Making the new sleep location comfortable, familiar, and safe
Some things you can do are:
- Get your child involved in setting up the new sleep location, picking out linen etc.
- Talk about the new bed and model the transition with soft toys and stories (for details see www.practicalresearchparenting.com/modelling).
- Spend quality quiet time with your child in the new sleep location.
- Bring something familiar from the old sleep location, such as a sheet, Mum’s pajamas, or comfort item.
- Let your child pick out a soft toy for company in the new sleep location (One that is not a suffocation hazard http://www.sidsandkidswa.org/assets/info-statements/soft-toys-in-the-cot-_2013-mar-final1%5B1%5D.pdf).
- Put the new bed mattress on the floor, or provide a guard-rail so your child isn’t afraid of falling out.
- In winter, pre-heat the sleeping surface (not too hot, and remove heating packs before lying your child down).
Please add your experiences with transitioning in the comments below. What worked? What didn’t? Please provide the age of your child when you made the shift, and how long they took to settle. If something helped, please share the effects you saw. If it didn’t help, why do you think it didn’t work in your case?
