Big Boy Bed!

So here's the story- parents of toddlers may find this interesting especially if you're considering moving your child to a big bed or toddler bed, others, just enjoy the pics.

So yesterday I was sick and basically laid on the couch. Anthony came home from work early so he could try and be here for when the boys woke up- (Isaiah sleeps from 11:00-3:00 and Isaac from 12:00 to 2:30, 3:00, or a few times even 4:00!)

So, when I woke up to Isaac playing the piano I figured my dad had just gotten him out of his bed before he left or Anthony had come home.

Because Isaac has been in this bed...I wondered how he had gotten out. We LOVE Phil&Ted's. Any new parents out there or parents sick of their baby gear should check out this website. It's like these people have kids so they make stuff that works, and then their wives chime in and say, "Don't make it look dorky." So there's my promo... back to the story...

Well, while at Disney World last week staying in a hotel, I pushed Isaac while he was in the bed and something snapped. (we have an older version than the one above) It still works fine but we talked then about maybe going ahead and moving Isaac into a big bed. We're hoping to get both boys sleeping in the same room before we go back overseas...actually we'd like to have it done before Christmas even and we've gotten a good start!

...Isaac was on the piano... When I realized Anthony wasn't home yet (2:30pm) I called Daddy to see if he had taken Isaac out of the bed. He hadn't. That meant he somehow got out on his own.

When Anthony got home he did a little test...
He put Isaac in his travel bed (which we just used all the time) and immediately Isaac started pushing/leaning on it and it tipped over.

So we just decided yesterday that now was the time to go to the big boy bed.
We bought the safety rails, let Isaac help us install them, then took out his travel bed with him watching. All the while telling him that he was going to sleep in his big boy bed from now on.

We stuck to the normal bedtime routine. Books, shut the door & turn out the lights (he loves to do this), hugs while praying, a kiss and then lay down.

That's when the crying started.

We just determined that he was going to learn that he was to stay in his new big bed and not get out.

He got up and out and opened the door to his room. We told him if he did it again, we were going to spank him and that he was to lay down and go to sleep.

He got up. We spanked him. Laid him back down. Told him not to get up and to go to sleep.

He got up again probably 5 more times. We only spanked him if we had told him we would before hand. (I think he got 3) Eventually we heard no noise from the baby monitor. We decided we'd just let him get into a deep sleep and then move him back to the bed if he had gone to sleep on the floor or something. He only actually left his room the first time, so the fact that he was even staying in the room was great! (No wandering about the house at night!)

When we went back to check an hour later or so, this is what we found.Asleep in his big boy bed!!! (If you click on the photo maybe you can see his little striped rainbow bootie poking up. He's laying horizontally across the bed towards the foot) And that's where he stayed until 6:50 this morning!

Here's him this morning and I took a few pictures praising him for being a big boy and sleeping there. He cheesed it up for the camera and I think he understood and was proud.Then came nap-time today.

It was basically the same routine. There were tears. Only it was shorter. Last night it was about 25 minutes and today it was about 20 minutes. Here he is about 45 minutes after going to sleep. I think he's sleeping horizontally because that's how his travel bed was positioned down in front of the foot of his bed. I guess we'll work later on sleeping with his head at the head of the bed! (Update: Wrote this while he was napping...He slept nearly 2 and a half hours! Woke up at 2:40)
Anthony and I have a bet going. I think by Saturday night he'll go to bed with no fussing and Anthony thinks it'll be Monday. But we're sticking to it and not turning back even if it takes longer!

We'll have to see. (and for now, we're saving up to get the new "Traveller" from Phil&Ted's so Isaiah will have somewhere to sleep during all our travels (and at home too!)