So, we made this transition last night.
The toddler rail went on the crib.
Abby had started this new life plan which included waking up anytime between 1 am and 4 am crying, DEMANDING to go into our room and sleep in our bed. I would try to just hold her in her room, or rock her in the chair in the corner, but no good. Hysterical, gag-crying, screaming “GO RIGHT DERRRR!” while pointing to our bedroom. And it’s 2:17 in the morning. And I’m totally fucking tired. So, YES. PLEASE SLEEP IN OUR ROOM IF IT MEANS I CAN SLEEP RIGHT NOW. PLZTHX.
Yeah. That got old. And fast. So during her two year wellness check yesterday**, her doctor recommended we try a toddler bed. Maybe she just doesn’t like the whole ‘behind bars’ thing. I get that. Who wants to sleep while constantly fearing becoming someone’s bitch and making sure you don’t drop the soap? Granted, I don’t think she’s aware of those kinds of fears, but I’m sure there’s some toddler-equivalent to frightening prison situations. Like not being able to watch Mickey Mouse whenever or being forced to use a binkie with “ackies” on it. Or child labor.
When I got home from work yesterday I swapped the crib rail for the toddler rail, and waited for the hubs to get home with Abbers. He had told her we had a surprise for her, and when she got in the room and saw it…it was nothing but smiles and squeals and proclamations that “it’s boootiful!!” “BIG GIRL BED!!!!1!!1!”
It was a huge success. The rest of the evening she sat in her bed demanding we bring her books so she could lay and look at them in her big girl bed. We gladly obliged.
She slept through the night in her new bed.
**Yeah, my kid is going to be two. TOMORROW. What? Like, WTF. She moved into the “Older Toddlers” room today at daycare too. I’m pretty sure tomorrow she’s going to start stealing my makeup and planning trips to the mall with her girlfriends AND MOM PLEASE DON’T EMBARRASS ME LIKE THAT. That’s all happening tomorrow. When she turns two. This is all happening too fast. Someone hand me a bottle of wine.
She’s so adorable in that big girl bed. And please tell me how to keep her in there? Because my Abby gets up from her big girl bed in the middle of the night, walks down the hall, and will only go back to sleep in our bed. Sigh. Kinda jealous 😉
Tracy @ Liberating Working Moms recently posted..Sometimes Routines Go Out The Window
Tracy – we just started, so I’m scurred she’ll be doing the same thing soon! One thing we have working in our favor is our old house. We’ve got the old “crystal” doorknobs that are kind of hard to turn, and she still can’t open doors. THANK GOD. So if she does get up, she’s stuck in her room. For now.
Happy Two Years!
Good luck with the bed… I’m dreading that day!
Sara recently posted..i’m not a writer
Thank you! It went so well…I’m hoping this is it! Good luck when you take the plunge!
We moved my son to a big boy bed a week before his 2nd birthday and he was *thrilled*. No more jumping in the crib for 15 minutes before falling asleep – now he lies down, talks to his bear for a bit, and is out like a light. Magic. he was so excited to change beds and ‘helped’ daddy take apart his crib with his toy screwdriver
When did they grow up? How did that happen when only yesterday we could hold them swaddled in one hand?
@HeatherLBA on Twitter
@ Heather – I don’t know. I DO know I will cry approximately 14 times over the next 48 hours, thinking about holding her when she was tiny.
I thought I would be a wreck when D turned two last Friday – totally expected to be a basket case. But I managed to be as happy as he was. He was so excited about his PARTY! and CAKE! and DECORATIONS! and PARTY! and TWO! and inviting his GIRLFRIEND to his PARTY! Every time he mentioned his birthday it was in all-caps with exclamation points. It definitely helped.
I have, however, been hugging him extra close and giving him extra kisses just to hold on to my baby a little longer. I know that next week he’ll be asking to borrow my car keys.