[Macylee36]

So I've been having a ton of back problems lately and my chriopractor said I should have been healed months ago. I think the biggest reason I'm not healing is because I have to keep picking up a 26 lbs toddler all day. I amtrying to think of ways I can minimize picking him up like having him take himself up or down the stairs, maybe trying to get him to climb into his high chair (it's adjustable so I could just leave it low) and I was thinking that maybe moving him to a toddler bed would mean I don't have to get him in and out of the crib all day. I know its really early to move him to a toddler bed but I'm wondering if any one has any advice for how to make this a smooth transition and what else I should watch out for when he makes the switch. Also, any other ideas are welcome! I just want to heal!

 

[IamJen]

Are you cool with him climbing into bed with you and dh? Even with a guardrail, he's likely to be able to whip out of his toddler bed. It's a good thing, independence-wise, but brings a whole new set of issues.

Are you remembering to lift with your legs, keep your back straight, all that jazz?

 

[Macylee36]

I've been trying really hard to remember all that lifting stuff, but because its not habit yet I sometimes forget. My chiro gives me exercises and I do them everyday and for awhile they were really helping. But now it's like I've reached a plateau and am just hurting again.

I wouldn't mind him sleeping in the bed with us if he would just calm down but he's too hyper. We have to leave him alone in his crib so he can calm himself down which usually works very well. Even if he did sleep with us, it would mean that at some later point I would have to teach him to sleep in his own bed which could just lead to other issues. But thanks tho....

 

[Bonoluvr]

We have always been co-sleepers......you wont have to teach him to sleep alone , they do it when they are ready. at least my now 6 yo did.........we still co-sleep with the 3 yo.

but anyway........how old is he? you could put the toddler bed in your room if you are worried he will get out of bed. they are small enough.

how about one of those seats that boosts him up on a regular dining table chair? they strap on to the seat, they can usually climb up onto those on their own, maybe with a little help.

you could hold his hand going up and down the stairs if he cant do it alone

 

[Macylee36]

Well he's almost a year and a half. I think he is starting to understand things more, sometimes I can see it. He's definitely doing that defiance thing which is frustrating of course. We don't go to sleep til several hours after he does so I don't see how the cosleeper thing would work, for naps either. And its not that he doesn't sleep well in his bed, so really I don't see a reason to co-sleep, it just hurts to lift him and put him in at that angle. Although I guess I can get the hubby to do it at night at least. Its the morning and for naps that are so tough for me.

The high chair is working out because he can climb into it. He just needed to learn how. I did some experimenting today. But normally when he's done eating I lean him over the sink and help him wash his hands and face and I don't really have a solution for that. Maybe if I get a taller stepstool?

There's also the problem of getting him into the car easier. That one's a killer....

 

[Bonoluvr]

oh yes i agree the carseat is heck on the back! i was glad when my 3 yo started getting himself into the carseat!

 

[Bonoluvr]

HAHA, its late!! I just realized i asked you how old is he when it is plain as day in the title of your thread!!!! hehe i need to go to bed!

 

[IamJen]

wrt the carseat...is there not a way he can climb into it?

 

[cftwo]

What about getting a mattress and putting it on the floor? Then you won't have to worry about him rolling out.

I'll think about the carseat - most kids that age that I've known aren't quite ready to climb into them on their own. You could try, though, and see if it works.

My 20 month old niece crawls down the stairs feet first (backwards), or walks down if someone is holding her hand. She seems to prefer the crawling method at this point.

 

[Macylee36]

Well first the car is an SUV (don't anybody jump on me for that!) and so it's off the ground a bit. MAYBE if I had him climb on a stepstool...? lol, it might help to clean my car out first though so he has somewhere to climb to!

The stairs he's been starting to catch on. I have to start him in the position, we'll work on that next, but then he'll just slide on his belly down. I think he's realizing today that I'm not going to help him do everything.

 

[IamJen]

*chuckle* at "called my boy a she"

Maybe you could invent some sort of fold-out stepstool for toddlers! With all the SUV and mini-vans out there, I'm sure there are other mommies with sore backs.

 

[Bonoluvr]

I used to drive a toyota camry ( hubby has it now)...........i have an SUV now and I actually find it easier on my back getting them in and out of the car seat in the suv than i did in the camry.

 

[Macylee36]

I can imagine! You probably had to lift them from a lower angle and all that. Yea, I Guess I'm glad I have an SUV in that situation.

 

[bethanie]

If you can get a hold of the film Edison's Day, which is I think available at NAMTA.ORG, I think it has a lot of insight into toddlers in general. But more specifically Montessori believed that small children should have a low bed on the floor so that they could be more 'self determined' about sleeping and waking rather than waiting for an adult to come and get hem out of their crib (from behind bars). It's just an idea, but I really liked the film because of how it showed this little guy going about his day, and all he could do for himself. I'd say a bed is good, a family bed is good...whatever way you decide to go.

B

 

[tearhsong2]

He's actually at the age that you could move him to a toddler bed if you wanted to. Some cribs will even convert into a toddler bed, so you may not even have to invest in one. The one we have is a 3-in-1 model that goes from crib, to toddler bed or to a day bed for younger children.

I would avoid the cosleeping thing if you can at this point. I love cosleeping with my daughter, but I don't know how I'm going to get her to sleep on her own at this point (my daughter is 16 months). The older they cosleep the harder it is to get them to self-soothe themselves to sleep.

 

[Macylee36]

Yea, I think I might look into that video.

I'm actually not even considering the cosleeping thing (not trying to be offensive to anyone who does, I don't think its a bad thing). He's got his crib, he's fine there. His bed does convert, and quite easily in fact. I guess what I was looking for is if I WERE to do it at this age with him, what advice does anyone have for making the switch easier? I already know to expect him to get up and play and stuff several times. I am only a little concerned that maybe he won't make the connection to get back in bed when he's tired. It doesn't have any gaurdrails, so we bought one from walmart but it covers so much of the crib we might as well leave the crib railing on (I think it's meant for a bigger mattress). So I guess my biggest concerns are that he'll never go to sleep and that he will fall out. The crib is a bit higher off the ground than most toddler beds and can't be lowered anymore. And he is a pretty active sleeper going all over the mattress and in weird positions.

So yeah, those are my concerns and what are the best ways to deal with it?

 

[IamJen]

wrt co-sleeping, I wanted to clarify that this isn't what I was suggesting in the original post. I meant that when he's able to get out of his own bed (unlike in the crib), he might just show up in your room. (or get up and play or wander to the kitchen or whatever).

How does he go to sleep now?

 

[bethanie]

I think it is different for different babies. My daughter just didn't usually get out of bed until I came in....but she always did need her sleep.

Making it easier. You could spend the first few weeks.....or week or whatever, helping him remember by staying in his room until he fell asleep (if that's possible). I always found the best way to make any transition was to talk about it...and then with consistency just whenever he gets up in the night, walk him back to his bed and help him settle back into sleep. (some pats, or a quiet song). It may take some time but he'll get it.

B

 

[Macylee36]

IamJen, I see what you're saying, sorry!

Dennis has a gate up in front of his door because the stairs are right there. He's also got the doorknobs thingys on because he learned how to open his door on his own. He's not so good with the stairs yet or I wouldn't worry too much. I think he'll definitely be the kind of kid who gets up and wanders around.

 

[SDShelly]

I have a boy who's about to be 2 (in two weeks!), and he has special needs, where he can't walk or sit up on his own, so I'm defenetly getting familiar with back issues, because I have to carry him and support his head no matter what we're doing, but one thing that might help in terms of him going into a toddler bed and not really falling off is gettting a little mattress toddler bed that doesn't go up that much, like the kind for sleepovers, that's really close to the ground. That's what my son's in right now, because carrying him up to the crib got really hard real quick. If he rolls (even though my son doesn't roll) off it's not very far, it's almost floor level, and it's cushy, and it has his favorite cartoon characters on it. It might be a good transition bed for him, into a real big boy bed.