Big Girl Bed

Last Friday was supposed to be the big day....Emma would stop sleeping in her crib and start sleeping in her big girl bed. We have had it set up in her room, well, for a really long time because it used to be Kayla's bed before she moved out of the room. But for Emma's birthday we gave her a Dora bed set for her bed to make the transition more exciting.

So Friday night rolls around and I have mentally prepared myself to go Supernanny on her. For those of you that do not watch this show, her rule is a step-by-step process to get the child to stay in their bed and go to sleep. The process is basically walking them to bed and telling the child it is time to go to bed and say goodnight, the next time you only say it's time to go to bed, and from then on out when the child gets out of bed you simply put them back in bed and do not speak a single word. So that is what I was all ready to do. Boy was I in for a shock!

Here is what happened....Emma FLIPPED out! She wanted nothing to do with her big girl bed. Even if I tried to lay down with her. She only wanted to sleep in her crib! I tried pulling her mattress out of her crib and that didn't work EITHER! So I didn't push the issue because I don't want her freaked out about the bed. You see, we had Kayla sleeping in our bed until she was about 4 and then Eli in our bed until he was about 6! It has been a couple of years since we have had a kid in our bed every night and I am loving it! I don't wanna go back! And because I have been such a stickler about Emma sleeping in her own bed, she won't sleep in ours. Even if she is super sick, if we try to bring her in with us, she only wants to play! And nope, not complaining at all! Anyways, I was brought to a complete halt and left with my chin resting on the floor with such shock! I have never known a child to NOT want to sleep in a bed with all that freedom! I should have known it would be Emma to change that!

I have received many great suggestions on how to work with Emma on this one. Unfortunately she doesn't really have much of an option because Hailey is ready to sleep in the crib and get out of our room. And buying a new crib is just not an option! So I think what we are going to do this weekend is take the crib down entirely and store it somewhere for a little while. In the meantime, Hailey will slowly move into Emma's room and she will start out sleeping in the pack-n-play! Because after talking to several people, I am thinking that poor Emma is tired of all of her stuff going to Hailey and she isn't about to give Hailey her crib too!

So all my dear friends and family, wish me luck this weekend! I am hoping and praying that with the crib out of site, out of mind, she will be game for sleeping in the big girl bed!