In today’s episode, I had the privilege of interviewing Nicole Johnson: founder of The Baby Sleep Site! I am particularly excited about this interview because I have been following The Baby Sleep Site for several years and it was very cool to get to interview Nicole who started it all! In this episode, Nicole provides us with tips and advice on how to transition your toddler from a crib to a toddler bed. We had a great conversation and Nicole explains what readiness signs to look for, how to transition smoothly and what to do when pitfalls arise. 

I am also really excited today for another reason...this week marks the one year anniversary of the Finding Your Village podcast! I launched this show on February 4th of 2020 and cannot believe that it has been a year already. I love getting the chance to discuss birth, postpartum and parent mental health topics with other advocates and educators in the hope of making the early days of parenting more connected. Thank you so much for listening to this show!

In this episode we discuss: 

Nicole’s background and how she came to start The Baby Sleep Site:

Advice on how to transition a toddler from a crib:

• Age range recommendation: 2-4 years old
• Readiness signs to look for: can they follow directions and are they interested in a bed
• Use a ready to wake clock, like: The Hatch
• Use a lovey or an attachment object
• Make sure that sleep is going well in the crib and you have good baby sleep habits before you transition them
• Climbing out of crib: you do not necessarily need to transition them right away if they start climbing out! They might only do it once. Transition them if it seems dangerous!

Common pitfalls and how to handle them

• Try not to stay in the room with them for too long after doing the bedtime routine
• Start naptime routine 20 minutes earlier in the beginning and expect them to test the limits at first
• Don’t give up on naps if they are under 3!

Potty training and crib transition!

• If night training while potty training, either transition to a toddler bed a few weeks before
• Or keep them in the crib if your potty trained child still needs your help going potty at night 

How to get in touch with Nicole

• Website
• Email: [email protected] 
• Instagram
• Facebook

How to get in touch with me: 

• Follow me on Instagram
• Find other episodes at: www.findingyourvillagepod.com
• Email me at [email protected] 
• Monthly Newsletter 

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