Big Boy Bed!

Porter has been asking for a big boy bed for a few weeks now...to be specific, he and Paxton want bunk beds, but he is very clear that he is too big for a crib. We entertained the idea of getting them bunk beds for Christmas since we have a third kid arriving and someone's gonna have to share a room, but we just weren't ready to put them back in the same room together yet. 

(last crib nap)

We decided to (temporarily) bring Paxton's crib/toddler bed back in since Porter's didn't have the pieces to convert to a toddler bed. That way we could see how the big kid bed went without any big commitments. I took Porter to Target to pick out some sheets for his new bed while Jared and Pax stayed home to get it set up. Porter excitedly picked Paw Patrol sheets and we brought them home and washed them while the bed was finished. 

At bedtime, we talked a little about staying in bed but tried to not make a big deal about that part of it and kind of tried to keep his routine as similar to normal as possible. He got up a few times requesting snuggles and we gave in instead of taking him straight back to bed...but finally by 10:00, we were out of patience. We put the baby gate in his doorway, I sang him his favorite songs and tucked him in and we sternly told him to stay in bed. He did! 

Since then, we have had a few tough nights and a few skipped naps and several attempts to get out with adorable tactics like "I need one more kiss" or "I heard a strange sound" or "I just want to snuggle", but we are staying strong. And it's all worth it when we go in to check on him and find this:

I think it helped to wait until he was ready and wanted it instead of kicking him out when we needed a crib or space or whatever. It also helps that he's a little boy that loves his sleep. We tried to take his pacifiers away the first night but he had found his back-up stash before he even came out the first time, we we gave that up. 

It's also funny to me to see the things he brings with him now that he has freedom. When he gets up, he always has his pacifier, his blanket, usually his teddy bear and his bedtime water and some random toy or book. And it's funny when we go in to check on him to see what he's brought into bed with him. My favorite was the night we found him on top of a pile of his plastic tools from his tool bench. And tonight it was a giant stack of books and 2 bouncy balls.