EVERLY'S BIG GIRL BED TRANSITION

I had zero intentions of transitioning Everly to a toddler/twin bed this year.  Ever since she was a baby she has been a dream when it came to sleeping at night.  All I would have to do is help her put on pajamas, brush her teeth, read a book, kiss goodnight and I could lay her down wide awake.  She would put herself right to sleep.  Our family was shocked we had such an easy little girl.  And she would stay that way all night until about 7:30 the next morning and wake up in the best mood.  There were even some mornings I would have to wake her up to avoid being late for work.  The crib was working perfectly, why mess with her routine?

Wellllll then we got the bright idea to go on vacation in July.  We didn't bring her pack and play with us since she had out grown it.  The condo had two bedrooms.  So we thought she could just sleep in the second bedroom and build a pillow fort around her so she wouldn't fall.  We had been on vacation several times with her before.  She was easily adaptable.  And she slept in her own bedroom at home.  This would work, right? She slept in the full size bed like a champ all week.  No harm done.

Until we got back to Kentucky... Night one at home we laid her in bed and she immediately started crying.  Which wasn't unusual.  About once every other week we've had to let Everly cry it out before.  But about 20 minutes later we hear a loud thump.  Chad and I look at each other and suddenly we hear little footsteps and her cry getting louder coming around the corner.  Into the living room walks our 23 month old.  First time she had ever crawled out of her crib.  After giggling about it I let her stay on the couch with us and fall asleep watching TV.  I put my sleeping toddler to bed and forget it ever happened.  Until she woke up crying again at 6 am the next morning.  When I went into her bedroom she was half way over the rail trying to climb out again.

Same thing happened the next night.  Tried letting her cry it out.  A few minutes later she climbed out of her crib and came walking into the living room.  She woke up crying again in the middle of the night, out of her crib and into our bedroom.  Chad finally took a blanket and just slept in the floor of her room that night to keep her happy and keep her still.

After three nights of this nonsense Chad and I thought maybe the bed in Florida is what she was missing.  Maybe she was ready for a big girl bed? So I go online and order her very own twin size bed in her favorite color - pink.  A couple weeks later it finally came in.  She helped us put it together.  Asked us fifty times "that my bed?" "Yes! This is your new big girl bed! Do you like it?" Her response was yes every time.  We took her to pick out sheets.  We jumped on the bed.  Read books in the bed.  Got her SO excited about her new bed.  She took a nap that afternoon.  We thought we had this alllll figured out.

Then night time came.  We kept her bedtime routine the exact same.  When it was time to lay down- meltdown.  "I don't like that bed." "I don't like that bed."  She cried every single time I laid her down.  But I was determined to make her stay in her room.  It took me 30 minutes of constant back and forth until she finally gave up.  I was sweating and my hamstrings were cramping from leaning over the bed to lay down my 30 lb toddler seventy-five times.  About five hours later in the middle of the night our crying toddler comes into our bedroom wanting to get into our bed.  I refuse to let that happen.  So I lay her back in bed and lay down on the floor next to her bed until she falls asleep.  

The next day I tell Chad it's his turn to fight the fight.  He goes back and forth a few times trying to get her to put herself to sleep.  But then decides it's easier to lay down with her until she falls asleep.  Middle of the night comes and she's up again.  Crying.  Wanting to get in our bed.  (I hope my husband isn't the only dad with zero patience in the middle of the night.)  He shouts "Everly! If you don't want your bed then lay down on the floor!" The crying instantly stops.  She drops to the floor and immediately goes back to sleep.  I am in shock.

When I wake up the next morning there she is, still asleep, next to our bed on the floor.  No pillow.  No blanket.  She looked like a pitiful orphan.  

The next night I guess it's my turn.  I lay her down in her bed and it's instant meltdown mode.  She requests to sleep in our bed.  I let her know that she can't do that.  She has to sleep in her room.  Meltdown times ten.  So I ask her if she wants to sleep in her bed or on the floor.  She immediately requests the floor.  Oooookay... She has a soft little fur rug in her room that I've actually laid on several times during difficult nights.  So I lay her pillow on that.  Let her curl up into a little ball and tuck her in with a blanket.  She goes right to sleep.

And every single night since it's the same thing.  She sleeps on the floor.  Usually she'll make her way into our bedroom during the night.  But she'll lay right down on our floor and go back to sleep.

Some mornings it's a treat to figure out where she ended up that night.  In the picture above she is actually under our bed.

So, this is how our big girl bed transition is going.  She wakes us up once or twice during the night usually to ask us a random question or go potty.  So there is no more sleeping through the night for any of us.  But it's usually pretty easy to get her to lay back down and go to sleep... as long as it's on the floor.  Once in a blue moon she'll sleep through the night in her own room.  But I guess as long as she's happy and not in our bed, I don't mind where she sleeps.  Of course I would prefer she sleep in her own bed.  So I am open to suggestions if any of you experienced moms have any!