Transitioning from Crib to Bed
“When can I transition my child from his crib to a bed?”
This is a question I’m often asked as a pediatric sleep consultant.
And the answer I like to give is “the later the better.”
Toddlers will eventually notice that they sleep in a different bed than their parents, or their older siblings, and will start to ask why.
At this point, once they’ve begun to show interest, and feel like they want to make the switch – let’s make it happen! But otherwise, I don’t want you to look at this big transition as one that must be met by a specific age or developmental point.
They will get there when they get there, and there is absolutely no harm if it happens to be later rather than sooner.
One of the main reasons I’ve seen for parents moving their babes into a bed is because they’re hoping it will solve an existing sleep issue. Maybe your toddler has gotten into the habit of wanting to climb into bed with Mom/Dad, or they’re waking up and demanding milk in the middle of the night. Maybe they’ve started becoming master escape artists and are climbing out of their crib. **
So you think that perhaps a big kid bed will help to make them feel more grown up. Maybe it will give them a feeling of security and comfort – and all those sleep issues will be resolved.
Hate to break it to you – but it doesn’t work that way.
In my time as a sleep consultant, and with all of the other consultants I network with, to my knowledge, none of us have ever seen bad sleep behavior solved by moving a baby from a crib into a bed.
There are so many priorities when it comes to your babies sleep. I would much rather you make sure that you’ve established a bedtime routine, taught independent sleep skills, and had your baby accustomed to a schedule BEFORE thinking about moving him out of his crib.
Believe me, it’s going to be a lot easier to make the transition once your kiddo is already a good, skilled sleeper.
Now, I know that some of you are ‘numbers’ people and just want me to give you an age, even if it’s just a guideline. I would say that 2½ is the earliest you want to implement this change. But again – that’s just a guideline. Later is better!
For those of you who have made sure to have a star sleeper, waited as long as you possibly could, and are now making the switch… what can you expect?
The first thing you might notice is how quickly and easily your little one makes the transition. They climb into the new bed on night one, love the new bed sheets, and sleep through the night.
So maybe you’re safe – or maybe you’re not.
Often times, there is a “honeymoon” period when it comes to the big kid bed. Kids initially think they are great, but then after a couple of weeks, the newness starts to wear off. They might wake up in the middle of the night and show up by the parent’s bedside asking to join them for the night. Or maybe they pop out of their room after lights out asking for a glass of water (or to use the bathroom).
You may be tempted to comply with any request, but I strongly suggest you put an early and swift end to this ASAP. If your child starts leaving their room at any point, walk them back, tell them it is not allowed, and let them know what the consequence will be if they do it again.
Regardless of how innocent/sweet their request may be, or how easy it will be to comply – DO NOT GIVE IN. I know it sounds harsh, but if you don’t make it clear that it is not allowed, you may unleash a whole new set of problems that you’ll have to deal with for months.
The best consequence I know for this is to close your child’s bedroom door all the way, and to keep it closed for a full minute on the first offence. If your child leaves the room again, make it 2 minutes. Then five, and so on.
If closing their door does not work as a consequence, you can change it to taking their lovie, or another item that they connect with (one family I know took away their sons night light). Just be sure to give the item back after time is up!
**I have to throw in a disclaimer that if your little babe is a master at climbing out of the crib, our first priority is always their safety. So if they are doing this in a dangerous way and there is possible harm that could occur, we have to address this. But let’s make sure that you’ve tried out different ways of keeping them in the crib first! Remember that switching them to a bed too early will stop the climbing, but may lead to a new set of problems!