Transitioning a toddler to a big kid bed came early at my house. Having two kids only 22 months apart and only one crib means that my toddler won the privilege of a big girl bed before many of her peers. She made the transition to her floor bed seamlessly in just a few nights so that the baby could move into the crib.
My two kids will soon be roomies, a crib grad in her big girl bed and the five month-old sleeping through the night, hallelujah! Decorating their new shared room is almost as exciting as regaining the master bedroom. I’ve been hunting for colorful cotton bedding and accessories to brighten up the small space and keep both kiddos sleeping peacefully. Urbanara has some cheerful polka dot printed bedding and fun throw pillows that at the top of my kids’ bedroom makeover wishlist. I love how easy it is to wash those pretty duvets! Anyone dealing with nighttime potty training knows how fast toddlers go through bedding.
Once you’ve got plans to move your child from a crib to a bed, whether because they’re expert crib escapees or you just plain need to oust the crib, here are a few tips that worked great. We’re working on the assumption that you’ve already purchased a big kid bed. If you haven’t, stop reading and head over to check out Oranique’s line of 100% natural fiber mattresses made in the USA-top-quality!
Introduce the bed.
Bring the big kid bed into your child’s room and let them get used to seeing it there. My daughter loved playing on her floor bed long before she ever slept on it. Let them know how fun it will be for them to sleep there and get them excited about it. Leave the bed in the room, if you’ve got space, but put your toddler to sleep in the crib for a few more nights until they’re bursting with anticipation.
Start small.
Tuck your toddler into the big kid bed for a nap. Be clear about any expectations you’ve got for big kid bed sleeping. In our case, we’ve got three:
- Stay in bed. No getting out to play.
- Underpants stay on. My little girl loves to take off her training pants at naptime.
- Go to sleep.
If your toddler is like mine, he’ll escape the bed once or twice in search of toys. Just go back in, let him know it’s nap time and put him into the crib. Sleeping in the big kid bed is a privilege. He can try again next nap.
Move In Day!
When your child has successfully napped a couple of times in the big kid bed, tuck him in to his new bed for the night. Make sure he’s comfortable. If you’re concerned he might fall out or wriggle the blankets off and get cold, leave the door ajar so you can peek inside. Pat yourself on the back. Your baby’s growing up!
Using this routine, my little girl never once hopped out of bed at nighttime and slept very well. If your tot has trouble sleeping in his new bed, give it time. All kids are different and it may just take him some more time to adjust. Hang in there. You’ll have a big kid bed dweller before you know it!
Do you have great tips for helping your toddler transition to a big kid bed? We’d love to hear them! Please share below in the comments.
Here’s to a good night’s rest to all!
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Thanks for breaking it down! I’m definitely saving this for later!
Our daughter turned 2 this month & I have been discussing making the transition with my husband who is dead set against even thinking about it. He is afraid that she will never stay in bed & be roaming the house. These are great tips. Thanks for the share.
We were a little concerned about her getting out of bed, and in fact as I’m typing this I hear my little girl in her room playing rather than napping. With a few parental visits to usher them back into bed, they get the hang of it and eventually fall asleep. If you’d like to keep your daughter in her room, you might consider closing her door and putting a baby monitor in the room so you could hear what was going on. We tend to leave the door ajar so we can peek in to see if she’s sleeping/covered/playing. Hope your little one makes a smooth transition whether sooner or later. Thank you for visiting!
My niece is transitioning right now. This is a great breakdown. If you get a chance I’d love to see this post on my linkup: http://timeforseason.blogspot.com/2014/01/my-favorite-things-saturdays-125.html
Thank you, Steph! I hope your niece and family have a peaceful experience with it and everybody gets plenty of sleep.
I have been wondering when to expect my little one to graduate up, I think it will probably be when baby number 2 (who were planning for next year) is ready for the crib, as well. Thank you for sharing these tips!
You got it, Sarah! I’m not the most experienced mom out there by a long shot, but in my two and a half years of motherhood I’ve learned that most of the things other parents warn you about (teething, potty training, bed switcheroos) aren’t nearly as cumbersome as “they” say. Hope your experience goes well too! Thank you for visiting.
We were also quite lucky and my little boy went straight from cot to bed with no problems. Kids are so adaptable and he was super excited about his ‘big boy’s bed’. Thanks for sharing with the pin it party
Yay! Isn’t it great when potential parenting obstacles end up going great?! Congrats on your little boy’s transition. Thank you so much for stopping by to visit today.
Looks like a great plan and not far from one that we do plan to use to transition Baby Boy to his own mattress before this baby arrives. I’ve had some of my own (mothering) anxiety about it, but change is good – for both/all of us, and when I’m relaxed I know the transition won’t be so terrible afterall! 🙂
You’ll be surprised at how quickly (and likely excitedly) he’ll move to a big boy bed. My daughter was really excited about it and even my son has transitioned quickly, though he was much younger when he made the move since we had to return a borrowed crib. Hope it goes well for you and congratulations on the baby. How sweet!
Love these ideas. I just moved my 2 and 3 year olds into their own beds and we tried some of these tips. They sleep in their own beds like a dream now! #MommyMondayBloghop
It’s always great to hear that the things that worked for you were also a hit with other families. Danielle, thank you so much for coming over and sharing the encouragement with other mamas. I appreciate it!
Good tips! IT is so funny because we told our little when we moved she would get to sleep in a big girl bed… and I expecting a big transition. But she took what we said seriously and said “No crib! Big girl bed!” And never sleep in her crib again. I don’t expect every other transition to be that easy 🙂
Don’t you wish potty training had happened like that? So glad to hear that your daughter took the transition to her big kid bed so well. My kids both transitioned very quickly. You know, I think the thing that worried me most about the whole deal was that they’d roll out of bed and get hurt. Thankfully, that never happened. Have a great week, Stasia. Hope to see you around again soon.
These are great suggestions! This can be such a difficult transition.
Thank you, Natasha! Glad to have your support.