We were blessed from the beginning with an absolutely amazing sleeper in Caleb. He has inherited that, I would say, from his parents...and we had lots of help along the way from the BabyWise books by Gary Ezzo (AMAZING).
So, when we decided to transition Caleb to a toddler bed, we were thinking it would be as easy as everything else has been along the way. Well, not so much. He screamed so much that first night that Brandon ended up spending the night in his room. The next week or so went the same way. He didn't nap. I wasn't getting any sleep during the night or even during the day. I wasn't getting anything done...and I was so tired.
The screaming never stopped, so we decided he wasn't ready...or I wasn't ready. Something like that. So, now the opening in his crib is pushed up against the wall, and I am sleeping at night again. He has security back, and I have my three hour window during his nap to get stuff done. Our home is happy and peaceful yet again.
But, I would welcome any thoughts other moms have on the subject from your own experience. I could use all the help I can get for when we try it again in a few months.
i JUST got the comment you left on my unused blog that's attached to this ID. you know the address for the one i DO write on, right? aaaaand... that bed looks so cool. miss you, friend.
ReplyDeleteHey Mandy, Just thought I would throw it out there that our son, John, will be 3 in January and we haven't even thought twice about switching him out of his crib yet. I just don't see any good reason. He likes it. I like it. With both parents and child happy with the situation, I haven't seen any need to change it. That is just my 2 cents, for what it's worth. :) Glad you are all sleeping again!! By the way, we are a babywise family as well and I, too, am grateful for the 3 hour afternoon nap. :)
ReplyDeleteJust so you guys feel a bit better. I don't know if you remember but the transition to a real bed was quite easy. Everybody just made nests in their closets. Worked really well. Now, there's security! By the way, the bed is darling. We miss you all terribly.
ReplyDeleteBy the time my daughter was two, she was climbing out of her bed all the time (started at 18 months). It took one of us laying on the bed in her room, and many hours of fighting to get her to fall asleep in her baby bed. We started letting her take naps in her big bed before completely moving her. Most of the bedtime fights ceased after the move. I would not have moved her if she were perfectly happy in her crib. I think that she was just developmentally ready for the change.
ReplyDeleteOn Babywise, it worked great with my daughter. She slept 8 hours a night by three months and about 12 hours a night by four months. I thought if everyone would just follow the babywise rules, then they could have great baby sleepers on a fabulous schedule. Child #2 knocked down that pride. We tried to do the same thing with him, but it absolutely did not work. He's a different personality, but he was also a larger baby who required more feedings more often. Despite our efforts, at six months, I'm still up twice during the night to nurse him. How often and how much he needs to eat depends on his size, how much milk I can produce at once, how much his stomach can hold in one feeding, and how quickly he digests his food. Babywise is great, but unfortunately, it doesn't work for every child. I suggest it now as a guide, but I'm much happier since I've given up trying to follow it with my second child. We settled into a different routine, and we're used to it now.
i LOVE the picture in the mirror. you guys are too fun!
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