From Cot To Own Bed Without Tears

Moving a child from a crib to a bed without tears and tantrums is easy – when it comes to the parents ’bed. Instead, moving to your own bed and sleeping room can be much more challenging.

Parents may worry about many things at first. What if a child falls out of bed? What if he’s afraid of the dark? Maybe he doesn’t like sleeping alone. Maybe he’s still too small for that. The child may feel lonely.

Most of these fears are unfounded. Often, a child sleeping alone worries parents more than the child himself. Unfortunately, however, parents also pass on these fears to the child.

When is the right time to move from a crib to your own bed?

There is no right moment or age to go to sleep in your own bed. Often, however, it is recommended that the transition be made before the child reaches the age of two. Otherwise, sharing a bedroom with a child may become a hard-to-break habit.

Parents should listen to their own instincts, but try to avoid feeding disproportionate fears. It’s good to remember that children are far more independent than we even imagine.

It pays to take advantage of the moment when the child can no longer fit in their cot. This is a great excuse for a child to start sleeping in their own bed.

You can install safety railings in your child’s new bed to prevent them from falling out of bed – if nothing else, to ensure your own peace of mind. A safety railing is also a practical aid for a child when he or she climbs into or out of bed, for example due to a night in the toilet.

It is not recommended to move the child to sleep in their own bed when a new baby arrives in the family. This can make the child feel abandoned and replaced, which can lead to outbursts of anger, feelings of jealousy, and sadness.

If a new baby is expected in the family, it is a good idea to move the toddler to sleep in your own bed well in advance of the baby’s birth. In this way, the child does not associate the change with the new baby.

If this is not the first child in the family, he may well take the reins into his own hands. He can even ask his parents to get him his own bed. Younger siblings often want to be like their big brothers and sisters.

Getting used to sleeping alone

Every child in the world is unique. There are children who see sleeping alone as a great achievement, while others see it as a punishment. Parents can influence a child to see sleeping alone as a positive thing.

Here are some tips to help parents make the transition from crib to their own as smooth as possible:

• Remind your child of how big a girl or boy she is. Children often want to grow up as fast as possible and like to be seen as big children. The best thing you can do when moving a child to sleep in his or her own bed is to tell him or her that he or she is too big to sleep in the crib.
• If we help a child understand that sleeping alone in their own bed is a great accomplishment, he or she will enjoy this new experience. For example, if a child has cleaned their toys from the floor or behaved particularly well, they may be told, “Because you have behaved so well today, you can sleep all night in your own bed”. This is how a child sees sleeping in their own bed as a reward.

• Create positive images of the child in bed. One technique is to create a connection between the child’s new bed and the fun activities the child enjoys. The child can read an evening tale in bed or play with him for a moment with sleeping toys. In this way, the child begins to see his bed as a fun and familiar place.
• Create a personal space for the child from the bed.  One way to make your child feel comfortable in this in your own bed and room is to let your child choose their own sheets, pillows, blankets, curtains and sleeping toys. Let the child be involved in decorating the room, and this will begin to see the room as a space where it’s nice to spend time. The child-looking room is also not so scary at night when the child knows he is surrounded by his familiar toys.

As you can see, a child this age is easy to persuade. The child should be shown how proud he or she is when he or she sleeps in his or her own bed – this is how the child sees it as something he or she wants to continue to do.