Your toddler is a total crib lover and you don’t know what to do to make them use the beautiful and incredibly comfortable bed you bought for them? You are not sure if it’s already the right time to move them from crib to bed? Whatever your question is, we have the answer. Or maybe not, but let’s hope we do!
First of all, and we hope you find it reassuring, we’ve been there. For some it was an easy transition, for others it was a bit more complicated. In fact, we’ve “heard” cases of little kids who only wanted to sleep in their buggy.
And we get it, at some point you just want them (and yourself) to rest a bit, but don’t give up! We hope these tips make the whole process a lot easier!
When should you move your child to a bed?
Ok, so this is messy. Because, like most parenting stuff, it’s kind of up to you. Some parents might prefer to make this transition sooner, others will prefer to wait a bit longer. We, however, are amongst the former.
Ideally, when they are between 18 months and 3 years old. Or when they are around 34 inches tall (86 cm). Or when they start trying to climb out of their crib, which means two things:
- The crib is not safe for them any longer
- They might already need more space
If your child is not an adventurous climber, you might as well let them sleep in their crib past the age of 2. Only one thing, though: kids get emotionally attached to their crib. It’s their safe space, their cocoon; so we don’t recommend postponing this transition for too long.
Talk them into it and reward them
Toddlers are not so much into change, so you can make this whole process a lot more appealing to them by taking them bed shopping. Let them choose their favourite sheets and covers, even some decorations for their room; all while letting them know how great it is to sleep in a bed and how proud you are they are just about to take such a step.
Convertible cribs are amazing, but if you’ve decided to go big and buy a proper bed, we recommend removing the crib from the child’s bedroom as soon as the new bed is set up; otherwise you might have some trouble getting your child to actually use the bed. Toddlers are into making decisions as much as they are into change. If they don’t get used to the openness of a bed right away, you can always ease the transition by adding some toddler bed rails.
Read this post about how to put your child to bed without (much) drama
We don’t talk about cribs there, but we do talk about the importance of creating a bedtime routine and give you many more tips that will surely come in handy now.
As always, we hope you found this post useful! Let us know on the comments if you’re currently dealing with this, or if you recently did and have some tips for fellow parents!
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