OT- Transition to Big Girl Bed!

[VeroBeachGirl]

My daughter is 20 months old. We have a new baby arriving in 2 months so it's time for her to move out of the crib and into the twin sized bed we bought for her. Any advice, tips, or insight on making this transition as easy as possible would be greatly appreciated.
FYI- Right now, she sleeps in her own room, in a crib. She goes to bed very easily on her own. (Thanks to Dr. Ferber)

 

[RumpleMom]

Both of our DD were older when we made the change. We put pillows on the floor because they will fall out at least a couple of times.

Since your DD is so young, put one side of the bed against a wall and a bed rail on the other side.

For awhile we played the game of getting out of bed because we could. That took awhile to stop.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

We had a crib that converted into a toddler bed. Plus there was a twin bed in DD's room. We would sit or lay on the twin to read bedtime stories even when she slept in the crib. When it came time to transition, I first took the drop side off the crib to make it a toddler bed. She got used to sleeping with it like that. Then I'd give her a choice of which bed to sleep in. It didn't take long before she started choosing the twin over the crib/toddler bed. I think the first time she actually slept in it was for a nap rather than overnight.

 

[deva]

This is something that I would seriously NOT rush. Two months is not that much time, 20 months is still pretty young , and a new baby and a new bed are both big changes. If she is sleeping well, do yourself a huge favor and just get another crib. The last thing you need when you have a baby up in the middle of the night is a toddler up too.

We bought my DD a big girl bed, but it sat in her room for at least 4 months before she was ready to nap in it and another few months until she was ready to sleep overnight in it. She's always been a great sleeper and I saw no reason to rush her if she was not ready.

DS was a different story. He was also a good sleeper, but he started climbing out of his crib regularly and we did not want him to get hurt, so we got him a toddler bed. It looked like a car, so he thought it was neat. We had a big bed in his room for over a year before he finally wanted to switch.

I think kids some kids are happy in small spaces (DD always curled up in the top corner of her crib and you just can't do that in a bed).

Good luck with the baby (and the bed!)

 

[sk!mom]

My advice is to wait. Get a cradle for the babies first few months. I moved both of mine at about 2 and a half and it was easy. At 30 months, they were excited, loved picking out new bedding and their new bed, and couldn't wait to sleep in it.

You're about to have a toddler and a newborn. I wouldn't mess with the toddler's good sleep habits. I'd have two cribs for several months if necessary. Sleep is that precious with little ones.

 

[Megkel]

My daughter started climbing out of her crib a few months before her 2nd birthday. We put her in a big girl's bed right away since I was too scared she would hurt herself. We bought a toddler bed instead of a twin. We made a HUGE deal about getting the big bed. We took her too pick out her new sheets and help make the bed. At night one of us lays with her (even now and she's almost 4) and we read our book. When the book is done we talk about what we are going to do tomorrow. Afterwards we tell her we have something to do in the living room but allow her to have the door open if she stays in her bed. Some nights it takes a bit longer, some nights we let her watch a movie in our bed till she falls asleep, and sometimes she just needs her back rubbed for a few minutes. I think if you can roll with it you just need to find a routine that works for you. Good Luck!

 

[mjkacmom]

My oldest was 20 months old when ds was born - we borrowed a crib, and she stayed in her crib until she was 4 (also a great sleeper - I wasn't going to mess with that). My next dd was 22 months old when my twins were born (and wasn't that fun ), and I borrowed 2 cribs for them, and she stayed in her crib until she was 4. My twins learned to climb out of their cribs at 2, so I had to put them in beds, unfortunately. Borrow a crib.

 

[WantToGoNow]

We moved my ds to a toddler bed around his 2nd birthday. I wanted the crib removed from the room long before his little sister arrived because I didn't want him to associate the crib as being "his" at all. He moved to the toddler bed without a problem and only had a couple of nights of having to put him back to bed. Then after all of that, dd spent the first 6 months in a pack-n-play in my room and then the next 6 months in a crib in my room because she refused to sleep through the night and I didn't want her waking him up in the night.

My dd moved from the crib to the bottom bunk of bunkbeds at 17 months and we had no problem with her sleeping in the bed or falling out.

 

[aidtrismommy]

I moved my son into a twin bed when he was 18 months old. I wanted him out of my room (the crib wouldn't fit in the other bedroom because I already set up 2 twin beds in there, one for him and one for his 3 year old brother) He was sleeping through the night and there was no reason why he whouldn't be in a big boy bed. It is pushed up against a wall with a bed rail on the other side. I started him off by napping him in it and letting him sleep in his crib at night. Then I moved his lovies into the twin bed and put him on it to read or play a couple times a day and explained it was his new bed for going ni-nights. After a couple weeks of that, I just put him to bed in it one night and he knew what to do. He stays in it all night, and in the morning he lets me know he is "all done." It is great to have both boys in the same room and sleeping throught the night.

 

[aidtrismommy]

I moved my son into a twin bed when he was 18 months old. I wanted him out of my room (the crib wouldn't fit in the other bedroom because I already set up 2 twin beds in there, one for him and one for his 3 year old brother) He was sleeping through the night and there was no reason why he whouldn't be in a big boy bed. It is pushed up against a wall with a bed rail on the other side. I started him off by napping him in it and letting him sleep in his crib at night. Then I moved his lovies into the twin bed and put him on it to read or play a couple times a day and explained it was his new bed for going ni-nights. After a couple weeks of that, I just put him to bed in it one night and he knew what to do. He stays in it all night, and in the morning he lets me know he is "all done." It is great to have both boys in the same room and sleeping throught the night.

 

[MSSANDRA]

If she is happy in the crib, I would NOT move her. We moved our great sleeping DS to a bed at 2 1/2 and he hated the new bed. He ended up sleeping with us for years!!! We did all the "right" things but he wanted his crib!!

It is worth the price of another crib (or borrow one) to save your sanity!!