It feels like I blinked and Emma turned 2 years old. Our babies grow up sooo fast! For Emma's 2nd birthday I wanted to do something special ... that didn't involve toys. Having a January birthday, she was well spoiled with toys from Christmas, and we didn't want to add any more toys to her collection. 

Emma was showing a lot of interest in "nuggling" (her word for snuggling) in mommy and daddy's bed (well her version of snuggling that involves bouncing and sitting on the pillows), so the idea of phasing out the crib and introducing a big girl bed became the birthday mission.

We got a twin size mattress and box spring, some new bedding, rearranged Emma's room, and set up the new big girl bed to surprise the birthday girl.

Shopping for the Big Girl Bed

First up, on the shopping list was a mattress. We got a nice deal on the mattress and box spring that included a bed frame, but for training Emma in her new bed, we decided it was safer not to use the bed frame just yet, and we can graduate to that in the future.

Emma got her first toddler pillow for Christmas, so that was already covered and we moved on to bedding.

To be prepared for potty training that we know is around the corner, we got 2 sets of sheets and 2 bed pads, as well as a waterproof mattress cover. It seems likely there will be some bed wetting incidents in our future, so it's best to be prepared. Having two sets will make it easy to strip and remake the bed in the middle of the night and get everyone back to sleep.

Here was our shopping list:

• Mattress (and box spring)
• Waterproof mattress cover
• 2 bed pads
• 2 sets of sheets
• Blanket
• 2 bed rails 

Setting Up the Big Girl Bed

To start setting up Emma's new bed, we put the box spring directly on the floor, with the head of the bed against the wall. Then made up the bed with her nice new sheets, and topped it off with a quilt we received as a wedding present and Emma's favorite stuffed animals. After adding on 2 bed rails to help make sure she doesn't roll out of bed in the middle of the night, the big girl bed surprise was ready to unveil.

[Tip: Buy bed rails online. Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and a department store all told us they aren't sold in stores.] 

Emma was very excited and immediately crawled in the bed and under the covers. 

First Week in the Big Girl Bed

Emma's first night in the new bed went surprisingly well. Sure, bedtime took a little longer as she wanted to play in her new bed, but it was fun to snuggle in with her for a bit to help her slow down. After being fully prepared for some middle of the night adventures, we were thrilled that Emma slept through the night in her new bed! And again on night 2, and night 3 ... 

The first nap in the new bed did not go so well. After 45 minutes of Emma not slowing down from our normal routine of reading books, she wanted to keep playing. She was climbing on and off the bed, pushing the pillows on the ground, and running around being a silly 2-year-old. Eventually, I had to walk away for a few minutes to see if she would slow down on her own (she could do this in her crib, why not in the bed?). What I came back to was utter destruction and a giggly girl who was very proud of having taken all of the clothes out of her dresser, books off of her shelves, and was still playing.

After cleaning up her mess, I tried, and tried, and tried to get her to lay down with me to read and go to sleep ... but no, it was clear she wasn't going to take a nap. 

Fast forward a few hours, and she melted down in the middle of dinner from exhaustion and went to bed early. Unfortunately, I think her sleep schedule was so off from skipping her nap, she woke up crying for Mommy at 2, 3, and 4:30 that night. Let's just say Mommy and Daddy were tired the next day. 

The good news is day 2 of napping in the big girl bed went much better. I stayed in the room with her and read books and "nuggled" for about 30 minutes. Any time she tried to get up, I put her back in bed and eventually, we both fell asleep. Once I heard the soft purr of Emma's snoring, I tip-toed out of her room and did a happy dance that she was asleep.

The second weekend was almost a carbon copy with Saturday's nap being a battle (it did happen this time despite her valiant fight), and Sunday's nap, while short, was much better. 

Emma continued to sleep well in her big girl bed at night for the first full week, and since then she has become a very early riser ... I'm talking 4:45 to 5:45 AM being wide awake and ready to play well before our alarms go off. It is quite startling to hear her knocking on her door (from the inside) so early in the morning. I'm missing the days she slept until 6:30 or 7 AM and I had a little time to get ready for the day and take a shower solo before she woke up. She caught a cold last week, so I'm hoping the early rising is a result of her sniffles and cough and not a new pattern.

Change is hard for anyone, and I'm glad Emma is taking well to her new big girl bed, minus the nap time struggle and early rising. Let's just hope she will cooperate for nap time this weekend, I have a feeling that battle isn't over yet.