How Do You Transition From a Crib to a Toddler Bed?

You start planning a transition from a crib to a toddler bed, either when your toddler has begun managing to climb out of the cot, or you are in the process of toilet training them. They need to be able to get out of the crib/bed easily whenever needed, especially at night. You might also need the crib for a newly arrived younger sibling. Or, you might be making this shift for no particular reason but just because eventually, you would have to do it anyway. Whatever be the reason, this transition is an important one, both, for the parents and the child.

Here are a few extremely significant points to keep in mind regarding this transition - Overall Home Safety Measures

Even before you make this transition, do a thorough safety check of the child’s room, and of the entire house, WITHOUT FAIL. Check for any window that can be easily climbed onto, opened and crossed over to the other side. Seal them with child lock facility. Be even more careful if your child’s room is on an upper floor. You most certainly don’t want her/him to be climbing onto windows on the upper floors and risking her/his life. Put child-safety guard on every staircase so that the child doesn’t accidentally tumble down the stairs in a playtime rush, a sleepy stupor or when it’s dark. Meticulously place relevant child safety protection measures in places with all the plug points and electrical appliances, such as standing fans, heaters, low-level window ACs and so on, to avoid burns or electrocution. Check for all kinds of curtain/blind cords, electrical wires, mobile chargers and similar things that your child can accidentally wrap around her/his neck. Carefully transfer these out of the child’s reach to avoid accidental strangulation. Fix all furniture and heavy objects to the wall with metal brackets so the child can’t accidentally cause these to fall on her/him while trying to climb them or play around. Carefully remove all ‘swallow-able’ items, such as oil, gels, pills, medicines, cleaning liquids, disinfectants, acid, sharp objects, batteries, smaller metal tools, coins and similar hazardous items that your child could choke on or get poisoned by. Bed Safety Measures Keep the toddler bed a significant distance away from the walls. This helps reduce any potential risk of suffocation.

Pillows remain an item with suffocation risk for a child under two years of age. Try to delay its introduction as much as possible, even inside a toddler bed. Ensure that the toddler bed has railings long enough to prevent a sleeping child from falling off, but also that the gaps between the railings aren’t so thin that the child gets dangerously stuck between two rails. There should be no gap between the bed and the railings for the same reasons. Keep the bed clean of toys, bean toys, papers and other items with suffocation risk. The Pre-Transition Fun Process Involve the child in the transition. Talk to your child in exciting details about your plan of getting a new bed for her/him. Make it a fun event which she/he too looks forward to. Involve the child in helping you set up the toddler bed. Take her/him shopping with you when you go to buy the bed or bed accessories. Ask her/him to choose a color or a fun design. This way the child will feel happier as she/he had a role in the transition. If you wish to be more creative and adventurous, try throwing the child a new-bed party and celebrate the transition. This turns it into an even more welcomed transition for the child. Post-Transition Adjustments Once the transition is complete, be empathetic towards the child. It’s a new environment for her/him, so be gentle and patient. Give her/him enough time to mentally, emotionally and physically adjust to the toddler bed. Tell your child often about how proud you feel as she/he has now taken a huge step towards becoming a “big girl/boy.” Make a nightly routine of climbing into her/his new bed a fun activity. You can get creative, incorporate imagination, visualization, story-telling, role-play and so on. The transition from crib to a toddler bed can be fun for the child; it needs only a little extra effort and empathetic sensitiveness to the child.

Author Bio –

Akshay works as an Interior Designer with Lalco Interiors and he is in love with his job. Thinking up interesting home decor ideas and helping clients implement them is what makes him tick. You can catch up with Akshay and his team and indulge in one of their beautiful home décor pieces for your home at Lalco Interior - Home Furnishing Stores In Mumbai

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