Transition from Crib to Bed - Broomfield,CO

Something that works with our kids is to give them plenty of warning whenever something big is about to change. I found that if we give them plenty of time to process it they handle change much better. Start talking to her about it now. Tell her how her bed will change, why you are going to change it, etc etc. If she gets upset tell her you aren't doing it today.
Then discuss it again briefly every few days. This still works with our kids and they are 5&8. They are usually upset at first and by the time we do it, we have talked about it so many times and they are fine with it. Switching rooms was big for our son as well as giving up his crib but he handled both really well.

I have a child like your daughter, he hates anything to change and likes everything a certain way. All I did with him is talk up for a week about being a big boy and finally getting a big boy bed like mommy and daddy and his older brother. After a few days he was super excited, it just took a while to convince him it was a good thing.

None of my kids lasted in the convertible bed, after a week or two I just got them their full size bed. With my picky one, I didn't want to transition him twice so I just moved him right into his permanent big bed.

I am with you on the locking kids in their room and such, I just do not like the idea. I do however have a nighttime wanderer. My 2 year old daughter loves to get up at night, get out of bed and wander around. It drives me crazy, but the good news is the house is dark so she doesn't venture from her room. Just keep every thing dark in the house and she won't go anywhere.

With my daughter, we just let her get up and mess around instead of fighting it. Believe me, over time it happens less and less because they get tired. Just stick to your schedules and your daughter will do fine. You will probably lose sleep and spring break is the a great time to get over the hump but it isn't that bad.

Good luck!

P.S. If your daughter is not peeing in her sleep you probably won't have a problem with her at night. If she does every have an accident, she will probably freak out and it will never happen again.

Okay, well, my son is similar to your daughter, he LOVED his crib, stayed in until he was 4 and we basically said enough, we were moving our older daughter into a double bed and wanted to make 1 change, so move him at the same time into a twin bed. He wasn't happy for a few months although we talked it up about a big boy bed.

What you are saying is that you are going to make 2 changes at once? That might be rough given your daughters personality. Since she is staying dry at naps and bedtime, just get rid of the diapers for now. Wait a month or two and then convert the crib.

Sounds a lot like the situation we were inMy DD is 3.5 and loved her crib too and she gets pretty set in her routines! I even posted on here about trying to get her out of it, if you care to read it, and the responses, and see if it helps:

http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/5050458149031641089

What ended up happening was we went on vacation for 2 weeks and she had no other choice but a twin bed to sleep in. She did great! So when we got back, we just took the side of the crib off to make it into a toddler bed, and told her since she did so well sleeping in a big girl bed it was time for her to have a big girl bed at home too. We have not had any problems with her falling out or wandering out of her room, but she was never one to do that in the first place (she had been climbing in and out of the crib on her own for quite some time already).

I would just tell her that this is how big girls sleep, put the gate up where it needs to be, get an extra lock for the front door, and be prepared for some tears. She should still be able to come get you guys if she feels the need (our DD does this once in a while, and just decides she wants to cuddle in bed with us early in the morning) but you will all get through it. If she keeps getting out, just keep putting her back in - don't talk to her or engage her in any way, just keep putting her back in and tell her no, it's time to sleep in her bed. I'm starting to realize with our DD that making changes might be a hassle at first, but more often than not, they end up going much more smoothly than I anticipated. Hopefully for you guys it will be the same thing and it won't be as much of an issue than you think it's going to be.

Well yes, you should resign yourself to no/little sleep for a while! I agree with SK about preparing her with "the talk"! ;) At least this "talk" is less scary than the OTHER one! haha! Anyway, there are some kids who do wander the house, but for the most part I think she'll probably just come into your room, so I wouldn't worry too much about the freedom part. Prepare her as best as possible and I think converting her crib will be the best since she's so attached to it. I would do everything gradually since she's resistant to change. My daughter is too, so I get it. We have a lot of talks about change around here, and I will tell you that she is better than she was this time last year, so hang in there!

My son sounds a lot like your daughter and we were prepared for sleepless nights too- but it didn't happen!

My mom suggested this and it may have been a coincidence, but it worked- take her out and let her pick-out new "big girl" bedding. We seriously spent 45 minutes in Target letting him pick-out his new bedding and he was so excited to sleep on his Buzz Lightyear sheets that it wasn't an issue.

We put a gate in the hallway so that he couldn't access the stairs, bathrooms or the main living space (ranch style), but could get to us if needed. Honestly, he's been fine and loves it.

Make it "fun" and don't make a huge deal out of it. If you stress and make it seem like a "trauma", then she'll see it that way too!

We converted our daughters bed to a toddler bed by taking the side off. Teach her to come to you if she needs something I'd still pardon off the rest of the house especially kitchen. Can you put in one of those hotel bars for the front door. Can you put a little potty in her room at night? Is she upstairs.