Sleepy Boy

Andrew and I decided that a couple months before our baby girl is due to join our family, we'd switch Jake from the crib to a toddler bed.  I found a great deal on a cute bed that matches his furniture on Craigslist, which we ended up getting a month and a half ago or so.  We brought the bed up to our apartment, and Jake LOVED it.

He loved it so much that we put it in his room and he slept in it that night and for the next 5 nights without any problems.  We took down his crib, and all of a sudden he couldn't stay in his toddler bed anymore.  We decided to keep putting him back in it to try to encourage him to stay out of the crib, especially because it was quite the ordeal to get it taken apart, and it's even worse trying to get it back together.  We don't want to end up with 2 cribs at the same time!  I guess that's one disadvantage to having 2 kids in less than 2 years.

Jake ended up in our bed quite a few nights, just long enough to get settled down.  Once he fell asleep we'd put him back in his bed, and that seemed to work pretty well, but waking up more nights than not to a crying toddler who wants to take over your bed isn't that great- especially because I'd end up getting kicked by Jake on the outside of my belly and our little growing girl on the inside.  What a nightmare!

We figured out that turning off all lights and getting rid of the nightlight (which he was pulling out of the wall to try to get his fingers in the socket- sheesh!) helped him fall asleep more quickly, and stay asleep for longer.  It's been awhile now, and I'd say he's doing pretty well for the most part.  We probably made the transition a little too early, but in the end it seems to be working out well.

We bought a video monitor just before Jake was born, which has provided us with so much entertainment, especially now that he has free roam of his room at night and during nap time.  I can't even tell you how many positions he has found to sleep in!

(you can just see his head in the corner of the monitor, sleeping on his pillow on the floor)

He is continually doing better falling asleep on his bed, and staying on his bed for the entire night.  However, the first couple of weeks we'd find him in the craziest places that I'm not even sure how he got to.  I wish we'd have captured more of those, but I'm grateful to find him in his bed when I check on him before going to sleep myself.

It's great that Jake is enjoying his new bed, and I'm glad we'll have the crib ready for our baby girl when she joins our family in about 2 months.  I can't wait!