So, uh, yeah…still here.
Remember how I thought I could be all clever and take the drop rail off the side of the crib to transition Cordy to a toddler bed? Oh sure, I thought, it’s still her crib – it’s just missing one side. She’ll adjust, right?
Yeah, well…not going so well thus far. Apparently a crib without its drop rail is, in fact, NOT the same as her crib. Two nights ago, I placed her in her room, tried to reason with her (HA!) about the coolness of her Big Girl Bed for over 20 minutes, then gave up and simply raced her to the door, managing to get out without shutting her fingers in the door. She screamed for about 2 minutes again, but then all was quiet. I figured she gave up and got in bed.
However, when Aaron went to check on her an hour later, he found she had climbed up into the rocking chair in the room and fell asleep there, slumped over holding one of her books. He moved her to the crib, where she did sleep most of the night. Around 4am she was up and moving around in her room, but she didn’t yell for us or cry, so she clearly wasn’t too traumatized.
Last night, though, was the worst yet. Twice I rocked Cordy to sleep and tried to lay her down in her bed, and both times her eyes would pop open and with lightening speed her arms and legs were wrapped around my leg. Aaron then tried twice, with the same results. He finally raced her out the door, but the screaming didn’t stop after 2 minutes like the previous nights. After 10 minutes, I went back in and comforted her, trying to place her on one of the beds, but she would not go near them.
I then spotted her little foam fold-out couch, and wrestled her down onto it, with me laying beside her. This was at least acceptable to Cordy, so we stayed there on the floor, with me right beside her patting her back, until she was asleep. I then was able to sneak out, and later Aaron came in and moved her to a bed again.
It seems we may have luck getting her to sleep if we lay down with her. The problem is, both toddler beds won’t hold our weight. Which now leads us to Phase 2 of Operation: Crib Eviction – we’re going to remove the crib entirely, and leave the mattress on the floor. She’s never liked heights, so maybe having the mattress on the floor will comfort her? And if it’s on the floor, Aaron or I will be able to lay down with her.
I’m not thrilled with the idea of her sleeping on a mattress on the floor – could be the college flashbacks it conjures up – but I’m willing to try it as another way to get her used to the idea of sleeping without bars.
I think it’s a good idea. Tell her she’s camping.
She’ll get used to the idea eventually.
I think you should treat the toddler bed as a big exciting treat that she “gets” to have in her room not something she has to have. If she starts to act like she doesn’t want it, try reverse psychology and start telling her no, she can’t have it and maybe even suggest giving it to the new baby until she insists on having it in her room.
We did this with Sweet Pea. I felt that the height of her crib without the rail was too high and was afraid of her hitting her head if she fell out. She thought the mattress on the floor was SO COOL, and it allowed me to lie down with her to get her to sleep.
(Don’t be fooled by what you just read above. While it is true, some time during the transition – two years ago almost exactly – I got very sick and moved her to our bed because I couldn’t handle getting up so many times at night to get her back to sleep. She has slept with us since, and only last week, a couple months before her 4th birthday, decided she would like to move out of our bed onto a twin mattress in our bedroom. She tells me she wants to sleep with us always and forever, even when she’s in college.)
I thought we’d have issues with the bed but we got a bunk bed for Roo’s second birthday and she immediately fell in love with it. We’d left the crib set up, just in case, but she wanted to sleep in the bunk bed right off. And not, as I feared, in the top bunk. She liked to climb the ladder with some assistance initially but told me it was too high for her to sleep there overnight. I think the enclosed space of a bottom bunk might make them feel cozy and more secure?
Be thankful she’s not accustomed to sleeping with you and Aaron. Doug and I struggle with that, but we feel too guilty to force Dawson into his crib.
Sending good vibes your way … I hope it all works out … I like the mattress on the floor idea! Maybe she is terrified of heights … pushing her to sleep in the crib may make it worse!
And on a personal note: I never got the mattress on the floor in college … I just passed out on the floor … haha
Bee sleeps on a mattress on the floor beside our bed! We would be thrilled if she were on a mattress on the floor in her own room.
Think of it this way – the goal was to get her out of the crib, and you have achieved it. Yay you!
I hope she adjusts soon. I guess we were very lucky – The transition from crib to toddler bed was as smooth as could be. We have always been lucky with bedtime things with our son, though.
I think the baby is waiting to come until her big sister gets situated. God knows how hard it would be to handle Cordy’s crisis AND a new baby all at once!
Good luck with everything!
dana,
We tried co-sleeping. Cordy wasn’t a fan of it. She wanted the big people nowhere near her as she slept.
Yep.. this was one of the few advantages to twins. They went through the ordeal together.
We just put the duo in a big kid bed a couple of months ago. They have ALWAYS slept together.. and I am afraid they always will. They just don’t know any different. So, they helped each other cope to the big bed a little better.
I think if either of them were an only child… we would be in a baby bed until 3rd grade.
I keep thinking about you and wondering how you are. Sounds like she is going to be grounded for a long time.
well good luck… my daughter’s bed is on the floor because we are refinishing her head and foot board and she doesn’t want them back because she like the bed on the floor (shes 9). Needless to say when the head board and foot board are finished she is coming up off of the ground!
Thanks so much for sharing what you’re going through with the crib-bed transition. I said before… we’ll be going through this soon, and it gives me great anxiety just thinking about it. Zoe is such a good sleeper in her crib… I’m afraid we’ll really screw things up by switching to a bed. I know it’s not fun for you, but I feel like it’s really helpful to read what you’re going through!
Man that stinks. We were so lucky we didn’t have to make room for #2 and were able to just let Declan do it when he felt like it. I feel for you, babes.
good luck – we moved our girl and it was a week of hell. we actually used a lock…yikes don’t turn me in
a mattress on the floor is how we had to go for a while. It did have the look of a poor college student’s room and I felt a little bad when I looked in, but it kept her happy and sleeping.
On a side note, does she have a favorite character? You could try to put sheets or a pillow case with her favorite character on the mattress when you make the trasition, it helped with Little Princess. I would hear her in there, talking to Dora on her pillow.
I think putting the mattress on the floor is an excellent idea! I’ve heard that a lot of people do that for safety reasons. We’re doing the Big Transition this summer, so I love reading your posts for what to expect.