a question on switching my toddler girl from her crib to a toddler bed?

I have a girl who is almost 3, she is still sleeping in her crib but my brother is having a girl soon so i am going to give him my daughter's crib and get her a toddler bed. the thing is my daughter moves around so much and is so active, that i am afraid when i put her down to sleep she wont stay in her bed and its going to be a struggle for me to get her to stay in her bed and go to sleep. What should i do to get her to stay in her bed? She is fearless and if she happens to get up in the middle of the night she will take off. not like outside or anything but around the house. Any suggestions or comments would be great!

Answers:
This is amazing! I JUST switched my 2 year old to a toddler bed last night. I was worrying about the same thing. He was a bit apprehensive at first, probably because it had no bars keeping him in or something. He got out of bed a few times, but we kept putting him back in and telling him that it was bed time. Finally (2 hours later and after a vist from dad to finally tell him no getting up) he fell asleep. He was at the bottom of the bed, so i turned him around so he was at the top (guard rails only at the top) and couldnt fall off the bed. I think the big thing that we are going to have to keep doing is letting him know that once he is in bed, he has to stay in bed. His vocabulary isnt as good yet, so I know the only thing that will work is talking to him and keep putting him back to bed. he will catch on pretty quick. And last night, even though it was his first night, he made it through the night with no major problems and got up this morning ok.

I would suggest though getting a baby gate and blocking the doorway to her room if you are worried she may be a wanderer, ot block off the areas you do not want her in (kitchen, bathroom etc) Door handle covers are great for bathrooms and basement doors and latches are good for the cabinets. Also, have the bed be something she really likes- my son LOVES cars, so he got a Cars bed with all of the accesories including a cars wall cling. He thought his car bed was great! (you can get a 5 piece room set from walmart in different characters for $100 that comes with a table, 2 chairs, toy bin and toddler bed!!)

Make sure she has things in her room that will keep her occupied if she were to wake up such as something she really enjoys.

It will take a while, but keep reminding her that she is a big girl now and big girls get big girl beds! No more baby bed for her because big girls dont use baby beds! (ok well i used boy...lol)

good luck!

I would recommend a baby gate at the doorway, a baby monitor in her room (out of her reach) and a bedrail (or 2) so that she doesn't fall out of bed. Another idea might be to have a nightlight in her room as well as a few books or quiet toys. That way if she wakes early she can read or play quietly in her room until you come and get her.

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a question on switching my toddler girl from her crib to a toddler bed?

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