Your little baby is growing up. The time has come to replace your crib with a big kid’s bed. It’s really easy to make the transition without having to spend too much extra money in decorating and buying new things.

Converting Baby Crib to Toddler bed 4

I recently changed Xavion’s (my 3 year old son’s) room from a baby room into a little boys room.  This was long overdue, but since his crib was so massive I was able to get away with keeping him in a bit longer. By the way, we totally skipped the toddler bed stage, even though we were able to convert his existing crib. Although most of you reading this will probably be changing your baby room into a toddler room around the age of 2, these tips are all still applicable.

Here are some tips on how to ease the transition…

Step 1:  Make sure your child is ready for a bed.

Do not make the change from a baby crib to bed unless your child is actually ready.  You will know your child is ready when they start asking for a bed and/or start climbing out of their existing crib. Unless you really need to get rid of the old crib, there is no need to push your child into a bed. Each child is different.  Note: Even when you do make the change to the bed, you will still need to secure the bed with pillows or toddler bars to make sure that you child does not fall off the bed at night. This is also to ensure that they feel safe and cozy, the same way that they did in their tiny crib.

Step 2: Purchase a new bed for your toddler.

It is always nice to take your child to the showroom and have him/her test out the beds. This will help to ease the transition into the new bed (especially if you don’t think they are 100% ready). Before purchasing, make sure to take the measurements of the area where you plant to put the bed and also take the measurements of the bed you plan to buy.

You should also make sure to find out the delivery schedule and if the bed you want is in stock. If it is not in stock,  when will it be in stock. Sometimes it might take weeks to come back in stock, especially here in Singapore!  Note: Some places will let you make payment and then hold off on delivering the item until a later date. 

Step 3:   Sell, giveaway, store or dispose of your baby crib.

Make sure you know which bed you want to purchase before you remove the crib. The next thing you will need to do is make space in the room for a new bed.

Note: I posted on a variety of buy-sell websites and after a few weeks was finally able to make a sale. I was actually very sad to see the crib go. Both my kids had used the same crib and it was a sign that they were growing up.

Step 4:  Rearrange the baby furniture and make it more “kid” friendly.

Move around the furniture in the room if necessary to create a new look and feel. For example: In Xavion’s room we took the changing table and converted it into a toy/book shelf. All we did was remove the changing pad and change the position of the baskets. Although the change was minimal, it appeared that we had purchased a new piece of furniture.

Baby Changing Table into Bookshelf

 

Step 4:  Buy neutral bedding for the new bed.

Don’t be in a rush to just buy anything. Take some time to shop around. In the meantime you can use a regular sheet and blanket from your house.  Unless you plan to paint, I would recommend buying a neutral bedding that matches the colors of your baby room. You can then use decorative pillows/stuffed toys to bring out your new toddler theme. Otherwise you will be stuck changing bedding every time your child gets a new interest. Super Note: Pottery Barn Kids delivers to Singapore!

Step 5:  Update from baby toys to little kid toys.

You basically need to change around the toys and remove the really babyish things with slightly older things. Replace the baby toys with some more “toddler” toys and stuffed animals. If your child used to be into Thomas the Train and now is into dinosaurs, try to display some of his dinosaur toys. Or if your daughter used to like Strawberry Shortcake and is now into the Disney Princesses – try to incorporate this using her toys.

Step 6: Get creative.

Paint, put up new wall decals, hang art-work (these can be child made).  This is optional, but can be done at a minimal cost with some easy DIY on your part and maybe some cheap picture frames.

Just take your time and really try to piece the room together. I am sure your little kid will just love it.

-xoxo-
SuperMommy

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