Big Boy Bed Butterflies

I’m talking about me, not G…

G is flirting — I mean really flirting – with the idea of climbing all the way out of his crib.  Gulp.  The other day, I caught him via our video monitor planking one of his crib-side railings.  Had he teetered just enough to the outward side, he would have gone all the way over...and, likely, never gone back in.

As I’m sure many other moms have experienced, the thought of G no longer going down EASILY for an afternoon nap scares the bajeesus out of me!  Right now, I take him up to his room, we read a handful of stories and then I place him into his crib.  We talk for a few minutes as I run my fingers through his hair or hold his hand.  I tell him that I’ll see him in a couple of hours and then walk out the door.  Easy peasy.  I then set off to do whatever it is I’ve lined up for that day’s toddler-free hours.  Whether he plays for a while in his crib — during which time he explores his comfortability with going over the edge — or just lies still, he always manages to settle down, curl up and drift off to sleep.  But, I’m telling y’all, it feels like a ticking time bomb.  As I watch his pre-sleep crib activities on the monitor, I now catch myself biting my nails and praying that today not be THE day.

Now, I love my children more than I ever could have imagined.  I love being a stay-at-home-mom and all that comes with the job…but I also love nap time.  Without a doubt, it helps keep me sane and recharged so that I can be as good of a mom during the PM as I try to be in the AM.  So, the thought of having to walk him back to his big boy bed over and over — and over and over — again, and interrupting a two-hour period we both really need, gives me more anxiety than I care to admit.  And I don’t even want to imagine the hurdles we might have to overcome at bedtime.

A lot of my friends talk about how their children transitioned into a toddler bed without any problems.  “Little Johnny slept in his big boy bed like a champ the first night and we haven’t looked back.”  Well, let me tell y’all, I have a sneeking suspision that it won’t be as easy with G.  (Yes, I’m totally guilty of using the name Johnny for generic purposes.  Why do we do that?!?!)  Anywhoo, we got a little preview of what his transition might entail while staying at my sister’s last week.  G discovered that he could climb over the side of his travel crib and, guess what?  He didn’t take another nap until we returned home.  Awesome.  Thankfully (for lack of a better word) he was so exhausted by nighttime that he would fall asleep within minutes of lying down, right in front of me.  (I have to admit, witnessing him fall asleep was wonderful.  I hadn’t seen it in a very long time.  Talk about a silver lining.)

While he might surprise me, I’m preparing myself for his venture into big boy bed land to involve a lot of patience and repetition.  Perhaps we’ll try one of those tent thingies before we put him in a toddler bed.  Maybe we’ll start reading him a bunch of books like, Back to Bed, Ed.  Who knows.  Anyone care to share some words of wisdom, what worked and/or what didn’t?

If I’ve made all of this sound like the end of the Earth, I apologize.  Truth be told, I’m willing to help G make this transition whenever he is ready.  It might cost me a few napless, no “mommy-time,” days, but I’ll survive.  Even if only by the possibility of the silver lining…