Hank's Toddler Room + How We Transitioned Him to a Bed

It's hard to believe but Hank is going to be two in March! I think your second child (or any child after the first) seems to grow up so much more quickly than the first.  Maybe it's because we are so busy tending to multiple children that time flies by or perhaps it's because they have an older sibling that they learn (way too quickly) everything  from. Likely it's a combination of both.  If you want to see Hank as a baby, check out his cuteness here.

As we began to close in on two-years-old we decided to get Hank into a big-kid bed and transition his room into a toddler space. We did this for a few different reasons.

First, we transitioned Colton out of the crib around 18 months so we felt it was only appropriate to make the move with Hank at about the same age - we like to think we are fair parents. It was out of necessity that we transitioned Colton so early, Hank was only three months from being born.   Second, Hank was starting to outgrow his crib and baby blankets. He would get cold at night which would result in him waking up.  (Yes, I'm a mom that gave her kids blankets in their crib.)  Finally, the kid LOVED beds - his brother's bed, our bed, basically any bed he could crawl into and cover up.  All signs that it was an ok time to make the transition.

Between Christmas and New Years we decided to take the leap and move Hank into a big bed.

Obviously there are some concerns associated with moving a toddler to a big bed.  Will they stay in their bed? What if they fall out?  What if they don't like it?  That's where I suggest getting your head in the right spot to make the transition.  Once you take down the crib there is likely no turning back so you may as well set your expectations low and be ready to handle what comes at you over the next few days (or weeks, hopefully not weeks...)

I had my expectations with Hank set really low. I expected him to be out of bed every hour, on the hour, just because he could.  That's how he rolls. Not to mention getting out of bed was Colton's biggest issue when we transitioned him to a big bed. I was prepared for the worst. Fortunately Hank has stayed in bed since we introduced him to it and he's slept through the night nearly every night since. With Colton, we ended up having to switch around door knobs so he would stay in his room.  Once he figured out he was supposed to stay in his room all night, he began to sleep again. Now he loves his bed too!  We tried to put up a child gate but Colton was too smart for his own good and knew how to take it down.  If this happens, keep in mind that this is just a phase, mama.

Colton (he's 3 1/2) is also an early riser so we got him an ok-to-wake light up clock which has worked really well!  It lights up when it's ok for him to get out of bed.

Personally we like to minimize transitions with our kids, it's just worked for us and we believe it's resulted in less sleepless nights and less frustration. From the day we bring our babies home from the hospital they sleep in their cribs (one less transition from cradle to crib or our room to theirs).  I should mention that our house is small so it was never a problem getting to their room if I heard the slightest peep out of them. Then we go right from their crib to a twin-size bed. (one less transition again from toddler bed to twin-size bed).  Again, our house is small so we don't have a lot of room to store extra stuff like beds or even extra bedding.

Since we are moving them directly into a twin size bed we use a bed-rail and after a couple months we'll take it down once we know they are sleeping comfortably.

Here are three additional things we considered as we've transitioned our kids to big-kid beds.

1. We've rarely (if ever) used their cribs or beds as a "time-out" spot.  We want them to like their beds and their bedrooms (and they truly do!)
2. The mattresses we get for them are memory foam mattresses so they really aren't any fun to jump on.
3. I make sure there is a stool or something for them to be able to get in an out of their bed by themselves.

All of this being shared, now that I'm a mom I've learned to not pass much judgement.  Do things about other people's parenting surprise me once-in-awhile? Absolutely. But, we are all doing the best we know how to for our kids because each child is different. So, you do you because you know what works best for your kids.  Maybe you've found something in this post to try.  Share your best suggestions in the comments!

I'm a true believer that God hand-picked us for our children because He knew they needed mom's like us.

Sources:

Quilt, Target | Striped Sheet Set, Target | Dresser (8-drawer dresser) Ikea | Nightstand, local thrift store | Airplane picture (similar), Target | 'Hello' wall art, Hobby Lobby | 'Ladies Love a Gentleman' Art, Hobby Lobby | Galvanized Letter, Hobby Lobby | Toddler bed rail, Target

Want to see what Hank's room looked like before?  Check out Hanks nursery  If you want some details on the plank wall, check out this post.