Ellie's Big Girl Bed Transition

quilt set // sheet set // stuffed flamingo // flower throw pillow

We finally got Ellie's big girl bed painted a couple weekends ago and I was so eager to try it out.  Of course I was a little nervous about her being able to get out of bed and wander when I'm not looking, but I really felt like it would be a good change.  We had to wait until the end of this past week to try it out as we were waiting on her bed bumpers to come in.  I decided on these foam ones as opposed to one of the mesh side rails.  Ellie moves around a lot in her sleep, so I know these are more of a reminder that the edge of the bed is there and not necessarily going to keep her from rolling out of bed if she's flailing around like crazy like she sometimes does; however, I think they were the best choice in the long run as they will help teach her boundaries rather than just relying on the rail to keep her in bed.  I also think the softness of the foam bumpers reminds Ellie more of sleeping in our bed, like she's snuggled up to one of us, which might be comforting to her.

I would have loved to put Ellie in her new bed for a nap before I did it overnight, just for my own peace of mind so I could keep an eye on her; however, she still isn't napping these days.  Aside from quick car snoozes, I think she has taken two naps in the past four or five weeks, both of which resulted in being awake for hours in the middle of the night.  At this point, I'd much rather go fourteen hours of toddler chasing straight than have Ellie take a nap, because as nice as it is to get stuff done during the day, it's pretty awful being stuck watching "Goldie and Bear" on repeat at 1 a.m.  Anyway, we gave her big girl bed a go Thursday night and she slept all. night. long.  I, however, think I woke up to look at the monitor every time I heard the sheets rustle.  I really couldn't believe how well she was sleeping, partially because she was in a new bed and partially because she hardly ever sleeps through the night still.  Ells waited in bed just playing with the small herd of stuffed animals she sleeps with until I came in to get her the first two mornings.  The third, I woke up to the sound of her trying to break out of her room, twisting the doorknob like her little life depended on it (aside from one of our closet doors, she still hasn't mastered doorknobs yet).

 

While it's only been a handful of nights, I'm so happy with how this transition has gone so far.  I really felt like she would do well with it, so I'd say it's definitely one of those trust your instincts kind of things.  In full disclosure, we do put Ellie to bed asleep already every night still.  She's been curling up in my lap to go to bed for the past month or so, which is a huge improvement from the circus that was the bedtime routine not too long ago.  That being said, I have no idea what it will be like when we try putting her in bed awake for the first time, but we will cross that bridge when we get there. ;)

 Aside from looking ridiculously cute sleeping in her bed, one of the best parts about the transition is being able to get in bed with Ellie and cuddle.  We've already spent a lot of time reading, watching movies on the iPad and snuggling the kitties, who not surprisingly love her new bed too! :)

As for the bed frame itself, we lightly sanded it and did two coats of Rust-Oleum Chalked Paint in Linen White - we started with the spray paint but ended up doing most of it with the regular brush-on kind since we didn't want to wait for a warm, non-raining day to finish it.  I'm really happy with how it came out, we used chalk paint on Ellie's crib too and it held up really well.

With that, we've checked another thing off our "big girl spring to-do list"! ;)  I can't believe my baby will be two next month, but it certainly feels like she's growing by the day.  It's definitely bittersweet, but we are so proud of her. :)