My five year old still sleeps in her crib

[Anonymous]

My 3 year old still sleeps in a crib. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Anonymous]

I agree its not a huge deal, but I would try to make the twin bed fun. Maybe get a tent cover like they have at Ikea or something and gently encourage her to move over to the twin bed. I would worry that she might get teased if she has friends over or in Kindergarten next year.

[Anonymous]

OP, can you see if she can articulate what it is about the crib that makes her feel safer? We just went through this with my three-year-old, who had the same problem--except we needed his crib for his little brother, so he really had to move (we started the transition six months earlier!) First he said he wanted a guard rail on the bed, so DH built one for him. Then he wanted it on the wall side (?!?) so we turned the bed around. Finally we figured out that the issue was that for all this time, he's been stroking the slats on the crib to self-soothe himself to sleep, and he was reaching for them at night and not finding them and freaking out. Modified the guard rail to have slats like the crib and he was able to sleep in the bed, and hasn't said a thing about the crib in the two months since. Could there be something like this, where your DD has an attachment to the crib somehow, that you could identify and replicate to ease the transition?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the strangest thing I have heard in a while.

You need to get out more.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, really. The "strangest?" Child enjoys sleeping in bed that child slept in all her life -- news at 11!

I share the mindset of the PP who says to try and make the twin bed fun, but that it's not a big deal. If she eventually has kindergarten friends over and they say something to her about it, that might be the perfect "push" to getting her out of the crib, anyway. There's nothing like a little peer pressure to prompt a change.

[Anonymous]

I think this is about teaching your child to adjust and adapt. My DD was out of the crib at less than a year old (she climbed out), toddler bed until 4, queen size ever since. DS was out of the crib at 2 (my choice). Is your DD in daycare? What did she sleep on for naps?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why why why would someone say she has you wrapped around her finger because she doesn't want to sleep in a bed? I have four kids. One loved the swing, three hated it. Two were breastfed and two never got into it and were formula fed. A couple were dry-at-night from early on and a couple were still in pull-ups much later. One spoke at 10 months - didn't hear a peep out of her sister until she was 16 months. Two eat everything, one practically only eats toast and one cannot really decide. One likes to sleep with the light on. One likes a dark room. One likes the bathroom light to be on. One likes her door shut (but not shut-shut). I probably fall into the category of being a more strict mom - rules, consequences and routines, but I can honestly say that all kids are so different. OP your child will ditch the crib at some stage. Why judge yourself by people who have decided that some arbitrary book "I got to chapter four hear me roar" gives them the right to uproot your little one from their preferred place of sleep JUST BECAUSE. The saddest posts on this site are from parents who are desperately worried that their small kids are not "tracking for Harvard" What gets lost in all the semantic and didactic muddle is that kids with good parenting, loads of love, humor, support and positive reinforcement will have a great start, regardless on whether your friends put them in a big bed before you did. One of my kids wanted a bottle much later than the others. Two cannot be separated from their cuddlies. What I refuse to do is let some DCUM 'normal' deprive them of something they love and does no harm.

I really liked this. Can I come and find you if I have my 4th?

[Anonymous]

I don't think it is a big deal. If a friend comments someday that might be just what she needs to switch over on her own. If it is a big deal to you, I would call your ped before your next visit and explain what is going on. Have the pediatrician announce at her next visit, that she always checks to see that all 5 year olds (or kids over x pounds) are out of their cribs because they are not safe for bigger children or whatever. My kids were very receiptive to information from others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the strangest thing I have heard in a while.

What's stranger is that so many people on dcum seem to think it's normal. To me it's no different than breastfeeding until your child is four, allowing a six year old to ride in a stroller, walking your 2nd grader into the classroom, cutting up food for an eight year old... just parents stunting their kids' emotional growth by treating them like infants.

You don't think it's a problem? Just wait until one of her classmates finds out. As wrong as it is, they will make fun of her. That kind of stuff can really hurt a kid her age.

[Anonymous]

My 6-year-old still sleeps in a crib. No big deal. She can sleep wherever she wants as long as I get an uninterrupted night's sleep.

[Anonymous]

If I could sleep in a crib, I would!

[Anonymous]

Wow, I'm kind of surprised that all the dcumers are okay with this. But put a 5 year old in a stroller and everyone is up in arms? Color me shocked.

My 2 cents? nothing is harming your child by keeping her in a crib, but I see two reasons why you aren't changing it.

1) you're afraid there will be less sleep

2) you're afraid she will be afraid.

Second reason is more important to look at--she will have to face things in life that scare her and you can't protect her from everything. In fact, by supporting her through a unsettling transition in a safe environment, you're helping her develop coping mechanisms for the future when you aren't necessarily around. So I would take her out of her crib and into a bed and embrace that she may be uncomfortable or scared and be confident that she will be okay and she will sense your confidence and realize that avoiding scary things are not always the best path.

And yes, you may lose some sleep. But that's your job as a parent, to sacrifice here and there to raise your child and teach them to survive this scary world.

Signed--a mom of a 7 year old with generalized anxiety (aka I know how it feels!)

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is about teaching your child to adjust and adapt. My DD was out of the crib at less than a year old (she climbed out), toddler bed until 4, queen size ever since. DS was out of the crib at 2 (my choice). Is your DD in daycare? What did she sleep on for naps?

You are really bragging that your kid went from a crib to toddler to queen? I find this a much weirder post than the OP.

[Anonymous]

It's really up to you. In our experience, going cold turkey while simultaneously offering a new treat is the most efficient way to get DD over something as quickly as possible. For example, when we took away her paci at 2, we gave her a new baby doll to give her something new to love at bedtime. As PP above suggests, replacing her crib with a twin bed all decorated with her favorite colors and hand-picked sheets will help ease the pain a little. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As long as she's sleeping, who cares?

+ 1. She will leave the crib when she wants to. Just make sure that the crib can safely take the weight. Also, maybe she will feel comfortable in a bed if there are safety rails attached to it.

My 7 yr old DD co-slept at night, even though she had her own room and bed that she used for afternoon naps. Then one day, she wanted to be in her bed and she was gone from our room. Every child is different. Do not sweat this. It is really small stuff.