Our oldest will be turning 3 in August and he is still in a crib. Part of me is shocked that we haven’t moved him into a bed yet, especially because we had initially considered moving him into a crib before our youngest came along (18 month age gap) and giving his crib to his brother. We ended up getting a mattress for the pack-n-play and put it next to the crib, and there the two of them have happily resided for over a year. We told ourselves that we would move Lion out of his crib when he started trying to climb out of it, but other than one time when he was about 18-months old (he put his foot on the crib rail and looked at me and I said, “Don’t do that, it’s dangerous”), he’s never tried it again.

Lion actually loves his crib and, I think, feels a sense of security when he’s in it. Although his closest friend is already in a toddler bed, when we asked Lion if he wanted a bed too, he responded, “No, I like my crib.” Mr. Dolphin and I have been terrified about moving him to a bed because the time he actually falls asleep fluctuates greatly nowadays and I don’t want him popping in and out of bed for two hours after we put him down for the night. And so, we haven’t pushed it much.

However, as Lion grows taller I worry that he’ll be running out of space in his crib. Additionally, Panda is running out of room in his pack-n-play. I think it’s finally time to start pushing Lion in the direction of his own bed. We have two dilemmas, though. 1) When do we move Lion into a “big boy” bed given that we are considering moving? and 2) Do we move both kids into beds simultaneously or move Lion to a bed and Panda into the crib?

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Timing

We thought we would move Lion into a floor bed around his third birthday, which is in August. However, we recently started having some conversations about trying to sell our condo and move into a townhouse or a single family home (due to complaints from our new downstairs neighbors about our kids being to noisy plus our expectation that interest rates will rise). We anticipate that if we do try to sell our home we will put it on the market in September and, if it doesn’t sell quickly, then pull it off the market and try again in early spring.

Whatever we do, I want Lion to feel as comfortable as possible with the transition. I see multiple possible scenarios here. We could move Lion to a floor bed ASAP so that he has time to get used to it before we move. We could keep Lion in the crib then move him to a floor bed when we move homes (of course, there could be more than one move if we have to rent before identifying our ideal home). We could keep Lion in the crib now, then bring the crib with us and let him continue sleeping in it after we move for a couple of months. I’m not really sure what the best scenario is for Lion.

One transition or two?

While Lion has never tried to climb out of his crib, Panda has definitely made a couple of attempts. He hasn’t successfully made it out of his pack-n-play yet, but I think he would be seriously determined to do so if he saw Lion in a bed rather than a crib. We have the kids room share and Panda wants to be wherever his big brother is. We have their two cribs right next to each other and they often stand up and hug, talk to each other or play before they fall asleep (if Panda hasn’t fallen asleep by the time Lion goes to bed) or when they wake up (if they wake up at the same time).

Would it be completely crazy to move them both into floor beds at the same time?

Right now, when I put Panda down for the night, we read books, I sing him his favorite song, give him his lovey and put him in his crib. Although he’s happy as a clam throughout his bedtime routine, the second I lay him down in the pack-n-play, he rolls over, stands up and starts crying. I make a beeline for the door, leave the kids’ room and close the door behind me. Panda cries/shrieks for about one minute, then quietly lays down and goes to sleep. If we move him to a floor bed, I suspect he will immediately try to run after me. While he has great language and communication skills, I suspect he still won’t grasp our explanations of the big kid bed and the need for him to sleep in it.

And yet, some part of me is leaning toward moving Lion and Panda into beds simultaneously.

When we went on our cruise earlier this year, both days that we put Lion and Panda in the nursery during the day, they fell asleep holding hands or sleeping on top of each other. I wonder if they would actually be happier if we put two mattresses on the floor together. Of course, Lion is not the best sleeper and moves around a lot when he sleeps, so that might not be the best option.

Additionally, because Lion does like his crib quite a bit, I wonder if he would be mad if we gave it to Panda. He might want to climb in and sleep with Panda. He might resent Panda for getting the crib. And even if just kept Panda in the pack-n-play, I wonder if Lion would be jealous that Panda gets to keep his old sleeping situation.

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Would simultaneous transitions be workable?

Has anyone transitioned to a toddler/floor bed around the same time as a move from one home to another? Anyone else try to transition more than one child at the same time? Any other thoughts, advice or words of wisdom would be most welcome!