Talk to me about switching to a big boy bed

tiffyr0se

Cole will be 2 in December.  He is starting to try to climb out of his crib, so we think it's time for a big boy bed.  I need advice!

How did you kid handle the transition?  How did you handle them getting up at night?  Did you put a baby gate on their room? (I don't want him wandering the house in the middle of the night).  Anything else I need to know?

adamsbabble

Ava handled the transition very well.  She can get out of her bed on her own, but she doesn't really unless she needs to for some reason, which is fine.  She was closer to 2.5 when we switched her at the beginning of the year.

Charlotte will be 2 in May and I have no desire to switch her at 2 or even 2.5.  She's much more adventurous than Ava, so I plan on keeping her in her crib as long as possible.  She has tried to climb out, but it was only one time and she hasn't since.  I think it scared her a little, so maybe that is why she hasn't tried again?  Anyway, if she makes a habit of it, I will get a crib tent (as much as I hate the way they look and the whole idea of it--it's a safety issue though). 

kel716

Ugh.  I would only do it if it becomes necessary for his safety.  Our transition was a rough one.  We went from going down easily for naps and bedtime to dropping naps completely and having drama nightly at bedtime for a while.

We transitioned to a toddler bed because our crib converted.  If it didn't, I'd get either a twin or a full sized bed- decide if you want to be able to lay with him or not.

Anyway, at first he refused to sleep in the toddler bed.  We would have gone back to the crib, but he wanted to climb out.  Then, I bought these, and they gave him the security he needed.  The price was right too.

So, here's a few things I learned- bedtime routines became more important than ever (down to him picking between 2 sets of pjs), and the time of bedtime is more important than ever.  Be prepared for the possibility of dropping a nap...  the newfound freedom is a big change.  At first, I stripped his room of everything (seriously, everything) other than his crib, mattress, pillow, seahorse, and a blanket.  Then he started making toys of things that were more distracting than toys itself.  Be prepared for the possibility of climbing on stuff...  dresser drawers, shelves, etc... make great ladders. Also, is the bed close to the dresser?  He could use the bed as a step stool to get to the top of another piece of furniture.  Eventually I did put back most of the stuff in his room with the exception of things he could use as a ladder.  As for keeping him in there?  We put a child lock on the inside of the door.  When he figured out how to open it, I turned the lock around and now he's still stumped. 

Also, for us, even though he wants you to lay with him, he won't fall asleep easily (takes 45-60 minutes).  Whereas if we just let him fuss in his room, he gets back in his bed within 3 minutes and is out within 15 minutes (way easier, and I can't tell you how much less stressful it is for us. 

Also, in terms of safety, we do keep the baby gate at teh top of our stairs locked at night.  Let me know if you have any other questions!  GL!

jerseygirl81

Charlie did just fine with his transition. He climbed out and slept on the floor for two nights, but after that he was ok.

He rarely gets out of bed, only when he wants to turn the light on.

tiffyr0se

Thanks for the input girls.  I'm nervous about the transition, but I'm hoping for the best.