Failed Experiment #1254

We have failed....miserably at that. And while I'm all for perseverance, I'm also practical and recognize when it's better to throw in the towel, wait 6 months and try again.

What did we fail at, you might ask? While it's really quite simple...Keegan is SOOOOOO not ready for a "big boy bed". A little back story might help. One night he decided that it would be fun to climb out of his crib. We were a little shocked...and worried, but after a thorough examination we determined that he was okay and that it was just a one-time deal. Yeah, not so much. He did it again a few nights later, and rather than stress myself over when he was going to break his neck, we decided that maybe it was time to start transitioning him to a twin bed, so that the crib would be ready for when his little brother would need it. So, I took the front of his crib off, put up a little railing and thought, "ok, let's see how this will work". The first day...not so great. Come naptime, whereas I used to just put Keegan in his bed with a couple of books, his snuggles and some water and then walk out of the room, Keegan realized he didn't have to stay in his bed, and after quite a bit of crying eventually fell asleep on the floor behind his bedroom door. Bedtime was only slightly better because he fell asleep rocking with me, but when he woke up later, he climbed out of his bed and came into our room. This same pattern continued for the next week and a half (can we say gluttons for punishment?). We tried everything, from shutting his door (he learned out to open it, and very quickly I might add) to going and laying on the floor next to his bed when he woke up, but as soon as we would think he was asleep and we would get up to leave, he would be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed all over again. The worst part of it was the fact that even though my side of the bed is furthest from the door, Keegan insisted on coming to me every freakin' night, while AJ (for the most part) was able to stay asleep. Finally, after a week and a half of minimal sleep, and one final night of Keegan refusing to sleep anywhere but in our bed with us, I gave up and put the front of his crib back on.

Even though we failed in our little experiment, our failure has felt like HEAVEN ever since. Keegan is back to his 2 - 2 1/2 hour naps each afternoon and is sleeping through the night once again, which means that I've been getting more sleep as well (and if I'm not, it's at least not his fault). For now, we'll let him sleep in his crib and the baby will sleep in the bassinet. Once he outgrows that, if Keegan still isn't ready for a twin bed, we'll utilize my mom's Pack-N-Play that she has very generously loaned to us (thanks again, Mom) until we can convince Keegan that beds are WAY cooler than cribs.

The only problem is, if this is how I handle all our experiments with Keegan, the kid won't be potty-trained until he's driving!! Oy Vay!