Crib to Bed Transition
I was so terrified of the crib to bed transition that I put it off as long as I possibly could and did literally everything in my power to keep Landen in his crib until adulthood. In the end, the transition wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and I think that’s due to a number of factors and routines that were put into place before the transition, and the fact that I put it off as long as I possibly could.
When to transition:
You really should wait as long as possible to transition. Before age 3, kids are not developmentally ready to understand that they need to stay in their bed at night. 3 is not a turning point though. Every kid is different and there will likely be challenges with the transition no matter what age it happens. In this case, the older the better! Landen was definitely closer to age 4 when he transitioned, and I know kids who were 4.5!
What if your kid climbs out of the crib before age 3 though?
This is a safety issue, and usually means it’s time to transition. However, there are things you can do to prevent this from happening.
Sleep sacks! Sleep sacks are amazing for so many reasons, but one of them is that it makes it more difficult to climb out of the crib.
If your crib has a high side and a low side, put the low side against the wall. It’ll be harder to climb over the high side!
Pack n plays and travel cribs are harder to climb out of because those little toddler feed slide down the mesh sides making it more difficult to get a good grip.
If all else fails, you will have to make the transition, but keep reading for tips to make this easier!
What if a baby sibling is coming and needs the crib?
Many people choose this time to transition because they don’t want to buy another crib. If this is an absolute must for your family, then keep reading for tips to make this transition easier. However, keep in mind that there are things you can do to buy time.
Do you already have a pack n play or a travel crib? Use it for your newborn! They can sleep in these for years so this can buy plenty of time if your toddler isn’t quite ready yet.
Is a bassinet for a few months an option to give your toddler some time to adjust to the new baby before transitioning to the bed?
There are many inexpensive cribs out there. All standard cribs (not second hand, but anything sold in stores) must meet safety standards. Just because it’s less expensive doesn’t mean it’s less safe!
Speaking of second hand, this is an option too! Maybe you have friends with older kids, or older cousins who had cribs they aren’t using anymore. Second hand is perfectly safe as long as you have the details on when the crib was manufactured and purchased and if it’s ever been messed with making it unsafe.
How to transition:
Ultimately though, every kid WILL have to eventually transition, and some sooner than others if it’s impossible to keep your little one safe any longer. So how do you make this transition easier?
Prep, prep, and lots of prep. Talk to your toddler as much as possible about the transition. Explain in details what will happen and how it will happen. This will look different for everyone but you’ll also want to prep them on why it’s important to stay in their room for safety reasons.
Practice this during the day. My favorite way to do this is by using an OK to Wake Clock. You can start with this clock when they are still in a crib to practice by teaching them that if the light isn’t green (or whatever color you choose) it’s still the middle of the night and they should go back to sleep. Once they transition to a toddler bed, this will translate to them staying in their bed, or at least their room (again this is different for every kid and every family). You may even want to practice with the clock by walking in and out of their room every couple of minutes to teach them how it works when it’s not actually sleep time.
Make the transition and their bed as exciting as possible. Let them know that this is happening because they are a big kid now! And that means they get to take on big kid responsibilities, which includes staying in bed at night. Let them pick out special sheets or a special blanket to help them feel comfortable in their space, or a new stuffed animal or something special to take into bed with them. Throw away your expectations for a beautifully decorated toddler room. This is temporary, and giving them this little bit of control will make this easier. I promise!
Make their bed exciting but make their room boring! Remove any of the toys or anything that might tempt them to want to get up and play instead of staying in their bed.
You’ll also want to prep yourself! Expect at least a few bad nights, and expect that no matter how much prep you do your toddler still might not stay in their room. This is okay and normal! Have reasonable expectations to help yourself stay calm through the transition. I promise, a calm parent makes this much easier!
Come up with a plan. What will you do when your toddler leaves the room? How will you react? What boundaries will you set and how will you ensure that you stick to them? Sticking to your boundaries is the best way to make this transition as seamless as possible. If you bounce back and forth between rules, it will cause confusion and frustration for both you and your toddler, prolonging the whole process. Need help coming up with a plan? That’s what I’m here for! Feel free to reach out for help on this.
Keeping your toddler safe:
You are most likely transitioning to a bed to keep your toddler safe either after they start climbing out or after you reach the maximum height limit for your crib. However, it’s also likely that you’ll need to put a few other safety measures in place to keep your little one safe at night.
Make sure that ALL furniture is bolted to the walls. If you can’t do this, remove it. Seriously, you don’t want your toddler climbing the drawers at night. An empty room is better than an unsafe room.
Make sure no cords are easily accessible and all outlets are covered.
This part is the hardest. Think about the rest of your house. If your toddler starts roaming around the house at night while you’re asleep, will they be safe? Can they get out the front door? Back door? Into the garage? What unsafe items are out that they might be able to reach? This is A LOT to think about and personally I’d rather them just not be walking around at night. It is 100% okay to put a physical barrier up in the doorway to stop them from roaming the house. They may be upset, and that’s okay. It’s your job to keep them safe. I know people think it’s cruel to lock a kid in a room, but not if it’s done to keep them safe. If a lock isn’t for you, what about a baby gate? They can see you and open the door without being able to leave the room. You kept them in their crib to keep them safe. A baby gate on the door essentially just turns to whole room into a crib - it’s the same type of barrier.
At the end of the day, there may be nothing you can do to make this transition “easy”. I was so scared to transition Landen, and like I said it was seamless. I thought it would be seamless with Joey too because everything else is seamless with her. However, we’re still dealing with bed transition issues with her many months later. Look out for part 3, the final part of Joey’s sleep story coming soon and just know that if this is hard, you’re not alone!