We are about to embark on a maneuver so radical, so crazy, that it will shake the very foundation of our family. It will alter our entire way of doing things.
We’re about to move our three-year-old to a big-girl bed. She’s currently peacefully ensconced in a crib. Contained. Content.
Soon, though, that will change. And she’ll be free to roam the house at will.
We’ve been through this once before: with our son who is now five. And, having experienced this particular realm of parenting, I’ve jotted down a few tips for those of you planning a similar move in the near future.
- Do not withdraw the pacifier anywhere near the same time (preferably not even in the same YEAR) you move to a big kid bed.
- Do not go directly from a super safe crib to a hulking mattress, box spring and frame. A mattress on the floor with a guardrail or two will suffice.
- Do not switch your sweetie pie to a big bed until you are ready to wake to acrid toddler breath in your face, to small hands poking you, to the sounds of pounding footfalls at 3 a.m.
- Do not assume that once you promote your toddler to said big bed she will necessarily succumb to slumber in a reasonable fashion or at a reasonable hour.
- Do not assume that your toddler will use actual blankets for more than the first five minutes after you tuck her in. Continue to dress your toddler warmly at night.
- Do not scrimp on bedding. Your child’s big kid bedding will undergo thousands of hearty thrashings, both from bodily fluids and exuberant before-sleep antics.
- Do not approach your husband with the slightest flicker in your eye unless you have a fail-safe lock on your own bedroom door.
Heed my advice, and your transition from crib to big-kid bed should go smoothly. As smooth as gravel through a washing machine.
