Big Boy Bed/Room

Christopher was the proud recipient of his own big boy room the second week of July. We weren't sure how it would go. We'd heard horror stories of kids on staying in the bed all night, up and down. Of kids not sleeping in it at all.

So we started months ago. Whenever we were out, we'd stop in a furniture store and let Christopher look around the beds. To see what he thought. He loved them (especially the bunk beds, duh). He loved just getting up on a bed and would pretend to lay down and sleep.

When we were up north in El Dorado Hills, we took him to an Ikea to see what he liked. He seemed to enjoy this bed the most, the Kura. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10123996 We had originally want a twin bed, something nice, that would last through the years. But those beds are pretty pricy. But then we started thinking when we realized he like the Kura. It's more important for him to like the bed, for him to WANT to sleep in it and have fun. A bed that will last a few years, then maybe go to baby #2 then get Christopher a twin, this sounded like a better plan.

So in came the Kura, with a new dresser (ALL his baby furniture went to the babies room, dresser, crib and glider). We didn't want Christopher to have the glider since he tends to play with it, and can get his fingers caught.

So his new room

From doorway

We put the bed the way it's supposed to go with a mattress on the bottom. As he gets older, he'll be able to sleep on top, and the bottom will be a play area. He really wanted to be on top at first, but we told him when he is potty-trained through the night, he can. "OK". I figure later, that will be a great incentive. I've heard that bunk beds are not great for bedtime training as it's too much going on to get to the potty.

We struggled with the actual layout for a bit, but LOVE how it all came out.

His new planet mobile above the bed.

He LOVES this. And I love that he can see it from below (since there isn't a mattress on top yet.

The new chair

Which is oh so comfy for me to do bedtime now. Me, my belly and Christopher were quite the squeeze in the glider. We also have the blanket on it that his great Aunt Sandy made for him last year (my mom's sister).

We've since gotten him different Dinosaur bedding so I'll have to take new photos. (I just realized that in reviewing this, that the new bedding is in the first few photos, the browner bedding to go with the wall color.) He is now very into dinosaurs.

And a cell phone pic of him in bed

This is before the new bedding and before we rotated the bed to the other wall.

He's done amazing in his new bed. Loves it. Has slept through the night each night. Hasn't gotten up. Even in the morning, he'll still talk to us through the baby monitor that he's ready to get up. When we do go in, he's just sitting in bed. It's like he doesn't know he can get out on his own. He's just waiting for us to come get him.

We also started a bedtime prayer with him about 3 months ago (or longer, time is blending). He's doing really well, loves it. Almost has the whole thing memorized. I'm looking to get something on the wall for him with the prayer. Right now we are using a cheezy blue post-it note that I put it on for David and I to remember. Christopher has to hold it each night like he's reading off of it.

All in all, great transition to the big boy bed. He knows the crib is in the other room, has said "that's mine" but we keep reminding him it was, but it's going to be for the baby. "oh, yeah". I think I'm going to let him "help" me put stuff together for the baby in the room so he feels part of it and more excited for the baby to be in it. We'll see in three months how that plays out though.