Big Girl...Big Girl Bed

After some debate and foot-dragging (mostly on my part), we decided to get Lila a big-girl bed. Because we are also potty-training and preparing for a sibling, it seemed like a lot for her to take on at once. Also, she had always liked her crib, and expressed no interest in moving on.




But two factors led to the transition. One is that it is simply getting hard for me to lift her in and out of the crib. I've developed some mild but annoying pregnancy-related sciatica made worse by the constant kneeling and bending that goes with having a constant companion who is only three feet tall. Weeding out the crib narrowed down the acrobatic moves in my daily routine that I had to navigate. The other consideration was travel. For all the time we spent on the road this summer, a constant issue was finding a pack and play for Lila to sleep in. Once we located the portable crib, we also usually had to pack a blanket and sheet. And then there's the reality that Lila can barely fit in the portable crib space, even at an angle. She didn't sleep well for most of our travels, and for all the time we spent away from Brooklyn, she often got frayed from lack of sleep. Perhaps that is inevitable - she likes her routine, like most kids - but a too-small bed could indeed contribute to the problem.




So we got a bed. At Ikea. And a mattress, pillows and sheets. Everyone says you can put the bed in a kid's room and leave it as an option, but I would like to meet the kid who would choose to stay in his or her crib when a bed arrives. It's like offering spinach or cupcakes as dessert, and thinking you have a real shot at the spinach.




Needless to say, Lila chose the cupcake.




It's been a fairly smooth transition, though bumpier than potty-training, which surprises me. For the first time, she doesn't want to be left alone to fall asleep. She's going to sleep later and waking up earlier about half the time, and she's got some dark circles under her eyes these days. But she likes her bed, so that's good.