After a very long day full of snacks, diapers, negotiations, messes, sorrows and cuddles, you’re sleeping peacefully in your bed and suddenly you feel a presence watching you. You open your eyes wide, and to your surprise, it’s not a monster, but a tiny person. It’s your little one who doesn’t want to stay in bed anymore. Frankly, some of us might prefer the monster option! I’m joking, but for those of you who don’t want to share the parental bed with your children (not that I have anything against it, but personally I need my own space to sleep well) it can be a bit annoying.
Many parents decide to abandon the sleep sack once it becomes too small, or when their child starts taking it off himself. Big mistake! But why? Because this allows your child (or baby ninja) to get his little leg over their crib and practice getting out. And once your little one succeeds and starts getting out of the crib, it’s no longer considered safe to let them sleep in it. However, it is advisable to keep the crib until at least 2.5 years of age (my advice is to try and aim for 3 years or more, so that the child is really ready). If your child sleeps well in a crib, there’s no reason to transition to a full-size bed (not the arrival of a little sister or brother, not the start of kindergarten, not because the others are doing it, not because a cabana bed is so cute!) Toddlers often have a hard time staying in their big beds, and tend to visit their parents in the middle of the night, night after night. With a bit of luck, this phase may not last very long, but often the child refuses to stay in bed, and this can quickly become a real problem for the child’s sleep, as well as that of the parents.
So how do you avoid all this drama? It’s actually quite simple: DON’T GIVE UP THE SLEEP SLACK TOO SOON! Use it for every sleeping situation (nights and naps)! If it’s getting too small, invest in a new sleeping bag, preferably one without shoulder snaps and with a central zipper (put it on backward, with the zipper behind, so your child can’t access and open it himself). And that’s it, you’re safe from nocturnal visitors!
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