Tell Me Your Stories. No, for Real. I'm Actually Asking for Your Advice.
It's coming. The transition to Big Beds. An Ikea order--hey, just because Xander got a job doesn't mean we suddenly have loads of cash lying around--will be placed shortly, and in it will be a milestone. Holy crap. One of the weird things about adopting toddlers from a developing nation is that you go from baby to big kid really fucking fast. These guys have gone from wearing 3-6 months clothing to wearing 2T and, in Dinka's case, some 3T clothing in less than a year. He's gone from being a tiny little lump of a boy to being tall enough to, well, climb out of his crib. It's been a wild roller coaster of an experience.
I'm not super sentimental, but occasionally I have my moments. A couple of transitions have been a little bit tear-jerking. One was my kids going from diapers to underpants, which of course everyone thought was crazy because ohemgeeyoudonthavetochangediapersohemgee! The second was giving away the slings we carried them in regularly for the first several months home. And this one, the bed thing, is going to be another one. We decided to give them "big beds" for their second birthday. Along with some toys because, hey, we're not assholes. They've taken every other transition so incredibly well that I'm honestly expecting them to mostly be completely thrilled with their new furniture.
But this all merits some practical considerations. Like the fact that they are going to be able to get out of bed whenever they want. Am I going to accidentally punch one of them in the face when I suddenly sense a stranger's presence in our bedroom at 2am? Am I going to need to put a latch on their door to make sure this doesn't happen? Do I put a potty in there so they can go when they need to, knowing full well this is going to mean a few weeks of complete mess as they most certainly will miss or drip or decide to empty the thing themselves? (I know. Gross.) Do I go for bumpers or guard rails? Or should I just handle this like I handle the rest of parenting, stop thinking about it so much and just see what happens?
Tell me, people. Tell me what to do. Because we're about to wander right off the map, and I am a little bit scared.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
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6 comments:
We got Abe an Ikea toddler bed when he was just barely two. He'd been potty-trained since 21 months but was still sleeping in pull-ups (until about age two and a half when dumb me realized the pull-up had been dry every morning for weeks, maybe months). His room is at the top of some steep stairs, so we've always had a gate at his door. We still have it, which I realize is probably obsessive of me, but I have a few of him getting up at night and falling down the stairs.
So. At night when he needs to go to the bathroom (which is about 50% of the time), he stands at his gate and calls us to get him. It works well, and I'm sure that when big sister gets here, we'll have to take the gate down, and I'll just have to live with my fear of midnight stair tumbles.
Hope this helps and good luck :)
Oh, and his bed has a guard rail. Ted took is down for a while, but he nearly fell out a few times, so I put it back on.
When our son was ready for a toddler bed we actually put his crib mattress on the floor for a few nights to give him a feel of not being caged in. And we also put a sturdy gate in front of his door and he could call if he wanted something or was ready to get up.
My son went into a big bed when he was under two years old because I needed the crib for his sister. Of course I agonized over it. He had a bed rail, but honestly, how helpful are those things really? He pretty much got out of bed or fell out of bed every other night, we would find him sleeping peacefully on the floor next to his bed (fell) or surrounded by dinosaur toys (got out). I can't remember any of my kids getting up at night to go to the bathroom when they were that little... weird. And we are a door closing at night family (fire safety!) and never had any problem not hearing him if he needed us or anything like that. I have a Mom radar that goes off at the slightest peep and puts me into instant alertness. Or you could use a monitor. Anyway, it will all be fine.
Thanks, everybody! We went to IKEA today to test out the options, and as predicted the twins were thrilled about the prospect of big beds. Putting a gate at the door is a BRILLIANT idea. We're totally stealing that. I think I am going to make them some fabric bumpers out of stuff I have around here rather than buy rails. Those will be easier to pack when we travel. And you know how much I love things that are free. I'm over my sentimental spell and really looking forward to the transition now that we know how pumped they are about it. Big beds! Hurray!
Going from a crib to bed was easy for us. Lucie's bed has a small rail around her bed and she's never fallen out. She uses the toilet by herself at night. We just ask her to tiptoe and not wake us up.
You've got smart kids. Explain the rules simply and I'm sure they will understand and (for the most part) follow them. Good luck!!!
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