The Good Boy Bed*
A few weeks ago, we bought Primo a double mattress for his room. We got a high quality one (and an amazing cover for it) because we didn’t want to have to buy him another one. This should last him until he can buy his own. We opted to just put a mattress on the floor for now, and then buy him a box spring when he’s bigger and less likely to fall, and then a frame and head/footboard when he’s much older.
We made a big stink about it, got him nice new bedding and moved the lazyboy out of his room immediately so that when he woke in the night with the damn teeth the BG would just lie in bed with him to get him used to it. It was mostly a playground and a place to lie and hit his dad in the head with his man, but we hoped it would at the very least make the bed not be a scary place. He loved it, and named it his “Good Boy Bed.” I think he misheard us when we said “Big Boy Bed” and the name stuck.
We weren’t in a hurry to get him in a bed - he’s not even two and Bella sleeps in our room so won’t need the crib for several more months - but on Friday morning he somersaulted out of it and landed on his back and head. He landed on the bed, thank God, but that was a sign that it was time.
Have I mentioned that this kid has only had a handful of naps since Christmas? A year and a half of naps is all I get? What did I do to piss off the planets? Anyway, he’s not napping.
So I didn’t have nap time to use as a trial for the bed but the Gods were smiling on us Friday evening. We laid him in bed, sung his songs, said his prayers, did the whole routine and he said “Bye Bye!” We walked out and he went right to sleep. Awesome, right?
Midnight rolled around and he woke up screaming like a banshee. It was likely the damn teeth (I should trademark that) that woke him up but he was completely freaked out (about where he was?) and woke up the same way several times that night each time the BG finally crawled back in to our bed. So, no sleep for anyone! Party time!
The next two nights he didn’t go to sleep so easily - the BG has to lie with him for hours and if he’s left alone in there he knocks on the door and says “Hello!” “Out there” No nap!” ad nauseum and then starts crying madly (not scared - mad) if we don’t go in there immediately. If we lie with him until he’s passing out but not completely out, he notices that we leave and does the same thing.
So? Tips? Lie with him every night until he’s asleep and risk always having to do it? (My preference, but I have to nurse so it’s not going to be me.) Just go in and lay him down over and over again? Keep in mind, we have never and would never let him cry, so that’s not an option. Other than that, what’s worked for you?
March 9th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
My daughter is going through this exact same thing right now with our grandson. He slept in his big boy bed for the first time last night. I got a frazzled call from her just this afternoon about how to keep Alex in bed during naptime. My advice to her was to just keep putting him back in bed and saying “It’s naptime. You must rest here for a little while. I’ll come get you when it’s time to get up”. I recommend trying to stay calm but be firm. Don’t give up unless you are ready to give up the naps - I remember having to do this for quite some time with my middle child. Nighttime works pretty much the same way. Good luck!
Suburban Turmoil Blog Hopping Weekend…Virginia
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March 9th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
We’ve been sitting on a chair by the door to Sierra’s room and telling her to lay down, close her eyes and go to sleep. We do the same in the middle of the night. We’ve only been doing this for a week, but so far she’s slept through 3 of the nights - this is AMAZING since she essentially has not slept through the night for the past 4 months!
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March 10th, 2008 at 3:45 am
Having the mattress off the floor may play to your advantage. It provides more structure and therefore they are less likely to get out of bed. But that doesn’t totally work either.
Our girl was in a big girl bed by 18 months. It took a week or so to anchor the idea and then we were set. We did lie down with her a lot and had to take her back. The chair outside the door is popular as Mom on the Run stated.
Good luck! If he is climbing out it is definitely time to switch!
chelle’s last blog post..Like the Mafia, without the Violence
March 10th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Oh, I could so write a book about this….
We had to take Audrey out of her crib right when she turned two in January since she climbed out of her crib and broke her arm. Elbow to be exact.
Unlike our first kid who acted like the bed was just like her crib and NEVER came out of it, Audrey knew she had freedom. The only way for her to go to sleep in her room was to lay on the floor (we had converted her crib to a day bed, so the floor was all we had). This got old really, really fast. Plus, it started taking her longer and longer to fall asleep and the last two night we did it, it took over 2 hours.
So we bought a kitchen timer. We set if for 10 minutes, and we lay with her. After that, we leave her room and everytime she leaves her room, we walk her back in a lay her back in her bed. This is nicer as at least I can watch tv in the playroom in between her getting out of her room.
Some nights, she doesn’t come out at all, some nights she comes out 20 times. What is working lately is the fact she hates to have her door shut all the way. If we threaten to shut her door or follow through with it, she cries, we open the door, and she stays in her room.
I have no idea if any of this will work for you, but at least you should know I TOTALLY FEEL YOUR PAIN.
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March 12th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
When we moved Kayla to the toddler bed she did great staying in it the first few times, then she started getting out at nap time. I knew she was tired and would go to sleep within minutes if she would just allow herself to be still and rest and not get up and play LOL So I would sit by her bed and within 5 min she was out (I wouldn’t talk to her, sometimes I would pat/rub her back though). Eventually I moved to her doorway and the hallway where she could still see me. As long as she knew I was there watching her she wouldn’t get out of bed and she would fall asleep within 5 min. I’m not sure if that would work at night though. We did go through a period where she would get out of bed at night and just hang out in her doorway. We alternated between ignoring her and she would get bored and realize she wasn’t getting attention and go back to bed (although she wasn’t screaming or crying or anything like that) or we would continuously put her back in bed reminding her it was bed time. I think it might just be a phase that you’ll have to endure and get through. Hope it passes quickly though!
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