Bribery & Big Girl Beds

We've been a little lax about some toddler transitions around here. Namely getting Grace out of the crib and then there's potty training. I just wasn't up to either of them the last few months of my pregnancy and though we tried the bed thing for naps a few times, night would roll around and G would beg me to get back into her crib. I'm talking, running to the other room and trying to climb in. This is from a kid that not once has tried to climb out, sleeps soundly, and goes down easily each night. I felt a little silly trying to mess with that.

 

I also realized that though Charlie would be in our room in her bassinet for a few months, it would be nice to get Grace settled and give her some time so it didn't seem like we were kicking her out because of the baby. I also realized I was already up with the baby at all hours and didn't want even less sleep than I was getting...so I knew if I was going to do the bed swap, it had to happen while I had help. So, during my mom's last visit (oh yeah, I haven't mentioned that I guilted her into coming back...) we got busy with the big move.

 

First order of business? "Breaking" the crib.

 

 

I knew she'd never switch while things were status quo, so while she was at school one day, we took the front off and hid it.

 

Her reaction?

 

Overjoyed. "I JUMP!" she said.

 

That night she slept in the crib with no front, and I let her after we read books and did our nighttime routine in the other room. Baby steps.

 

The next night was a Friday and I let her stay up a little later than usual until she was super sleepy, went through our nightly routine and stayed in the room with her singing and playing with her hair until she fell asleep. She slept through the night, called for me in the morning, and didn't get out of the bed until I came upstairs to get her and made a huge deal out of the fact that she slept there.

 

 

 

 

Naptime on Saturday was in the big bed too. Same routine...let her stay up later than usual and she passed out quickly while I was still there.

 

Saturday night I knew we had to move forward. We did our nightly routine, I got prepped to say good night and leave her room and she got upset. We talked about being a big girl and I casually mentioned that if she was big enough to sleep in a big girl bed, she was probably big enough to have a pet fish. I didn't think she'd remember in the morning, but it helped to talk about what color fish she might want and what it would be named.

 

I left the room, she cried a little, but never left the bed. She slept through the night and when I came up to get her in the morning the first thing out of that girl's mouth was, "I get a FISH!" She was pumped.

 

My mom left that afternoon, so after naptime (where she slept in the bed again...and even let me walk out without crying), we dropped Nana off at the airport and headed to Petsmart. Our first outing with me and both girls.

 

Grace picked out her fish, the bowl, and the rocks. She proudly held the fish food through the store and all the way home. I asked her what she wanted to name the fish and she suggested, "Grace". We were holding out for some more inspiration...

 

So that was Sunday.

 

Every morning Grace would wake up and the first thing she'd do when we got downstairs was feed her fish. She'd say good bye before we left for school and run over to see him when we got home. At night she'd ask if her fish was sleeping and say "good night Fish!" before we went up to bed.

 

Tuesday afternoon I was at home with Charlie and doing some work when I glanced over at our fish. He really did look like he was sleeping. You know why? Because the damn fish was dead. Not even 48 hours after coming home with us, he bit the dust.

 

With Grace doing awesome with her bed, there was no way in hell I was chancing regression --plus she was obsessed with the thing-- she would notice it was gone. So C and I ran out to Petsmart, WITH the dead fish, to demand a new one and get him home and settled before we picked up Grace from school.

 

I looked crazy, desperate, sleep deprived, and had a dead fish in tow...no one wanted to mess with me, so we got a replacement without any problems.

 

Except that the new one was red...

 

All of the blue ones looked like they were another 48 hours from dying and I'm not trying to be at Petsmart every other day, so I went with it and concocted and big story about fish changing colors that I planned to tell Grace after school.



 

She came home, I held my breath as she ran to the fish bowl, and she happily yelled, "We have a NEW friend!!"

 

And that was that. No elaborate lie needed. We have a pet fish. Grace sleeps in her new room, doesn't even go in the nursery anymore and life is good.

 

Oh, also our fish got a name.

 

Goldy.

 

xo,

H