Big Boy Bed

B is sleeping in a Big Boy Bed! Well, sort of. We just took the side railing off of the crib and converted it to a toddler bed. This is a stepping stone since he obviously will need a twin mattress rather than a crib-sized one in the near future.  This is one of those weird milestones for a parent - there is no right or wrong time to do it and really no developmental milestones to guide the timing. A lot of kids move to their big bed when the crib is needed for a new baby or when they start being able to climb out of the crib.  For our first, we did it on his 3rd bday. HIs new bed was a bday gift. I remember worrying a LOT about the transition. I didn't think he'd ever go to bed as well or stay in there. In reality, it was a complete non-event and he treated it exactly like his crib for the entire first year. He continued to call us to get him up and didn't seem to realize the new freedom he'd been given.

With B, I spent a lot less time thinking about the transition and did it somewhat on a whim. I wouldn't say it's totally a non-event for him but it's going fairly smoothly. We put a big down pallet on the ground in front of it in case he falls.  And we've found him in some interesting positions. I don't think he's falling out but rather choosing the floor bed. It's kind of fun to open the door in the morning to see where he chose to settle. He also has come to the door to come out when we attempted a nap and one night when he didn't think he was quite ready for bed. All in all though, he's doing pretty well with it and it's just one more step that moves him further from babyhood and closer to his peers.