Right now our kids our so young that our life revolves largely around them. I enjoy being a Mom and watching them grow and change. One of the recent changes we have had was with our little boy. He is three now and it was time to lose the crib and get him into a big boy bed. We could have done this sooner, but lets face it, as soon as the bars come down, the little feet pitter pattering down the hallway did not have any appeal at all to me. All it meant was less sleep and a grouchy momma. At least, that is what happened when our daughter got her new bed. She wouldn't stay in her bed to save her life. I bet I got up and put her back in bed at least a zillion times during that time period.
I finally came to the decision that it was time. Either that, or my son was going to be sleeping in the crib until he was twenty. Not a pretty picture in my mind. I begged my husband to help and he basically ended up doing all the work of transforming the crib into a toddler bed. I had to go shopping for some big boy sheets and big boy blanket. I was really happy with the end product.
My husband and I were standing there looking at the bed and he says, "Wow, he's in a big boy bed." I said, "I know".....................then the ole tear ducts started a flowin' and I was sobbing like a big ole baby. It was just a bittersweet moment for me. This is my last baby. It was the last one moving out of the baby stage and it was just a time in my life that will never be again. I hung onto the baby bear backboard for just a little longer. I went out and purchased some CARS sheets and a CARS blanket. You should have seen his little eyes light up when he saw the new toddler bed. It was precious. I was so involved in that moment that I didn't have the camera.
I am seriously thinking to myself that if I had a good cry over this one, what in the world am I going to be like when Maddie goes to kindergarten in August? I will probably hold it all together and then be a blubbering idiot in the car when I leave.
Life is just swirling by very fast for me right now. Sometimes with little ones, you don't have a choice. You have to keep up pace with them........and they are fast little boogers in every aspect of the word. Maybe they are keeping me younger. Who knows? I just know that I am trying to enjoy every moment with them. Every first that I can be there for is a wonderful day for me.
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Comments: 43
awww. i remember when my kiddos went to big kid beds..
thanks for sharing this moment with us:)
You are such a great Mom, Monica. Who knows, he might enjoy staying in his new bed with all the cars.:)
He loves his new bed Rose and he's doing pretty good with it.
I'm the same way hehe
My babies are 4 :(
Congrats to your son for making the switch to a big boy bed! I remember those bittersweet moments well... still going through some of them.
My baby, now 5, started walking when he was 10 months old and was climbing out of his crib not long after that. We put up a baby gate in his doorway so he wouldn't wander the house at night. The little stinker figured out he could lay on the floor and kick the bottom corner of the gate and crawl through! We then put the gate on the other side of the door jamb. It didn't take him long to figure out he could pull in the bottom corner and still crawl out. The baby gate went away after that! He is too smart for his own good!
Hopefully, your little guy will be so excited for the new bedding that he will have no problems sleeping in his new bed :~)
Wow, you had a little booger there. That sounds like my daughter. My son, on the other hand, is very laid back. He never even tried climbing out of the crib.
The years fly by, but they will always be your babies.
I love reminding mine, while they tower over me, that they are my "widdle babies".
Thanks for reminding me that no matter what they will always be my babies.
oh my goodness. they grow up so fast.
they definitely do grow up quickly
They sure grow up fast. Your hubby did a nice job converting the crib.
Elliott's in a toddler bed right now, but we've been discussing putting a twin bed in his room for a while. He's so tall that I know it's going to have to be done soon, but I don't want to. That will be the official end to his baby and toddler stage to me (even though at 3, I guess he's already past them anyway).
We moved him to a toddler bed when he was under a year and a half old. He was climbing out of his crib. He's always slept with the door closed, though, and even now won't come out until we go in and get him out.
Carla B,
Our daughter was climbing out of the crib at a young age and in and out of the room. She is a little turkey. Aidan was out a few times the first night. Now he is just going to bed and doing great. He wants the door open. We tell him we will leave the door open if he lays in bed and goes to sleep. Right now he's doing great.
It looks like your little one is just as much of a CARS fan as Sky is:)
I completely understand where you are coming from Monica. I already feel very sentimental about the fact that our little baby E might be my last baby. I'll probably never want to get him out of the crib:)
Sky is still in the crib though, but he is definitely getting too big. He is moving under Shane's loft bed after the baby arrives. I have two reasons for waiting. First of all we are using this bed as a guest bed at the moment. My husband's cousin just moved out, and my mother-in-law might come to visit once the baby arrives. Second, there is no way that I can put sheets on the bed, as my 34 week belly is just limiting my flexibility:)
Yes, JR, Aidan is very much a fan of CARS too.
I guess your little sweetie will be coming any day now right?
I really felt this with you. Those milestones come at you very fast!
I think the hardest moment of all for me was when my youngest started kindergarten. I always had a little hand to hold and walk home with me when the older ones started, but on his first day, I had to leave alone. I cried all the way home.
Oh Ina. I almost started crying on reading what you wrote. You are right. I will still have one more to go into kindergarten about 2 years later.
Thanks for sharing this moment with us
AWW what a touching photo essay - sweet.
I didn't cry when Lily moved up to the toddler bed b/c I was surprised. I took her to Toys R Us to pick one out thinking she would get the princess castle, or a canopied daybed or something - she surprised me (and amused me) in that she chose the firetruck. Bright red firetruck bed with working lights at the front. It was cute - I was proud of her for picking such a cool one.
That is so much fun that Lily got to pick out her own bed. Our baby crib converted into a toddler bed. We did that on purpose when we bought it. This crib has been through two babies, and one toddler now. Then I guess we will pass it on to someone else that will need it.
That is cool too. Lily just has grandparents who love to spoil her!! LOL Earlier the toddler bed - this summer the Disney Cruise! LOL WE are very blessed to have so much generosity in our family. I am trying hard to set good limits for her and teach her to APPRECIATE everything and NOT EXPECT things.
They do grow up fast! Cute photo essay~
yeah my son went from Crib to Army he he he
he will be fine and so will you,, it is hard yet you will be fine,,,
Yes, I will be fine. It was just a sweet moment for me, when I was standing there with my husband and we both knew that was the ending of our baby years.
They grow up so fast! :(
Yes they do Bridget. One day I will blink and he will be grown and married and out on his own.
We didn't put our children into regular beds until they started climbing out of their cribs. I mean, if they aren't climbing out them why bother? But then we bought cute sheets for the big beds and they didn't wear out for quite a while. Our son was in high school and asked for some new sheets. I said " Nick, you have plenty of sheets, why should I buy more? He said " Mom. Smurfs? Rainbows? I am a teenager." I went out the next day and got him some more grown up sheets!
KImber: Fire trucks, way to go!
Oh wow! They do grow up fast don't they?
We have a toddler bed for Little Miss, but haven't transitioned her over yet....
He is three now and wasn't even trying to climb out of the crib. But all of our friends were saying, "He is still in the crib?" I finally got tired of them saying that.
girl, this is a wonderful post - made me have tears myself because you are such a caring, loving mother - and you'll enjoy every stage of your kids lives to the fullest...the last baby in our family - my baby brother outgrew the baby bed - used by all six kids and my dad turned it into a U-Haul trailer! I think we still have it somewhere - yes, we always recycled...! Great sheets and so glad Aiden likes everything and learns to stay in bed and sleep all night dreaming of cars. Salud
Very cute photo essay
awwww Monica... you are such a wonderful Mom... your babies are soooo Blessed...
i love his new big boy bed... great choice... CARS.... awesome...
Thank you Necee T. for your sweet comment on the big boy bed article for my son.
Hope you are having a great week.
This is now FEATURED in the Special Bedtime Moments group
Thank you for the feature Bridget. I am honored.
Awww, I know exactly what you mean!! And you are going to bawl your little eyes out when Maddie starts to kindergarten! I did when Haley started. I cried driving down the driveway on our way to school. I cried leaving her classroom; other teachers saw me and were all like "Awww, mama's crying." I cried all the way home. I was a wreck. Crap, I cried months before Haley even started to kindergarten. I even posted a poem about it here on Gather!!! Ba ha ha ha!
Well, I'm about to cry about Maddie going to kindergarten right now, reading about you crying about Haley going to kindergarten.
ha ha ha ha ha
Oh yeah, forgot to add that I think his little sheets are adorable!
I could never get James to sleep in a toddler bed he would sleep on the floor. I had to get rid of the toddler bed and go right to a twin bed. I remember him looking so small in that huge bed.
We moved our daughter Maddie into a full size bed. I know exactly what you mean about them looking so small in the bed.
We decided to just get a full size one, that way when Grandma and Grandpa come to our house to visit they will have a bed to sleep in.