The Toddler Bed Debacle!

We moved Bradley to a Toddler bed in August.  It wasn't that it seemed like a good idea at the time, it just seemed like it was the only option at the time.  You see, Bradley learned how to climb this summer, and he's really good at it.  The problem is the controlled (or lack thereof) descent.  I would walk into his room and find him half in and half out of his crib.  My favorite was when I walked in and he froze in place, planking over the corner of the crib, not in it, not out of it, more like hovering right above it.  Apparently, he thought I wouldn't notice if he didn't move, so we had a bit of a stand-off him and I...but he blinked and I grabbed him and well, there began the Plans for the move from crib to toddler bed.

Plan A: We took the front panel of the crib off and replaced it with the accompanying toddler rail.  For any of you who don't know what this is, it's about a six inch high rail that is half the length of the crib.  It works to help keep the kiddo from rolling out of bed but gives them access to safely leave the bed.

Result: Couldn't keep Bradley in the bed.  He would roll out and we would find him in various places around his room.  By the baby gate, by the rocking chair...  We thought to give this some time, like a week, see if repetition would solve this issue....WRONG!

Plan B: One of the girls old comforters to pad the front of the crib to allow him to have padding if (okay when) he vacated his bed at night, maybe keep him more comfortable and with the comforter placed appropriately, less under the bed excursions.  In one night, he got himself half under the bed, concern of hurting him when pulling him out or pulling out the button in the removal process told us it was back to the drawing board.

Plan C: We used the crib bumper and put it along that edge to give him a little more edge to keep him in place.

Result: He pulled it out while in bed, or crawled out and pulled it out from the outside and resumed his nightly room cruises.  When I almost stepped on him in the dark, I knew we needed a new plan.

Plan D:  Took the bolts out of the wire mattress frame and set the whole thing on the ground, a better lip, more chance of him staying in.  (Even then I was shaking my head...we see where this is going right?)

Result:  Sadly, it left about a two inch gap between the bottom of the rail and the mattress, and with a less snug design, well, we knew we needed something to keep his arms and legs in at all times.  We tried the comforter first.  Too easily removed.

Plan E:   Then the bumper from his original crib set.

Result:  Maybe one whole night of sleep after close to two weeks of mere hours strung together.  But I have to be honest here, sometimes exhaustion can set in so hard that he might have stepped out, laid where he stood and just slept hard and solid all night.  Or he could have whimpered and fussed and in my sleep deprivation...I did not hear him.  Anyway, heard him crying that next night, went rushing in to find half of him out of the crib under the railing and the other half still on the crib mattress in the bed.  Reconcile that in your head at 4:00 am and have it come out as anywhere near sane!  In my sleep fogged state I had a moment there of complete confusion trying to figure out where he started and stopped.  I got it together but did enlist Eric's help so that one of us pushed the mattress as far down as possible and the other performed a careful extraction of Bradley while keeping the button (and all appendages) safely intact.  Way back to the drawing board after that one.

Plan F:  Doesn't seem possible does it?  For some of you, this would have been your Plan A, and though I stick out my tongue in your general direction because now I see that it should have been mine as well; in my defense, he scared the bejesus out of me with his whole "Matrix" hovering trick and I reacted in panic rather than logic.  That being said, the morning after the half in and half out debacle, I sat on the floor in front of his crib and we had a staring match, the crib and I.  Well yes I lost, cribs have no eyes!  But the point here is, I did come up with a Plan F!

I took the mattress out, then put the bumper in, the way we all do with our little babies when they use the bumper.  But I tied the strings to the rails of the crib, and then to the bottom wire frame.  Nowhere for him to push his arms, legs, whole self through anymore!  It's a bear to change the sheet now, but, he is staying in his bed now!  And there was much rejoicing in the kingdom!  So this is what it looks like:

Snug as a bug in a rug!  Feeling triumphant, I took this picture of him napping that very day and sent it to Eric at work.  And as I told him I was hopeful that I had solved this issue with Bradley I looked at the picture quite pleased with myself and made this observation:  This is going to be a short lived victory, he looks like he is almost too big for the toddler bed now.  Total mixed bag here.  At 32 pounds, and 37 1/4 inches tall - Bradley is growing and finally gaining weight!  We can't tell you how excited we are about this!  But, I JUST got this bed thing figured out so....  you know, feeling a little frustrated, but he's growing at last, so the frustration will pass pretty quickly.  

Lately, he thinks it's way cool to stick his arm down in the pocket area created by the ties to the rail and the frame...maybe the impending move to the big boy bed is not such a bad move to anticipate after all... because honestly, I am not so sure I have a Plan G in me!  

Seven hours Bradley, that's all I need.  You give me seven hours of sleep tonight and it will feel like Christmas!  Happy Saturday everyone!