2 under Two: The BigBoy Bed Dilemma
Posted by Catherine on September 22, 2010 : 1 comments2 under Two: The BigBoy Bed Dilemma
2 under Two Dilemma #999: I need the crib for my youngest, but is the oldest ready to be evicted? Moreover: am I ready to have him evicted?
Ok, ok, I know there is some deep down emotional, psychological stuff here about me holding my oldest back, wanting him to remain a baby, desperately clinging to his crib as a symbol of his infancy, blah blah. I admit to that.
But the real problem is not that my youngest needs the crib, it’s that I’m not ready to deal with the struggles of keeping the oldest in the BigBoy bed and potentially losing the battle on naptime, ultimately losing the 2 hours of silence I SOOO enjoy everyday. I realize I’ll have to go there someday, but today? Does it have to be today?
Didn’t I just deal with weaning BigBoy from a bottle? Didn’t I just deal with convincing him to eat more fruits/ veggies? Didn’t I just deal with getting BabyBoy to sleep on a regular schedule? I can’t Deal with any more Dealing! I know it’s a fundamental element of parenting, but can I just cross this bridge silently and without all the dealing?
A really good friend of mine, one whom I turn to for parenting advice because of her ability to keep it all together while appearing so nonchalant, said to keep BigBoy in the crib. “AT ALL COSTS, keep Bigboy in the crib. Don’t move him until he moves himself. When he figures out how to climb out, then, and only then, move him to a BigBoy bed.”
So I’ve been reading, asking, watching, thinking, and delaying. Just the other day he showed me that he knows how to climb in the bed. Yikes!! And last week, when he was overtired and resisting his nap, he attempted to climb out. To which I replied saying, “no, no, you could hurt yourself, be careful”, when really I was thinking, “no, no don’t climb out, because if you figure out how to climb out then you’ll never stop and I’M NOT READY!”
The latest place I looked for helpful advice was www.babycenter.com, on the page entitled, “How can I help my child transition from a crib to a big-kid bed?” It was very helpful regarding the when – before baby #2 arrives, oops, I dropped the ball there - and the how to transition him: gradually, with a low bed, or bed bumped up against a wall and a guard rail. It also discussed waiting a few days before I set up the crib for BabyBoy, so it doesn’t look like his younger brother stole his bed. But nothing on how to keep him in his bed - sleeping.
Moms on a local mommy listserve confess to locking the bedroom door, holding the bedroom door until their little one gives up/ falls on the floor asleep. Surely there must be another way, and thus my quest continues. I’ll let you know what I find or experience, whichever comes first. And please, send me any suggestions you might have – I’m all ears!
momma simons
September 23, 2010I was leafing through a book, The Sleep Easy Solution, for my 4 month old baby and saw that they recommended keeping the toddler in his bed until age 3. Their rationale is that being 2 years old is hard and having the normalcy and comfort of their crib is important. I will have to say it was the most (non-mom centered) convincing argument I have heard.