All new parents fully expect to have their sleep disrupted in the first few months of baby’s life. The multiple night wakings, the early mornings – these are all things that go hand in hand with having a newborn. But what new parents don’t know yet, is that it’s not just the newborn phase that can keep you up at night. And we’re not talking about your little one constantly waking up, we’re talking about a parent’s ability to hear every little sound at night. When your child no longer sleeps in a crib, every noise makes you wonder if they’ve fallen out of bed, gotten out of bed, are out in the hallway, or are headed to the bathroom.
I remember when my eldest child moved from a crib to a bed, I found myself lying awake at night listening for them in case they got out of bed. Consequently, I was exhausted and even though we’d just celebrated a big kid milestone, I felt like I was up all night with a newborn! Thankfully, once I took the steps to really make sure that we’d created a safe sleep environment for our crib free little one, I went back to enjoying a good night’s rest.
Tips for Building A Safe Sleep Environment Once Your Child Moves Out Of A Crib
When you’re creating a safe sleep environment for your baby, it’s about making sure their crib is a safe place for them to sleep and that you are always putting them to sleep on their back. But once your child moves out of a crib and into a bed, you realize that they’ll have access to everything in their room, all night long! Their world certainly gets bigger.
Here’s what you can do to make sure their sleeping space remains safe for them once they start sleeping in a bed.
- Clear out the room.
Think like your child for a minute, and look around the room at what might be enticing. Make sure all cords are safely stored away and that anything that you don’t really need in the room should be moved out or placed out of sight.
- Bolt furniture to the wall.
Most nursery and children’s furniture will come with a kit to secure the piece to the wall, but if not, you can certainly purchase a kit at most hardware stores.
- Place a baby gate at the top of the stairs.
This was the thing that gave me the biggest piece of mind. While I knew my child was familiar with their room and felt confident that it was a safe space, I did worry about what would happen if they started wandering at night and I didn’t hear them.
When looking for the right baby gate, I knew it needed to be mounted to the wall but I also didn’t want something that was cumbersome for adults to open or that looked too out of place. The Safety 1st Ready To Install Gate had all of the features I was looking for, plus a few extra that made it an even easier choice. In addition to being a hardware mounted gate, the other features I liked included:
- Easy to open with one-hand operation and a swing-open door.
- The gate closes easily with just a push.
- The gate comes in one piece so there is nothing to assemble.
- The gate installs easily with only a screwdriver.
- It has a ‘no trip’ design which means it’s a safer option for parents too.
In our case, we were looking for a gate for the top of the stairs, but this gate is an excellent option for anywhere in your home. The gate is available on Amazon, which means you can order it and it will be at your door in no time. And let’s face it, when it comes to finding something that will help you sleep at night, the faster it arrives, the better, right?
A Safe Sleep Environment Keeps the Whole Family Sleeping Better
The big change for your child was moving them into a bed. The big change for you was knowing that you needed to up your game when creating a safe sleep environment for your now much more mobile child. Once you take the necessary steps though, you can relax a little, go back to sleeping better, and focus on enjoying the excitement your little one has about sleeping in their very own big kid bed.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Safety 1st. While compensation was provided, all opinions and expert sleep tips expressed herein are those of the author.
