Big Boy Bed

This past Monday Luke had his well baby check up. We actually didn't see Dr. Stephens this time, but his PA, Kathy Gissel. We talked to her about needing the crib for Leta and when she recommended we start trying to switch Luke to his big boy bed. She suggested right away and to talk it up to Luke to help get him excited for it. So, that evening we all went off to Mathis Brothers to buy Luke's Big Boy Bed. With his help, of course. As soon as we got into Mathis Brothers some spastic child took over Luke's body and he went crazy running everywhere, climbing on everything. He really seems to enjoy the top bunk of a bunk bed, but that's not what we got him =).

Way too much money later, we bought a dark stain twin size bed that I'm really pleased with. It has a rolling drawer that fits underneath of it. You can insert 4 slats to make 4 sections in the drawer, or you can remove all slats and put a mattress in there instead for a trundle effect. We didn't buy the second mattress yet, we felt we'd spent enough money and that it would be a while before we thought Luke would be ready for a sleep over.

The bed was to be delivered Wednesday around noon. Luke's naptime is 12:30 so by the time we got the bed assembled, the side rails put on, and the bed made and ready for him to be in it, it was 1:30. He went down perfectly. He didn't get up once and fell right to sleep and took a pretty decent nap. However, when he woke up, he was TERRIFIED. You could just hear it in his cry. He got out of his bed and opened his door and came out of his room crying for me. I think he didn't know where he was or maybe was just scared to wake up in unfamiliar territory. Anyway, besides being afraid when he woke up, I thought it was a smashing success and, frankly, too good to be true.

Boy was I right about that. Wednesday night we put him to bed and he stayed in his bed all of 30 seconds before he got up crying for me and came out of his room. I put him back to bed. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Who knows how many times. I finally left his door open and sat by his bed for a while with my back to him until I felt like I could sneak out without him realizing I was gone. It worked! Luke was asleep by 9:45. However, I was not too happy with how he'd gone down AT ALL. I did't want to be doing THAT every night. He did get up 45 minutes early Thursday morning, came straight down to our room and yelled, "Daddy wake up!"

Kyle and I didn't really know what to do. So I emailed Dr. Stephens, Luke's pediatrician, and got this reply back:

put him back in his crib. if he won't let you do that, then a shut door with a lock if needed for 2 nights will get him to sleep in his bed. it beats sleeping on the floor. seriously. but look on the webpage at the 15-18 month sheet where i tell you not to do what you just did. i guess i could use my own advice on you: you want to take him out of his crib? good luck. he won't stay in his bed or in his room and your life is now h***? i'm sorry. : )

Kelly Stephens, MD

I have never laughed so hard in my life. I love our pediatrician. So Kyle bought new hardware for Luke's door, put the lock on the outside of his room and we got a night light and locked that kid in his room. Thursday for his nap (lock not installed yet, so I tied the door shut with a bungee cord to the balcony rails) he cried and cried at the door. Very pitifully. For about 45 minutes. Then he slept for an hour and a half and then cried again all the way until nap time was over. (He has to stay in his room for at least 3 hours whether he sleeps or not.) Thursday night he cried for less than 10 minutes. We went and checked on him before we went to bed and he was asleep in his bed with his new "cuddly" on top of the covers, so we covered him up, and locked the door again and went to bed. No tears or getting out of bed since.

The end.