Toddler beds and getting rid of binkies

We are going on vacation at the end of July and are not bringing pack n plays for my two to sleep. They've never slept in one anyway. In fact, they've never slept anywhere other than their cribs or the car before. So my plan was to start the toddler bed transition now. I sort of hesitate because if it weren't for this trip I'd probably wait. They've never tried to climb out (though they climb in!), and they sleep fine in them. They are on a good sleep/nap schedule and I hate to mess with it. But the thought of just winging it when we get to the condo is too much anxiety for me and I feel like they should be prepared and used to sleeping in a bed ahead of time. On vacation they'll share a room with 2 twin beds. So even the twin bed will be an adjustment from the toddler bed.

But before I start the transition, I also have it hanging over my head that they need to be weaned from their binkies too. I had told myself they'd be done by the time they were 2, but I haven't had the heart. They are very attached to binkies for sleep (they only get them for naps and bed, they never leave the room). I'd like them to be gone, but I don't know if I should do it before or after the toddler bed transition, and before or after our vacation at the end of July. I also thought about going cold turkey while on vacation - pretend like I don't have them and since they'll be so disoriented with all the new things around, maybe they wouldn't care as much. Of course it could totally backfire and make the trip more traumatic.

I know everyone's kids are different, and what works best for one isn't the case for another. But I'm curious what others have done or what you would do?

 

We did the beds first then the binkies. It just made it easier on their brains to be able to get into a bed with their binkies. Kind of cemented the fact that it was bed.

 

Is there a reason you don't want to use a pack n' play? I wouldn't want to mess with them sleeping in their cribs, if you don't have to. The condo might even provide the pack n' plays. I know condos I've stayed at did. I'd be nervous about twin beds, unless you can put the mattress on the floor. Is that an option? Good luck!

 

I've just never had any luck with them sleeping in pack n plays. There was a point I tried splitting them up for naps awhile back, and I wouldn't get a nap longer than 20 minutes in one. I tried bringing them to my mom's house so they would take a nap there, and they spent 90 minutes playing in it and didn't atttempt to sleep at all. And now my daughter is 38" tall, so I don't think she'd even fit in one anymore.

I'm hoping we could push the beds up against a wall and then either put an air mattress on the floor next to it, or maybe try to find some bed rails on craigslist. Or maybe even just have them sleep on the air mattress instead of the bed.

I'm also thinking summer is the best time to transition them, because my husband will be off in the summer (and has more patience than I do!). We might not make it waiting until next summer when they'll be closer to 3.5.

 

I was kind of thinking this too, that the binky would help them associate the bed with sleep. How long after they were in beds did you wait to take away the binky?

 

About six months, but it's been a chaotic six months, double job losses and some other crappy stuff, so it was really for our benefit (no sad kids at bed time). Now I give them a sippy cup of ice water because I am a sucker. (And they sweat insanely at night time and don't drink enough liquids in the day).

 

I naively did pacis first then toddler beds... UGH! last night I was googling to see if anyone had advice on which to do first... I was about ready to give them back pacis... My initial thought was that since they seemed to lose their pacis or throw them out, I didn't want them to be doing this and wanting to get out of bed... BUT after going through and being in the midst of getting them to understand toddler beds right now, I'd probably say do the bed first then the pacis...

good luck!

 

We did soothers at 2 and we are still in cribs. For you I would say keep the pacis for the trip. It will be a comfort to have something familiar while away from home. We travelled last summer and postponed soother removal until a month after we got back. I had previously broken the kids of their soother in the car habit, but DH insisted that with long highway drives ahead of us that we needed to bring the pacis back into the car.