Monday, January 5, 2015

Toddler Transition!

We transitioned Noah to a "big boy bed" yesterday. He loves it! We got a great twin sized day bed from my parents. We set it as low to the ground as possible and it helps that his room has thick carpeting.

We let Noah help us make his bed with brand new dinosaur sheets and some of his favorite stuffed animals. Of course, his "finger blanket" had to be there too! [It's a small knitted blanket my mom made for him before he was born. He has loved putting his fingers through the holes since he was an infant in the hospital and it's still his favorite blanket.]

Noah went to sleep in his bed for the first time last night! He only woke up twice. The first time, at 3:30, I went in and nursed him for 15 minutes before he fell asleep again. The second time, he called out "Daddy," so my husband went in and he was back to sleep in 5 minutes. 

I LOVED bed sharing with our son, but it was nice to have our bed back last night and know that my sweet little boy was sleeping soundly next door. No tears at all.

Here are some things that I think helped:
1. We transitioned slowly when he was ready.
We waited for him to show us that he was ready. He was giving us signs like wanting more space in the bed and not wanting anyone cuddling him. 
Also, we went to a mattress on the floor beside ours [also very low to the floor] before we moved him out of the room.
2. We let him pick out the sheets and blankets. 
He loves dinosaurs so, he picked those. He was very excited about them!
3. We left his door open and our door open.
Our rooms are across the hall from one another so he could see us if he woke up and we could see him, which really helped any anxiety I had.
4. We talked with him about it a lot before we actually did it. 
My husband played a game with Noah for months where he would say "This is Daddy's bed. Where is Noah's bed?" 
Then we started asking him if he wanted a big boy bed for a few weeks before we brought it home. He was totally prepared by the time it arrived.
He helped us set it up and put the sheets on. He knew it was his bed!

Have you tried transitioning to a "big boy bed" or just transitioning from bed sharing? What were your experiences? I'd love to know!

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