Transition to Bed

Amanda - posted on 11/09/2010

My daughter was starting to climb out of her crib so we changed it into a toddler bed about 2 months ago. We made a big deal about it being a "big girl bed" and she was really excited to sleep in it. She usually climbs in bed herself, and goes right to sleep. We close her door when she goes down, and she don't try to get out until the next morning. We still have pillows on the floor just in case. She was all over her crib when she slept in it, but she's only fell out of bed once. Good Luck!!

Kristen - posted on 10/27/2010

we just moved abbi into her toddler bed because she climbed out of her crib last week for the first time. we have to rub abbis head for her to fall asleep. 2 nights ago she fell out of her bed twice in one night. last night she didnt fall out at all. but she does like to get up early now and play while we aer all still sleeping.

Geraldine - posted on 10/27/2010

We moved Tom (who is 18 months) about 2 months ago and from night 1 he was brilliant! Think he was ready to make the move as was getting cramped in his cot as he moves about quite a bit. He loves his new room and little bed, he has his toys, books and posters in there and it is his little room. He has a long pillow on the wall side and a rail that runs down the other side of the bed to stop him from falling out. He does sometimes wander into us first thing in the morning but we have a baby gate at the top of the stairs for safety so he just gets into our bed for snuggles. It was the best thing we did because when he was in his cot in our room I think we always disturbed him when we went to bed.

Melissa - posted on 10/25/2010

I started with a bed time routine, then i took down his crib well he was up so he seen the crib was going bye bye and his new bed was in :) I also got him a kid friendly bed. A little tikes buzzlight year bed so that helped cause he loved it.He grabed his blankets and pillows and layed down. He has been in a bed now for four months or so.

Karmi - posted on 10/25/2010

I just recently transitioned my 20 month old son about 2 1/2 weeks ago. I started a new rountine or settling him down with books and music before he goes to bed. So far it has worked out great and he seems to be adjusting well. Of course he still gets up during the night once or twice, but that is expected. I would say to keep the crib in the room for a little while just so he can learn to transition better or if he gets scared of his new bed. I did that with my son for about 5 days and then it was pointless because he never wanted back in his crib again. He thinks it is great that he has a big boy bed!

Rachel - posted on 10/25/2010

My son was so desperate to get out of his playpen that he started to hurt himself & climb out, he would then climb onto the big bed & lie down. We decided then that he was ready to make the move. We had a bit of a hard time keeping him in his bed, but decided to move all the toys into another room. He now stays in bed once put there & doesn't get out unil we go into his room to get him in the morning.

Stephanie - posted on 10/25/2010

My son has been in a toddler bed since 1 week after his 1st birthday... and he has only fallen out once. You just have to try it and see!

Belinda - posted on 10/24/2010

my son is still in a cot purely because he sleeps perfectly in it. we tried him in a bed but he would wake during the night screaming under the bed, not hurt just lost.so he went back into the cot afterthe 3rd night. The bed is still in his room, when he shows interest then i will move him. My 2 girls went in a bed at 16months and it was a pain in the bum. they got up all the time and a had to sleep with them to put them to sleep. wont be doing that again. Love the crib! hehehe.

Kimberly - posted on 10/24/2010

Also yes, please make sure furniture and TVS are strapped for safety, and that cabinets are locked or remove dangerous items from them. If they are climbing out of cribs they can also climb on a dresser (in the drawers) and it could topple over on them!

Kimberly - posted on 10/24/2010

I have not tried yet. My son sleeps beautifully in his crib and has never tried to climb out so I have no intention of starting a toddler bed anytime soon. He moves a TON so it going to be interesting when he moves to a bed. I have these bed rails that my SIL reccomended. They have a toddler one for $12.99. It really is an investment for their safety and something you are probably going to need. Or like someone suggested, look on craigslist or even thrift stores.

http://www.gobedbug.com/GOPAGES/products...

Michaela - posted on 10/24/2010

my son has been sleeping in his toddler bed for a month now and he loves it, it is hard to find bed guards for toddler beds so i just used a double quilt and folded it n laid it next to the bed just in case he fell out which he hasn't done once, usually before bed i have a routine of play, bath, story, brush teeth and bed and i havnt had any probs with him playing with his toys when he is supposed to sleep which is what i thought would happen

Andrea - posted on 10/23/2010

My son start sleeping in a toddler bed about 4 months ago and he is doing great ..at the beginning we put a mattress close to his bed just in case for an accident

Katherine - posted on 10/22/2010

I switched my daughter to her toddler bed about 3 months ago, i tried a few times before that but had her crib up still but when i finally took that down she took to the toddler bed pretty amazing, i first set it up and let her play in it and let her take naps in it and stuff before a nighttime duo, which turned out great and i was worried about her falling out... she has fallen out once, and she is a very VERY "busy" sleeper... always moving around and switching positions and such... .

is the bed you got a toddler bed or an actual bed?

Vanessa - posted on 10/22/2010

My daughter has slept in her bed from 18 months, we purely done it as we had another baby on the way and didnt want her to think we was moving her to make way for the new baby. When we first moved her she would be up and down so then we would go in without saying a word put her back and walk out which clearly worked on her as she now sleeps from 7-8 and doesnt get up once, im really pleased she has done so well plus she now knows the cot as baby's bed :-) if you cant get bedguards put loads of pillows, quilts on the floor thats what we are doing now as we have taken the bedguard away. X

Jennafer - posted on 10/21/2010

My daughter has been sleeping in her own bed for almost 2 months now, but we spent about 4 months getting her ready for it, by putting her in it just for nap time. At night I put her to sleep with me (because up until now she has always slept with me) then I put her in her bed. At first it was hard, she got up about 4 in the morning every night screaming for me, and I would put her back to sleep then put her back in her bed. Now I can lay her in her bed and lay next to her til she falls asleep and she will sleep the whole night. You just have to be persistent, patient, and it helps to not even try to lay them down until they are ready to go to sleep. Maybe just let him play on the floor for a little bit until he tires down and then try to lay him down? I don't know if this helped or not, every child is different, good luck!

Cory - posted on 10/21/2010

I just put a mattress on the floor. She's not too great for going to bed on her own and would sometimes cry in the crib for 10-15 mins before going to sleep. Now she wanders around her room for a bit, but before long, I'll go up and find her sleeping sideway on the mattress on the floor. Have your bedtime routine and he'll get used to it. If he plays in the crib for awhile, he'll probably play in his room, but he'll go to sleep when he's tired!

Mellisa - posted on 10/21/2010

My Daughter is 20mths and she has been in her bed for about 2-3mths now, I wasnt sure how she would go as i had try the bed a few times prior which just didnt work she can reach the door handle so would open the door and come out and would fall out of the bed as she is one of these children that uses the whole cot LOL,then she just refused to go in it, so we lefted it for awhile, we brought a gate for the door and a rail for the bed and tryed again a few mths later the first time we found her asleep in the wardrove ,and the times after that she would play but then put herself back in bed and goes to sleep we havent looked back, but i must say we have had it alittle easy as she is not a cryer/sreamer she just plays then sleeps, all children are different,,and i have one rule when it is bed time they go in there rooms and dont came out till morning, my older 2 kids were shockers as they would scream and kick the door and walls ect,but when they went in they didn't come out no matter how much noise they made.

Laura - posted on 10/21/2010

hi dawn, im abit funny about shutting the door because my friend had a problem the other week with her little boy. she shut the door because she hadnt bought a gate to fit his door at the time so she shut it. when she went up to check on him before she went to bed she couldnt get in his room he had got out of bed and fallen asleep behind te door so she couldnt get the door open. i suppose kids are quite heavy when they are asleep luckily his bedroom window was open so they had to go round and climb through the window to move him. she was gonna just leave it until he moved himself but then you worry dont you, if you havnt checked on them for a while are they ok. just be careful with closing the door

Dawn - posted on 10/20/2010

My 20 month old son is perfectly happy in his crib and has never attempted an escape, so we are sticking with the crib for now. We also have a twin bed in his room, so when it is time, that is where he will sleep....I am thinking blankets, pillows and all his stuffed animals (one is a HUGE floor pillow horse!) will work as a rail around the bed. I will put a gate up at his door or close it. I am interested to see how my son takes to the change!! Reading all these responses has been great...I think there is alot of good advice to use here. @ Brandy - what a great visual of your little girl talking into her monitor...precious!

Laura - posted on 10/20/2010

i have twin boys now 19 months and they share a room i was really nervous about putting them in beds because i knew they would play up but they have been in beds since 12 months and have the odd night where they get out and play but majority of the time they get straight into there beds themselves and straight off. i just have a stairgate on the door now so they know we are still there in the house they really enjoy it and they can get out of bed in the morning and play nicely with each other until i get up.

Laura - posted on 10/19/2010

My baby started sleeping in a toddler bed two months ago when he was 18 months. Our problem was space. He sleeps with my husband and I in the same room and he didn't fit anymore in a travel crib and used to climb out of it, so we had to change him to a bed. What really helps me was that he has a very punctual bedtime routine: at 7:30 he drinks his milk watching tv in the living room, at 8:00 we brush teeth, go to the room, put pajamas on, read a book, put classical music and at 8:30 he is almost asleep.

Other thing that helps is making a lot of noise about his new bed. We take our boy to buy his bed and, believe it or not, at his 18 months, he was "testing" the bed. When my husband brought it home we almost made a party so he was very exited to sleep in it.

He fell down 2 or 3 times, but he learned. Your son will be fine. Good luck!

Jackie - posted on 10/19/2010

I put my daughter in a bed at around 12mnths, i put a duvet folded up at the side of her bed on the floor in case she fell out(she did once), but then got the idea. She now gets out of bed to play now n again, but i just go up put her back into bed and says its bed time good night afer 2-3 times of doin this she stays in her bed n goes 2 sleep.

Blu - posted on 10/18/2010

Yea Brandy. Wakes me up with a smile. Im in school and half the time I go to bed around 2am. She wakes up at about 7:30am so if she isnt up Im usually not. When she couldnt talk she would go "Ahh" and then wait for me to respond. Sometimes I find her at the door saying "Mommy?"

Brandy - posted on 10/18/2010

to blu, dont you just love that? its so funny the way they knock on the doors and walls. at one point jenna figured out if she talked into her moniter i could hear her she would pull it down from her table and say mommy up, and i would go into her room and she would be sitting on the floor talking to it lol it cracks me up.

Blu - posted on 10/18/2010

What Brady said is true. If the child has their own room make sure it is safe enough for them to be in there by themselves. I keep my daughter's room door closed at night bc we have alot of computer/game consoles and I know she'd quietly play with those if it wasnt. She will wake up in the morning and turn her tv on (I keep it on the sprout channel) and play with her toys. Sometimes she will yells "Hello" or knock on the wall to let me know she is up

Blu - posted on 10/18/2010

Look for guard rails on Craiglist. You have fond them free or as little as $8 depending on where you live.

My daughter has been sleeping on a fill size bed with a long rail since she was about 11-12mos (currently 20). Id rather her have a toddler bed but her room sometimes become a guest room.
It all depends. When we put Zo in bed there is no playing. Even when she was put in her crib it was time to sleep. I play[ed] with her before she got in bed and then we will have at least 10 ins of quiet time. When we put her in her crib there was no toys so she got used to that schedual. Now her bed has stuff animals lining the wall but the only time I have an issue with that is at nap time.

Good luck

Jamela - posted on 10/18/2010

I started this transition about 2 weeks ago and it is not an easy one we have to lock him in his room so he understands that it is bed time. some nights are easier than others and he goes to bed alone and that is all it takes. But if you start do not go back to the crib. he enjoys begining able to get up in the morning and come in the living room and say hi. he has not fallen out of the bed. I say start on a Friday night and try sleeping on the floor in his room while he sleeps in the bed.. good luck

Karen - posted on 10/17/2010

My son has decided himself that he wanted to sleep in the 'big bed' so it was easy for me, and a bit sad too. He is 20 months and has been in the big bed for just over a week. He just layed in it and went to sleep i was stunned that he didnt keep getting out. If i have to stay with him to go to sleep i just sit on his bedsise table and he usually goes to sleep in 5 mins sometimes more. No special tricks just luck i think. On the down side he is a constant night waker so i usually end up in with him which i am getting fed up with. His bed is the top half of a bunk so it has the rails around it which is great and my daughter has the bottom half in her room. He used to climb out of his cot but fell a couple of times doing so and that seemed to get the message through that it wasnt such a great idea. Theres no hard and fast rule really just do what feels right at the time and if it doesnt work out then you try something else. My daughter never had a side rail we just put one side against the wall and i would put big pillows on the floor on the other side she did fall out a few times but i would just pick her up and pop her back into bed and she'd be fine. A sheet sideways so there is plenty to tuck in might be an idea. Good luck!

Kate - posted on 10/17/2010

My god not had to lower the mattress????? My boy made his first bid for freedom at 5 months! I am having another baby in April. I am goin to take the side off the cot bed around Christmas. He can already get out anyway even though it has super high sides, he is a monkey boy. I think we will be using a small barrier at the start. Mine was second hand from ebay. I won't be putting him into a proper bed until the baby is ready to use the cot. I think maybe trying to get a different routine sorted that makes bed time sleep time rather than associating it with play - play outside the cot so as soon as he goes in it he knows it is time to sleep.

Lisa - posted on 10/17/2010

We had to put our son in a full size bed before he was 1. At 10 months old he'd climb out of his crib and got really hurt the one time. We started with a toddler bed, but that didn;t go so well. He's a restless sleeper and would get stuck in the slts of te head and foot boards. He did great soon as he went into his big bed. We have it pushed againt the wall and don;'t even use side rails. To get him to sleep we have a bed time routine and I lay with him for about 20 minutes until he passes out cold. This stopped the playing problem for me. Also, if he's having a hard time going to sleep I let him watch the discover channel with me until he falls asleep, move him to bed and it's a sound night of sleeping. Good luck.

Michelle - posted on 10/17/2010

my son is 20 month now and has been in his toddler bed for about 2 months now..we bought a bed for my sons half brother(his mom said he slept in a bed at her house..she didnt mention it was her bed with her)..so one night i was watching tv wit my son and my son gets up and runs to his the toddler bed..i let him stay in it and he only woke up once..the next day i changed his crib into a toddler bed and now when his brother isnt he gets to pick which bed to sleep in. he loves it

Melissa - posted on 10/16/2010

Each child is different. My first slept get in his toddler bed on the first night. We had taken him to his cousins to sleep over when he was a year old and he slept right next to hr bed so he could see how big kids sleep. So when he was ready he would see how to be a big boy. At 1 year 2 months he fell out of his crib and was put into his big boy bed and slept great. Now my 19 month old is still in his crib and has no intrest to leave it yet. But when the tie comes I will put his crib mattress on the floor for the first couple of nights and then put it on the toddler bed after that. I hope that my second son will do as good as my first did with a big boy bed.

Brandy - posted on 10/13/2010

wow, i am shocked because jenna was trying to get out of her crib last december! she was waaay to little for a toddler bed so i had to put her to sleep in her play yard she started sleeping in a toddler bed around july. i was so nervous about her getting out of bed, until i saw some people on tv talking to a child expert of some sort. the lady said that once the child is transitioned to a bed their room becomes their crib because they WILL get out of bed, so you have to make sure that the room is safe for them to be alone in, which makes alot of sense. so i moved jennas dresser to my room and made sure everything was safe and i set up her bed, i also have a used free bed without rails so i moved the bed away from the wall so she wouldnt get caught inbetween and i put pillows and stuffed animals around her bed as an extra precaution. the only thing that was super hard for me was getting her to sleep. the first night i did our bed time routine and i tried to lay her down and she cried so i tried laying with her, i tried rocking her, i tried putting her back in bed over and over and nothing worked, my mom came over and tried patting her for an hour, finally after about 4 hours, i put her back in bed one last time kissed her and i shut the door and put up the gate. she screamed and i sat in the hallway and cried and after about 10 mins, she stopped crying and finally went to sleep! the next night, i put her to bed and closed the door within 10 minutes she was asleep! now when i put her to bed sometimes i hear her playing in the dark but then she always climbs in bed and goes to sleep and in the mornings she plays in her room so i get to sleep in! until i hear her on her moniter saying mom and knocking on her door lol. i know its scary at first but its liberating for us moms and i really think it makes them feel more independent. good luck :)

Crystal - posted on 10/12/2010

I would establish a bedtime routine like getting into jammies, brushing teeth, and reading a couple of books first. My son just started sleeping in his own bed. We got him a twin bed with a side rail. He has always co-slept with me so I have been laying down with him until he falls asleep then getting up and going into my own bed. he sleeps through the night fine. I think every kid is different and you just have to find what works. good luck!

http://www.tamingwildangels.blogspot.com...

Bethany - posted on 10/12/2010

I keep thinking about it, but I don't really need to, Charlotte sleeps all over her cot, she'd be out on the floor if I took the side of it off. We still have the matress up on the high setting, and the guard rail down. When she wakes she just sits and plays with her teddy or calls out for me. Not much of a climber or escape artist.

We are going away for christmas for a week, and she'll be sleeping in beds then, so at the beginning of December, I'm going to drop her matress down and take the side off, to make the "toddler bed" and get her used to avoiding the edge, but I think that can't be taught without her just experiencing what happens if you go over the edge, so I'll put some padding on the floor. Then when we get back from the trip, we'll see. She has a single bed in her room already (my old one) so she can just sleep in that, or the toddler bed, we'll see what she prefers then. She doesn't have any toys in her room really, except special ones up on a shelf, but I'm sure she'd find something to do when she woke up and could get out of bed.