Before I begin, I should make one thing clear: I?m basically obsessed with my children?s sleep habits. I?m a slave to naptime, I cling to the routine, I Google ?Help! Baby won?t sleep!? until my fingers ache. It?s not healthy, but there it is: My ugly truth.
This obsession hit me smack in the face just the other day when I asked my 6-year-old, who was playing with her baby dolls, if she wanted a snack.
?I do,? she said. ?But it?s getting close to baby?s bedtime, so I should wait until I take care of that.? Then she very carefully/neurotically draped a towel over the doll?s bassinet and whispered as we both tiptoed out of her bedroom, ?I want to make sure no light gets in.?
Yup. That right there is all me, baby.
This week I also came face to face with the day I?ve been absolutely dreading: We packed up our 2-year-old?s crib and in its place put a completely adorable, totally terrifying toddler bed.
I should point out that this is a girl who despite my best, most desperate efforts, didn?t sleep through the night until she was 22 months old. We then had almost 3 blissful months of happy bedtimes and sound slumbers? until the screaming started. Out of the blue she started frantically screeching at the mere mention of going to bed. Hoping it was just a phase, I tried everything to ease her angst: Earlier bedtime, later bedtime, lullabies, night lights, books, teddy bears, music boxes, sitting by the crib, making a quick exit. Nothing helped. Night after night, week after week, my heart broke a little every time I put her in that crib with tears trailing shiny ribbons down her pink cheeks. Sobbing, gasping, pleading.
So after talking to a few of my mom friends I decided it was time to bite the dreaded bullet and make the move to a toddler bed. With my oldest I never really understood the point of the toddler bed ? we moved her right from a crib to a twin bed. No rails, that was it. Why transition twice, right?
For the 1,000th time my second child has made me eat my words, though. She may be done with her little wooden crib, but my mother?s intuition is screaming at the top of its lungs that she?s not ready for an actual bed just yet. So a toddler bed it is.
I still went into it with the lowest of expectations; I imagined my wild, spirited baby girl set free from the constraints of her cozy crib, kicking and screaming and climbing the bookshelves. But here we are on day No. 3 and after a tiny bit of very vocal protest she?s tucked under her Elmo blanket with her most beloved stuffed dogs and ducks, mercifully and peacefully asleep.
She?s proved me wrong once again.
When did your baby move out of the crib? How did it go?
Be sure to check out Dr. Lisa Dana?s advice on transitioning out of the crib
Photo: Wayfair.com
Source: http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/08292012-time-for-a-toddler-bed-im-terrified/
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