1. Well, they say to start with the mattress on the floor at first and then add the boxspring, then put it up on the frame. For our oldest it was a toddler bed until his little brother could get in it and touch his toys, and then straight to a single with a rail. I didn't do anything special to get him to sleep in the new bed, just treated it like bedtime with all his babies (stuffed animals) and blankets.

Why the rail? Well, I don't know how many times initially he was pressed up against the rail in the middle of the night when I was caring for his brother. In fact, even in the toddler bed he would squeeze himself up between the two rails to sleep at first. And he would gaze longingly at his old crib. He was about 2 years old when he transitioned to the toddler bed, and three months later he was in the single bed. Even now at almost 3, I sometimes find him pressed up against the rail.

Posted at 10:53AM on Dec 21st 2007 by Ethel

2. Just an idea...is it possible to have him sleep in his new bed before you move him to the new room? It sounds like you're making two transitions at once. New room and new bed. Perhaps one at a time?

As far as our transition it went smoothly for both of our kids, but we also did it around 20 months old with each one and we moved them to a toddler bed. About a month ago we moved our daughter up to a twin and her brother to her toddler bed.

For us the key was consistency and being careful NOT to play it up to big. We didn't talk about the big new bed or how different it was. We just put them in it and did their usual bedtime routine. In each case they went to sleep and we've had no problems.

Posted at 11:02AM on Dec 21st 2007 by Jennifer

3. We, too, are doing the switcharoo come January. We are going full steam ahead on potty training once the new year arrives, then a month later adding the full bed to the mix.

2nd boy is arriving in April. Thought we'd go for it in both instances months prior to new arrival. I am assuming the big boy bed will be easier than potty training. Help us.

(he'll be 3 in april btw)

Good luck! I'll be checking back here for tips as well.

Posted at 11:09AM on Dec 21st 2007 by elisabeth

4. The advice I got was to NEVER use rails, initially. If they roll off, they tend to not wake up and you can just put them back into bed. If you start with the rails, taking them away later becomes another milestone you will have to contend with. For the most part, if the child rolls off, they learn pretty quickly not to do that again. Sleeping pressed against the rails teaches all the wrong things. Then you have to wean them from THAT! Of course, if you have a kid who is really into the rolling off and the waking up and the screaming, you can always add the rails later. Worked for my two....

Posted at 11:29AM on Dec 21st 2007 by Heather

5. We did the rails because of our girls were, what I call, flailing sleepers. Ending up in all sorts of bizarre positions while acting out there dreams I'm guessing.

The initial transition for both was to a toddler bed with rails on both sides.

Our oldest stopped flaying around in her sleep by about 4 and a half and we could safely remove the rails.

I suppose I wouldn't have bothered with the rails if it wasn't for they way they slept, and actually the way my youngest still sleeps. Just a roll off the bed wouldn't really hurt anyone, but flinging themselves off the bed is a different story.

Posted at 11:42AM on Dec 21st 2007 by 12mj

6. We just transitioned daughter from toddler bed to big girl bed. Her crib turned into a toddler bed, and even though it was very low to the floor, we used a safety rail anyway. This made her feel more secure, I think, since it still felt like her crib.
When transitioning to big girl bed, again her crib turned into a double bed, we really made it exciting. We told her she was getting a "big" bed like mommy and daddy! She was so excited.
We use the safety rails on her double bed also. I think, again, she feels more secure. I feel that going from a crib, that seems confining, to a huge open bed could be daunting for a child. With the rails, it still feels like a little den! Plus, I was afraid that if she rolled off and got hurt, it would cause her to fear her bed, which I definitely did not want!
She transitioned fine...and loves to play on her big bed! She shows everyone who comes over, and is very proud that she is "growing" up.
Val@http://www.stinkyjohnjones.typepad.com

Posted at 11:49AM on Dec 21st 2007 by Val

7. I agree with your husband. It's a much shorter distance to the floor from a bed (or a mattress on the floor).

We went from crib to youth bed (crib sized mattress) rather than a full bed with each of the three girls because of space considerations. Once they switched to full size beds, the oldest had her own tiny bedroom. I don't remember any trauma. It made them feel "grown up"; especially the younger two who saw their older sibs in "real" beds. I did have railings but, in retrospect, I think it was probably because they came with the beds. It wasn't long before they didn't need them. I think it depends on the child. It may be safer to fall directly from bed to floor than to fall while climbing over a railing (and, trust me, he'll do it).

Posted at 11:51AM on Dec 21st 2007 by Ann Adams

8. We moved our son into a twin bed when he was about 20 months old because he was climbing out of his crib and I thought a fall from a bed vs a fall from him perched atop his crib rails was worth the transistion alone.

We put a rail on one side and pushed the bed against the wall with pillows stuffed between the matress and wall so he wouldn't get stuck in that gap. We had to use the rails, even in a king size bed, my son will wiggle his way to the edge and slide off.

Our transition went perfectly, we put the bed up in the afternoon and he both napped and slept in it all night. I also noticed, since he has the freedom to get in and out when he wants to, our going to bed fighting is less. and instead of screaming the second he wakes up, he just lays around in bed a while after he wakes up, then gets up when he feels like it.

Posted at 12:27PM on Dec 21st 2007 by Jamie

9. The more "drama" you put into this, the more "drama" he will feel and act on. I wouldn't do anything to "prepare." Put the bed up, put Riley to bed in it and act as normal as possible with the tucking in process. Rails or no rails, that is the question. My boys didn't have them and they grew up to be (mostly) normal adult men. I find that the less you do in some situations, is the best thing to do. If you act like the world will stop spinning, he will know.

Posted at 12:42PM on Dec 21st 2007 by Joy

10. Linda, we just went through the same thing this summer, except Nate didn't lose his room. Plus all we had to do was take the railing off his crib because it was convertible. (The mattress is still very low to the ground)

What we did do was have him "help" Daddy in the new assembly of his bed using his toy tools. Then we made a big stink about how he was a big boy now and bought him (cringe) Thomas the Tank Engine bedding for his "new big boy bed!"

We do use the rail, which I feel good about because he is right up against it every night. But the readers are right, now I have to wean him off the rail -- eventually.

Posted at 1:34PM on Dec 21st 2007 by Nadine

11. Me too, we had our son help with everything - from picking out the mattress, sheets, taking the crib apart and even putting it up in the baby's room. At first he thought the whole thing was cool - then it came time for bed, he cried a little, I laid with him, but he stayed in. I just kept telling him he can't get out until he calls us - and to this day, he still calls us. It has been about a year since we switched. You will do fine - may be a bumpy road, but he will get used to it in time. Good luck!

Posted at 2:26PM on Dec 21st 2007 by danielle

12. My suggestion is the same as the others: mattress on the floor first. You can use the crib mattress on the floor if you don't want to take down the whole bed you plan to have set up. Or you can put the crib mattress next to the bed in case of falls. My son now sleeps on a futon mattress which is on a very low wooden futon frame. Works perfectly for him. He's only fallen out once and it was a 6" fall...no harm done. Good luck with the transitioning! =D

Posted at 4:23PM on Dec 21st 2007 by Keri

13. We did the same thing that you're planning on doing. Well, mostly. We converted her crib to a toddler bed and got her new sheets, which to her was no different than getting a whole new bed and was both terrifying and exciting at once. That, and we moved her into her "big girl room" in one shot. We didn't talk it up beforehand, her new bedding came and we switched rooms that day. She thought it was awesome until bedtime came, and she wouldn't go to sleep. Once she was exhausted and passed out, she woke up in the middle of the night. Forget about the after-lunch nap. That went on for about a week, and then one night she slept all night long. Then she started taking naps in her big girl bed, and now she's adjusted. That was about a month ago, and as I type this she is upstairs sleeping.

Her bed does have rails on it (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2105/2051029273_21adc213bf_o.jpg), but they don't cover the middle, which seems like the most likely place to fall out. She's never fallen out that I know of. That first week, when things were tough, I put a pillow next to the bed, just in case. Everything worked out just fine, though. =) Good luck!

Posted at 5:28PM on Dec 21st 2007 by Jennie

14. We have a very low toddler bed, and when we changed the crib to the toddler bed for our 15 month old monkey, we didn't use rails. I put two pillows on the floor--the fall from the mattress to the pillows was about 5 inches.

He fell out every couple of nights for the first week. Then he learned to fling himself out when he didn't want to go to bed. Then he learned to pull all the sheets and blankets off and create a nest by the door. Then, he learned how uncomfortable the floor actually is to sleep on despite that nest . . . and now he sleeps on his bed and doesn't fall out.

The whole process took about 3 weeks.

Posted at 11:42PM on Dec 21st 2007 by dee

15. My goodness, I can't even imagine thinking about moving my 19-month old to a new bed! She is truly a monkey - she'd be out in a flash, AND, she can operate doorknobs. We'll be moving this May, so I'm just trying to get it done by then so I don't have to put her crib back together again! How in the heck do you convince a kid to stay in a bed without rails? I'm thinking she's just too young for now.

Posted at 9:52AM on Dec 24th 2007 by Ezza

16. We went the slow route on the bed transition, but our son wasn't moving rooms. We set up his twin size bed which is really a mattress on the floor, but looks like it's not to him since it's a bottom bunk. We left his crib in there. He took naps on the new bed right away, but every night still wanted to sleep in the crib. We just asked each night and after a few weeks he chose the new bed. We got rid of the crib a few days later and he's been fine since.

In your position, I'd try without rails at first. If Riley needs them then add them. If he's anything like my son, soon every stuffed animal he owns will be sleeping in bed with him. You can tell him the open side of the bed is for the animals and he should sleep on the side closer to the wall. I'm not sure I'd really talk it up too much, maybe over the next couple of weeks, let him spend some time in his new room and if the bed is there ask him if he wants to sleep there now. Tell him it's his room and his bed and remember you really have until the new little guy arrives to fully make the transition for Riley.

Posted at 6:36PM on Dec 26th 2007 by Tricia