We've been mulling this over for a while. I read a few articles; some said keep them in the crib as long as you can, some said move them before they are 3. He was officially 2 1/2 on July 12th. Once again, the parenting handbook that DOESN'T exist sure would have been helpful when making this decision.
We decided that we had better get him acclimated to a regular bed before we move into our new house so he wouldn't have to endure so many major changes at once. It turns out it was a great move. We made a huge deal out of the whole transition. Daddy picked up the bed from Slumberland after work on Friday. Carter and I waited for him at the door, and when he came in, we hooted and hollered to welcome the new bed. Our original plan was to just put the mattress on the floor for a month or 2 so he could get used to it. He, on the other hand, was not to keen on that idea. He wanted the bed "up". He just kept saying "UP"! We figured out that his friend Hayden has a bed that has a headboard and footboard and that is what he wanted. Luckily, we had purchased a Log Cabin style bed this winter from someone who wanted to get rid of it. We put it in storage and figured he would use it when we moved into our new house. He, apparently had another plan. So...daddy left again and came back in true hero style with the parts to put Carter's bed "up". I had ordered a fun "woodsy" themed comforter set to go along with the log cabin themed bedroom he was going to have. He loves deer, moose, bears and fish.
A couple loads of laundry later, the bed was fully assembled and the linens were in place. Carter was officially ready to sleep in his big boy bed that was "up", per his request.
As I write this (8:25am) he is still sleeping. He has really taken a liking to sleeping in. He has slept 3 nights in a row in his new bed. He has not tried to get out once, and sleeps through the night. Perhaps he was more ready for this transition than we thought. Of course, what would an event like this be if we hadn't taken pictures. Enjoy the pics!
On a side note: My mom always used to say that your life doesn't go by fast until you have kids. Wow, was she right! Our little baby boy will never sleep in the crib that he spent the first 2 1/2 year of his life in. He will never stand at the rail and holler "mommy" when he's ready to get out. These are the times in our lives we must never forgot.
