The Art of Getting a Toddler to Sleep

Last night was a big milestone in the Manne household - Cole slept in his toddler bed for the first time! I wasn't sure how I should go about the transition from crib to big bed, but knew that I needed to do something before these babies come so that he could get comfortable in his new bed before he sees us taking the crib away and giving it to the babies. So last night we had our usual Mommy/Cole cuddle time and then I laid him in his bed and rubbed his back for three songs on his CD that we always play for him. He was out like a light by song number two. The biggest thing is that he slept through the night and even slept in this morning! I think Jake and I struggled sleeping more than Cole did as we're trying to get used to having a monitor on again and not freaking out about all the creaks and noises we hear through it.

Then, we come to today. I figured that naptime might be more difficult than bedtime mainly because he's more tired at bedtime and it's lighter during the day than at night. I laid Cole down and patted his back again, but could tell from the look in his eyes that he wasn't about to fall asleep with me at his side again. So I said "Goodnight", and left the room. Cole played for about an hour before I heard silence. I wish that I hadn't gone into his room when I did, because when I opened the door to lay him back in bed, he was already there, cuddling with his blankie and I think he may have gone to sleep on his own. But, because I disturbed the process, I ended up having to rub his back again.

My nightmare come true is if we end up like those overdramatized families on SuperNanny! However, I don't think that 15 minutes of back rubbing is too bad of a habit, do you? All in all, I feel like the transition is going very smoothly and I'm very excited about it, even though my baby has nothing baby about him at all anymore! I guess that's what I'm striving for as a parent though, right? For my child to become more and more independent every day. It's one small step for Cole, one giant leap for Mom! =)