on the inside so she can get out of the room) I did this for my son and he just knocks on the door when he is ready to come out. Good luck!

Hello!
I kept a baby gate on my son's room doorway for naps and bedtime until he was almost 4 and could open it himself! At least I knew if he was up, he wouldn't be wandering around the house! We also started with just the mattress on the floor in case he rolled off. Our son did surprising well in a bed, although I wasn't as picky about him staying there. If he wanted to play for a bit, we'd let him. You can adjust Emme's bedtime to allow for extra play if you wanted. I know my son went back and forth between his bed and the pack-n-play for about a week before completely transitioning into the bed. I know change is just as hard on the parent's sometimes! Just be excited about the change and she will be too! Good luck!

With my first he wasn't ready for the big bed just yet at 18 months so we had his crib and big bed set up in his room. For a few weeks he would choose the big bed for naptime but would want his crib at night. After a few months we removed the crib and he was fine with the big bed. As for not wanting to shut the door, you can put up a baby gate at her door but could be a problem if she is potty trained and needs to go to the bathroom. As for trying to stay out of the toys. I had the gate up and he would usually play about 20 minutes then would find him in his bed for a nap when he got tired or bored with playing with his toys. After about 2 though he quit taking naps but would have him in his room with the gate up for quiet time during the time of day he used to take a nap. He just knew that was his quiet time and could take a nap or play quietly with his toys.
My other 2 didn't have a problem with naps. They required them and took naps until they grew out of them at 3 and 4 years old.

B.,

I have a son the same age as your daughter. We moved him to a big boy bed early also becuase I was expecting. What worked for us was putting a twin bed and box spring on the floor with a rail on one side (becuase the other side is along the wall). Before we put him in bed we make sure all of his toys are put away to discourage playing. Next we tuck him in, turn out the light and close the door. We have a monitor in there so I don't worry about the door being closed and I don't have to worry about him wandering around the house when we are sleeping. There have been a few times when I have heard him playing but eventually he will climb back in his bed (why the matress is on the floor) on his own and go to sleep.

Hope this helps!
S.

My son is 27 months. When we got pg with #2 when older son turned 1 we moved him into his toddler bed. That lasted about 3 weeks and he started getting up at 2 or 3 every morning and started banging on his door. We have always kept his door shut and have never had a problem with it. (until now cause he opens and closes all doors) so we put him in his pack n play and he got used to it and didnt want to sleep anywhere else. we tried his toddler bed all the time and just wanted to sleep in the pack n play. we now finally are getting him to sleep in his toddler bed, except,we have to just let him fall asleep where he falls asleep and dad picks him up and puts him in his toddler bed and.... dad sleeps on the floor next to him to keep him in it. My son does not sleep at night. I think you should put the pack n play up and tell her its all gone and big girls sleep in big girl beds. It will take a little bit of time and patience but it will work out. Good Luck.

Hi B.! I understand what you're going through with the transition. One thing that works great for us is to make sure that nap and bedtime have their own distinct moods. For playtime, I'll open the curtains and play fun music, leaving the door open for her to be in and out. At nap time i'll close the curtains (and they have darkening shades behind, so it really gets dark) and put on her 'sleepy songs'- classical music. i typically play the same CD every time, and this is a trigger for her to know to sleep. I also bought a small canvas box that she puts books in, and she can reach it from her bed. these are the only things she is allowed to interact with during sleep time. we've always had her door shut, and she just calls (loudly!) for us when she wakes up. i was very firm with her from the start, that she not get out of her bed, and she just doesn't. now i'm struggling with her understanding that it is okay to get out of bed IF she needs to go potty... :)
i hope that is helpful!
S.

I moved my son when he was about the same age, and I was also worried about him being out and about the house. I put a baby gate up in his door on the inside so I could still close the door, but he couldn't get out. I anchored his bookshelf and dresser to the walls to alliviate my fears of tipping. I also put simple hook and eye locks high up on his closet so he couldn't open it, but I easily could. I put away all toys except books and stuffed animals to reinforce rest time. You could put your noisy toys to "sleep" in the closet if you don't have another place for them. It was a few days before he realized he could get out of the bed (I had a saftey rail up) and then a few days of falling asleep on the floor. I put him in his bed so he would wake up where he belonged. Then soon enough, he realized the bed was more comfortable than the floor and now he brings a few books into bed with him to look at until he falls asleep. Good luck!