Your baby has grown too big for his crib but he does not want to leave it. Its time to make him feel comfortable with his changing needs, which is a daunting task. Here are some tips to make this process of transition from infants crib to babys bed easier. Till the time your baby is a few months old, he will usually sleep in the same bed as you and your husband. As the baby grows a little older, he may shift to a crib. Your baby cannot sleep in an infants crib forever though. At some point of time, he will grow too big for his crib and have to shift to a normal bed. Generally, the best age to transition a baby from his crib to a bed is any time between 18 and 36 months. Read about a few ways to help your baby make a comfortable transition. In this articleGet Him Used to the IdeaKeep the Same Bedtime RoutineSnuggle with Your ChildLeaving the Room Get Him Used to the Idea Make moving to his own bed a big event for your baby. Before you actually buy a bed, talk to your baby about it. When you do go to the store, take your baby along and allow him to help you choose a bed. Your baby is more likely to sleep in his bed if he has selected it himself. Once the bed is brought home, do not force your baby to shift immediately. Have short mock sleep sessions where he sits in the bed while to you read to him or he plays with his toys. If he is willing, let him have his afternoon nap in the bed. The idea is to gradually get him accustomed to sleeping in the bed so that it becomes a comfortable place for him. However, if your baby resists any attempts to get into the bed, back off and try again after a week or two. Keep the Same Bedtime Routine While trying to get your baby to sleep in his own bed, it helps to maintain the same bedtime routine as when he was in infants crib. This provides a sense of comfort and stability to him. Your baby may have trouble sleeping through the night in his own bed. In the beginning, you may even have to spend the night in your babys room so that he falls asleep. Snuggle with Your Child Snuggling with your baby provides him with a sense of security. While trying to get him to sleep in his own bed, lie in the bed with him and cuddle. If the bed is too small for both of you, sit on a chair next to the bed and stroke him while he drifts off to sleep. Once he falls asleep, dim the lights. Do not leave the room until he is fast asleep. If your baby wakes up suddenly and finds himself alone, he will think you have deserted him. Then, you will have a very stressed and terrified baby on your hands. During the snuggling phase, slowly start moving away from your babys bed every night. If the first night, you are right next to the bed, shift your chair a foot away the following night. The next night, push back still further and so on. This way, your baby is less likely to experience any separation anxiety at being left on his own. Leaving the Room In the final stage, you will have to leave the room before your baby falls asleep. This will help him learn to sleep without having you around. Initially, your baby may resist and throw tantrums when you leave the room. There is a way to deal with this. While in your babys room, find an excuse to leave. Pretend to go get a book and step out for a minute or two. Then, return to the room so your bay feels happy that you are back. Gradually start increasing the amount of time you are absent by pretending to take more time for your tasks. If you come back and your baby is asleep, let him be, but continue to check in on him to see if he has woken up. Getting your baby to sleep in his own bed requires a lot of time and patience on your part. The key to making a smooth transition is to reassure your baby and make him feel safe.
Your baby has grown too big for his crib but he does not want to leave it. Its time to make him feel comfortable with his changing needs, which is a daunting task. Here are some tips to make this process of transition from infant's crib to baby's bed easier. Till the time your baby is a few months old, he will usually sleep in the same bed as you and your husband. As the baby grows a little older, he may shift to a crib. Your baby cannot sleep in an infant's crib forever though. At some point of time, he will grow too big for his
crib and have to shift to a normal bed. Generally, the best age to transition a baby from his crib to a bed is any time between 18 and 36 months. Read about a few ways to help your baby make a comfortable transition.
Get Him Used to the Idea
Make moving to his own bed a
big event for your baby. Before you actually buy a bed, talk to your baby about it. When you do go to the store, take your baby along and allow him to help you choose a bed. Your
baby is more likely to sleep in his bed if he has selected it himself.
Once the bed is brought home, do not force your baby to shift immediately. Have short mock sleep sessions where he sits in the bed while to you read to him or he plays with his toys. If he is willing, let him have his afternoon nap in the bed. The idea is to gradually get him accustomed to sleeping in the bed so that it becomes a comfortable place for him. However, if your baby resists any attempts to get into the bed, back off and try again after a week or two.
Keep the Same Bedtime Routine
While trying to get your baby to sleep in his own bed, it helps to maintain the same bedtime routine as when he was in
infant's crib. This provides a sense of comfort and stability to him. Your baby may have trouble sleeping through the night in his own bed. In the beginning, you may even have to spend the night in your baby's room so that he falls asleep.
Snuggle with Your Child
Snuggling with your baby provides him with a sense of security. While trying to get him to sleep in his own bed, lie in the bed with him and cuddle. If the bed is too small for both of you, sit on a chair next to the bed and stroke him while he drifts off to sleep. Once he falls asleep, dim the lights. Do not leave the room until he is fast asleep. If your baby wakes up suddenly and finds himself alone, he will think you have deserted him. Then, you will have a very stressed and terrified baby on your hands.
During the snuggling phase, slowly start moving away from your baby's bed every night. If the first night, you are right next to the bed, shift your chair a foot away the following night. The next night, push back still further and so on. This way, your baby is less likely to experience any separation anxiety at being left on his own.
Leaving the Room
In the final stage, you will have to leave the room before your baby falls asleep. This will help him learn to sleep without having you around. Initially, your baby may resist and throw tantrums when you leave the room. There is a way to deal with this. While in your baby's room, find an excuse to leave. Pretend to go get a book and step out for a minute or two. Then, return to the room so your bay feels happy that you are back. Gradually start increasing the amount of time you are absent by pretending to take more time for your tasks. If you come back and your baby is asleep, let him be, but continue to check in on him to see if he has woken up.
Getting your baby to
sleep in his own bed requires a lot of time and patience on your part. The key to making a smooth transition is to reassure your baby and make him feel safe.
