Over the weekend I woke up at 5 AM to the whine of the little guy. I groggily got out of bed and walked out into the hallway on the way to his room. Standing in the middle of the hallway with a grin on his face was my son.
“Did you forget to put the kiddo in his crib?” I asked Brian. “No, why?” he responded.
Yep, the kid learned how to escape his crib. We later caught him on video swinging his leg over the top railing and dropping to the ground smack on his butt. He had thoughtfully thrown his pillow beneath the crib so that he had a soft landing.
Today, in fear of him hurting himself escaping the crib, I decided it was time to convert the crib into the toddler bed. Kiddo thought it was the coolest thing ever to be able to run and get into bed. He sat on his bed all proud. Later he brought books over and I sat on his bed with him to read. It was great!
But, the fun of the bed wore off by nap time. X did not like the freedom the new bed gave him. He usually fights his naps a little, but falls to sleep fairly quickly. Today was not like that. He kept leaving his room. And, if I shut the door to his room he fell to pieces.
So, today Brian and I made efforts to spiff up his room a little more and added in a new night light that shines a pretty picture on the ceiling. We prolonged his nighttime routine a little longer to include a cuddle in his new bed.
As soon as the door shut though the screaming started. LOUD screaming. Like, I’m worried he is going to lose his voice screaming.
I went back in the room and laid down next to him in his bed. He smiled and nearly fell asleep. But, a moment after I snuck out of his room… the screaming started again. This happened three times… Right now, as I’m writing this, I am listening to his little screams and tears and my heart is in a knot. He is now no longer screaming by the door at least, he seems to have made it to his bed for his screaming. **Update** Two hours AFTER bedtime…. B went in there and cuddled him in bed for a bit and he finally fell asleep. That is 5 times of us going in and cuddling. I could do it all night long, except I want him to be able to become independent enough to fall asleep without us.
I really hope that this is just a short transition period and that I made the right choice to move to the toddler bed. I like the idea that he can now get around and play with his toys if he wakes up. But, will the freedom make him less likely to go to sleep? If I had chosen to leave him in the crib I fear that he would have hurt himself… but, maybe not?
Have you had to do the toddler bed transition? How did you decide when was the right time? Any tips or tricks for making the transition easier?
I’m hoping I sleep tonight!
