The Big Boy and His Bed

It's finally happened: the Bub has graduated from his crib!  We had doubts that it would ever happen because gee, Mom, why would a person sleep if getting out of bed was an option?

We initially attempted to let him sleep outside the cage crib while staying over at Nana and Zayde's house because they have a inflatable toddler bed.  "Maya's cozy bed," as Sasha calls it, because she was the first to use it back in the day when the Bub still fit inside a pack-and-play.  We spent many painful nights trying to make it work.  We'd put him to bed upstairs, close the door, and have a seat on the couch, pretending that this was going to work and the evening would belong to adults.  But then within a minute or two, we would hear the door open, and be greeted at the bottom of the stairs, "Hi guys. What are you doing?"  Like we were old friends and he was just a little late to the party.  We'd repeat this activity countless times until one parent finally gave in and went to sleep in the room with him.  We tried putting a child-proof lock on the door, but he would bang the door so forcefully that we feared the damage more than the roaming child.  Finally we just got another crib for their house.  And Grandma and Grandpa also had to buy a crib for him, too, when we came to visit.

In the early years of trying to get him to sleep, the experts recommended that kids stay in a crib as long as possible.  Until they outgrew it or began to climb out, risking their safety.  So we did.  Which is why all his peers sleep in regular beds while he still loves the crib.  (And though Sasha never showed any interest in climbing out, he wasn't any safer as a result: the crib was recalled 2 years ago, and the drop-side had two broken latches, so whenever some innocent person tried to lower the side, the whole thing would fall off.)

But this last weekend, something happened.  The Bub refused to sleep in the crib and wanted to sleep in the twin bed that Mama was using.  So we let him, and he slept great and only left the room once or twice. I think he fell in love with the freedom of waking up from a nap and being able to join the party on his own.  So we took advantage of the opportunity and put him in a toddler bed (formerly the crib at Nana and Zayde's).  I tried investing him in the process by letting him help me put it together with a wrench and a ladder.  He only got smashed in the head once.  (My fault. I may come from people who can build things, but you can't trust me to build something without a few mishaps along the way.)  The he helped take apart his crib and carry it to the trash pile.

The no-turning-back experiment had begun.  And guess what?  It's been a wild success.  He loves his bed and loves showing it off to any visitors.  We had one night of no sleep, but that was much better than expected and we're all delighted.  If there's one thing I continually learn as a parent, it's that kids are capable of much more than we give them credit for.  Still, though, I'm certain that waiting until he was almost 3 years old to make this transition was an excellent idea.