toddler moving to new bed and new room - 4 months before little brother or sister arrives

[MissyH]

I am trying to wean my 2.5 yr old son out of his cot and into a big bed (with guard rail) in a new room (which is bigger than his current snug nursery).

Admittedly today is the first day I have tried it for his afternoon nap - and he is high as a kite, far more interested in chatting and jumping about than settling down. I am keen to get him settled asap as new baby is due at the end of July and I want him to feel that his room is "his" room - rather than having to move out when baby comes.

Any tips re how to get him accustomed to his new surroundings with the least amount of disruption would be much appreciated!

I think its a good idea to move him now, well before the baby comes so as to cause him as little upset as poss. We moved ds into a bed about 3 mths before dd was born. This was good because , and you may not want to hear this, it took ds quite a while to settle in his new bed (i.e) stay in his new bed. His new found freedom had me and dh taking turns standing on the landing bringing him back to bed, again and again and..... By the time dd came he'd got bored of that and stayed put when we turn the lights out. So one less hasssle. I do have some friends whose dc settled alot easier into their new bed so hope its easier for you. My ds was 2.1yr when we moved him.

I would start with bedtime rather than afternoon naps - at 2.5 he is probably close to 'dropping' his nap, and could manage without it, IYSWIM - so far harder to get him to settle.

After that - what billyog said . We have just gone through it with DD (2.5) after she gate-vaulted out of her cot. Admittedly it is the same bed in the same place as we have just converted it, but it took an evening of her storming at the child gate which we had put across her (open) door before she gave up and tucked herself back up in bed (note - I agree in principle with the 'silent return' method, but DD has stairs right outside her room and for this and various other reasons it just wouldn't work and we had to let her cry shout it out). DS moved into his 'big boy' bed when we moved house (about 4 months before DD was born) so it was not such an issue - everything was new for everyone, IYSWIM.

The important thing IMO is to make it all about him, and his new room and new bed, and how great it all is, and only when he is settled do you let it dawn on him that the baby might as well have the nursery now that he doesn't need it any more.

thanks guys - much appreciate your thoughts... I think you are right about the afternoon naps - whilst he does still really need them, it takes him a bit of time to go off, so today he just used that time to be excited. By tonight I was so knackered (having missed out on my afternoon nap too ) that he was straight in the cot - I couldn't cope with anything else! I think it is harder the fact that he is moving rooms too - but I think we do need to make more of a fuss about it being about him (we haven't ever said he was moving because of the baby) and build it up into a big adventure... we shall see

One thing at a time, maybe? We put dd in her new room in her cot first, then introduced the bed a month or so later. She was just 2 - she'd have gone crazy if I'd tried to do both simultaneously. We didn't make a huge deal about it either, just said "oh, you've got a new room because you're a big girl now" and left it at that.

Given that you are PG I might be inclined to wait until an evening when your DP can help put him to bed - and put him back in bed - and put him back in bed again - and, well, you get the picture. Weekend, maybe?

For what it's worth, doing exactly the same at the moment, DD (21 months) had first night in new bed last night (make that our bed) at 7.5 months pregnant my resolve and patience is not what it should be.
I think I'm reinstating the cot tonight as absolutely shattered and don't think I've got the energy to perservere with this until she seems more ready....She's quite upset at the idea of being left in her room and bed and I don't want to make a trauma out of it.

My dd has a 2.5 yr old who did settle in his bed in a bigger room about 4 months before new baby.Now the baby is here and sleeping in Moses basket in parent's room he is really sad and says 'why is everybody else in here and I am lonely?'Any ideas to help?They do let him in bed with them for a cuddle in the morning and he sleeps in bed all night-just up between 5.30 and 6 every morning.

oh god - am feeling confused! we haven't tried it again since... he doesn't seem the slightest bit interested in his new room, although I have to say, like snickersnack, I had thought of moving the cot and changing station into the new room as a way of getting him to engage with it a bit more. My sister in law has said that with the benefit of hindsight she would have waited for longer with her ds (who is 5 months older than mine) who started in a new bed in Feb when he was 2.9 months... he was up 42 times the first night and it has taken quite a while to get better oh the joys!

We have just done this(sucessfully!)last week and it is four months until our next baby is due! We have had relatively few problems as we got DS really keen on his new 'garden bedroom' and let him chose some of the furnishings ; curtains etc and some posters for the walls. We started with nap time when he was tired and then worked up to bedtime. The first two nights he wanted his old room and cot but we persisted and stayed in his room for a while, then left and said we'd go back in five minutes, when I went back and he was still awake but lying down and sleepy I gave him a kiss and said I'd go back again in five minutes; basically we were a bit extra kind and cuddly. Went back after about 10 mins and he was asleep. By night three we were pretty much doing our normal bedtime routine and he now seems very happy; that said he is good at bedtime anyway. One thing I would say is that once you have started you need to keep going otherwise you'll be back to square one. Good luck !

I have just put my ds in a bed for the 1st time, although it is not a new room and I am not pg. The room has been completly redecorated and transformed for his 2nd bday presant from me, so it does look like a new room, he didnt see the room at all whilst being decorated as he came in my room.

I think this has helped the transformation into a bed as its all new and exciting and decorated v brightly as a bnig boys room. He has been sleeping absolutely great at nigh and hasnt tried to get up once, he stays in bed from 7.30pm until 7am, which is a million times better than when he was in his cot!

Daytime naps on the other hand have not been as successfull, the 1st day was fine, but the last 2 days hes been up and down, I found him asleep on the floor behind the door, which I closed to stop him repeatedly coming down stairs!

Good luck

just to report - we waited until we went on holiday where ds slept in a single bed shoved between our twin beds (oh the romance!) when we got home we bigged up the big boy bed and he has not looked back. He doesn't get out in the mornings to come and find us, and stays there when tucked in at night. (we had started a star chart a few weeks previously which then incorporated sleeps.. daytime and nightime and he gets a special smiley face for those) fingers crossed he continues this well when the baby arrives at end july...

now we have to think about potty training!!!