This week in the life of Natalie's Toddler Bed

When we moved down to Houston we decided it was time at 22 months for Natalie to get used to a toddler bed. It took us a while to get it all settled but this past Monday we got it all set up in her room and was ready for the first night. On Monday afternoon for her nap and then again on Monday night she went right down and didn't throw up a fight or anything. Then came Tuesday...

Tuesday night she would NOT go down. Chris tried to put her down several times and she didn't want any part of it. She would shake the sides of the bed and yell "Mama...Dada". Now back when she was about 7-8 months old we "feberized" her and let her cry herself to sleep which has paid off enormously as she sleeps about 10-12 hours a night. However, once she started asking for Chris and I, we gave in and I took her to the living room to rock her. I ended up rocking her most of the night (which I LOVE to do and was not a problem). After I tried to put her back in her bed 3-4 times without any luck, I decided to take her to our bed where she would spend the rest of her night.

Wednesday came and the nap and evening routine was fine and you would not have even known there was an issue. Today arrived and after I returned from an in-service workshop at school I put her down for a nap and she seemed fine and didn't throw a fit or tantrum. Chris and I started to do stuff around the house and we heard a loud noise from upstairs. We didn't hear crying or anything so we overlooked the noise. All of a sudden Natalie comes running down the hall saying "Hey Mommy". She had jumped out of her bed, which has rails on it to try to avoid that, and OPENED the bedroom door and came running down the hall. Chris and I were floored and began to laugh really hard. Obviously, Natalie thought it was funny too. She giggled for nearly 10 minutes. Once she settled down I took her back to her bed and went through 5-10 minutes of:

"This is YOUR bed"
"This is where YOU take naps and go 'night-night'"
"You cant get out of your bed during the nap or 'night-night'"

So I put her down and asked "Can you show me you can do this please?" She smiled. I told her to have a good nap... She literally laughed at me and I could see the mischievousness on her face. I shut the door and told Chris "I bet she is out of there in 3 minutes". It has been nearly 20 and I have not heard a peep. I am not surprised at all she does this because I have heard MANY stories about me and my honery behavior. Not to mention to even more stories like this about my mom, so it must be hereditary!

I only hope and PRAY that she didn't figure out the entire situation in her head. Chris and I start our new jobs and careers in 10 days and we cannot afford long nights with a toddler that gets out of their bed.