When it comes to making the transition from a crib to a big-kid bed, there are two questions that need to be answered. The first is when, and the second is how. If you’re reading this on the blog, chances are that you came here looking for some advice about teaching your little one the skills they need to sleep through the night. And if that’s the case, then the answer to the question of “When” is, quite simply, “Not now.”

I was so relieved when my baby started sleeping through the night, that I didn’t even care what hoops I had to jump through or how long it took to get him to sleep. And that was where I went wrong. Because babies who need help falling asleep turn into toddlers who need help falling asleep. And the older he got, the longer it took and the more ridiculous the hoop jumping became. Which is how, like so many parents, I got suckered into sleeping with my toddler every night.