Jimmy's Big Boy "Bed"

We have always transitioned the kids out of their crib before they turned two; Samantha was only 19 months old when we made that milestone and Sophia and Jack were both about 22 months old.  Some of it had to do with the fact that we were preparing for another baby's arrival and some of it was because I didn't want them to climb out and potentially hurt themselves.  Also, I'm a firm believer in the idea that the earlier that we made the transition, the easier it would be to train them. 

From the beginning, we involved the kids in the process -- from helping to disassemble the crib, to picking out their own sheets at the store, to helping actually make the bed.  There was always a lot of talk about their "big" bed and not being a baby anymore.  And the more kids there were to talk about it, the better it became.

I was ready to transition James out of the crib and onto a mattress on the floor for a while now, but I wanted to be sure that Steve was back from Mexico.  That way, he could take the crib apart (better him than me!) and be involved in the whole thing.  We prepared ourselves for at least a week of die-hard transitioning ... picking Jimmy up and putting him back in his bed multiple times (at night and during nap time) with some crying and sitting outside his door to make sure that we intercepted him immediately.

Tools in hand and ready to begin disassembling:

Of course, Jack didn't want to miss out on an opportunity to help.

Meanwhile, he discovered the pillows ...

Promptly put them on the bed and then jumped on them.  Remember, this is the first time that he has ever really used a pillow.

Yup, it's safe to say that it likes a nice, comfortable pillow.

Putting the blankets in place:

Practicing getting all tucked in:

Not too bad.

And you know what?  It took almost no time at all to train him.

The first two nights, I laid down on the floor next to him to make sure he was asleep before I sneaked out (he just liked knowing I was there and laid softly in his bed the whole time -- not a peep).  And at nap time, I had to be firm a couple of times and remind him to stay in bed.  But by Night 3, Steve laid him in bed that night, and he went right to sleep.  He never made a single noise, never cried, never got out of bed ... and slept all night long.

In fact, he doesn't come out of his room until we go to get him.  Occasionally he will get up and gather some toys once he is awake.  But, he just gets back in his bed and plays with them or looks at books. 

In a few months, we'll put his mattress up on a box spring with a headboard and I'll officially decorate his room, but for now ... this works perfectly.