changing to toddler beds

We are switching to toddler beds tonight or tomorrow....any last minute helpful advice? We're going to toddler proof (latch on the closet, etc.), but any other hints or suggestions?? I'm so worried that they will stop napping and won't sleep well at night either!

 

Make sure you & your partner are on the same page about how you want to deal with them getting out of bed (if they do). That way you can be consistent. GL!

 

We have talked about it a bit, but I think it may be good to talk more about it. I feel certain they will get out of bed, but maybe they will prove me wrong.

 

My helpful advice? Don't do it yet! They are still so young! In my experience, waiting til closer to 3 gave us a much better transition.

 

I wish, but they are climbing out....and we want to do it before our vacation that is coming up in a couple of months. I wish we could wait, but I think we need to now.

 

I agree. I switched my DD at 19 months and she would get out of bed only during nap time. I sat in her room and I would quietly put her back in bed, I did not say a word to her. Within 2 weeks, she was back napping. At night time, she stayed in bed, we did not have issues with that. It also helps to talk to them about the transition. We had DD in the room when DH converted her crib to a toddler bed and she got to select her sheets.
My DS was switched to a toddler bed at 3 and he also got to help putting his bed together and select special sheets. He did fine with the transition, he would stay in bed but then when he woke up, he would get out of the room (he's our early riser). We were afraid that he might wander around the house at night, so we did have a latch lock on his door.

 

I agree. We sit with them after the bedtime routine in the dark, totally quiet for a bit - in the beginning until they dropped off to sleep, now just until they have settled down. We just want to be sure that they learnt the right association - not toddler beds are for evening havoc, but toddler beds are for sleep. We had a few episodes of soemone trying to get out of bed but we just wordlessly put them back, tucked them in, gave another back-rub. After a while they stopped trying.

We transitioned rather early too because of the climbing. I was afraid of accidents and do not like crib tents.

We talked the transition up for them, about them being big kids now and how big kids sleep in real beds and do not need cribs anymore. Being a big kid is a great motivation here at the moment.

GL!

 

Thanks, everyone! They actually did very well last night. We decided to get toddler rails for the beds, which I think it feel like more of a crib. Hopefully that will be a good transition and work for awhile. We also got one of the bunny clocks with the awake/asleep bunny, and they are really into that right now.