Grady is only two, but it was time. It was time we moved him from his crib and into the big boy bed. This had to be done for several reasons. First of all, we needed the crib for the new baby. I’m over halfway there and we haven’t even started getting ready for this kid. It was also getting pretty difficult for me to pick Grady up and lean over the side of the crib. Second and most importantly, he was climbing out of it. Consistently. He refused to nap or lay down to rest. And in the morning??? That was the worst. He was up at 4:30/5a.m. coming into our room, climbing into our bed and demanding to watch Muppet Babies. I’m NOT okay with that. I knew that if I kept letting it happen, he would continue to do it and it may eventually evolve into getting into our bed at all hours of the night. It was time to nip it in the bud. Time for lockdown and to set some boundaries.
Keep in mind that Grady was ready to be moved. He was climbing out of the crib and it could have potentially turned into something we didn’t want. Some kids aren’t ready at the age of two. I have a mom friend whose son stayed in his crib until he was four. He never once climbed out. The crib was his safe space. I have another mom friend who totally doesn’t mind her son sleeping in the bed with her every night. Every kid is different and every family is different. You do what’s best for YOU. We did what was best for OUR family. So if you’re interested, this is how we transitioned Grady from his crib to his now bed.
Step 1: Get a mattress
It was the weekend my parents were here and everyone was exhausted from Grady being up all hours of the morning. My husband dropped them off at the airport and went straight to Sam’s Club. He bought a basic twin mattress. We skipped the toddler bed. To us, the toddler bed is like the middle man. We went right over it. The mattress came home and went straight to the floor. Of course this was our first rodeo, so it took us a few nights to figure out what worked best. Grady watched us take apart the crib and we continued to tell him that he needed a big boy bed. We (sort of) let him be part of the process. He did have difficulty that night and began crying as he tried to drag the old crib mattress back in his room.
We put the mattress against the wall and prayed for the best. As one would expect, he fell out of it all night long and it was a constant going in and out of his room to slide him back into bed. Believe it or not, it never woke him up.
Step 2: Guard Rails
Then we got smart and bought a couple of guard rails. We turned the head of the bed towards the wall and slipped the rails under the mattress.
He sleeps soundly and hasn’t fallen out once since. Even though they are only tucked underneath, they haven’t slipped out due to the weight of the mattress.
Step 3: Clear out and child proof the room.
We moved out all the furniture besides the dresser and strapped it to the wall. I left a few books and toys on the floor if he wakes up and it’s not time to leave the room. All the electrical outlets are plugged and cords are stowed away. What’s left on his dresser, he hasn’t touched or isn’t interested in. I DO know a few moms that couldn’t even leave curtains in their boys’ rooms because they would climb the walls and fortunately we haven’t had to worry about that with G. Both the front and closet doors have toddler safety knobs on them. He can’t get into the closet and he can’t get out of his room once he’s in. This was kind of our way of saying, “we mean business.” He now knows that he can’t get out of his room. Trust me, he’s tried. He’s gotten out of bed LONG before nap should have been over or SUPER early in the morning but as soon as he realizes he can’t get out, he crawls back into bed. That’s also what’s great about the mattress being on the floor. Sometimes he falls back asleep and sometimes he lays there and plays until I come and get him.
Step 4: Get an “okay to wake” light and set boundaries
We’ve had this light since Grady was a baby. It wasn’t until we started the toddler incarceration that we set the green light to mean you can get up now. What’s great about this light is that you can program the app on your phone. I have it programmed to turn on at 6:30 being that Grady is usually up between 6-6:15. He’ll wake up, but I won’t COME GET HIM until the light turns on. This morning, Grady woke up at 5:50am (I was already awake and getting started). He looked at the light, saw that it wasn’t on, laid back down and fell back asleep. Seeing that he wasn’t going to wake up anytime soon, I turned off the light (from my phone) so that it wouldn’t wake him up. He ended up sleeping until 6:45 and when I saw he was awake, I clicked it back on to let him know “it’s green and I can COME GET YOU.” It’s a very rare occasion that Grady sleeps past 6:15. I’m usually awake long before then but if I see that he may possibly sleep a little longer, I turn it off and just click it on before I make my appearance in the room. I also make sure I emphasize that it’s green! you can get up now!
Links for all our essentials are listed below. I don’t get paid for any clicks or purchases…I’m just making it easier for you to find what you’re looking for 🙂
door knob locks // furniture straps // Hatch light // electrical outlet plugs // bed guards // mattress
Once we found our footing and figured out what worked for us as a family, everything started running smoothly. Grady has taken this new bed as a right of passage. After a few nights he started to forget about his beloved crib and jumps into bed with his “friends.” It’s funny…my husband and I sat staring at the crib all in pieces and remembered the day we put it together. Now we’re taking it apart and getting it ready for the new baby. Before we know it, we’ll be taking it apart again. Only it will be for good. It goes by fast….and we try to savor every moment and memory. Even the ones where we have an escape artist.