On Getting Rid of the Crib

(Logan's first night on his new bed)

I know I mentioned a few months back that we were transitioning Logan on his bed on the floor, totally ditching the crib. I wanted him to be fully adjusted to a "big boy bed" by the time we were in our new home. According to other mamas and baby message boards this is a bit young to be doing it, however I think we did it at the perfect time. No one has judged me for it and most mama friends are very impressed by how well it's worked out. So I thought I'd share our process and update on how the last week in our new home has been.

Once Logan learned to walk I knew it was time to get him out of the crib. It was only a matter of time before he would be scaling his crib rails and inevitably hurting himself from a fall. He had already mastered climbing onto and off of chairs, couches, and tables, all just a short distance from the floor. A fall from the crib was not something I wanted either of us to experience.

I consulted a friend who had created a Montessori bed for her son at an even earlier age than Logan. I researched different bumpers to buy to help soften a roll off the mattress but nothing seemed worth it. I knew I could figure out a different way to protect him. B was given a large styrofoam roller for his back. It stands about three feet tall and has a pretty large circumference. I stuffed this roll under the sheet of his bed on one side while pushing the other side of the bed against the wall. I placed blankets at the head and foot of his bed should he roll either direction and felt pretty confident in my creation.

Once B had the crib disassembled and put away we anxiously waited for Logan's bed time. He goes to bed between 7 and 8 most nights. Since he was a wee one (we're talking 4 weeks old) I have always laid Logan to bed awake. Only when he was sick and/or teething have I rocked/nursed/fed him to sleep. I believe this has been a huge help in getting him to go down for bed easily.

Night one was a gem. We put him to bed tired with his sleep sheep, blankie, paci and lovie and he was good to go. Within 20 minutes he was out. I kept checking on him to see how the roll was working out and if he was all over the place. Everything was just perfect. I seriously cannot say anything bad about it. And every night since has been just the same.

When we moved in with my parents Logan had a hard time sleeping later in the mornings being that we were all in the same room and he could get out of bed easily so while we were there he slept in his pack n play. Once we moved, the transition back to his big boy bed has been just as flawless as it was the first night. I am sure he must realize the freedom he has to roam his room and check out his toys or read a book. I encourage him to. Letting him play alone quietly for another 20 minutes before laying himself back down (yes, you read that right!) then I am totally fine with it. That being said, he has only once gotten out of bed to play for a little while longer. I'd like to think that he understands that when we put him to bed that it's time to go to sleep. I also know that this is not foolproof. There will be nights when it's a struggle, especially as he begins to assert himself even more with his verbal skills.

So, how do you know if your toddler is ready for this? What should you do to prepare for this?

• Childproof the entire room. At this point in toddlerhood most everything has been childproofed but not until you leave your child alone do you truly know what he/she can get into that is not safe. It was especially challenging to know what these things were when we moved. We have different curtains with longer pull cords so securing those at a safe distance was our first project. Also the floor in his room is a hard, cork floor so we have to lay extra blankets around the bed because even though it's only 3 inches off the floor a sleepy roll off the bed could smart. We put plug covers in the outlets and are sure to clean up the room so there is nothing to slip or trip over if he should get up in the middle of the night. So far, all of these things have worked out well with no concerns.


• Is he ready? This is something only a mama can know. If you feel like your child's independence is growing and being confined ends up being more challenging than helpful then he might be ready. If your babe is perfectly happy in his crib that may also be a good time to make the transition. Logan had no issues with being in his crib and since we were not up against each other over bed time I believe this made our transition easy. Every child is different and may or may not be ready for a change like this whether he is 13 months old or 20 months old.

If you make the transition let me know! Good luck and have a wonderful weekend.