Whether you have another baby on the way, or you just feel it's time that your toddler switch to a toddler bed, doing so may not be a smooth transition. Your toddler may be reluctant to leave the safety and security of her crib for a larger bed, and she may be especially resistance if a new baby is in her old place. Ease into the transition by giving her plenty of time to adjust and making the toddler bed a positive place for her to sleep.
Step 1
Wait until your child is ready. Mandy Gurney, from the Millpond Children's Sleep Clinic, notes that when a child is constantly climbing out of his crib, it's a good time to switch to the toddler bed. If your child is toilet trained, he'll need to be in a toddler bed to go to the bathroom in the night. If you have a baby on the way, start the transition six weeks before the arrival to give ample time to your toddler to adjust.
Step 2
Take your toddler with you to pick out the new bed. Get her involved in the process of choosing a bed, which can be a regular twin-sized bed, or a specific, low-to-the-ground toddler bed. Let her choose the color and some bedding, so that she feels that the bed is hers and she is excited to sleep in it for the first time.
Step 3
Put the toddler bed in the same place as his old crib, as advised by pediatric sleep disorders expert Deborah Lin-Dyken. Then you can point out that it's in the same place as his old crib, but the new bed is much more fun and for big boys only. Placing it in the same position can maintain security for your child, and remove some of that feeling of replacement by another baby.
Step 4
Use some of the old bedding from the crib for the first weeks. Even if your toddler has enthusiastically chosen new bedding with her favorite character on it, she may be nervous to sleep with it for the first time. Use the quilt or blanket from her crib to help her transition to the toddler bed with the new bedding.
Step 5
Install a guardrail along the sides of the new toddler bed if it did not come with any. Not only will the guardrails prevent your child from falling out of the bed throughout the night, the bars on the guard rails can make the new bed feel more like a crib, which can comfort a toddler who is still wary of the change.
