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From: adm@cbneb.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Re: From crib to bed
Message-ID: <1134@cbneb.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 1-Aug-84 09:19:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: cbneb.1134
Posted: Wed Aug  1 09:19:33 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 3-Aug-84 02:13:55 EDT
Sender: adm@cbneb.UUCP
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus, OHIO
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Nf-ID: #R:homxa:-28800:cbneb:24300001:000:2470
Nf-From: cbneb!aud    Jul 31 08:04:00 1984

We moved our 18 month old daughter from a crib to the bed much too
early.  She had returned from a stay at Grandma's and seemed to
suddenly hate the crib (of course, love-hate relationships at
this age are not unusual).  Since we were expecting a new 
baby in three months times (and we were terribly naive),
it seemed like a reasonable time to make the switch since then 
then wouldn't feel like the new baby took away her crib.

Well, it was OK for awhile.  We simply placed a mattress on the floor
so we didn't have to worry about her falling out of bed. She was
getting up in the middle of the night alot more than she did in
the crib, but I wasn't sleeping well anyway so it was tolerable.
Her getting up seemed to occur in spurts.

Anyway, after her brother was born - it took a turn for the worse.
Both kids were getting up twice each night (of course, they never
got up simultaneously).  We were exhausted, and didn't quite know
what to do.

In a moment of desperation, the solution occurred to me.  We removed
the mattress from her room and replaced it with a small tent (we
are tent-campers and used this tent in our pre-children days).
We decorated the tent by lining up on both its sides and back all of
her favorite stuffed animals and dolls.  Foam pads made it quite
comfortable for sleeping.  Then, we took her shopping to select her own
sheets (cabbage patch dolls, wouldn't you know).  She thought
her 'new' room was really great!!  All of her friends loved it
too; they always wanted to play in her tent.

There is a happy ending here.  With the tent, she 
stopped waking up on a regular basis!!
I guess this arrangement was alot more secure for her.
About a month ago (she is now 2 years and 8 months old), we
took down the tent and brought back the mattress.  Haven't had
any problems at all.  Her brother will be one year old next
month and we are really enjoying sleeping through the night.
Needless to say, he will stay in his crib well past 18 months old.

We pitched the tent outside for playing purposes, and brought back
her bedroom furniture.  A two-person pup tent looks small and obscure
in a large campground but it sure fills up an average size
bedroom.

Oh well, that's the end of my story.  Good luck in making your
crib-to-bed transition.

			     Audree Thurman
			     AT&T Bell Labs
			     Columbus, OH  

P.S.  Just an addendum on potty training.  Once we removed the
night-time diaper, it was amazing how dry her nights became.