Big Boy Bed

When Samuel and I returned home from Houston he had a very special surprise waiting for him - his very own big boy bed! Our thoughtful and generous friends, The Roberts' (who also gave us all of their baby gear), let us know a few weeks ago that their little boy had outgrown his toddler bed and we could have it. We had been contemplating buying a toddler bed for Samuel already, so Allen went down to Colorado Springs to pick it up while we were away. It was perfect timing!

I wasn't sure how Samuel would react. So far none of our attempts to encourage him to sleep independently have been successful. We have tried his crib, a Pack 'N Play, blanket on the ground, changing pad (also on the ground), and even our bed. For the last 16 months I have been holding him in my arms for every nap and letting him nurse as long as he wanted. As much as I enjoy the closeness it was also a little inconvenient. The best I could do is to let him nap in our bed while I sat next to him and read a book or enjoy some other quiet activity. Sometimes I could sneak away but then he would usually wake up soon after and be cranky for the rest of the day. Of course, we also co-sleep at night since he still wakes a few times to nurse.

Much to our delight he loves his new bed! He climbed right up in it, laid his head down and said "nite nite." The next day I decided to try letting him take his nap there. We had recently bought light-reducing curtains for his room so it would stay nice and dark during the day. As soon as he started acting sleepy I took him upstairs to his room. He was more than happy to lay down in his bed, so I snuggled up next to him and nursed him to sleep. Once he was off to dreamland I quietly got up and slipped out of the room. He slept over an hour!

Before the trip to Houston we had been putting Samuel to sleep in our bed and then going downstairs to enjoy some "Mom & Dad" time. It had been working well so that night we decided to let him try falling asleep in his own bed and then once we were ready to go up we would bring him into bed with us. Since he still wakes at night, and I really don't want to have to get up and fumble in the darkness to his room, we will continue to co-sleep for a while. Besides, I'm just not ready to give up our family bed. It's so nice getting to sleep snuggled up in between my two favorite boys. It makes us all happy and closer as a family.

Here is Samuel taking his first nap in the Big Boy Bed:



He loves the "transportation" themed sheets and constantly points to all the different vehicles so I can name them.