Transition to a BIG BOY BED!

Mack turned two on June 6th and was in a crib. Happy and content to be in a crib.

Jeff was on summer break and I was working my normal schedule. And one week after his birthday, I came home to see that my baby boy had a BIG BOY BED! Jeff had decided it was time. My reaction? (laugh with me and dont think i was being mean... it was a joke...)... I told Jeff it was time he go back to work and stop making parenting decisions. ;-)

Kidding aside, I was NOT ready to see my baby boy in a toddler bed! I know a lot of people move their kids into toddler beds or even on up to a twin or double around 18 months but heres my feelings: if it aint broke, dont fix it. Mack was happy/content and never once attempted to crawl out of his crib. I saw NO reason to make the transition. Was he capable of the transition? yes. But honestly, we were struggling with obedience with him at that point (kind of the mantra of his little life! HA!) so I didnt see it as being the right time.

I about cried when I saw this for the first time! We gave him a pillow in attempts to keep him lying one way in the bed (and avoid falling out) as he typically flip flopped all over the crib on both ends.

I was pretty nervous that with all of the problems we had been having with Rhyan getting out of bed (right around this time we had found the Sleep Fairy Book and had finally got her to staying in bed) that we were heading back into the same issues we had just come out of. And the thought of that just stressed me out. I talked with him a good bit all day about our expectations an told him when we put him to bed that if he got up we would spank him.

BUT... the first night, he got up almost immediately after I left his room and I took him back to bed, popped him on the leg once (you do NOT have to spank him... literally a little pop on the leg breaks his heart... sad). He whined. And literally that was the ONLY time he has gotten up!

The only "problem" we had with the transition is that he started waking pretty early in the morning. I think the new found freedom was exciting for him... After a few weeks of dealing with it and taking him back to bed, we decided to get another timer and hook a night light up to it and telling him he had to stay in bed till the light came on.

What cracked me up is the first morning that we did that, he got up and said "mommy! my light on come!". And literally it has taken over a month to get him to say "light come on" instead of "light on come". Cute ;-)

And this pic was just for funsies. Our little hiding booger!