Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site gitpyr.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!gatech!gitpyr!jkr
From: jkr@gitpyr.UUCP (John Kenneth Riviere)
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Re: Crib to Big Bed advice needed
Message-ID: <1109@gitpyr.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 27-Nov-85 23:21:35 EST
Article-I.D.: gitpyr.1109
Posted: Wed Nov 27 23:21:35 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 28-Nov-85 08:15:41 EST
References: <825@hou2d.UUCP>
Reply-To: jkr@gitpyr.UUCP (John Kenneth Riviere)
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Lines: 33

In article <825@hou2d.UUCP> lws@hou2d.UUCP (lwsamocha) writes:
>I am curious if any one has suggestions about when to
>*introduce* a child to a normal bed- i.e. mattress and
>box spring.

We introduced our daughter to her 'big girl bed' at about 20 months.
My in-laws were rearranging furniture and so we aquired a twin bed.  We
knew that we would eventually be giving it to Jessica so we went ahead
and set it up in her room.  Once she realized that it was her big girl
bed she never wanted to sleep in the crib again.  She had some difficulty
climbing into the bed so we put a step-stool beside it and she has had
no difficulty with it (she has fallen out of the bed once or twice, but
with the carpet on the floor she was more frightened than hurt).  Despite
changing beds, she still did not want her crib taken down.  This prompted
us to use the crib to store her (numerous) stuffed animals (friends).
This arrangement persisted until one day she asked me to get one of her
friends out of the crib so that she could play with it.  I pointed out 
that if we took down the crib and replaced it with a cradle we happened
to have that she would be able to get her friends herself due to the
smaller size of the cradle.  This idea appealed to her so I immediatly
dismantled the crib and put it in the spare room where it now awaits our
next child, due in March.

I want to reemphasize the point made by an earlier poster.  If possible
make the transition from crib to bed well before the arrival of a second
child.  If possible, put the crib away completely so that it has a chance
to become more of a distant memory rather than being seen every day as
still being their bed, even if they don't use it.  

-- 
J. Kenneth Riviere   (JoKeR)
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
...!{akgua,allegra,amd,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo,ut-ngp}!gatech!gitpyr!jkr