Hi there Mamas!
If you are reading this, you are probably wondering what the best ways are to transition your child from co-sleeping to being in their own bedroom. I’ve been there… and believe me, it was a lot of trial and error.
But I eventually found some things that worked very well, and I want to share them with you to make your life a bit easier.
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Don’t get me wrong I loved co-sleeping with my first, I think it bonded us is a way that will carry throughout his whole life. However, there came a time when my husband and I wanted our bed back!! We were getting tired of sleeping in only a foot wide space and not being able to even move throughout the night. Oh yeah, and getting kicked in the gut, back and face was getting old too. I am sure you know what I am talking about…
HERE ARE 5 TIPS TO TRANSITION FROM CO-SLEEPING:
1. Communicate With Your Child.
Let them know what is going to be happening in the next few days. Tell them that they will be starting to sleep in their own bed and eventually their own room. They are becoming a big kid and its time to be in their own bed. Keep it light and exciting, and let them help with the process. Take them to the store to pick out new sheets, a blanket, a night light and maybe a new “snuggle bug” as my son calls stuffed animals.
(Click here for our favorite doggy snuggle bug. You can’t go wrong with JellyCat stuffed animals, they are so incredibly soft.)
or a new pair of big kid pajamas. If you don’t know about Primary Clothing yet, check it out now!!
“Let them be a part of the process!”
2. Clean Up Their Room & Make It A Safe Space.
Keep them involved with this process too. Have them help you. Make their room a place where they want to be. We use the Pink Himalayan Salt Lamp in my boys’ rooms to create a soft, cozy feel. Remove any furniture that they could climb on or use the safety latches so furniture can’t tip over. Lock Trash Cans, use a Baby Gate for stairs or doors and use knob covers if necessary. And if you are changing the crib into a toddler bed, let them watch and help. The more they get involved, the more likely they will get excited for the upcoming change.
3. Start Slowly With The Transition.
Start with having a bed on your floor in your room for a few weeks. This way your child will get used to not actually sleeping right next to you and in his own bed. First step, check!
A few days before you make the switch to their room, communicate with them about what to expect. It was something like “ok, so in 2 more sleeps you will be sleeping in your own bed, in your own awesome room, like a big boy.” This will give them more time to process it and be ok with it.
“Communicate with them about what to expect”
4. Transitioning Into Their Own Room! YAY
This will the day that would mark the rest of their life, actually sleeping in their own room. Parenting win!
However, the hard part has just begun. How do you get them to stay in their very own big kid bed ALL NIGHT?
Ok, so I have said it before, communication. Have lots of before bedtime talks about how they are safe, and mommy and daddy are right in the next room. Some nights will be easier than others. My son would say “why do you get to sleep in the same room, and I am all alone in here?” If that doesn’t tug at the heart strings, I don’t know what will. Continued to have conversations about being brave and using the “light of protection” color can help a lot! This is were your child can pick a color to be their internal light that keeps them protected throughout the night. They will love changing the colors every night and it will give them something to focus on other than being scared.
5. 5-MINUTE KISSES…
This works like a charm for our kiddo. The 5 minute kisses is when you are all done brushing teeth, going potty, getting all the “snuggle bugs” set up and blankets spread out. This is after you read a nightly book, lights go out, and they have picked out the light of protection color. Then say, “ok, I will be back in 5 minutes to give you a kiss.” This lets them know that you will be back, and they are not alone. You can continue to go back in every 5 minutes until they fall asleep, however some nights that can drag out for an hour or more, which is not too realistic. So, set yourself some boundaries and let them know up front that you will only be doing two 5 minute kisses tonight… Because, come on, mama needs to get some sleep too!
“Create a nighttime routine and make sure it is consistent.”
A few tips to think about:
- Decide what you want to do if they get up in the middle of the night.
Do you let them jump into bed with you or simply walk them back to their room and tuck them in. Sometimes that is a good time to do another 5-minute kisses. Whatever you decide, make sure you are being consistent. Do the same things every night and don’t stray from that. This assists them to know what to expect.
- Keep the power of realistic expectations.
- Don’t be too hard on yourself or your kids. Trust them and in turn, they trust you.
- In the morning, when they wake up, make sure to celebrate them and give a lot of well-deserved praise for sleeping in their own bed! It is important to tell them how proud of them you are, and they are becoming such a big kid!
Some Sleep Training MUST HAVES:
Video Monitor (This is the one that we use, and I love it. Not to expensive and works well. I like being able to see the temperature in the room.)
White noise sound machine (This one has a few different settings and volume. It’s not the fanciest one out there, but it does the trick. We like the ocean sound!)
Books about sleeping (The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep- it really does work to get kids sleepy and fall asleep. Tested and Approved)
Night Light (Pink Himalayan Salt Lamp Night Lights give off the best light. It’s warm and comfortable.)
I hope this has helped make your life a little easier. Don’t be afraid to bring out your badass mom-ness! You can do this! Change can be hard, especially for kids. Be consistent and take it slow.
Love,
Trista
Cheers to another parenting win. Wishing you success and lots of patience!
Please check out some of my other posts on realistic parenting.
Taylor
Love these tips as we are in the midst of this! Any suggestions for when kiddo won’t stay in bed between the five minutes kisses? Our little one sneaks out as soon as we leave the room…
Trista
Thanks Taylor for following. It will be a learning curve for everyone involved. And all kids are different so you may need to try a few things to see what works best for you and your little. First try simply communicating and letting them know what you need them to do, like staying in their room until you return for the next 5 minute kisses. You could maybe even start off with less time between and build up to 5 minutes. Or we have done the baby gate in the door, which was effective as well. Another option is to give them a song to sing or a number to count to until you return but ultimately you would like them to close their eyes and fall asleep. Let me know how it goes!