The Stress-Free Way To Transition Your Child To Their Own Bed

Another baby on the way? Has your little one worked out how to scale the side of their cot? Or maybe they’ve just become a bit too big to remain co-sleeping in your bed. At some point, for every family, there is a time when your child moves into their own bed.

Sure, some kids will transition easily and be excited about their new space – perhaps with the assistance of a cuddly toy, new ‘big kid’ sheets and a night light. For others, they will still crave the closeness of a parent to ease in to sleep – and might also need a little more time and encouragement before they are fully transitioned into a big bed.

This new stage of sleep shouldn’t equal more stress… for parents or kids! Adopting a gentle, relaxed approach to transitioning to a big kid bed will save the tears and your sanity.

THREE TIPS TO A GENTLE BED TRANSITION

1. NO FIXED TIMEFRAME

Take the pressure off and avoid giving yourself and your child a deadline for transitioning into their own bed. Kids tend to pick up on the pressure and their anxiety increases – and in turn, they are more resistant to change!

Instead, set up their new bed and encouraging your child to spend more time exploring, playing or reading – without the pressure of having to sleep. You could even try a game of putting teddies to sleep in the big bed, to help become more familiar with sleeping in a new setting.

2. COSY TOGETHER

Throw out the rule book when it comes to sleep routines – we’re all about what works for your family! An interim step to help transition kids from co-sleeping to their own bed can be lying next to them until they fall asleep.

Whether you’re on a mattress on the floor or in their bed, it’s important to be comfortable. The uniquely contoured pillow, duopillow, is a helpful addition to support transitioning to a big kid bed and designed perfectly to support parents and kids to comfortably sleep together.

3. ONE NIGHT A WEEK

Easy does it! Plan ahead and choose one night during the week to give transitioning a good go. Making a change to sleep routines inevitably means nights of disrupted sleep, so if you can plan for a weekend – or a time when you have fewer plans the next day – it reduces the stress for everyone involved!

“With both of us working, we couldn’t afford to have sleepless nights during the week,” says Kate, mum of two boys. “Saturday nights were always the best time to try and transition our youngest into his own bed, we had a bit more patience knowing we didn’t have to rush the next morning. Over time it’s increased from one night a week, to settling in his own bed every night.”

Ready for a good night’s sleep? Discover duopillow – the pillow uniquely designed for co-sleeping and bed transitioning.