THE SAGA OF THE BIG GIRL BED

For two months we mentally braced ourselves for the transition to the big girl bed. We set up her new room with the bed in it. We played in there with her. We practiced going to bed in the big girl bed. We talked about sleeping in her big girl bed and come the day of the move, I thought we had done everything we could. After Lauren's nap, I took her picture and said, "That was your last sleep in the crib. Tonight you're going to sleep in your big girl bed." And Lauren's response was a short, "No." She said it in that tone that only a two year old can manage, where there is no discussion, no trying to rationalize and obviously no other alternative. No. 

Well, around here, though she tries mightily, she doesn't rule the roost. That night we went into her big girl bed and started her bedtime routine. Diaper, pjs, medicine, brush your teeth, read some books, little snuggle and then sleep. It went well until the books. At the last page of each book she would start to cry. I would tell her that we had another book and the crying would stop. That happened for all four books. At the last one she was weeping and clinging onto me so I reverted to what I did with her when she was a baby and I started to sing. Now, by no means am I a beautiful singer, but Lauren never seems to care. It took a while but she relaxed into me and I thought we were golden. Ha. Never underestimate a two year old who has told you, "No."

That first night I would leave the room and she would launch herself out of bed. Matt and I had the foresight to put a baby gate across her doorway because she mastered door handles right after she learned to walk. So she would stand at the gate, crying and shaking it with all her might. I would go up and put her back to bed. That lasted for more than three hours. 

And repeated for three nights.

I was ready to buy a second crib.

Lauren's daycare provider, K, who is phenomenal, gave me the pep talk that I needed to stick it out and push through. It only took another few nights and then she was sleeping like a  baby  big girl in her new bed. After just over a week her solid 12 to 13 hours of sleep came back and the transition was complete. 

But then we had to repeat all of this with naptime (I had planned this so that I did it over a time when she would be at daycare for naps so I only had to deal with one sleep session at a time). 

Thankfully we can say that we lived happily ever after and now naptime and bedtime are something that we all look forward to again (albeit for different reasons... bring on the movies and popcorn. The kid is in bed!)

Now onto potty training. Ahhh!