The Day Bed
Greetings to everyone.
Last night was Xavier's last night in his crib. Now that we were home for Biloxi (where Xavier slept in his own queen-sized bed for two months), it seemed a step backward for him to return to a crib.
This afternoon, we removed the front rail of his crib. Viola! A day bed.
I must admit, I was skeptical. I wanted Xavier to graduate into the day bed, but it meant we would lose containment of him. What if he did not want to go to bed? What if he got up every time we put him down to sleep? I overcame my game of "what ifs" and did what needed doing.
Xavier helped remove the front rail. As I pulled it away, he grew disappointed. He wanted the rail back on, and he had no qualms telling me so. "Back on, Daddy. Back on!" he said while pointing at the rail I was carrying away.
"Let's try this for your nap today," I replying. "Let's see how you like it."
Tired from the trip home and from the park we visited in the morning, Xavier crawled right in when it was nap time. He fell asleep quickly.
"Victory!" I thought. I was excited. "He likes his bed! He'll sleep in it!" Alas, the naivete of a first time parent.
He did sleep in it for his nap, but come bed time he wanted nothing to do with it. "Daddy's bed," he informed me as I carried him to his room (he was very tired from his afternoon play). "I want sleep in Daddy's bed."
So, to Daddy's bed we went. This also meant I had to go to bed with him, at least long enough for him to fall asleep.
Disappointed with him not taking to his bed at night, I decided to replace the front rail. So Saturday that is what I started doing. Off came the rail again. I thought we'll try this a little later. I also made plans to get four Velcro straps to use to hold the rail in place on a temporary basis. Perhaps Xavier just needed to be introduced to the idea of an open bed more slowly. Plus, if I needed containment again, I could put up the front rail quickly with the straps.
Xavier saw what I was up to and got mad. "No, Daddy. Off! Off, Daddy!" he demanded while tugging at the rail to pull it away from the bed. Fortunately, I had only gotten one bolt in place before Xavier threw his snit.
He took his nap in the day bed again, but spent another night in "Daddy's bed." This was not working as I hoped, and those Velcro straps seemed all the more necessary. Fortunately, Xavier took to his bed Sunday night. Now, he "hits the sheets" and so far has stayed there until the morning.