Moving 2 yr old to his own bed?

Hi Mom. Well first of all, I did co-sleep with my daughter from day one, and that was a conscience decision I made. Its what I felt most comfortable with, and its okay if everyone calls me over-protective - I personally dont think that term is even a real word when it comes to a newborn baby - but that's JMO and everyone is entitled. The point is, this arrangement put you at ease and it worked for you - so no need to regard it as a mistake going forward.

We recently tore down our baby's crib (never once used) and converted it to a toddler bed (which is actually a full size (nice!). The transition was do darn easy, you would not believe. My daughter is 19mos old now and I didn't know how it would go. I wanted to wait until she could at least partially understand what was going on - and guess what, she does, and she loves it. We made the new bed, went out and got a really nice bedding set (super soft sheets, fun lively print, firm pillows, etc). We purchased one plush side rail which covers about 3/4ths of the bed on one side and pushed the other side against the wall, with two of those memory foam pillows pushed btwn the wall and the bed, to avoid her from smacking her head if she rolls over hard. Lastly we bought this really nice, two stair lil stepper and placed it at the bottom of the bed where the guard is not in place (oh and our guard flips down, which is really nice!!). I introduced her to her bed and as soon as she saw it she went nuts!!! She climbed right up on it from the lil stairs, got up there and started laughing, clapping and yelling, "fo me? fo me?" and I said, "YAYYYYY Big Girl Bed" to join in her excitement and make it seem like it really was VERY cool, just like she thought it was. First night, I took her to her new bed and laid next to her - that's all it took, one night with mommy. Now, she sleeps in there alone and shes totally safe from falls. When she wakes up she climbs down her stairs, walks outta her room, comes into mine and gets me (so darn cute!). Mom, she loves her big girl bed. I betcha this change is going to go over better than youre imagining. I hope at least!!

Good Luck!!!

PS - This is totally JMO, but I wanted to say, those instincts that you have that told you to sleep near the baby for the first two years are a good thing, a very good thing. Those instincts are in you for a reason, they allow you to protect your baby and keep her safe and sound. Never ignore them, never buy into the idea that youre "over protective", no matter who says it. I mean really, is there anything in this world more important or more precious than that baby? Nope. So do you act accordingly, of course. Congrats on baby number two Mom. While you may consider some things over the past two years "lesson learned", dont ever discredit yourself for what you've done here. You have a happy and healthy two year old and its all bc of you. Take the credit Mom, you did it! So on that note, I wouldn't dream of changing a thing about your plan. Once again, those instincts are fully intact - you've got this. If you think this is the way to go - then it is.

Congrats again!!

The plan that you first mentioned for your older child sounds great!