Making the Big Move from Crib to Bed
Jennifer:
We just moved Gianna to a big girl bed about three weeks ago. We talked about it often before we made the change. We told her it would be bigger, so she’ll have more room when she sleeps and she’ll have a big cozy blanket and pillow. We also talked about kids we know that have big kid beds. That seemed help her get excited about the transition. Gianna went to the store with us and picked out the sheets and comforter she wanted out of the three choices we gave her.
We removed the crib and installed the new bed when she wasn’t there, because we sensed that she’d be worried about the crib if she saw us taking it apart. She was instantly excited when she saw the big bed in her room and she climbed up and into the covers. Since the change, we haven’t experienced any issues. She actually hasn’t gotten out during the night. If she wakes up during the night, she usually calls for us like she did in her crib. She may soon realize that she has more freedom than she did before, but we’re enjoying this time so far.
Teresa:
With both my kiddos, once they could climb out of the crib on their own, I was concerned about them falling onto the floor from the top of the crib railing. They have both used the same crib. In the interest of saving money, I got a crib that converted to a toddler bed with a short partial railing so that they could climb out and instantly touch the floor and at the same time not worry about them rolling out while they’re sleeping. I haven’t transitioned Laney to a big bed yet because she still fits in her toddled bed and her room is tiny, so I’m not sure how we’d fit a twin bed in there anyway. With Brenden, it was a pretty easy transition from the toddler bed to a twin bed. He got his twin bed and matching dresser from Santa for Christmas. We did go through the period where he’d climb out and sleep on the floor next to the door, but consistent reinforcement of sleeping in his own bed remedied the situation. Fortunately, Delaney stays in bed until she wakes up, but that may change when we first transition her to a twin bed.
