Kicking the Crib to the Curb

I was never in a rush to move my 2-year old daughter out of her crib. In fact, I was almost sad when I realized the time was getting close for her to move into the so-called “big girl” bed. The impending birth of baby number 2 forced us to start making the change. It was time for our first sweet baby to grow up… at least a little bit.

Now, she’s never been a great sleeper so I wasn’t too concerned that it’d ruin her nonexistent sleeping-through-the-night habits once we made the switch, but life was easier when she was in the crib. She never tried to climb out. She was confined to a safe space. I didn’t have to worry that she’d be wandering around the house in the middle of the night. As much as she liked to fight sleep and wake up in the middle of the night, I knew she would be right where I left her – safe and secure within the walls of her crib.

By the way, I feel the same way about potty training – diapers are easy. I might be the only mom who actually wants to keep her kid in diapers, but in this season of life, it honestly sounds like more work rushing her to the potty every 5 minutes than it is to change a diaper every once in a while. And those moms who potty-train using that crazy 3-day method? Kudos to you because nothing sounds more stressful to me at the moment. Please, one life-changing milestone at a time! But, I digress.

Little sister arrived in December, and we randomly decided that Jan. 1 was going to be the first day sans crib for our big girl. Starting the new year off with a new bed! Gracyn seemed ready so we ripped the bandaid. Here’s how we made (and survived) the transition from crib to big girl bed:

Talk it Up
The transition was actually months in the making. I started making over one of our guest bedrooms last July, and my daughter was involved in the entire process. Well, as much as an 18-month old could be involved at the time, I suppose. We talked about it becoming her “new room” and showed her the the new bedding. She helped put toys away in her new closet and moved her stuffed animals into their new home. As the new year approached, we were doing everything in her new room except sleeping there. We got dressed for the day and ready for bed at night in her new space. We spent time playing in her new room all the while talking about sleeping in her new bed some day. She definitely understood – she would walk down the hall, peer into the bedroom and exclaim, “My room!” before traipsing back to the nursery to sleep in the crib.

Stick to the Plan
Once we decided it was time, there was no turning back. We thought about starting with nap time and possibly have her sleep in the crib at night for the sake of “easing” her into it. After mulling it over, we decided to just go for it and have her in the big bed 100% of the time We also decided to skip the toddler-sized bed and moved straight into a full. I didn’t want to have to get her used to the toddler bed and then make another change down the road to a full-sized bed. Plus, the room still functions as a guest bedroom, and I don’t think family and friends would appreciate sleeping in a miniature bed with railings designed for pint-sized tykes.

Bribe ‘Em
I know, I know – the professionals will say this is wrong, but it totally worked for us. We bribed her. If she slept “like a big girl” and “slept all night long” in her new bed, she would get a piece of candy the next day. We even presented her with a new, small stuffed animal after that first nap, and she was so happy. And proud. We only offered the candy for about a week or so but I really think it helped her get used to her new digs.

Celebrate
It was a big deal the next day if Gracyn had a good night in her new bed. Yes, there was a little candy, but we also clapped our hands, did a little happy dance and told her how proud we were. We called Grandma and Papa on FaceTime to brag a little bit. She would randomly bring up her “big bed” during the day, and we’d reassure her that, yes, she was indeed a rockstar for sleeping in her big girl bed so well.

The first day, it took an hour and a half to get her down for her nap. She yelled for us to come back. She chased after us, crying and hanging onto the metal gate we installed at the door. (The gate’s main purpose is to keep our dog out of the room, but it works surprisingly well at keeping the kid in, too…). We went back up to her a few times to explain that it was time to sleep and eventually, she climbed back into bed on her own and took a decent nap. The first night, she went to bed rather effortlessly only to wake up in hysterics at 4 a.m. My husband climbed into bed with her, and she slept soundly until 7:30 that morning.

We’ve had a few rough nights (she still chases after us as we try to leave the room and will cry for a minute or two), and we still struggle with nap time lasting as long as mama would like. But for the most part, the transition has been smooth. She loves her room and actually looks forward to climbing into bed each night.

Next up, ditching the pacifier. Wish us luck!