Moving 2 Yr Old into Toddler Bed. Suggestions?

Well, it might be kind of tricky since there will be another crib in the room with her, but when I transitioned my twins out of the crib, I made it sound like it was a good thing. I didn't let on it any way that it might be hard for them, I made it a cool thing. (Like getting to go to McDonalds the first time, cuz now your big enough). "How cool, it's time for a big kid bed, you're so lucky!" Then I had them "help" me take the crib apart and put together the new bed, let them pick out the sheets I was going to buy etc. Maybe talk about how jealous her sister will be...that kind of thing. Mine never had any issue with a change in sleep pattern, I did use those rails for safety and that made it a bit tricky to get out of the bed so I told them they had to call for me if they wanted to get out so that they didn't get hurt or knock the railings down. That was that. They never climbed out, not once. Good luck ~ D.

Hi!
we moved our toddler son to his bed at 19 months because he was climbing in not out. he also shares a room with his baby sister and i wasn't sure if he would wake her up or not. We kept his bed in the same location in his room as his crib was. the first two weeks were great! then he realized he could get out of bed when he wanted mama at night. then he realized he could get up to watch tv at 5:30am. i let this slide for a bit cuz i was so tired from being yp with my 5 month old at night and with him coming in. to help hin combat fears, we bought him an aquarium mobile...the kind that strap onto bed and just light up and play music...it came with a remote so "i could turn on from the door" but i gave that to him...put him in control of it. we also let him take books to bed to look at...did this with his crib too! and to make it special we let him take his football or a car to bed. bur "if mommie or daddie has to come in here because you are out of bed we will take your ______ away" we also learned that we had to shut his bedroom door tight and cover the key hole....he would see the light and NEED to know what was. going on. i now have energy to put hin back in bed in the morning...he usually falls right a sleep and doesnt wake his sister up(6 months now). they do very well in there together. good luck

The twin bed worked well for us. Our son was tall and didn't have enough room to move in the daybed-style toddler bed that his crib transitioned to. I recommend getting one of those mesh railings to keep them from rolling off, and perhaps even putting a step stool at the foot of the bed so she can get in and out herself (or just putting the mattress right on the floor). We had better luck with the railings that had arms/hooks that went all the way across/under the mattress, as opposed to the ones with short little arms that just stuck under (my son could flip those off). What also helped is that for bedtime, we laid down with him to say prayers and talk before saying goodnight, as a way of easing him into his new little "nest." I thought it was kind of neat that I could snuggle in for a little bit since we never had him sleep in our bed...it was a little taste of what co-sleeping wold have felt like, and it was only for minutes at a time when he was really cuddly.

We moved our son to a bed when he was 20 months old. By then, he was finally a good sleeper. He didn't have any sleep disturbances and he actually stayed in bed on his own. We just put up the bed and brought him in to see it and made a big deal about it. He's 28 months old and still waits for us to get him out of bed. He's never tried climbing in his baby brother's bed (who's now 8 months old) and only recently started acknowledging that he knows where the baby sleeps. (They share a room as well).

I suggest just making the move. If you want, bring him to pick out his bed. If he does have any sleep disturbances it will proabably be short term, but since he's such a good sleeper now, I would guess you won't have many issues. I would continue your normal routine at night and that will probably help too.

I am the mother of 3 boys, aged 11 to 4. I have been in this posistion even more because I also run a home daycare. My BEST advice is NO TODDLER BED! If you want to encourage your child to grow up and sleep like the "big Kids" (same as potty training) you need to explain that getting a big kid bed is a reward for growing up so fast and believe me and your childs age it will work, get your child involved in the transistion by looking thru magazines, and mall walking, looking for a new bed, bedding, maybe some redecorating to help your child feel that this is THIER decision and not what mom and dad said has to be done. The other thing about a toddler bed is that it is the same size as a baby crib, and very unsafe and unsupportive in your child's body growth. Using the matteress your baby has slept on for two years that is no more than 6 inches thickness should tell you it is worn out. Your child will feel more secure being in a real bed, I recommend just going with a twin size, this really worked for me with my two youngest sharing a room while one was an infant and one a toddler. I hope this helps, just remember to let your little one be involved.

I am in the same boat as you, with a two year old climbing out of his crib. We actually just ordered a twin bed and will transition my son in to that within the next couple of days - we thought we'd skip the toddler bed. Recently, we've had him fall asleep in other beds and then move him in to his crib to hopefully start him off getting used to his big boy bed. Make a big deal out of the transition; we're hoping that'll help. If you have any suggestions for us; let me know! Hope this helps. Good luck to us both!