I was in complete denial the first time it happened…Elliott was barely 18 months old and had just discovered he had the ability to scale the sides of his crib. Freedom was now his. I’d read that often the transition from crib to bed can happen prematurely (and read all the accompanying horror stories of sleepless nights)  but there was no way my son was going to forget that he could climb out. He did so 3 times that first night and fell really hard on his last attempt.
I didn’t want to believe he could do it because that meant addressing the now inevitable – out of concern for his safety, Elliott was ready for a toddler bed. While converting the crib to his new bed was a breeze for Jon, my heart raced when we went shopping for the new sheets and pillow which would officially make this Eli’s big boy bed. I pictured him waking at all hours of the night and never wanting to sleep again! We followed the same bedtime routine, showed him how exciting it was for him to be able to climb in on his own and put him to bed. I closed the door behind me and immediately heard his footsteps coming towards the door. I waited a minute, went in and returned him to his bed. We did this same dance for approximately 20mins, at which point, he fell asleep…
And he slept the entire night. The next day for his nap, we dealt with the tears for 15mins and from that moment on, Elliott’s been sleeping soundly in his new toddler bed. My fears were reasonable, just not necessary. As with so many transitions in life, this one went much more smoothly than I had anticipated. Zzzzzz…
Carolyn Clement Photography 