Bug has been rather rambunctious at night. Occasionally we hear a loud thud in the crib followed by crying. Usually when I get in the room he is either sitting or standing. I was thinking that maybe he just hit his head or happened to kick the crib in his sleep, startling him awake.
It wasn't until we were at a birthday party in the park last weekend that I thought something different. He walked up to the picnic table, grabbed the bench and pulled himself right up!
My mind immediately flashed with thoughts of him laying on his bedroom floor after successfully climbing out of his crib. What made this thought so horrible was that he also had a broken neck! Yes, I know, worst case scenario. Many kids have climbed out of their crib with little-to-no injuries.
On the way home from the park I discussed with my husband how I wanted to change Bug's crib from the crib to toddler bed. Which just required an allen wrench and a few minutes of time (which we all know that I -and all other mothers- have a lot of)!
It was the next day that I took the time to convert his crib.
By the time Squirrel was his age I was ready to put him in a toddler bed. Squirrel was laid back, didn't throw fits and was a great sleeper.
Bug, on-the-other-hand, is not laid back, he throws multiple (10-400) fits a day and while he does sleep through the night, it doesn't take much of a noise to wake him up. In the last couple months I had not prepared, nor did I want to prepare, for the time I would transition him to a toddler bed.
So he slept in his toddler bed for the first time Sunday night. He cried for a minute after he climbed in but then settled down and fell asleep. About an hour or two into his slumber I tip-toed into his bedroom to snap a photo, against my better judgement. Fortunately, he did not wake up.
He did great! He did not get out of bed until about 7:45 the next morning. All was well.
Nap time was a little different. When I left the room he cried and climbed out. I had him climb back into bed and the cycle was repeated two more times. I then stood in his room for about two minutes while he settled down then walked out one last time.
He fell asleep.
A little over an hour later I was heard a strange clicking in his room. Confused, I opened the door to see...
The transition has been much easier than I thought it would be. And in the last two days he has been climbing on everything! So I am really happy I decided to transition Bug from the crib to toddler bed.
I no longer have to worry about him breaking his neck trying to escape from his cage!
How old was your child when you moved them from the crib to toddler bed? Why did you decide to make the shift?
