My baby is growing up

When I was navigating parenthood when Erik was 2 one of the mom's told me she switched her little guy to a toddler bed when he told her he wanted a big boy bed. I thought that was perfect and made it my plan for Erik. Unfortunately Erik had other plans in mind, like climbing out of his bed a 100 times a night and never staying in his room when asked, so we put a crib tent on his bed and then when it broke we converted him to a toddler bed. He didn't transition well, he constantly escaped and I would have loved for him to be in a crib until he was over 3 to be honest.

Last November all four of us were in a hotel and I totally forgot to order a crib. I had the brilliant idea to just have Elliot sleep in a bed with Carl and I share a bed with Erik. It.was.a.complete.disaster. He wasn't ready for any bed other than a crib and eventually that night crawled onto the ground and wedge himself between two chairs so he could feel like he was in a crib. I did tell him after that weekend if he was ready for a big boy bed to just let me know and I will buy him a new one.

Elliot is such a different child too. He has been able to climb out of his crib for 9 months, but rarely does. He usually stays in his room until someone gets him and sometimes crawls out when his brother gets him out of his room. I had a sneaky suspicious the bed switch might go better the second time around.

Then one weekend over the course of several days, Elliot told me and Carl he wanted a big boy bed like his brother. I listened and waited for him to change his mind, he never really did. So on a Monday night we went to Ikea and bought a toddler bed instead of converting his bed. They were cheap and cute and a good difference in size for him. We went there at 5 pm and Carl had the bed built by 8 pm.

Elliot slept in his bed that night, a little afraid to get in at first and a little confused. He went none the less and never made a sound the entire night. In the morning he stayed in bed and screamed at us to come get him. It went pretty much the same way for nap and bedtime the next day and the next day, until here we are 2 weeks later and he is fully transitioned. The only complaint is that he seems to be waking up earlier and earlier everyday, but stays in bed until his clock tells him to get up at 6:30.

So my little baby is now officially out of a crib and into a big boy bed. I can't stand this growing up business and want my babies to stay babies forever.