Big Boy Bed - Cincinnati,OH

I thought the same thing when we switched my son...we have a few nights where he would not stay in it but now it is not bad when it is bed time he usually goes to sleep. It was like an achievement for him to get a big boy bed. Just remember because you transition to a big boy bed does not mean you cant but the crib back up. My nephew refused to stay in his room or his bed at nighttime so my brother took the knob off the door on the inside of the room and would shut the door...after a few nights of sleeping on the floor my nephew slept in his room. Good luck

Oh...what a life changing event for the child and the parents! I was in the same boat as you are but much earlier in my daughter's life. My daughter started walking around 7 months, so she climbed out of her crib for the first time when she was 11 months old. She would climb out of the crib during naps but not during the night, unless of course we tried to sleep in. My husband and I decided to take the rail off her bed (it was a convertible crib/toddler bed/full size) and see how she did. We put a gate up to her door so I could see in but now that I think about it, I probably should have just closed the door, but the first night was horrible! I was up all night worrying about her and what she was doing. She played the entire night! When she finally crashed around 6am, she fell asleep on a blanket she had put on the floor with all of her toys. The next night was just fine; she went to bed and stayed in bed until morning. SO...my advice is just be prepared, the first night he may want to wonder in and out of the bed just to prove to himself that he can do it. If I had thought about it, I would have tried introducing the “big girl bed” during nap time rather than at night, that way we were awake during the whole ordeal…oh well…live and learn!

My twins did this for a while. I tried everything!! I finally took my doctors advice. First I took all of the toys out of their room. Then, I put them in bed with a sippy cup of water, put a baby gate on the door and walked downstairs. Sure they got out of bed, but they didn't have anything to do. So they quickly tired and would fall asleep on the floor or wherever. I would check on them about every 20 minutes and when I saw they were asleep, I would pick them up and put them in bed. After a while, they knew there was nothing to do out of bed, so they gave up and just stayed in bed, drank their water and went to sleep. Give it a try. It is a lot less stressful than chasing them around and putting them in bed constantly. Good luck!

I had the same fears that you had when I realized my son was ready for his big boy bed. I decided to start a night time ritual with my son so that he knew that it was time for bed. We brushed out teeth together, cleaned up his room, listened to soft music, and did *one* of his favorite activites (usually read a book), as long as it was a calm, quiet one. After about 10-15 minutes in the routine, I notice he gets sleepy. When I put him in his big boy bed for the first time, he really surprised me...he didn't get up AT ALL. To this day (my son is now 2 1/2), he's only gotten up 2-3 times.

I think putting up a gate would be okay, if it makes you feel comfortable. He may get out of bed, but if he realizes that getting out of his bed and going to the gate gets NO RESPONSE from mommy, he'll stop doing it.

Hope this helps....good luck. Let us know how it all turns out.

I agree w/Jenelle. All her ideas are great ones! I felt the same putting my kids in big kid beds but to my surprise they didn't get out. My sister just changed her daughter too and she was worried, her daughter doesn't get out either. Putting up a gate I think is a good idea. That's what I would do.

S.

I put both my children in twin beds by time they were 18 months. I placed the bed against a wall with a guard to make sur they don't fall out on the other side. I also place a gate in their door so that they cannot get out and make sure there is no hazards in their room for when they decide to roam. It has worked very well. If your child can climb out of a crib - it is time to get him out of there. The gate on the door does help with setting his limits and keeps him out of trouble. It will only take a couple days and he will get it.

I felt the same way, but my worries were soon over once we made the transition. We made a big deal about buying the "big boy bed". He was very excited. We even took us with him shopping. We went straight to a twin. It is a big money saver. We bought one of the rails that slides between the mattress and box springs. He did very well.

Ditto the rest. I shut the door. I do not keep toys in the boys bedroom, only a few books and 2 stuffed animals.

Just curious if you could elaborate on the fear of him getting out of bed. If it is a matter of his room not being fully child proofed (no tip dressers being important) than I would strongly urge that you take care of these matters ASAP. But in lieu of that relax, I don't think there is anything to fear. My almost 3 y/o gets out of his bed sometimes and I find him asleep on the floor... no big deal. He even slept in the closet once!