Starting the Transition

We have always been really pleased with the crib we purchased for Spencer.

There were several things about this crib we loved which influenced our purchase. The fact that it was made in America and that Adam could stand INSIDE the crib without incident was pretty impressive. Lately however our favorite feature is the side door.

Ever since Spencer started walking we've had Spencer use this side door to get out of his crib when he wakes up. Now that he is older (and I am incredibly pregnant and can't lift him) we leave the side door open all the time and let him climb in for naps/bedtime and climb out when he wakes up.

The master plan is to transition Spencer into a toddler bed so we won't have to purchase another crib for the baby. We were hoping that by leaving the side door open all the time Spencer would learn to like the freedom of getting in and out of bed independently and be more accepting of his toddler bed when we eventually make the switch.

Spencer has done really well with his crib open. It has been three weeks since we started sleeping him with it open and he loves climbing in and out like a big boy. We haven't had any problems with him staying in bed after laying him down either. In fact, we've had sort of the opposite problem. Even though the door is open and he can come and go as he pleases he still yells for one of us to come upstairs and get him after he wakes up. Silly boy. It is nice he views his bed as somewhere he needs to stay until he has permission to get up. I wonder how long that will last...