When Did You Move a Toddler into a Toddler Bed And/or Full Size Bed

My daughter will be 3 in one week and we're barely moving her to her own bed. I think your daughter is much too young to be in her own bed. Looks like the company you had got her spoiled to a lot of attention and she's out of whack in regard to her normal sleeping routines and schedules. Do what you did before Christmas. If she cries, let her. She needs to know that things need to go back to the way they were before your company came. She'll eventually get back into routine if you enforce how it was done before. If you cater to her every whim (by staying in her room till she's asleep or letting her sleep with you) you'll create a nightmare that will be hard to break later. Stick to it and get her back on track. Don't give in. Good luck.

Hi D.,

When I moved my son into his todler bed, I had the same issues.. In fact what he was doing turned out to be quite dangerous to him. I would stand at the end of the hallway and watch him until he fell asleep. I would leave the hall light on and I would make sure that he could hear my voice as I talked with his dad. But we made sure to not be in his room.

The more you accomodate your little one, the more they get away with. It sounds like the schedule/routine got a bit jumbled over the holiday and it shouldnt take much more than a week or so to get it back on track.

I recommend that you let her know that you are close by, but not in the room.. You could be starting a very bad habit that will become more difficult to break later.

It sounds like you have a WONDERFUL family!
One more thing.. Yousaid that she likes to move around a lot.. There are bed-side gurads that you can get.. That will atleast keep her from falling out during the night. How long has she been in this style of bed? If she is feeling a bit insecure, the guards may help her adjust.

J.

Hi D.-
Don't think about moving your daughter into a 'big'bed until she is feeling much more secure about sleeping alone. Where did she sleep while you had company? That is probably where she wants to continue sleeping. She is unsure that she is secure, and that you will be there when she wakes up. I personally am amazed that she went down so well for so long (:-)) All children need consistency, so probably, you'll have to continue the routine you are doing for a bit. The other thing is that she may be going through a 'monster' phase. If someone slept in her room, for example, she may have been terrified by noises, etc., that she wasn't used to. You may wish to locate some of the monster storybooks for children, and work them into her bedtime routine so that she knows that her fears are normal, and can be overcome.

All that said, when you buy her her 'big bed', just make sure it is low to the ground, or has sides which can be pulled up to keep her from falling out.

Hope it helps- S.

We had to move our oldest at 18mo because he kept climbing out. We bought him side rails for a twin bed that had no boxspring so it was lower. Our 2nd is now 18mo and starting to try to climb out of bed so we're having to be quicker getting in there. I'm hoping he stays longer but we'll move him if not. Our oldest stayed in his big boy bed all night until he was about 2 1/2 when he realized we were still up and he wanted to join us.

Our kids moved to the toddler beds (uses a crib mattress, is low to the ground and has side rails) when they were around 2 years old. We never had a problem with them falling out. I was more concerned with them getting out of bed and wandering down the hall and falling down the stairs half sleepy. So, we put up a tension gate in her doorway during naps and at bedtime. Sounds like she's gotten into a bad habit of not falling asleep on her own. Better to go into her room, tell her to go back to sleep and leave the room, if it continues, wait 5 min before going back in, next time wait 10 min...adding 5 min each time before going back in. It would take us about a week to get back on track, but it always worked.

We put our kids in a big girl/big boy bed at 18 months and 16 months. They stayed in just fine and I think moving them so early, they never even thought about getting out.
Since they were moved early on, we never went through the phase of having to stay in their room till they go to sleep. It just sounds like the commotion of the holidays has interrupted her cycle. Give it a few weeks of gradually putting the stool closer and closer to the door. Then you can have the stool outside the door. Personally, I recommend not moving her in her bed till she is used to sleeping through the night again. A big girl bed might be too much right now with her new "phase."
Good luck.

Wait as slong as you can....especially if she is wanting out of ehr crib right now. As long as she is not trying to crawl out of the crib or anything, keep her in there until at least 2 1/2. She will be coming in and trying to get to bed with you all the time, and her sleep will lessen--my duaghter was sleeping 7:30p to 9a before we moved her, now is between 7:30 and 8 until 6 am. As soon as she wakes she is up, wehereas in her crib she may have woken, then went back to sleep. It is normal to have to readjust sleep routines, etc after being out of routine for the holidays.