Moving to the Crib
Creating a nursery is hard work, when should a baby enjoy it?
Braylin has been sleeping through the night for almost a month now. She sleeps in her bassinet next to our bed and we are all happy with the sleeping arrangements. I know at some point I need to move her into her room, but when?
I have a bit of an emotional attachment to her being right next to me when we sleep. I know without a doubt that if she needs me, I will hear her and be able to help. Yes, we have a monitor for when she sleeps in her room, but what if it’s not loud enough? Sometimes she presses her face up to the side of the bassinet which is breathable, what if she does that with the crib bumpers?
On the other hand, she is asleep right now and I just remembered that I need to put the sheets on my bed; there is no way I can do that without waking her up. Another problem is that our alarm clock scares the daylights out of her and it takes a bit to calm her down and get her back to sleep.
I know some parents start their infants sleeping in their own bedrooms right away. I also know parents whose elementary age children still sleep in their bedroom. Clearly, we are not in the first group of parents and we don’t plan to be in the second group, so when is the best time to make the move?
When we do move Braylin into her own bedroom, do we just do it or do we somehow slowly transition? I know that might be a silly question, but I am new at this whole parenting thing!
All of our children started letting us know they were ready for the move at about three or four months. They were sleeping well day and night, and most of their sleep disruptions came from us. We made the transition cold turkey, taking their snugglies along so that they recognized something about the new surroundings. You’ll hear her on the alarm if she needs you (or without the alarm if she had Joshua’s lungs), and you might find she likes having her own space. Good luck!
Thank you, Brynn! I am keeping my fingers crossed!
Hey Brynn,
From everything I’ve read (and I’ve read a lot about getting children to sleep alone, lol!) the experts say around 3-4 months is the best time to transition because that’s around the age when they begin to recognize their surroundings. With that being said, I think the best decision is the one you feel most comfortable with. A friend’s mom always tells us “The best thing you can do as a mother is listen to yourself. If you’re doing something because someone told you to even if it doesn’t feel right to you, you’re making a bad decision for your family.”
Do you have a video monitor? I am OBSESSED with ours! I can look in on Nora any time I want without bothering her and I feel when I look in that I’m right there in the room with her. I also can be a better judge of whether to go in and get her or not if I see her body language in addition to hearing her voice.
Good luck making the decision!
Kelly