Transitioning to a Big Kid Bed | What Not to Do

Transitioning to a big kid bed sounds so fun, right? I truly think It can be, but please head my warning and do not do what we did! This is a post about what we did wrong, and hopefully you can learn from It. Transitioning your little one to a big kid bed has enough change and challenge without adding more change with a new baby and a new room entirely!

What We Did Well When Transitioning to a Big Kid Bed

The Hype// We talked about the big kid bed all the time, we watched the Cocomelon episode about JJ getting a big boy bed and Kaden was so excited about It!

Inviting Space// We made a special room and let Kaden choose his sheets! He chose bananas, cheetahs and lions! He loved his sheets and showed everyone when he first bought them! We felt like this allowed him to feel like this room was truly his own and It was great!

Moving Personal Belongings// We also let Kaden choose which books he wanted to take to his room. We helped him move his toys over and even some of the little things he loved and wanted in his new big boy room.

What We Should Have Done When Transitioning to a Big Kid Bed

We ultimately decided to make the move to a big boy bed when we needed the crib for baby Cole. Hind sight is 20/20 and after reading up on things, I should have done this months prior to Cole’s arrival so that Kaden was settled before the baby arrived. Instead, Cole slept in our room in a basinet until he was 3 months and then was moved into the crib at the same time Kaden was moved. This transition was really hard for Kaden and It was quite frankly a terrible idea.

We did explain that Cole was a baby and Kaden was ready for a big boy bed, which he understood. But there was added confusion in that Cole got his room too. This created a lot of unrest and I think eventually led to us having to sleep train him again.

I think if we wanted to wait to move Kaden until after the baby arrived, we could have done that! But, we would have had to wait a few months before we moved Cole into the crib, still allowing Kaden time to get settled without anyone invading his space.

Another option would have been to put Kaden’s big boy bed in his nursery and get him used to It in his room, and then to move It to his new room. Then It would have only been one big change at a time instead of new room and new bed.

Another Fail

Another thing that contributed to a difficult move was that I don’t really believe Kaden was ready to move at all! He wasn’t trying to climb out of his crib or anything. He loved to sleep in his crib and he was very content and happy! We completely disturbed that with this move. Please learn from my mistakes and wait until your little one is absolutely ready!

You’ve Got This

There is no reason to rush into this monumental move unless like us, you need the crib for a new baby. In which case, I hope me sharing my mistakes helps as you decide how to transition your toddler to a big kid bed.

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