Toddler bed/Potty train/Just Plain Tired

My daughter kept falling out of her toddler bed, even with the small rail that is provided. We remedied the situation by taking off the rail on one side and putting on the bigger rail that you buy for a twin size bed and put the other side of the bed against the wall. This left a small opening at the foot of the bed for her to climb in and out of and enough support to keep her in the bed while she slept. She is now 3 and we put the toddler bed back together with the regular pieces a few months ago and she is fine now. We moved her to her toddler bed at 16 months of age, but we felt that she was ready. As for the wetting in the middle of the night, I would try to either walk her to the bathroom to go or maybe try switching her over to Pull-Ups instead of diapers at night.

If she is falling out of bed then you need a higher rail. One Step Ahead sells some for toddler bed. As for the potty training have her got potty before she goes to bed and then again before you go to bed. Also resticting drinks after a certain time works but I never had the heart to tell my boys they couldn't have a drink. By 3-4 her bladder should be mature enough to make it through the night.

Good luck

well I have no suggestion for the potty training although I do know kids can still wet the bed from early childhood all the way till they are teens. it all depends on when the muscles that control the bladder completly mature.

But as for falling out of bed I do have a few suggestions. One since I don't know exactly what bed you have for her it may or may not work. the bed I have for my daughter is a 4 in one and came with two bed rails for when being a toddler bed. at walmart they got a great side pannel to put on a bed . it is white with a mesh covering. although it is meant more for like a twin bed. we had tried it out with my daughter but she still fell out because she would stand up and try to get toys.

Next I'd suggest if you don't want to do something like that try putting cushions or an old fold out couch mattress right next to her bed. thus she falls onto something soft and if she wanted to could stay asleep on it. other wise i'd just convert it back into a crib untill she moved around les or climbs out of it. so good luck on anything you try.

If she is falling out of bed that often you need to get a rail...I am not sure if they make them small enough for toddler beds because all the toddler beds I used had built in rails. Definitely worth looking into...if not try putting the mattress on the floor maybe? Falling out of bed must be quite a way to be woke up.
Lots of luck
B.
You could also make sure she pottys before she goes to bed and also limit fluid intake before bedtime

S., I can't answer you on how long the potty training takes...my kids are 4 & 6 and I still use GoodNights on them so I'm not changing bedding (LOL)...but here's a suggestion...put the toddler bed matress on the floor for the time being (then falling out of bed isn't really an issue). Do you have any of those hospital pads? You know the ones they use to keep the beds dry? Or a mattress pad that does the same thing? If not, get a couple and double make or triple make the bed...put a mattress cover down, cover it with a sheet, put another mattress cover over that, cover it with a sheet and so forth. That way, when she wets the bed you are only pulling off the top layer and the bottom layer is fresh and dry...all you have to do is provide a dry blanket. I did this when the kids were in the crib because changing cribs at 2am is NO FUN... Hope it helps.

Haven't read all the responses, but yes it happens naturally, and yes it can take a while! You and she are doing fine!

I know some people are against pull-ups, but they might help your daughter to help herself in the night, without having to wake you up. (if that's what she wants to do)

You can get rails put on the bed, try WalMart or Target maybe, shouldn't be too hard. But we never did that. Our girl fell out a few times, then learned to stay in and now she's fine.

and btw: yay natural childbirth!!!!!!

First, I'm with you I don't believe she is manipulating you because you put her back to bed & there's no problem. I wouldn't ignore her cries, either, as it doesn't sound like that type of situation. Is there a reason you moved her out of the crib? Back in the day, people left their children in cribs until they were 4 years old. I'm just saying this because of her lack of sleep now, apparently there wasn't a big problem before. There are guard rails you can get for toddler beds, which may help. Potty training at night may not come completely until she is about 3 1/2 to 4 years of age. It depends on how they are sleeping & how long they can hold it. It'll all come together, but it may take a little while. Have you cosidered a pull up just at night, for her sleep & yours? Then when she starts waking with a dry pull up you'llknow she can hold it through the night & if she wakes to go in the middle the night GREAT but if not, no big deal.

When we transitioned our son, we placed the bed against the wall and attached a temporary side rail that we got from Target. That helped him sleep more securely and he never fell out of bed.

Hi S.,

As far as your daughter wetting the bed, I would put her in pull-ups. They are so cute and look like big girl panties, and she will stay dry. My first daughter wore her pull-ups until she was 3.5 and my second until she was 4. If she does wake up in the middle of the night because she needs to go potty, she can easily take them down by herself.

As for the falling out of bed, it sounds like your little one moves around a lot while she is sleeping. My youngest does that, also. I liked the idea of putting the mattress flush to the floor. That way, if she "falls" off of it, she probably won't wake up. I did use a bed rail with my oldest, and I walked into her room one day, and she had gotten her head caught between the mattress and the railing. I think it was a Safety 1st rail, and it was installed correctly, but she tried to get off of the bed between the head board and the top of the rail when she got stuck. Fortunately, she only bruised her ear, and she was fine, but I immediately took the rail away. I tell you this because I just want you to be careful with the rails.

Good luck to you. Hopefully, you will get some rest soon.

J.

hen we moved my daughter to a toddler bed she also fell out all night. After trying many solutions we ended up putting her in a twin bed with bed rails all around. We all slept much better after that. We would have just put her back in the crib but she climbed out of her crib so it wasn't a safe option. Maybe you could have her back in the crib until she is ready to transition to the toddler bed? Whatever your decision, I hope it goes smoothly! :-)