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When the cradle (or bassinet or pram) has become too narrow, your baby can no longer stretch out his arms and legs, and has trouble wriggling freely (around 3 months), it’s time to change the bed! If he’s been sleeping in your room from the start, avoid changing your room at the same time as you change your bed … It would do a lot in one go. Instead, try to change your child’s room first, leaving him in his cradle but having already installed his little crib not far from him. Once he is used to his new surroundings, you can then put him to bed in his small bed. Of course, if he already has a blanket, it will follow him from the cradle to the bed.
From small bed to “big bed”
Your little one keeps on stringing together feats. His latest find: “skip” from his bed and, all smiles, arrive in the living room in the middle of the Sunday night movie. Around 18 months, 2 years old, some children start to want step over the bars of their bed. There is no longer any question of procrastinating, your baby’s bed is too small, you have to go to the size above, invest in a “large” bed! This is a bigger decision than it looks. There isn’t really an ideal age to change beds, your little one has to be ready. The king’s bed, the one in which we enter and leave alone, marks a stage in the life of your little one,a new – decisive – step on the road to autonomy. Physically, of course, but above all psychological, this step must be done smoothly. Since your baby has become “big”, don’t hesitate. make a pact with him, almost on an equal footing, by making him understand that a “big” bed also implies “big” behavior. But gently of course. It’s part of education, of making your guy responsible.
Tips for switching to a “king-size bed”
Baby is ready, yes, but no question of going to the big bed overnight, and without explanation! A short period of preparation and adaptation is essential so as not to skip the steps …
- Proceed in stages
Avoid coupling this change of bed with another ambitious project (moving, birth of the little sister, especially if the bed in which your baby slept until that night is intended for him!). Changing beds is an event in itself!
- Do not change the bed in his absence
Do not think it wise to put him in front of a fait accompli by offering him his new bed for his birthday or on his return from daycare: your baby would have the impression that a part of him or her was taken away in his absence. (despite everything, he was very keen on the intimate world of his little bed!) and would panic at the loss of his bearings. Where did that smell go that he loved so much? Certainly not in this “trick” brand new ! Show him your pride to see him change his bed, and therefore grow! Congratulate him sincerely for this new step taken which has just propelled him into the world of the great…
- Stand firm
Finally, since you have decided to change (in agreement with your baby!), Stick to your positions! To make it go as well as possible, install the new bed and remove the old one, never going back. After a short week, when your little one has made it his cozy nest, he will be proud to sleep in a “real bed”!
Comfortable bed
Choose a low enough bed model. You can opt for a bed rail to prevent your child from falling.
Your toddler now gets up on his own: a little night light or a flashlight that he can turn on himself will reassure him.
Forget the sleeping bag. Your child now needs a real duvet and also a pillow. He will love it!