Big Girl Bed

I have put off writing this post for 2 weeks mainly because I didn't want to jinx anything.  But exactly 2 weeks ago we switched Sara Kate's bed from a crib into a big girl bed!  When I was pregnant, I searched for the perfect crib.  I wanted a convertible crib, I wanted white, and I found the perfect 4-in-1 crib.  Then I searched high and low for the perfect bedding that Chris and I could both agree on.  Once I found a set that wasn't pink (his stipulation), we were set.  

  

My tiny baby started sleeping in her crib when she was 6 weeks old, and now at 2 and 1/2, she was ready for the first conversion.  

5 months old, just woken up in her crib

The reasons we decided it was time were she's 2 and 1/2 (like I already stated), she could climb in on her own, and she could climb out with assistance (but she wouldn't try it without help).  Plus we had a few extra days at home since it was the holidays, just in case it didn't go well, so we could laze around during the days to rest.  So Friday evening 2 weeks ago, Chris changed it while I made dinner.

Before...

And after...

On some advice from a friend, we did leave the bumper in (yes I was a bad mom and let her sleep in her crib with the bumper on from the time we moved her to her crib at 6 weeks old!  But it worked for us!).  We have since folded the bumper at the opening back, but it adds extra cushion and makes me feel better because she is always leaned up against it when I go check on her.  So what did Sara Kate think of her new bed??  Well, she started going CRAZY and bouncing off the walls!!!  I was convinced we were in for a long night.

 

But she surprised me!!  I made it easy on her the first night and rocked her to sleep, like she asked.  Although when we went in her room to rock, in her sleepy little voice she said, 'Mommy, my bed is broken!  Fix it!'  It broke my heart!  But once she had dozed off, I laid her down and she slept all night.

First night in her big girl bed

Nap time the next day was a different story.  As soon as we said 'night night' and walked out and shut the door, we could hear her get up and she started playing.  But then it went quiet so I peeked in and she was asleep in her bed with her toys cleaned up, but pulled out in her room.

Since then, she has been doing great.  The thing that works great with her is setting a timer.  She likes to lay on me on the couch before bed, so we lay down and I set the timer on my phone.  She knows that when the timer goes off, it's time to go to bed.  So we walk to her room, give hugs and kisses, she lays down and I cover her up.  She's very proud of her big girl bed, too, which I think helps because with each transition we have always stressed being a big girl (tonight I was sitting on her bed while we played and she wanted me to move and she said so clearly 'mommy, get out of my big girl bed!').  There have been just a time or two when she has fussed about going to bed but it hasn't lasted long.  The other thing is that she can't open her door (some door knobs in our house she can open and some she can't).  So in the mornings (on weekends) we hear a little knocking and a little voice saying 'mommy daddy!'  Sweet girl.  So I was dreading the transition and she has surprised me and done so great.  Maybe another reason I was dreading it was because it was one of the last 'baby' things I could still hold on to.  But my sweet baby definitely isn't a baby anymore.  She's now my big girl, and while I've tried to hold onto the baby things, I look forward to the big girls things to come.