We originally wanted to transition Theo out of the crib when he was climbing out of it and wanted him to stay in as long as possible. But, our night times were a HUGE struggle and he was starting to throw out his pillow and taking off his sleep-sack wanting more room and asking us to lay next to him before bed. I took this as a sign that it was time for him to get a bed thats a bit bigger and a mattress that's going to last him a long time. Which is why we decided to go with the Avocado Mattress in the Full size. And, after a long gruesome search online for a Montessori inspired bed, we finally chose this Wooden Floor Bed on Etsy which we absolutely LOVE.
I did hear a lot of stories from other parents about how I should still wait because it can be a nightmare when dealing with bedtime. For instance, a lot of toddlers end up getting up in the middle of the night running out of the room and etc. I was definitely nervous about giving Theo a bit too much freedom. And, of course this transition didn't happen overnight for us I think it took about 2.5 weeks for him to really adjust to sleeping in this bed independently. But, I had to listen to my gut and follow what's best for us.
And, thankfully Theo never got out of the bed in the middle of the night, which I think is probably from him sleeping alone early on around 8-10 mos. Theo used to enjoy being rocked to bed, but now that he's much bigger and heavier it was impossible to continue doing that as well. Every-time, Joon or I'd leave the room for nap or bedtime he'd cry wanting us to stay in bed with him, but I really didn't want him to get dependent on us for that. We had to change our method on getting him to sleep and I thought to myself,"ok, I have to come up with a NEW sleep method". And, that's when I started to leave the room and tell him that it's bed time and that I'm still watching him over his baby cam. He would walk towards the door and cry a little and I'd come back in the room and carry him back into the bed and say it's sleepy time, Mommy is watching you on the camera and say goodnight. He cried a bit for maybe a week, but as the days went by the crying eventually shortened and now he sleeps independently for nap and bedtime!
Overall, generalizing my thoughts here below for tips if you're thinking of transitioning your toddler into a bed:
Whether your toddler is ready or not make sure you feel ready yourself I think this is also a huge task for a parent or caregiver to take on
Say goodbye to the crib together
Welcome the new bed and get your toddler to help build it
Create a warm and inviting space with whatever choice of items you or your toddler likes - Theo loves his stuffed animals + pillow
Keep some of the old sleep products or tactics to help make it familiar - ours is the hatch, black out curtains, and the sleep sack
Remember: first few nights can look different and may require extra cuddles
Be consistent
It really is a whole process, but if you see the signs and feel confident this is what you want for your toddler and your lifestyle my recommendation is always listen to your gut no matter what anyone says! Bedtime has never been this chill for us and I'm so glad I transition Theo when I did, because we're all much happier!
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