*This post has been in sponsorship with Endy Canada. The product was gifted, however opinions and thoughts are my own*
So, it’s that time when you’re looking to transition your toddler who’s in that awkward phase when they still seem too small for a bed yet too big for their crib. I’ve been there and I had a newborn while it happened too! I’ve always heard that if you don’t need to do it, wait to transition your little one into a toddler bed for as long as you can. It’s another learning experience for the parents but most importantly for your child. For us, we really needed to move Miles (then 2.5 years old) into his new room and new bed because baby Nora just arrived! We had a newborn who was sleeping in her bassinet beside us but we knew in just a few months, she’d need to move into her own crib in her own room.
Just like potty training, we were dreading the day. We already had Miles sleeping through the night and in his own crib and room, why were we going to disturb that?! One day he figured out he could climb out of the crib, and that was when we knew it was time. We knew there were going to be some hurdles in getting Miles’ to sleep through the night in his own bed which no longer had any barriers! Here’s a few tips on transitioning and what we did to get Miles’ comfortable with sleeping in his new bed.
- Get them excited and let them know about the change in advance. Read books that talk about sleeping on their own in their NEW BIG KID BED! We read this one here and this one for months before anything happened.
- Let your toddler be part of the process in choosing their bed! Toddlers love control and this was so exciting for him to see when it actually arrived. I actually gave Miles’ two options in bed frames so that he could be part of the process.
- Choose the right mattress! Honestly, we knew we wanted to choose something super comfy and something we can keep for years to come. We already had the Endy Mattress ourselves and love it so much that we didn’t even look elsewhere for a mattress for Miles. Since we chose a twin bed frame (we knew we didn’t want it to feel overwhelmingly big), we went ahead and felt comfortable choosing the Endy Mattress in twin size for the perfect fit!
- It’s about the overall experience for little ones so we decided to make sure Miles was comfortable being in his bed. We added the Endy Pillow (which we customized by taking out the stuffing to flatten for a toddler) and also found the perfect DINOSAUR bed sheets at a local store! What better way to encourage them to sleep on their own than on sheets they love and a suitable pillow that can grow with them!
- Start a sticker/reward chart for their bedtime routine and “sleeping in your own bed through the night!”. We found one off Etsy and still use it today! We give a sticker for everything that’s been completed!
This isn’t to say your child may stay in his bed all night from their new found freedom, but it takes time to adjust and they’ll eventually stay in their bed and sleeping through the night (even if you need a little help along the way). I know that sometimes just ripping off the bandage is the only way to do something. We certainly felt that way with transitioning to a toddler bed! The road certainly wasn’t easy, but eventually Miles enjoyed his “big kid bed” and his new found title as BIG Brother.
