Emily’s Big Girl Bed
Cribs are one of my favorite baby items. If it were left up to me, I’d probably leave my kids in their crib until they started climbing out. And since my kids aren’t big climbers, they could be in a crib until they were three or four!
I love cribs. I love that my kids are safe and secure in their cribs. There is no rolling over and falling out of bed. I also love the containment of a crib. Given that we’re not climbers around here, if I put my kids down for a nap or to bed in a crib, they’ll still be there when I come back. Because they can’t get out, they’ll probably sleep while in there too. Double bonus.
The switch to a big kid bed is a little sad for two reasons. I’m sad that my kids are growing up. They’re already turning into such big kids, and these fun little kid days will be over soon; I’m not ready for school and peer pressure yet. I’m also sad that they now have the freedom to get up and explore their rooms. Gone are the guaranteed days of naps and early bed times. While I’m all for them having some independence, I’m not a fan of that independence coming at the cost of sleep. We all know what happens when little ones don’t get enough sleep.
So, it was with a great deal of nervousness that we gave Emily her big girl bed for her second birthday. She wasn’t very excited (at first) and needed some mommy snuggles to reassure her that it was going to be okay. By the end of the day, though, she had decided that a big girl bed was a good idea. We still have yet to figure out the sleep part of a big girl bed (it didn’t help that Nathan moved in the same day). Naps and night sleep have certainly suffered of late.
Why was all this necessary? Because Joshua is just about ready to graduate from the Pack ‘N Play in our room into the crib in his own room. At least someone will get some good sleep around here…
How did your child transition into a big kid bed? Any suggestions for helping Emily with her transition?
We had to get the guard rail after a few weeks. She had been sleeping great in her bed and then one day just rolled right out in her sleep.
I think every kid is different but Serophina definitely took advantage of her newfound freedom. There were some days/nights where we’d find her asleep on the floor surrounded by her books and toys.
Good Luck!
We had to get a guard rail with Nathan too after he rolled out of bed twice in one day. Emily is definitely using it these days. That seems to help some. One day, the novelty will wear off and all the missed sleep will catch up with her and she’ll start sleeping regularly again. At least I keep telling myself that…