Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Big Boy Bed

Mr. Three is (supposedly) coming any day now, and Mr. Two must be booted from the crib.

I know Mr. Two is over two years old.  And still in the crib.  And still in diapers.  But I can only fight one battle at a time.

I figure getting him to sleep in a bed is the bigger battle now.


A lovely and generous friend gave us their old bed frame, which is high enough to fit a trundle bed underneath.  We just needed the trundle.  (My parents lent us a mattress.  Thank you.)

Enter crafty husband to save the day.


He designed and put together this trundle bed frame on Saturday.  Mr. One loved going to Home Depot to get the supplies, and watching the progress. 

I loved watching my creative husband sketch away in his notebook, designing and measuring, then drilling and measuring some more.  Our home smelled like fresh cut lumber, in a good way, while he worked.

Mr. Two cried and hugged the crib railings.

At the end of the day, we had a perfect trundle bed, and it only cost about $60.00 in supplies.  Hooray for crafty husbands!


Now, if we could just convince Mr. Two how wonderful his new bed is...

We had no problems with Mr. One, he just hopped into his big boy bed the first night and slept like a log!  We've been trying the "Super Nanny" approach, just being consistent and sticking him back in bed every time he gets up, but my heart is aching as he cries for his crib for an hour...

Any tips/hints/words of support out there in blogland? Help!!!

8 comments:

  1. Keep being consistent and do NOT for any reason whatsoever put him back in the crib. You'll be starting all over from scratch. Good luck and can't wait to see pics of the new little guy!

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  2. I think a lot of it is that a new baby will be taking over his bed. I've read that you should do it either way before the baby comes or wait until after. I hope it works soon and I'm sure since the baby will be here soon he will realize that this new little guy will need the crib. Hang in there.

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  3. Awesome trundle!

    With both my boys I had to start with lying down next to them to get them to sleep, then sitting next to them, then sitting in the doorway, then sitting in the hall... you get the idea. This technique worked pretty well for us.

    As far as the potty training - don't feel too bad. I refused to potty train my #2 while pregnant, and it all worked out okay. (He actually ended up kind of training himself. I was totally okay with that.)

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  4. Good luck! We just now transitioned Anna out of her crib, but we had no reason to hurry. She just jumped over like your Mr One, but I can see how little Mr Two might feel a little overwhelmed.

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  5. I think some positive reinforcement is always a good thing (as opposed to anger, frustration and tears-I mean you:). Sticker charts with a reward (dollar store toys in a bag, he gets to draw one out) for staying in his bed 2 nights in a row, or maybe even just one night. Also, the bedtime routine: snack, teeth, story, prayers. Does he have something he snuggles with? Just some thoughts.

    As for potty training, my kids were all over 3 by the time I trained them. I would try some before, but never got the job done til they were older. It was quick and easy then.

    Hang in there, this too shall pass.

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  6. This is such a great idea! What a frugal alternative to purchasing a trundle bed. I just might have to try this in my son's room!

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  7. I hear sound machines work wonders for helping kids sleep. Perhaps combining the above reward system idea to keep him in bed and the sound machine to help him fall asleep. Good luck. Just remember with both the bed and the potty training dilemma, it will happen in time. I never met anyone in college who slept in a crib or wasn't potty trained. (lots of kids potty trained before the baby, digress after the baby anyway.)

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