Sunday, November 22, 2009

Big Boy Bed (oh no!)

It finally happened. Andrew climbed out of his pack n play four times during his nap yesterday and first thing this morning. We figured it must be time for a big boy bed. It's so hard as a mom not to have a place where I know he's safe and not getting into anything. Now when I shower I'm going to be paranoid that he's up, bedtime is going to be nightmare, etc. Any tips are much appreciated! This is a photo of him just now taking his first nap in his big boy bed. We started a little before noon and he finally fell asleep, after many tears, about two hours later. When I heard him quiet down I went to check on him and he had fallen asleep half-laying on the bed but with his feet still on the floor. I should have taken a photo but I didn't want to wake him. Should be a fun night tonight!

2 comments:

LeAnn said...

It's hard to lose that security that the crib gave you, isn't it!

As far as getting him to stay in bed, I love Super Nanny's way of doing it. Have you watched the show? Now, if you aren't the type of mommy who could let her kids cry it out, then you may not like this method because there certainly will be tears, but it sounds like you handled it ok at nap time. The first few days are hard but it really works great!

She has the parents do the regular bedtime routine (bath, stories, snuggles, drinks, potty, etc.) then has the parents put the child to bed and say something like "it's time to stay in your bed." Tuck them in and walk out the door.

The first time the child comes out of the room, they are told to say "it's time to go to sleep" or "...stay in your bed" or "LEAVE ME ALONE SO I CAN HAVE SOME PEACE AND QUIET" (not really--lol). Put the child back in bed, tuck them in and walk out the door.

Any time after that that the child gets up, nothing is said (no eye contact either) the parents just take the child back to bed, tuck them in and walk out the door. It's hard because by the 10th time you want to pull your hair out... but just keep doing it. Consistency is the key to making it work.

If he is staying in the room but getting out of bed, then you can stay in the room (again, no eye contact or communication after the first time) and just repeatedly put him back in bed. Like I said, it's not easy and sometimes I felt like a robot--no emotions-- but it worked and my kids are great at staying in bed when they're supposed to.

Good luck!

Janice said...

All I can say is, Good Luck!! Maybe I'll have to do the Super Nanny thing with my girls!