Although their personality differences don't affect some things, there have been other aspects where the disparities cause me to make one parenting decision for one and not the other. The prime example right now?
Yep, the baby crib.Big Sister E made the move from her crib to a toddler bed a few months before she turned 2. She was plenty ready and understood that, just because she wasn't confined, she still needed to lay down and go to sleep when it was bedtime.
The transition couldn't have gone smoother and, with Little Sister B's due date a few months away, we didn't have a single problem getting Big Sister E to understand that baby cribs were for babies and she was now a big girl.
Seeing as we had looked at convertible cribs before she was born but had decided to go with one that didn't change, that meant that we didn't need to purchase a second crib, we just moved it from one bedroom to the other and were completely prepared for our next little girl's arrival.
And now that Little Sister B is a happy, energetic, 2½-year-old, she has already been in a crib at least 6 or 8 months longer than Big Sister E ever was. But... the idea of having to put her back into bed over and over again at naptime or bedtime makes me tired just thinking about it. She'll be out climbing on things in her room and pulling her clothes out of her drawers in no time and I'll spend the cherished moments that should be quiet and relaxing having to "redirect" her back to bed.
So, what do I do? We've got this all ready for her:
But at this rate she's not going to ever get to sleep in it, since I'll keep her in a crib until she is too tall to fit in a toddler bed. At some point I'll just have to take the leap and go for it, right? And just hope that she's mature enough and can handle the transition?If your child slept in a crib, how old were they when you moved them to a bed? Was the switch a difficult or easy one for everyone?
(This is a sponsored post, but the words are all mine. Right now I have plans to keep Little Sister B in a crib until she goes away to college!)
7 comments:
Abby was around 3 years old. She actually climbed out of her crib and fell. She said it was a bad crib and that she wanted a bed. She helped me take it apart and we put the mattress on her floor. We got her a twin mattress the next day.
Hayden is 3 and we still haven't made the move to a big boy bed! He's so happy in there and hasn't tried to get out. I'm not sure when we will make the big move!
My daughter is 2 and we'll be converting her crib some time this summer. Baby #2 is due in October, and I'm hoping a big girl bed will help her feel more grown up and independent when her sibling arrives.
We made the move to a toddler bed with my daughter at 18 months. She was a good sleeper, and in a matter of days, she figured out real quick that the bed was much more comfortable than the floor (she'd curl up by the door, wanting to come out, and eventually fall asleep there). My son will be 2 in just under 3 weeks and he's still in his crib. I'm terrified to make the leap. With Addison, she was ready and so was I. Will Cullen, I would leave him in his crib until college if I could. I know it's about time, but mama's just not ready!
Jamie @ www.mamamommymom.com
We've been trying to get our son to sleep in his toddler bed but he keeps trying to come out of his room to sleep on the couch. I guess it was a mistake to let him nap on the couch during the day. Oops! I think I'm going to have to sleep on his bedroom floor to make sure he stays put. I'm not doing so hot with the switch at all. I wish you better luck! :)
My oldest moved to a toddler bed when he was about 2 months shy of being 2.5. The timing was great because his little brother arrived two months later (4 weeks early).
The only problem we had was him rolling and falling out so we took a standard crib bumper and tied it to the toddler bed rails as you would a crib and it worked great. It kept him from falling out but he was still able to get out on his own. I did not use the bumper in the crib due to suffocation/climbing out risks but I am glad I hung onto it!
Both of my boys were about 2 when we made the switch. We would put them in bed and shut the door. With my oldest, he would cry and fall asleep with his face scrunched against the crack in the door. Finally, we realized that if we left the door open, he would willingly sleep in his bed. With our youngest, he will slam the door shut if we try leaving it open, and then he will happily lie down in his bed and go to sleep. It really depends on the child. Good luck :)
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