The parenting milestone that I've been dreading more than potty-training has arrived. The transition from crib to toddler bed is proving to be a difficult one. Yesterday, my husband (J)walked in to find H flopping his leg over the crib railing and then straddled it, saying "Motorcycle". This is something he has been doing to everything lately; the arm of the couch, the table leg, the edge of the bookcase. It's quite charming.We immediately removed the side rail of the crib, as it's touted to be a convertible bed. Turns out, it's not really a very functional toddler bed, it's wobbly and pretty high off the ground with no railing to prevent "fall-out", so it was off to craigslist I went, searching for the perfectly priced toddler bed. Although I had said before that I would never buy a toddler bed out of fiscal conservativism (which I've not shown in any other aspect of my life), it turns out that they're not such a bad idea...shocker! I found a really great toddler bed in less than two hours, and scheduled a pick-up time.
Putting him to bed last night went great, and I really felt like the battle was over....then 2am rolled around. I walked in to find H sitting on the floor, crying for me, with his blankie and quilt beside him. I sat at the edge of his bed and stroked his head for close to an hour, with each time I attempted to creep away resulting in his big brown eyes popping open, and saying 'Mommy, ROCK!"
Putting him to bed last night went great, and I really felt like the battle was over....then 2am rolled around. I walked in to find H sitting on the floor, crying for me, with his blankie and quilt beside him. I sat at the edge of his bed and stroked his head for close to an hour, with each time I attempted to creep away resulting in his big brown eyes popping open, and saying 'Mommy, ROCK!"
Finally, out of a horribly selfish need for sleep(not really, because if you know me, my sleep benefits everyone), I did what I know you're not supposed to do and said, "Do you just want to go to sleep with Mommy and Daddy?" The crying instantly stopped and he nodded his head saying "Yeah, yeah, yeah." Well, I may have done long-term damage to his night-time routine, but he slept with me until 8am, so we'll save tomorrow's troubles for...oh yea, TODAY.
Naptime rolled around, and I put him in his bed, then put him in his bed, then put him in his bed...was I having dejavu or was H seriously not staying in his bed?! Finally, I said "Do I need to get your playpen out so that you'll stay in your bed for nap?" "YEAH!"...so I did...and he fell asleep...and now, I'm not sure what to do because he can't just sleep in the pack-n-play forever.
Seriously, these are the questions that make you re-evaluate your education and your prior career, and think, did I learn nothing? Why can't I troubleshoot the little things? So, if you have a great tip or trick, feel free to leave a comment, because I may just end up being the Wicked Witch of the West if this doesn't end.
5 comments:
Um, so what's wrong with napping in the pack-n-play for awhile? Until you guys adjust to all the changes, I mean. I'm sure you can now see why it was tempting to gate my kids' doors once they left their cribs. Seriously, the lack of safety of the little roamers in the middle of the night is enough to kill me! Can you put a gate in his doorway so he won't leave his room, use the monitor so you can hear him? At least you know he's safely in his room, not opening the front door and wandering down the street like oh-so-many we know!
I have a friend that did exactly what Laurie suggests...put a gate in his doorway. It seemed to work well, eventually. It took a while and there were some sleep deprived nights for all, but she is finally sleeping in her toddler bed and very happy about it. That said, we've brought little j to bed many a night, the key for us is to wear her out before bedtime so she drops off to sleep without even thinking about it!
Sorry, I typed the wrong thing and couldn't figure out how to edit my comment. Anyway, we do have a gate in front of his door...he's close to the front door, so that wasn't even a question. Happily, he slept by himself all night last night..YEEES!
doenifinHenny Penny
You have great wisdom when it comes to parenting just do what you think is best for you and little H. He'll let you know if you dont get it right the first time. As far as the pack n play for naps Go for it. Gives him the feeling of security and you a much needed break from your toddler.
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