Whoo hoo!
Originally, we were planning on keeping her in the crib (hello, convenience!) for awhile after the baby was born. And truthfully, we still may (depending on how the transition plays out). But none-the-less, I have this burning sensation coming over me that greatly desires to put the baby's nursery in order. This includes getting a bed, or sleeping arrangement of sorts, in there as well.
We have a little bassinet, which is very wonderful. But they grow out of them so quickly, I knew it would buy us but a few months time at most.
The next option was the pak-n-play, which works wonderful for napping and moving around as needed. But setting up the pak-n-play in the baby's room just...I don't know...it just doesn't feel complete. It doesn't feel like a nursery. It doesn't feel like a comfortable place to lay the wee one down at night.
Maybe it's silly and vain, but I want it to feel like a cozy nursery (especially considering the amount of time I am about to devote to sitting in there and nursing).
All that to say, over the next few weeks, we will be attempting to transfer G-love over into her big girl bed so we can move the crib into the baby's room.
I know it's not (probably) not going to be easy. Unless I put up some temporary livestock fencing around the mattress, which I'm not above (teehee). The question I'm fiddling with, however, is this:
Do I discipline her for getting up and out of bed after we put her down? Or do I simply say 'Do what you wish, but you must be in your room and you must be quiet' during nap and bedtime?
The same can happen at night - if she's not quite ready to fall asleep yet, she will simply spend a little bit of time in there doing what-evs, man. I'm fine with this. As long as she's in bed and clean and happy, she can fall asleep whenever she'd like.
In my circle group last week we discussed the difference between feeling anxious and feeling concerned. 'Concerns', we learned, are valid and relevant. There are legitimate concerns that we have as parents, such as the safety of our children or the working of the Holy Spirit in their little hearts. The importance lays upon taking those concerns to the Lord in prayer and trusting that He will faithfully see us through them and provide us with the tools we need to do them well.
So that's what I've decided to do. Though I am concerned for this transition, I refuse to feel anxious about it. Instead, it will be taken to the Lord in prayer, knowing that He is at work in even the smallest of details.
And even though transitioning a toddler to a new bed is small potatoes in this fallen world, I can still trust and believe that all things are of importance to the One who created them!
Isn't that wonderful to know? That the Lord knows the smallest of concerns in my heart and cares for them?
I think it's wonderful that even seemingly insignificant changes such as bed transitions can cause me to pause and reflect on the goodness of our Creator.
I also think it's wonderful that dear friends are willing to donate their unused twin mattress to our cause. It's amazing how blessings continue to abound for us down here. Cause Dang Dave sure wasn't going to allow for any mattress purchasing any time soon.
G is taking her nap now. I'm fighting the urge to storm into her room and begin the movement and fluffing of furniture (there is, after all, a mattress on the roof of my car).
By the way, I just have to say, having a baby in my uterus head down is much more comfortable than having a breech baby in my uterus. Sure, it's not super comfortable to be kicked in the ribs....but it's nothing compared to having a head stuck up in there.
Oh parenthood.
So humbling. So consuming. So dang wonderful it makes me want to die of happiness.
And that is all.
Do I remember you saying you do Babywise w/ Georgia? We used Babywise and I remember the first time we put our daughter, now 6, to bed in her new big girl bed. I remembered reading about this moment in the books. "What will keep your little one in their bed that first time? It will be obedience to your words." My husband and I shut the door, looked at each other, and just waited to see what would happen. She never once got out of bed. When she got older she would even call for us and ask if she could get up to go to the bathroom!!!
ReplyDeleteNow here we are in the same situation as you once again. Only this time it's w/our 2 year old son. I am not, I repeat NOT, expecting the same results w/him even though we used Babywise w/him as well. Oh that second child...especially a boy. I appreciate your thoughts on being anxious because I'm anxious this time. I think we will probably discipline if he gets out of bed. I will also put a baby gate at his door just in case. I don't want him trying to go downstairs to the playroom or drowning in the toilet while we snooze.
Of course, he could surprise us. I doubt it, but it's possible. Let us know how things work out!!!
When our oldest, now almost 4 transitioned into a big girl bed, we talked it up ALOT to her-making her think it was really exciting & she was such a big girl. By the time we did transition, she was exciting to have her own big bed & did well-we talked to her about how big kids stay in their bed when they are supposed to:) This is when she was about 22 months or so...Now that #3 is due in a few months, we are getting ready to transition little sister (21 months) into not only a big girl bed, but sharing a room with big sis! (bunk beds-likely sharing the bottom bed though:)) She is already exciting to share a room-when it is bedtime, she has been running to big sis' room to go ni-night in her bed! All kids are different-some might need a little discipline, others are excited to "not" be a baby anymore...lol
ReplyDeleteGood Luck!!
First, I have nothing to add to the subject of getting a toddler to stay in bed as my "baby" is in high school and he stayed in our bed until he was 4yrs old.(not fun at times!) The oldest two, I have no idea how I got them to stay in bed, they just did. Second, I just want to thank you for sharing about "concerns" and "anxiety". I totally needed that this morning regarding graduate school studies I am having problems with. It reminded me to look up Philippians 4:7 which always puts me at ease.
ReplyDelete