Move to the big boy bed - Need help!!

MichaelsMommy wrote: Well, the time has come..



So last night we moved the extra twin bed we had into his room, and got a new
taller (no climb) baby gate to put in his door.



It was just as horrible as I thought it would be. He screamed and cried and
called me over and over "Mom!!??!! I went in there twice and cuddled
with him, counted toes (he loves to do that), and put his stuffed animals to bed.
As soon as I left he'd start up screaming again. I'm not a big fan of CIO at all.
Never had to do it, and I guess my heart can't take it well. I did let him cry
for about 10 minutes.. and it almost killed me. We heard a loud 'Thud' and
I was sure he had hurt himself in the worst way.. It got quiet shortly after that.
It took everything I had not to run up there straight away. After about 10 minutes
of quiet I went up and found him like this



Bless his heart Look at him clutching his blankie.
Anyway.. he slept through the whole night, as he usually does.

Today - Nap time.. forget it. He refused. He was not crying, just banging around
in there and chatting.. So I kept him in there for the length of time he would
normally nap for.. but he didn't sleep a bit.

He's a real handful now because he is so overtired and crabby.

There has to be a better way?! This is simply horrible, and I'm dreading
doing it all over again tonight.

How long did it take your child to get used to the big bed?

Anyone know of any tips or tricks that can help me out?

Thanks ahead of time!

boyohboyohboy replied: my son slept under his bed for about the first week! He thought it was fun to hide!
then it was in and out of his bed into ours for about, well come to think of it he still does that! but for the most part he loves his bed, it might help if you let him pick out some new sheets and re do his bedroom with new characters that he gets to pick out and some new stuffed animals, and really make his room his.
good luck on getting some good ZZZ's

MichaelsMommy replied: Thanks for the reply.. he does love the room theme he has now.. he
points out the boat, car, truck etc like flashcards and gets excited with himself.
When I went to look for bedding I was going to get whatever he was digging
in the store, and he went right for the sailboat sheets - goes right along
with the stuff in his room.

Any idea how long this transition takes?? I got sleep last night, but not
before horrible crying and screaming

No nap for him today either.. this can't be the end of day time naps
forever - you think?

mckayleesmom replied: Have you thought maybe a tv would help? Maybe that will relax him while watching and he will pass out.....Russell is not in a big boy bed yet, but when we were at my inlaws....that is what we had to do...I just layed next to him till he fell asleep.

C&K*s Mommie replied: My exp would be of zero help to you, so I will not even bore you with it.

But I hope the advice you get here is of great assistance, and maybe you can blindly feel your way around the bed issue until you hit the right spot-- that it what works through trial and error.



Not at all. Small children require their extra sleep, and he will eventually continue on with the naps. More than likely whether he likes it or not, he needs it. Even if it means he passes out in the middle of the floor- he will get that extra sleep some where at some time.

CantWait replied: My son still isn't use to it. He still climbs into mommy's bed, but I'm sure you're little guy will get use to it in no time.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Well the transition for us took only about an hour one night, so I'm sorry! I guess all kids take to it differently. I let Wil CIO for maybe 5 minutes max and then he got quiet and he was in his new bed fast asleep. Some nights are still rough, like last night for example, but he has a bit of a cold right now and getting a couple new teeth. Naps are harder than bedtime, but I just make sure there are no distractions (toys) in his room and I always play soft music. He will pull his clothes out of his dresser and then fall asleep on the floor at naptime, but this never happens at night.

Just keep at it! It should get easier and easier. If you go back to the crib right now, it may be confusing for him. JMO. Good luck!

ashtonsmama replied: I haven't gone through this yet myself, so I can't be of much help. I'd just say BE CONSISTANT and he'll eventually work out a pattern of sleep for himself.
Good luck though, I can't stand to let my little guy CIO either, so you're not the only one. Hope he gets used to it more very soon!
And he's adorable, by the way! Love those pics!

MichaelsMommy replied: Thanks for the advice girls. It was so horrible last night

AlexsPajamaMama replied: It takes time for them to adjust to the change. Alex was like that in the begining too. Now for the most part he stays in bed and understands it is bed time. There are some days that he gets up and plays with toys in his room....he cant leave his room because we put a gate in the door. Just stay consistant and dont give in.

~~*Missi*~~ replied: Sabrina cried the first night for about 15m, second night less..... then she didn't cry she would sit at the door and fall asleep there.....it took about 1.5 weeks for her to sleep IN the bed... Naps were NEVER a issue just nap time. The best thing for US was to put her in the bed... leave if she cried more then 5m go in and comfort her leave again. the next night 7m and soon she didn't bother....
now i ask her wanna go night night.... she runs right up to the gate.

GOOD luck
its a process and a change for them

AlexsPajamaMama replied:
Alex did that alot in the begining too, now he knows to get into bed and fall asleep when he gets tired.

b&bsmom replied: I agree be consistent. I would try and have him get a sticker on a chart or a stamp on his hand if he stays in bed and takes a nap or sleeps through the night. A little reward to show him he can do it and it isn't so bad. JMO Hope it helps. Good luck !!

MichaelsMommy replied: Thanks everyone for sharing your advice.

It's a little hard, cuz he's still a little guy. He is a little over a year and a half
and I'm not sure he completely understands everything I say to him.
He's just starting to talk well. He can follow a bit of instruction
'take this to the garbage' 'close the door', but I'm not sure 'stay in bed'
is something he'd fully understand just yet.

He went for a LATE nap today (I was just going to nix it but he got too tired)
and went down without a hitch. Didn't even open his door or scream for me
from the gate. I ended up waking him up because I didn't want him to
be up all night either.

I hope tonight goes ok for us.. it's been a rough couple of nights so far.