Baby Steps to the Big Girl Bed

Look what came to live at our house! When we got a new bed for our guest room, we gave our full bed to my co-worker for his 5-year-old (who had outgrown her toddler bed). In exchange, their toddler bed moved to our house.

We've been inching into acceptance of the bed. She thinks it's awesome to play in ... until bedtime. Then we are all about the "cribbie." We have several things working against us.

• She thinks both the crib and the bed are HERS - not so sure she'll be open to sharing when the baby comes (we did not anticipate this issue).
• The bed and crib are in the same room. So there is no absence to make her forget about the crib.
• She's too darn smart and totally knows we're trying to get her out of the crib. She's going to make us work for it.

I thought we made a huge step on Saturday when she successfully took her nap in the big girl bed. She and I celebrated when she woke up and she got to call Daddy on the phone and tell him all about it too. But she has had even LESS interest in the bed since then. I think she thinks she's checked the box on the bed and is done with it (again - did not anticipate that turn of events).

She's not a girl where "tough love" and forcing her into the bed will work. So we'll just keep working at it. I know we'll get there. Until then, we'll keep baby stepping toward those pink sheets on the big girl bed in the corner.