How to Know When It Is Time to Transition from Crib to Bed.

This is one of our number one questions in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Crib to Bed Transition

The best first step to take when thinking about transitioning out of a crib is to look at your motives. WHY do you want to make this transition happen now?

 

Here are the most common reasons we hear:

  • My child is not sleeping well.

  • We have another baby on the way!

  • We are excited to achieve the next milestone.

  • Help! – My child is climbing out!

First of all, if your child is currently not sleeping well in their crib, this is unfortunately not going to improve for most kids once they have transitioned into a toddler/twin bed. We are now introducing a whole new world of freedom. Sleep may become more challenging. Your toddler will have the ability to get in and out of bed on their own and have access to a new level of stimulation. If this is your primary reason, you need to re-evaluate all of your child’s sleep factors and pinpoint the cause behind the original struggle before making this move.

If you can’t do this alone, reach out to us for our Free Consult, and we can help you navigate this part!

Do you have a new baby on the way? It is natural to think that you already have a crib to use and it’s one less item to buy in preparation for your new arrival, but you need to realize that your crib is already occupied! When a new baby enters the home, there are a lot of adjustments everyone in the family will need to make. One of these will be with your toddler as they learn to love and care for their younger sibling and incorporate them into your everyday life. Stop and think for a moment of what a significant change this is for your toddler. A new baby means that your attention will be divided and add on top of this, their new sibling just “stole” my comfy crib. As your toddler balances their emotional changes and adjusts to this new addition, you may naturally see a sleep regression. Do you really want your toddler coming into your room repeatedly overnight when you are also trying to work with a newborn’s sleep schedule?

As parents, we are always thrilled to see our children grow and achieve milestones. Moving into a toddler bed is an exciting time, and we often want to celebrate this accomplishment. It is fun to shop for a new bed, sheets, décor, etc. however doing this too soon can backfire. Your child who was comfortably going down for naps and sleeping through the night might start to refuse naptime or begin to have multiple wake ups overnight. This all has to do with being developmentally ready for this transition. Remember, our kids are only this age once. We can often get wrapped up in the excitement and try to push into the next phase too soon. Enjoy where you are at the moment, and when the time is right, make this transition together when they are developmentally ready for it, and the transition will be much more comfortable.