Baby sleeping in your room in a bassinet? Wondering when to transition your new baby to a crib in the nursery? Here are 10 simple tips on how to transition your baby to sleeping in a crib in baby’s room.
Are you ready to transition your baby out of your room?
Whether your baby has started sleeping longer stretches, or you’re ready to have your room back with your spouse, there are many reasons why parents transition their babies from a bassinet to a crib.
If you’re curious about using a bassinet vs crib from the beginning, check out this post.
If you’re wondering how to transition your baby to a crib, or how to go about transitioning from SNOO to crib, here are tips on when is the right time to make the transition to baby’s crib as well as tips so you can successfully transition your baby to sleeping in her own crib, in her own space.
When Should Baby Stop Sleeping in Bassinet?
Most babies start to outgrow their bassinet between 3 and 6 months.
Each bassinet has a weight limit or length limit. Your baby’s weight will vary, so make sure to check the limits on your child’s bassinet to keep them safe.
Your baby may hit developmental milestones and need to be transitioned out of their bedside sleepers, or they may get too big for their bassinet to where it’s no longer safe for them to sleep in it.
What Age Should Baby Transition To A Crib?
The best time to move your baby into their own room will vary with each family.
This is such a personal decision for each family, so there’s no cut and dry number.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends room sharing for at least the first six months of age to help reduce the risk of SIDS.
Many people decide to transition their babies to a crib sooner than that, solely based on the fact that babies are so loud when they sleep! While other parents keep their babies in their room with them through baby’s first year.
For me, I never slept well when our daughter was in our bedroom. Every little noise, sound, or movement she made had me jumping up to check on her.
I needed a good baby monitor and her in a different room to get some sleep myself.
I was so worried about SIDS so I did not sleep well the first night we transitioned her to a crib. It took a couple of weeks for us to all settle into a new routine. If you are similar, get a baby movement monitor as well to give you some peace of mind.
How Do I Transfer My Baby from Bassinet to Crib?
Moving your baby into their own bed can be a big change for new parents. Follow these 10 transition tips to help you make a smooth transition.
10 Tips to Transition Baby to A Crib
1. Have A Safe Sleep Space
A baby’s crib is one of the safest places for your baby to sleep in. As you think about transitioning your baby to a crib, make sure to follow the abcs of safe sleep for your baby. This will help her sleep better and safer and includes:
- Baby’s crib area that is free from all toys, bumper pads, pillows, and stuffed animals. Loose objects can be a suffocation hazard so keep the crib bare for baby’s safety.
- Use a swaddle or sleep sack to keep your baby warm at night since it’s not time for your baby to sleep with a blanket just yet. See some of the best swaddle options and best sleep sacks here.
- A crib mattress that is firm and flat, Make sure your crib sheet is tight fitting inside the crib. (See how many crib sheets you need.)
- Make sure to place your baby on her back to sleep each time. Once your baby is rolling over in sleep onto her side or stomach, she is okay to stay that way.
- No positioners, loungers, or pillows in the crib. Learn more about these items and Dockatot sleep safety.
2. Create a Good Sleep Environment
It’s important to create an optimal sleep environment in your baby’s nursery. Create a cozy and soothing environment for them that is conducive to sleeping and includes:
- Blackout curtains to make the room pitch black. You shouldn’t be able to see your hand in front of your face when the lights are turned off. These are some of the best blackout curtains.
- No nightlights, or light projectors on the wall or ceiling.
- A white noise machine that runs continuously. (Babies are used to loud white noise from being in the womb).
- A cool temperature room (between 68 and 72° F) as well as baby dressed comfortably for sleep. Babies are often overly dressed and too warm. Check the TOG rating if you want to know what’s appropriate.
3. Swaddle Baby
That crib is an awfully big space for your little baby. It might feel gigantic to them if they’re used to sleeping in a rocker or bassinet. Help them feel safe and snug by using a swaddle each night.
Swaddling can help keep babies from waking themselves and provides a nice, cozy environment like they were used to in the womb. Plus they will look adorable as a little baby burrito!
Follow these tips if you think your baby hates being swaddled.
If you’ve already transitioned your baby out of the swaddle, then you can use a sleep sack or Zipadee-Zip as a cue for sleeping and a way to keep baby warm without loose blankets.
See the best sleep sacks for baby here.
4. Make The Nursery Familiar
If you and your baby never hang out in the nursery, then you can’t expect her to sleep well when she is left in her crib and new space alone.
One of the best ways to get baby acquainted with her new environment and new bed is to spend time during the day playing with her in the nursery, changing her, feeding her, snuggling her, etc.
You can also do tummy time in the crib while you cheer her on. Or put some baby toys in the crib and play with her while she is in the crib.
All of this will help your baby get more familiar with the sights and smells of the new room and help her transition to the crib better.
5. Make the Crib Feel Like Mom
If your baby is used to falling asleep in your arms, then you have to make the crib feel a little like you, so your baby has a positive association with her new crib.
Try sleeping with baby’s swaddle or pacifier for a few days and then put her in it when you make the transition. Or you can even sleep on your baby’s crib sheets before moving her into the crib.
6. Start A Bedtime Routine
As you start to make the transition, start a consistent bedtime routine with your baby. This helps her learn good sleep habits and winds her down for the day. Your baby will start to recognize the sleep routine and learn to associate it with sleep.
Your bedtime routine can include giving your baby a bath, doing one last daytime feeding, reading her some bedtime stories, and giving her goodnight kisses before swaddling her.
We loved having a bedtime routine early on. It also helped a ton whenever grandparents or babysitters would put our baby to bed. The routine was the same so she knew bedtime was following at the end.
7. Do the Bedtime Routine in the Nursery Before you Transition
Once you have your bedtime routine down, it’s a good idea to do the entire routine in the nursery for a few days before you’re ready to make the transition.
You can put on your baby’s pajamas, read books, do one last feeding, and give snuggles and then bring your baby to your room for 3 to 4 days. This will create happy memories of her nursery and help ease the transition.
8. Choose A Sleep Training Method
If you’re transitioning your baby into the crib after four months old, and want to sleep train, make sure to read the different sleep training methods and choose one that works for your baby and your personality.
Stay consistent with whatever approach you decide. Your baby will become more familiar and comfortable with the crib the more she is exposed to it.
9. Start With Nighttime
Many people will tell you to start having your baby fall asleep in her crib during the day for naps at first, but I disagree.
We took the completely opposite track and started the transition at night time. Once babies have figured out their day and night confusion, the sleep drive is greater at nighttime than during the day, so this approach worked well for us.
By the end of the day, babies are usually very tired and have a greater need for sleep. If your baby usually gets a good stretch at night, you can try the transition then.
10. Pause for a Minute
Many second and third-time moms will tell you that they can’t rush in the nursery the second their baby starts crying. Often, babies will cry a bit in their sleep as they connect their sleep cycles. If you hear your baby having a hard time in the middle of the night, take a pause to see if she really needs you.
If you always rush in, that will become the norm. Sometimes our babies just need a minute or two to resettle.
Good luck transitioning your baby to her crib! Once she starts sleeping in her own room and through the night, you’ll feel like a whole new woman!
Make sure to also pay attention to your baby’s growth and physical milestones and know when to lower the crib as she starts to move!
Need help with your baby’s sleep?
Struggling with your baby’s sleep? Grab my Baby D.R.E.A.M. System—my complete guide to getting your 4 month through 2.5 year old to sleep, without rocking or nursing them to sleep each night! Grab it here.
My blog is full of things to help you celebrate motherhood including baby nursery ideas, sleep schedules and sleep tips, fun printables, baby registry must-haves, and so much more.
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Jamie
Saturday 19th of June 2021
I’ve been trying to transition our daughter to her crib during daytime naps and am failing so far (she’s our second and we never had this issue with our first). I’m going to try your advice of starting with the nighttime transition first! Hope it works!!!
Amy Motroni
Sunday 20th of June 2021
Good luck Jamie! I hope it goes well for you!
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Tuesday 3rd of December 2019
[…] area. You can use a crib right away or a pack and play or bassinet until you’re ready to transition to a crib. Use a firm mattress and tight fitting […]
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Thursday 26th of September 2019
This blog was... how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I've found something that helped me. Many thanks!