Your baby isn’t a baby anymore! He or she is ready to move on from sleeping in a crib to sleeping in a big kid bed! But…how do you know when the right time is and how do you prepare for this big change? We just did this transition with Charlotte this past weekend and it went SO smoothly. Here’s how we decided she was ready and how we prepared her for the big change.

When to make the transition:

The move to a big kid bed usually goes better if you wait until your child is at least 3 years old. This is because without a physical boundary of a crib wall to keep your child contained, they need to be able to understand and follow rules and boundaries that you set for them. This is hard for kids under age 3!

Here are some GOOD reasons to switch to a bed:

Your child is asking for a big kid bed.
They’ve gotten too big for the crib and look crunched for space.
You’ve tried all the tips to keep them in their crib but they’re climbing out of it anyway.

If your child under age 3 is climbing out of their crib, see this post for a few tricks you can try before resorting to an early move to a toddler bed or big kid bed.

Charlotte turned 3 in February and we moved her to her big girl bed at the end of April. There were a few reasons that led us to making this change for her. First, she was consistently asking for a big girl bed like her cousin has. If your child needs motivation, let them see a friend’s big kid bed! Second, she’s getting close to not needing to nap anymore and I want her to be able to do quiet time in her room at nap time, but also be able to get in and out of her bed and rest or nap during that time. Third, she’s nighttime potty trained, and I want her to be able to get up to go to the bathroom if she needs to go during the night or early in the morning.

Here are a couple of NOT GOOD reasons to switch to a crib:

Your child is not sleeping well and you think they might be more comfortable in a bed. (Spoiler- switching to a bed is not a magical fix for sleep.)
Your toddler climbed out of the crib, but you haven’t tried any of the tips in this post yet.
You need the crib for your new baby. (Save yourself some sleepless nights and buy another crib. It’s worth it.)

How to prepare for the transition:

There are five big things I would recommend to prepare your child for the change.

Talk about it! Tell them that because they are a big kid now, they get to sleep in a big kid bed and don’t need their crib anymore.
Let them pick out some bedding, pillows, or a new stuffed friend for their big kid bed so that they feel like part of the process.
Let them help set up the new bed! If they feel like part of the process and like they’re helping, they’ll be more accepting of and excited about the change in their room.
Keep bedtime routine and everything else consistent.
Make sure the room is safe and there’s nothing they can get into since they have the freedom to get out of bed now.

Other tips for a smooth transition:

Don’t use the phrase “You have to stay in your bed.” Or anything similar, like “Remember you can’t get out of your bed!” There’s a chance that thought hasn’t really crossed your little one’s mind and by reminding them over and over not to get out of bed, we’re reminding them that now they CAN get out of their beds.
Use an ok-to-wake clock such as the hatch sound machine. We started having the hatch light turn green at 7am in the morning while she was still in her crib. She wouldn’t yell for us to come get her until the light turned green because that’s what we told her the rule was- it’s not morning until the light turns green. When we made the switch to a bed, we continued using the light and it’s worked like a charm so far. I have been giving her a small “present” each morning as a reward for waiting for the light to turn green now that she could easily just get out of bed and open her door. I was expecting her to get out of bed when the light turned green, but she does the same thing she did in her crib- stays seated and starts yelling “MOMMY the light turned green!” so that I’ll come get her. So proud of her!

As always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions!

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