Gear Transitions

Move baby from bassinet to crib

When they exceed the weight limit or are too long to comfortably fit, or if they’re able to sit up (and thus risk falling out), around 3-6 months

- Bassinets are much cozier and womb-like than a big crib, so it helps infants adjust to life on the outside. However, some parents opt to start their baby off in a crib right away, so it’s one less transition and one less piece of gear.
- Some babies have no problem with the transition from bassinet to crib, but many take a few days to return to their previous sleeping patterns. It can help to start by doing only naps in the crib, and then after they’re more comfortable, switch nights to crib too.

Move from bassinet in stroller to regular seat

When they are too long to comfortably fit, act frustrated that they can’t see more, or are able to sit up, around 3-6 months
You may also want to switch if you’re trying to discourage stroller naps, to focus on crib naps only

Lower crib

As soon as they start showing signs of wanting to pull up to stand, around 5-8 months

- You want to preempt their ability to stand and thus topple out, rather than risk something bad happening the very first time they do. So as soon as they show signs of trying to pull up, it’s a good time to lower.
  - Many parents are even more conservative and do it as soon as the baby is sitting independently, since pulling to stand often comes soon after that.
- Most cribs have three height levels, and some people choose to skip the middle at this stage and go right from top level to the bottom level, so they won't have to go through the hassle of disassembling again.
- This is also a good time to raise or remove mobiles since could be a strangulation hazard

Change stroller to face outward

Personal choice - facing you helps baby feel safe and is great for connection in the early months. But eventually it’s also important for them to see more of the world. Around 6-9 months.

- When I made this transition and was a tad sad about no longer looking at my baby, I remembered this beautiful quote: “Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction”
- If you’re trying to avoid having baby fall asleep in the stroller, you’ll need to be vigilant and do occasional checks
- Avoid giving snacks in the stroller since you don’t have eye on them - once they’re older and more confident eaters, you can do snacks

Change carrier to face outward

When they have strong head and neck control, around 6 months

- Just like with the stroller, changing the carrier to face outward is important for baby’s increasing curiosity about the world.
- There may still be times they want to be snuggled inward, especially if you’re trying to have them fall asleep in the carrier (which is impossible to do facing outward)

Switch from infant car seat to convertible car seat

When baby outgrows the weight or height limits

- Some babies who really hate the infant car seat find the convertible seat more comfortable, so if that’s the case, you could give it a try even before exceeding the height/weight limits
- We like the Graco Convertible Seat

Switch car seat to forward facing

After 2 years old, but experts recommend later if possible. If toddler gets car sick, switching to forward facing can really help.

- When you make this switch, your rear-facing mirror will no longer work. If you find that your built-in car mirror doesn’t give you a good enough view of your forward-facing child, consider clipping on this mirror.

Sleep Transitions

Move baby to own room

Usually between 2-6 months, after 4 months if you want to be more conservative

- Some parents enjoy sharing a room with their baby, and sleep more soundly knowing their baby is right there, rather than listening to a monitor. Room-sharing can be convenient for middle-of-the-night feeds and diaper changes.
  - You can keep them in your room as long as you like! Just know that switching once they’re a toddler may be more challenging than while they’re still a baby
- Others find room-sharing really disrupts their own ability to sleep - especially if the baby is noisy and/or the parent is a light sleeper. It can also make it difficult for parents to have their own private time together at night (sex of course, but also just talking and generally unwinding).
- Another practical benchmark for when to switch is simply once baby has nearly outgrown the bassinet and is ready for the crib (which is harder to fit beside your own bed).
  - Some people ease the transition by doing one change at a time - i.e. moving to new room but still in bassinet for a few nights.
  - But there’s also an argument for lumping change together - if it’s going to be a rough few nights, better to only go through that once!
- The layout of your bedrooms also matters in this decision - if the baby’s room will be down a long hallway or on a different floor, it’s probably better to wait until they’re older and consistently sleeping through the night. If it’s adjacent to your room, that makes the switch a lot easier.
- The decision about when to move baby to his or her own room is ultimately a personal one. However, the official AAP stance is babies should sleep in their parents’ room for at least 6 months and ideally 1 year
  - The rationale is that this significantly reduces the risk of SIDS (they claim up to 50% reduction, but the evidence is quite weak). This is based on very old research that uses the “case control” method, which can only tell you correlations, and nothing about causation or the mechanism (this NYT article covers some of these issues)
  - The only plausible mechanism that has been suggested is that since it’s noisier to be all sharing the room, the baby is prevented from reaching as deep sleep, which is “good” for SIDS prevention
  - In fact, the AAP has published research that found that after 4 months, room sharing results in less nighttime sleep and more night wakings for infants
  - Personally, I think the most important safe sleep practices are putting baby on their back and having no blankets/toys/etc on the crib (as I outline in Baby Sleep Basics), and it’s unclear the incremental benefit of room-sharing
  - If you want to be cautious, you could wait until after 4 months, when the risk of SIDS goes way down
  - It’s important to think of risk holistically, though - if keeping baby in your room means you are chronically sleep deprived, driving in this impaired state may pose a greater risk to your family than SIDS, which is thankfully extremely rare.

Stop swaddling

When they show signs of trying to roll over from back to tummy, around 2-5 months

- The rationale is that if a baby in a swaddle rolls onto their tummy, they wouldn’t be able to use their hands to push up and adjust their position in order to breathe
- If you’re using a SNOO, the swaddle is attached to the crib so there isn’t a risk of them rolling onto their tummy. This means you can keep them swaddled longer, until they outgrow the SNOO.
- Some parents take a more conservative approach and stop swaddling as soon as baby is rolling in any direction (tummy to back usually happens much sooner, as a way to escape dreaded tummy time!).
  - Personally, I think only back to tummy is relevant, and I’d take the extra weeks/months with the swaddle since it can really help them sleep
- If your baby is really fighting and escaping from the swaddle, that can be another sign that it’s time to transition out. However, it’s also possible you just don’t have it on tight enough, or perhaps your baby would prefer an “arms up” swaddle, so I’d try those changes first.
- When you’re ready to stop swaddling, you can either:
  - Go cold turkey
  - Take just one hand out first for a few days, then do both
  - Start unswaddling only for naps for a few days, then do bedtime too
- A few post-swaddle options:
  - Merlin Suit (aka the Michelin Man suit): useful for the transition because it’s much harder to roll over in and the puffiness softens the startle reflex, like a swaddle. But eventually once they’re able to roll in the Merlin suit, you’d need to switch to something else.
  - Zipadee-Zip: this starfish-like suit allows your baby to use their arms and safely roll over, while still providing some startle-reflex calming
  - Dreamland Weighted Transition Swaddle: similarly, allows for movement but still provides weighted feeling and dampens reflex
  - Sleep Sacks: this is what your baby will wear until 2 years old or even longer (though you may need to size up later), so if you want to skip right to here and avoid one more piece of temporary gear, go for it! Just know it may be a tougher transition because it doesn’t provide much startle reflex calming.

Allow baby to sleep on stomach

Once your baby is consistently able to roll onto their stomachs on their own, usually between 4-6 months old. It’s still recommended that you place baby in crib on their back until 1 year, but if they roll onto tummy themselves, you don’t need to roll them back.

- The rationale is that once babies are rolling onto their stomachs, they’ve demonstrated they have the strength to also move their head position in order to breathe more easily.
- In the beginning, some babies roll onto their stomachs but aren’t able to comfortably relax there (they get stuck in tummy time position) and don’t remember how to return to their backs.
  - You can try to help them either by encouraging them to rest their head down in tummy position, or flipping them onto their backs
  - But rest assured that they will eventually figure it out themselves
- If your baby prefers tummy and is immediately flipping themselves over, I don’t think it’s essential to continue placing them on their back until 1 year old - I’d just switch to putting them down on their tummies (especially past 6 months).

Drop a nap

Drop the third nap: between 6-8 months
Drop the second nap: between 13-18 months
Drop the nap altogether: between 3-5 years old (but try to continue “quiet time”)
Click “More” for readiness signs

Begin Sleep Training

Between 4-6 months is the optimal time to start (but it’s never too late - though a toddler may be trickier)
Baby must be at least 12 pounds and not sick or teething. Also make sure you aren’t traveling for at least a few weeks after you begin

- While there are gentle ways to encourage healthy sleep habits in the first few months (e.g. eat-play-sleep cycle), babies aren’t ready to self-soothe until the 4-6 months timeframe
- This timing coincides with the 4-month regression (which of course can occur a few weeks before or after 4 months), which is when babies shift to a more mature sleep cycle, including periods of lighter sleep during which they often wake. It hits some babies harder than others, but often a baby that had been doing 6 hour stretches is suddenly up every hour.
  - There are differing opinions on whether you should wait to sleep train until after the regression has passed, or whether you should just do it during the regression
  - The tricky thing is you don’t know how long the regression will last - for some babies it’s just a few days, but for others, they won’t ever get past it until they’ve learned how to “link sleep cycles” by falling back to sleep themselves (i.e. sleep training!)
- Keep in mind that sleep training is a distinct process from night weaning, although people sometimes tackle them simultaneously. This means that your baby may still need one or two feeds during the night - your goal with sleep training is to ensure baby falls asleep initially by themselves, and self-soothes during any wakings outside of the scheduled feeds.
  - I would have a time cutoff where any waking before 2am, say, would be treated as an opportunity for baby to self-soothe, but after 2am I would go in and feed
- More detail on methods in my Sleep Training page

Wean off pacifiers

Either early on as part of Sleep Training, or by 2 or 3 years old

- Pacifiers are amazing tools with some serious downsides. In the early months, it can really help soothe during the day and night. But they fall out throughout the night, and baby won’t be able to replace themselves until around 7-8 months old. So if your baby is dependent on the paci for sleep, you’ll be up multiple times to pop it back in.
- However, if you can make it past those tough few months, your older baby/toddler may sleep much better having pacifiers on hand (especially if you spread a bunch of pacis around their crib). Of course, you’ll eventually have to wean them off it, and they’ll be even more attached the longer they go.
- Personally, I decided to cut the pacifier as part of sleep training, in order to have one less transition to deal with later. It’s also one less piece of gear to clean and to pack whenever you leave the house.
- Another option is to keep pacifier for naps (when replacing it isn’t that big a deal), but wean off it at night.

Take out of sleep sack

Safety-wise, you can switch to blanket after 1 year, but I’d recommend keeping in sleep sack until 2 years old or they outgrow it

- The longer your toddler stays in the sleep sack, the harder it will be for them to try to get out of crib
- If they’ve figured out how to unzip it, try putting the sleep sack on backwards
- Another reason to delay switching as long as possible is young toddlers may lose a blanket during the night and need you to get fully under it again
  - The more devious kiddos (like my daughter) may also use it as an excuse to get you back in their room (“mama, help make my blanket nice and even!” was a common phrase in our house, or she would purposely throw it out of the crib)
- When it’s eventually time to graduate to a blanket, I highly recommend the Kyte 2.5 TOG ones Description text goes here

Move from crib to toddler bed

Montessori advocates recommend moving to a floor bed around 12 months (or earlier)
But sleep consultants encourage using crib as long as possible (until they are climbing out)
Really comes down to your priorities and your child

- Instagram has made Montessori furniture and philosophy super trendy. And if you feel strongly that your child will do better in a bed than a crib, more power to you.
- But if things are going well in the crib, I wouldn’t rush this transition just because you feel like you should.
- Some kids can handle the independence and freedom that comes with a real bed much earlier than others.
  - Our daughter is still in a crib at age 3 because we know she will just want to play and sneak into our room if she can.
- Convertible cribs have a “toddler bed” stage that can ease this transition. Basically, it still looks and feels like a crib but has an opening where the child can come in and out themselves.
- The arrival of a younger sibling is an external reason some families make the switch to a real bed, so they don't have to buy another crib. If this is the case, just make sure you give yourself plenty of time to make the transition before the new baby comes.

Stop monitoring at night

Depends on layout of your house and your own psychological needs, but probably best to unplug between 2-4 years

- In the first year or two, there’s good reason to keep a close eye on your baby, especially since they can’t communicate their needs that clearly
- But for many parents, having the monitor beside disturbs their own sleep, either because they’re hearing every little sound or they’re anxiously (and unnecessarily) checking it throughout the night
- If your bedrooms are relatively close by, I’d recommend just keeping the bedroom doors open and turning off the monitor, so you only hear sounds if it’s loud enough and really requires your attention (vs. every whimper or cough)
  - Personally, I like to keep the monitor on but muted, so I can still get the visual to see what’s going on (e.g. is she crying but still lying down, or crying while jumping up and down in bed), or to confirm if I really heard crying since sometimes my mom brain plays tricks on me
- If your bedrooms are too far away that the above method won’t work, you can keep the monitor on but at a lower volume (or add your own white noise) so you only hear relevant loud noises
- Some people also switch to audio only past a certain age, which is less distracting and stimulating. Audio-only is what our parents’ generation had and it worked fine for them!Description text goes here

Feeding Transitions

Introduce a bottle

Around 4-6 weeks

- The best practice is to wait until “breastfeeding is well established” which basically means you and your baby have figured out how to work together, and your milk supply is meeting their needs
- This is a delicate balance, because introducing too soon could lead to bottle preference (bottles are most consistent and provide immediate gratification since baby doesn’t have to wait for a let-down), but introducing too late could make it harder to accept bottle (baby’s involuntary sucking reflex starts to diminish)
- Best practices for introducing a bottle:
  - Choose a time of day when they’re typically in a good mood (often morning) and experiment with whether you have more success when baby is really hungry, or after they’ve already been fed (and are thus less fussy)
  - Have someone else give the bottles (i.e. not mom) so baby isn’t confused as to why they aren’t getting a boob
  - Use size 0 nipples so it’s a similarly slow flow as a breast, and only tip the bottle up slightly to limit the speed
  - Start by directing the nipple onto the roof of their mouth to stimulate the sucking reflex - have baby latch themselves, rather than forcing it
  - Do “paced feeding” where you take short breaks by lowering the bottle every 20-30 seconds to simulate what happens naturally during breastfeeding
  - Ensure you’re burping baby - even more often than when nursing - since they tend to swallow more air from bottlefeeding
- If you’re having trouble, additional strategies to try:
  - Try Lansinoh nipples, which are the most like real nipples
  - Bottlefeed while standing and bouncing, since that is soothing to most babies
  - “Bait and Switch”: start off on the boob but then swap out with the bottle partway

Stop burping

Around 4-6 months

Description text goYou can tell they’re ready to stop burping if you aren’t getting any burps from your attempts, and they don’t seem to be very fussy after feeds
- Around this age, they are swallowing less air and are relieving gas themselves through their increased mobility as they learn to roll and sit upes here

Stop sanitizing bottles

CDC says it is less important after two months (unless baby has weakened immune system)

- There is wide variation in how often people sanitize/sterilize, even in the first months: some people just do it before first use of the bottles, some do it weekly and some do it daily
  - Sterilizing machines make this easier but take up a lot of counter space and aren’t cheap, so might not be worth it if this isn’t high priority to you
  - Some dishwashers have a “sterilize” setting you can use
- You of course need to always wash the bottles with soap and water (by hand or in dishwasher)

Stop tracking feeds

Personal preference (unless baby has weight gain challenges, in which case continuing to track is important)

- Most people track when and how much milk their baby drank (or for how long, if breastfeeding) for the first couple weeks as they figure out their baby’s patterns and work to regain birth weight
- But beyond that, it’s really parent-specific: some people take comfort in continuing to precisely track this data, whereas others prefer to have a more approximate sense
- Unless your doctor specifies otherwise, you can relax tracking whenever it feels right to you

Introduce solids

Between 4-6 months, when “readiness signs” are met (click “More” for signs)

Readiness signs include:
- Strong neck control so they can keep their head upright while eating (they don’t need to be able to sit fully unsupported though - the Bumbo Seat is a great early feeding chair that provides support. See full Solids Gear list here)
  - Interest in food - opening their mouths or reaching for it when they see you eating
  - Grasping and bringing toys to mouth
- More info in the Starting Solids page

Introduce water

Around 6 months when eating solids (but it’s optional)

- Giving small sips of water during meals can help prevent constipation
- Between 6-9 months, total daily water shouldn’t exceed 4 oz; from 9-12 the limit is 8 oz
- Serve in an open cup or straw cup (instead of a bottle, since it’s too easy for them to drink a lot)

Transition to cow’s milk

Around 12 months (but if you want to keep breastfeeding, go for it!)

- A few week’s difference doesn’t matter, so if there’s a reason it’s more convenient (e.g. you’re traveling, once pumped breastmilk or formula has run out) you can begin the switch a week or two earlier or later
- If baby is used to warm breast milk/formula, I’d first transition to cold breastmilk/formula for a few weeks to ease transition to cold cow’s milk
- Similarly, I’d stick to serving cow’s milk in their familiar bottle for a few weeks or months before transitioning to sippy cup
- You can adjust them to the taste of the new milk by doing mixed bottles for a while, for instance a few days of mostly breastmilk/formula with a bit of cow milk, then 50/50, then mostly cow milk with a bit of breastmilk/formula
  - You should still be mixing formula with the appropriate amount of water
- I highly recommend Fairlife which goes through a filtration process that decreases sugar content by 50% and increases protein by 50%

Stop giving bottles

Between 12-18 months

- The rationale is that continuing to drink milk from bottles can increase risk of tooth decay and can also cause baby to fill up too easily on milk, leaving fewer calories for solid food
- Transition to drinking milk in a sippy cup - these Nuk ones with handles are my favorite. Straw cups are a pain to clean milk out of, so I’d only use them with water.
- Eventually, you’ll want to also retire the sippy cups and only do open cups of milk at meals, so the milk isn’t sitting on their teeth during naps/night
  - People recommend doing this by 2 or 3 years old, but honestly I know many 3-year olds (including my own) who still love snuggling with a milk sippy cup before bedtime, and you can’t blame them! Good tooth brushing can help combat any negative effects of this habit.

Hygiene Transitions

Stop using baby detergent (e.g. Dreft)

Depends on baby’s skin sensitivity

- Some families use normal detergent from day 1 with no issues (especially if it’s unscented, like Tide Free & Gentle), whereas others continue with baby detergent for a long time, washing their own clothes in it too
- The downside of baby detergent is it may not be powerful enough to get serious stains out
- Just do a little experiment and see if your baby has a skin reaction if you wash a few of their clothes in regular detergent

Move out of infant tub to real bath

When they can sit up by themselves, usually between 6-8 months

- In the beginning, only fill the big bath with a few inches of water; you can add more as they become more stable
- Consider this bath seat which safely keeps them in an upright position and allows you to clean them without also worrying about holding them.
- Depending on your bathtub, may want to get a non-slip bath mat

Start brushing teeth

Officially: twice a day, as soon as the first tooth appears; realistically, if you’re able to brush before bedtime most days, starting at 1 year old, you should feel pretty great

- Even though baby teeth will eventually fall out, there is still a potential risk of tooth decay and cavities (though typically in preschool/early elementary age children)
- Dentists also tout the importance of establishing good dental habits early on, and building toothbrushing into your routines
- There isn’t any randomized research on the efficacy of the specific twice-a-day brushing recommendation, and like many things in parenting, there are tradeoffs to weigh since you only have so much time and patience
  - A personal example of tradeoffs: in order for my baby to sleep through the night, she needed to go to sleep with a full tummy of milk, and she was far more likely to finish her milk bottle in the dark, right before being put to bed (i.e. after teeth brushing!). While not the ideal order for dental purposes, we decided to prioritize sleep, and just did our best to get a good brush beforehand.
  - Researchers estimate that ~60% of tooth decay is due to genetic predispositions, so behaviors can only do so much. But if either parent is prone to cavities, that’s a reason to be more diligent with brushing your child’s teeth.
- How long should a brushing session last? Official guidance is 2 minutes, but again realistically I’m impressed if I get 30 seconds.
  - I often let my toddler “brush” on their own to the count of 10 (i.e. mostly chewing on the toothbrush) and then it’s mama’s turn
  - If the toothbrush is challenging at this stage, these Dr Brown dental wipes are an easy alternative
- The other lever to pull for dental health is obviously sugar intake. Once you’ve switched to cow’s milk, I highly recommend Fairlife which goes through a filtration process that decreases sugar content by 50% and increases protein by 50%. Also, don’t allow juice, it’s just not worth it - milk and water only!
  - Encourage drinking water after meals/snacks since that can help wash away food particles
- People have different stances on the benefits/risks of fluoride toothpaste (read more here). Personally, I would stick to fluoride-free until your child is old enough to spit, otherwise they may be ingesting too much fluoride.
  - Some people just use water on the toothbrush for the first several months

Potty train

Between 2 and 3 years old, when showing readiness signs (click “More” for signs)

- Here are some of the “readiness” signs to look for:
  - Showing interest when others go to the bathroom
  - Ability to pull down their own pants when undressing
  - Telling you they have to go pee or poo (or already did)
  - Diapers staying dryer for longer periods of time
- External factors may also dictate timing:
  - It’s required for a preschool or summer camp
  - You have a major life change coming (new baby, move) and you want to knock this off long before. If you don’t have time to do it before or your child doesn’t seem ready, then I’d wait for a while after the change to avoid overwhelming them.
- Visit Potty Training Tips for methods and gear recs

Play Transitions

Use the Jolly Jumper

As early as 3-4 months, if they can hold up their head up independently

- If it seems like baby is still a little floppy, hold off longer
- Make sure you’ve installed the jumper so that your babies feet are just barely touching the floor
- It usually takes babies a few sessions to get a hang of bouncing, so don’t give up on it too quickly
- Don’t let baby spend too long in the jumper - while it’s fun for them and gives you a nice break (I’d sometimes use it while prepping a meal), they need plenty of time on the floor to actually develop the skills needed for sitting, crawling, etc.

Go on the baby swing

Around 6 months, when they have even better head/neck control

- Compared to the Jolly Jumper, the back-and-forth motion and seated position requires babies to be a bit older/stronger
- If it seems like baby is sliding around in the swing, you can bring a blanket to pad it
- Avoid swinging right after a feed, because it may cause baby to spit up

Babyproof the house

When they’re on the verge of becoming mobile, around 6 months

- Babyproofing doesn’t have to all happen in one-fell-swoop - you can start with the most urgent needs for a crawler (choking hazards, cabinets, stairs, outlets, etc.) and later tackle areas for a standing/walking baby (oven knobs, toilet locks, windows, etc.)
- Visit Babyproofing for more tips and gear recs

Consider preschool

I think 3 years old is ideal, but some great preschools (at least in San Francisco) start enrolling at 2 years old and it’s harder to get in later
Decision also depends on the quality of your childcare alternatives

- I’d recommend starting with a half-day program, if possible with your work/childcare setup
- May be easier for children to get in a groove with a 5-days-a-week program, rather than 2-3 days a week, since it’s more of a consistent scheduleDescription text goes here

When should I…?

Motor Milestones

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