The Continuing Big Boy Bed Chronicles

After a few rough nights of Tai waking in the wee hours and insisting on climbing into bed with us, we decided something needed to change.  So we plugged a night light into a timer (like you'd use for Christmas lights) and placed it on his dresser.  We explained that whenever the night-light was on, it was time to be in the bed -- i.e., no getting out of bed in the morning until it has turned off (6:15am).

And he bought it.

Now, each night at bedtime, he gets excited to see that the light is on, and explains to us that this means it's bedtime. And when I kiss him goodnight and leave the room, I remind him to stay in the bed all night and then come get me when the light turns off.  And he does.  For Tai, this system works like a charm.

These days, I am often woken by the sound of his bedroom door opening.  Some mornings he walks right into my room and announces, "mama, my night light turned off!  it's morning time! want to see?"  Other days I hear his door open and then.....nothing.  These are the days he has knowingly broken a rule by exiting the bed with the nuk still in his mouth and Emmit still clutched in his fist. On those mornings, I find him sitting in the hallway between our rooms, staring off into space, caught somewhere between sleep and wakefulness.

Either way, he's staying in his bed all night, consistently.  Let's hope this keeps up when Baby Sister gets here and he discovers that she gets to sleep in our bed.......