•The Milestone: Crib To Bed
Are you thinking of ditching the crib for a toddler or big kid bed? Like every other milestone that your child passes, this is another step up in the world, another part of growing up! Is your toddler ready to transition from crib to big kid bed?
And more importantly, are you ready? I’m not claiming to be an expert or anything like that. I’m just a Mom who did it, albeit a little sooner than I anticipated.
Here are some tips that helped us to make the switch a little easier, and I hope they can help you too. I was NOT ready, but circumstances were such that it just happened one day.
•Best Laid Plans
So ideally, make the transition from crib to big kid bed at a time when there is not a lot of other life-changing events happening. Potty training, new school, new baby brother or sister, vacations, and big family events can all be challenging on their own. Choose a time when life is a little boring. This way ditching the crib for the big kid bed can be an exciting adventure and not overwhelming stressful for both you AND your child.
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BUT LIFE HAPPENS…
We wanted to keep Bug in the crib as long as possible, but one day during nap time I heard a loud THUMP. A door creaked open and little footsteps found their way to me sitting at the kitchen table. I looked up from over my coffee.
“WOW! THIS IS SO AWESOME!” he said with a smile. And just like that, it was over. The problem was, we didn’t have a bed yet for him. Something had to be done, and FAST!
Now, don’t be alarmed. The THUMP was his feet hitting the floor, no damage done but I knew with my kid I couldn’t gamble on it being an isolated incident. He is one determined little dude, confident in his abilities already at 2 and 1/2. And I must say, he is really a fantastic climber.”He did it once now, he’ll try to do it every time”, I thought to myself. We are ditching the crib NOW!
•Toddler Bed or Big Kid Bed?
I went online searching for toddler beds. Wow! There are some SUPER CUTE ones! I found some with simple designs and some that resembled full-on jungle gyms. There were some like tents, race cars or fire engines, captain’s beds, pirate ship beds, you name it!
It was a seemingly endless array of cutesy, cool and fun themed toddler beds, perfect for little ones.
The prices ranged from around $80 CDN all the way to $800! YIKES! Of course that does not include any mattress or bedding and honestly, I do try to be frugal as we are a one-income family as of now.
•How Tall Is Your Child?
Let’s just say this, if you have a little one that’s on the tall side, you may as well go straight to a single or twin bed.
My son is already close to 40″ tall at 2 and 1/2 and although the fun toddler beds with rails built in were so hard to resist, we decided to transition right away to a big kid bed.
That being said, we still wanted him to have the cozy, contained feeling of a smaller space similar to his crib since that what he was used to. And of course, the main thing is we wanted something firm and sturdy and for him to not roll out of bed!
We use these foam bed rail bumpers by Hiccapop and find them to be perfect! They just slip under the fitted sheet to fit snugly, have removable, washable covers, and are super comfortable for your child.
Bonus~ They are also PORTABLE! Originally we purchased them for traveling when we drove to Florida to use in our hotel room, but he slept with us. Go figure! But I’m happy to report that they are working like a charm in our transition from crib to the big kid bed!
(Update: My son is 4 now and we still use one bumper on the open side of his bed. Best purchase EVER.)
We chose just a simple white frame single bed, nothing fancy but something he will be able to use for a few years. A perfect bed, low enough to the ground (no boxspring) but, just in case, I did put pillows on the floor for the first couple weeks. We decided on a memory foam mattress, grabbed a few microfibre sheet sets and we were on our way.
•Child-Proof The Room
Now there is the little matter of child-proofing the room for safety because now your little one will have the freedom to roam the bedroom!
First, be sure to cover all electrical outlets with safety covers or duct tape. (Yep, duct tape, that’s what we used), as well as removing anything with cords. We didn’t have blinds on the window, only a sheer so we wrapped that up on the curtain rod. We covered the window with dark card stock using again, of course, duct tape.
It may not look the prettiest, but it does the trick to keep the daylight out. If you do have window blinds, don’t put the bed near them and any heat registers that have covers should be secured. Maybe not every kid would be tempted to take these off, but I KNOW mine would.
Basically, we emptied out our son’s room except for a soft bin full of stuffed animals, a few books, and his small dresser. We lagged that to the wall for safety reasons and put those little latches on the drawers but he still climbed right up on top.
He was pretty pleased with himself and his accomplishment I must say. Me, not so much. Did I mention he’s an avid climber? Mt. Kilimanjaro (AKA The dresser) is now in the hallway.
•Child-Proof The House (Again)
Re-evaluate your toddler-proofing in the rest of the house in the event your child does wander out of his room at night. Above all, when ditching the crib, you want to always keep your toddler safe!
Double-check that cupboards and cabinets with dangerous materials are locked. Put up baby safety gates if you have stairs. Ensure that outside doors are securely locked and have safety knob covers like these.
•The First Week In The New Bed
If at all possible, skip naptime that first day or two. This will ensure that your child is tired at his regular bedtime. Keep everything else about your specific bedtime routine the same. Kids thrive on routine.
Put the new bed in the same spot where you had the crib. The favorite stuffies and blankets will still be in there like always. Adjust your baby monitor if you have one, or add a second camera to see more of the bedroom.
Somewhere, I heard that the first week or so is called the HONEYMOON PHASE. Your child may possibly not even try to get out of the bed! This happened for about three days in our case.
But trust me, your smart little cookie will figure it out! Bedtime may take a little longer than usual as they explore their newfound freedom.
On more than one occasion I had to stand firm outside the door and keep telling him to get back in his room. I find for Bug, naptime is when he tends to fiddle-faddle around in there more, so we now call it quiet time. As long as he is playing quietly with his stuffies or books, everyone is getting what they need, including Mommy!
•Have Patience
Remember, this too shall pass. Switching it up and ditching the crib doesn’t have to be a whole lot of drama. It definitely IS a change for your little one but kids are resilient! Make it loving, light and fun.
The main thing is for your child to always feel safe and loved. Bug actually loves his big boy bed now. Usually, he will toddle right in there after our nightly routine.
When I tell him it’s time for stories and to hit the hay, he’s in. I read him a couple of books, turn on his jellyfish nightlight and his soft music, and it’s lights out. He’s usually sawing logs in less than 15 minutes. Sometimes so am I, (Momming is exhausting some days) but that’s another blog post.
Are you thinking of ditching the crib soon? If so, I hope some of these tips can help you make the transition easier! Have you already done it and have some suggestions to share? Let us know in the comments, we’d love to hear from you!
Peace, Kelly
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