Is Your Child Ready For Their Own Bed?

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There’s no definitive rule or set time when your child should make their way into their own bed, or for that matter, when a parent should know when it is time. You usually move your infant from a crib into a toddler bed when they get too big, however depending on how fast your child grows, the ages amongst children will differ. An age recommended by experts is around three and a half to four years old, as they’re already used to crawling in with mummy and daddy at that stage anyway.

Towards the age of four, toddlers tend to get very active, so many parents prefer moving them to their own bed to save the tears when they climb out of their cots during the night. Although cots have a number of safety features to prevent this, as well as parents keeping a watchful eye on their children at night time, climbing out of the cot is a habit you’ll want to nip in the bud quickly.

Before you go out and buy the new bed for your child, make sure they know that a change is coming their way. Slowly introduce them to the concept of not sleeping in their crib anymore, so the new bed won’t be so much of a surprise. Furthermore, you could take this method one stage further and bring your child along to help pick the new bed. It may just simply be the colour, but allowing your child to have some decision could help to smooth the transition over. Let’s take a look at some more helpful trips surrounding moving your child out of their crib.

Another One On The Way

One of the biggest reasons why parents decide to move their toddlers into their own bed is because there’s another little one on the way. If this is the situation you are in, make sure that the new bed is bought, and your child is settled in at least 10 weeks before you give birth. If you’ve got a spare room, then it’s best to let your child have the freedom of it, and use the other room for your new born. As one is sleeping, the other is likely to be crying, and vice versa, so it’s best that they have their own rooms with children’s beds to begin with.

Play Along

Children under 10 years old like to be told how big and grown up they are getting, so when it comes to your new born, you can use this to your advantage. Let your child know that because there’s a ‘baby’ coming into the house, they will need to move into a ‘grown-up bed’. This will hopefully allow your child to make the choice for themselves, instead of feeling like they are being pushed to give up their sleeping space. No matter how you deal with this situation, just make sure that your child is ready to move beds. That last thing you want is a war on your hands when you’ve just brought a new member into the family!