When my first son was 2 1/2, he was quite tall for his age, and all my friends were switching their kids into beds. I thought it was the thing I must do, and so we did. Thankfully, the transition went pretty well, other than the fact that he gave up napping.
For some reason with my second son, we waited as long as possible to switch him to a "big boy bed." He napped well, even as he approached age 3, and went down ok for us at night, too. Even though he is tall and quite active, he was not trying to climb out. (He did try way back when he was 18 months old and then miraculosly stopped!) I don't know why it was so hard for me to get rid of the crib setting. Maybe it was that things were going so well, and I didn't want to bother rocking the boat. Maybe I was trying to hang onto his babyhood as long as I could, knowing, as a second time mom, that the time does fly.
Because my son is now 3 years and 3 months old and also we have a new baby on the way, we did finally switch him to a bed a couple weeks ago. It was so strange to just say, "that's it, he is done sleeping in a crib." But, like with all milestones, it is somewhat exciting as well. My baby is growing up. He has really surprised us with how well he has stayed in his bed most nights. He also still naps. I was expecting that to go out the window the way it had with my first son. I know it won't last forever, but I am very thankful when I get a quiet hour to myself in the afternoon. I should probably mention something that helps my cause... if he naps, he finds stickers from "the sticker fairy" waiting for him in the kitchen afterwards!
I hope the next time we need to achieve a milestone, I can remember that it isn't all sad. There are positives, too, to my kids getting bigger and more mature.
Debbie Akers, a northeast Phoenix mom of two young sons, is a member of the Arizona Republic's Parent Advisory Panel.
Debbie Akers, a northeast Phoenix mom of three young sons, is a member of the Arizona Republic's Parent Advisory Panel.
What a great way of looking
What a great way of looking at the whole growing-up process. I received some wonderful advice from a stranger when I was pregnant: Enjoy each stage of your child's life and don't wish for a different stage. As a mommy, that is sometimes so hard to do but a pat on the back to each of us if we can pull it off!
We kept my first son in his
We kept my first son in his crib until he was three - he was perfectly happy but I was feeling a little guilty that he wasn't in a big boy bed. It was a little sad to see him sleeping in his new bed looking all grown up. But now, I can't wait to get my 2 year old out of the crib - I'm so sick of all the baby stuff that's taken over our house! My husband and I are getting rid of stuff left and right. Absolutely no sadness with the second one getting older!
Susie is a discussion leader in the east valley for arizonamoms.com. She has two sons, ages 6 and 2.
I moved my first child into
I moved my first child into a toddler bed at 17 months. She was climbing out constantly, and we had another baby on the way. I did put a gate on her door though. I was worried she'd wander around the house before we woke up in the morning. She is now 3 and is asking for a "big bed"! May be time to swtich to a twin size. My baby boy is now 18 months and is still in the crib. I can't believe he hasn't climbed out yet - he climbs everything else! I have thought about a crib tent on his bed if he starts climbing out. I haven't actually seen one but a lot of my friends have recommended them.
Hobbymommy, 38, is a discussion leader from Mesa. She is a happy stay-at-home mommy to a 3-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son.