Bailey's New Room

The time was getting close for us to move Sawyer into his own room (Bailey's room), so we needed to move Bailey into her new room. First we needed to say goodbye to her very first bedroom.

And goodbye to her crib.

And hello to her big-girl room with her big-girl bed.

Skigh helped me move the furniture into her room, and then everyone stayed downstairs while I got everything together and decorated it. The last time she saw it, it was our office. And then we brought her upstairs and had her open the door, and she was so surprised and excited to discover her new room.

I was afraid of Bailey being in a bed that she could get in and out of on her own free will. I didn't know if we would have a problem with her getting out of bed at night or during naps. I didn't realize that she would end up staying in her room way longer than she normally does during her naps. She would wake up and just stay in her room and read and play for the longest time. I don't think she quite understood that she could get out when she wanted to. The very first night, she got out of her room about one minute after I put her to sleep. She was giggling at the top of the stairs (I hadn't even made it all the way down them yet). I thought, here we go. I told her that it was bed time and she needed to go to sleep. She started crying. I went and put her to bed again and gave her a stuffed animal. She wanted Skigh to come say goodnight to her (he was on the phone), and then she was totally fine. And she never left her room at night again.

This lamp was probably her favorite part of the room. She loved turning it on and off. That was how I could tell if she woke up from her nap. The lamp would always be on.

A few weeks later... some additions.

It finally did click inside Bailey's head that she could leave her room whenever she wanted. So naps started to become a problem. They got shorter and shorter. Sometimes she would leave her room after a few minutes, telling me that she had taken a nap, and crying when I told her that she needed to go back to sleep. It was getting ridiculous. Finally, after a few weeks of this, I put on a door knob cover so she couldn't get out of her room (I know, it sounds cruel). I told her it was her "special door knob," and this got her really excited. She wanted to show Skigh her special door knob as soon as he got home. And that took care of the problem. Now she's back to taking normal naps, and I don't have to worry about her leaving her room whenever she likes.

I'd say her new room has been a big hit.