Yes, my son is two and a half years old.
Yes, my son is very tall for his age – about 40 inches (yikes!)
And yes, he still sleeps in his crib.
The thing is: Graham is extremely routine-oriented. And when I say extremely routine-oriented, I mean uncompromisingly, fanatically, crazy routine-oriented.
When the batteries in his crib aquarium start to wane he screeches like a banshee. When I try to introduce a new blanket or stuffed animal to his sleep routine he bellows, rips it from my hand and hurls it across the room as if it were a hand grenade and he a soldier trying to clear the field.
And his crib?
He loves his crib. Loves it. Quite honestly I don’t ever see me moving him out of his crib. Ever. Despite the fact that he can, and does, just walk on out of it sometimes.
Is this dangerous?
Maybe. But the way I see it, it’s way safer (and quieter) than subjecting the entire house to the nuclear meltdown that would ensue if I ever, ever dared mess with his sleeping arrangements.
So yup, I’m completely resigned to Graham staying in his crib until he’s damn good and ready to leave, whenever that may be.
And Rob and I have already agreed upon some house rules with regards to crib usage as our boy grows.
To wit:
“I am not driving you to soccer practice until you have made your crib!”
And:
“It’s not my fault you broke curfew last night, it’s almost noon and time for you to get out of the crib and cut the lawn!”
And also, if it comes down to it:
“I don’t care what your arrangements are at college, when you and your girlfriend are sleeping under our roof, it will be in separate cribs!”
That's reasonable, right?
66 comments:
Perfectly reasonable and highly amusing.
Wait until the....
Party in his crib, stage. Graham... how many girls were in your crib last night?
LOL. Cute pictures!
My son was in his crib until a little older than 2 1/2. There really wasn't any reason to rush the transition so we didn't. Although if they're potty-training it's better for them to have the bed. Also not an issue with my son it seems.
Very funny!
I never rushed my gals out of being babies...Mouse stayed in her crib until she was 2 1/2 despite having Mouse when Bug was 2....there was no way I was pushing Mouse out of her crib to make way for a new baby! Bug stayed in her crib until she was 2 1/2 as well and didn't go into a bed until she asked to.
LOL! Seperate cribs....now that is hysterical!
I had to look at my blog to see when KayTar made the switch. LOL! She was a little over 2 1/2 and I fully expected it to be terrible, but it went on without a blip.
Wait until you say to him: "You made your crib; now lie in it!"
I shudder at the thought of putting Little Monster in a big boy bed. Also at the thought of potty training. So much work. No one told me motherhood was going to be this hard! ha ha. Seriously, though, I'm with you on the "cribs 4ever!" campaign.
♡ You crack me up!!! We left our twins in cribs for a long time. It didn't do any permanant damage! :)
Lucky! My first born decided she could escape her crib at 14 months -- now THAT was dangerous. So I had to move her to a little toddler bed, just because it was low to the ground and safer. Yea, I had to take day off of work for that one since, at the time, I didn't even know about "toddler beds". Not to mention, I had to really and TRULY baby proof her room now that she had all that freedom. So enjoy it while you can!
I think those are completely reasonable rules. Haha. Good luck when you get him into a big boy bed.
Does the side come off so that you can make it into a toddler bed without losing the crib? Might help with a transition.
:)
Lol! I don't blame you a bit for letting him stay in the crib.
LOL. You're an extremely reasonable mother, I would say!
As my son made his first escape from the crib at the tender age of 15 months or so - via the dresser and a chair - I never encountered this problem. Instead, I almost had kittens when he came toddling in to my bedroom all by hisself. A junior bed was installed in his room the same week, because the first escape was followed by one more, then another and then one more.
Don't fix what ain't broken...
My son was in his crib until a month after his 3rd birthday when he asked us for a big boy bed. Since it was his idea, it was an easy transition.
tee hee.....this was perfect. thanks for the laugh.
I've always been of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" club as well, so yes....sugar is still in her beloved crib. She is going to be 3.5 soon.
Heck, yeah. isn't there a whole show devoted to rock stars and their cribs?
And mine stayed in her crib until she was 3.5. She was happy there, so why not? We started making her a big girl room with a big girl bed, and involved her in it a bit and showed her what it would look like along the way, and her excitement grew over time so that by the time it was ready, so was she. We did find that the daybed was nice for her, too, becuase she used to sleep RIGHT up against the crib rails, and now she sleeps pushed up against the back rails of the daybed. I'm getting one for the boy's room, too - Ikea has a couple that are actually not at all girly. But yes, when they are good and ready is good enough.
"If this crib's a rockin'...."
*snort* Hear Hear woman! I'm all about them stayin' in the crib.
Thanks for the giggle.
My four year old was in his well past his 3rd birthday. Then we took him shopping for a toddler bed because the crib was no longer safe after 3 boys. He still tells me that he misses it. And he still looks teeny in his bed.
Thanks for the laugh! Separte cribs... hee hee.
Sounds like you know what's best for your boy and I bet he'll be ready long before college.
:-)
You make me laugh ;) Very funny.
absolutely!
I keep reminding my middle child to choose a great honeymoon location - one that I will like too, since he will still be sleeping in my bed at that time!
What a cutie!
He is just to cute-- how could you ever say no to him anyway??
Hey, at least you've thought it thru :)
Dorm rooms are smallish--he will have more room for other stuff in college with that crib!
Such a lucky boy !
Don't worry, mine was still sleeping in his crib at 3.
I am not sure that 2 months after the big change, he's happy in his big boy bed. Sensitive boys need to walk at their own pace to feel safe. Good luck !
He's his own person, isn't he? Good for him. And good for you for respecting what his personality needs.
But of course I'm 35 and miss the days of footie pajamas.
You crack me up!
My kids were out of the crib earlier, but only because I kept pumping out babies that needed a crib.
If they had been as attached as Graham is? I would have bought a second one.
And Emily is 20 months and still in a crib. I'm keeping her imprisoned as long as she wants to be!
:)
oh how I wish my kids would have loved their cribs. None of them would really sleep in one, not really and preferred mom and dad's bed. We finally moved them to a big bed cuz it was just easier for them to get out and come to our bed lol.
I think you should do what works for your kid. They never seem to know the rules stated in all those great parenting books ;-)
I'm with Shay - my kid thinks the crib is a torture chamber and insists upon sleeping with mommy instead. Though I long since decided "hey, as long as he's sleeping, who gives a damn?" standard of behavior in my household. I mean - really - if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Love it. I am with you. Keep him in the crib 'til he gets married. My boys LOVED their cribs too.
You know what? Kids grow up way too fast. Keep him in the crib for as long as you can. ;)
Ben was in his crib 'til he was three. He's teeny tiny and he loved it. And I loved that he couldn't get out without someone else!
And when he's much older and says to a girl, "Come on back to my crib!", she won't realize until they get there that he didn't mean his "Home"! :)
My older son was trying to escape his crib at the age of 2 and fell headfirst into his toybox, but he wasn't tall enough to get in and out on his own, so I say, "leave him alone for now!" (in agreement)
I think eventually he will want a "big boy bed."
Adorable pictures! And the imagined quotes were hysterical.
I say YEAH to you. Too many people rush the "toddler bed" or "big boy bed" thing. Including MOI! When he's ready...he'll let you know. Even if he's home from college!
He'll want out as soon as he realizes that there's no boxspring to hide his Playboy magazines under the matress with!
My son was very much like that, too. I remember him telling me that he couldn't read until he was 6 (though he knew how to read at 4, and I tricked him into doing it). He walked for the first time on his first birthday (though he knew how already). He allowed himself to be potty-trained after his third birthday. It's like he was tied to some cosmic clock.
Maybe, just maybe, you'll get your son out of that crib by the time he has his first sleepover. :-)
Peace - D
I have an almost-8-yr-old who still loves jarred babyfood- peas and carrots, to be exact. Hey, he's getting his veggies, right?
separate cribs.. i love it.
hell trasition on his own when he is ready. i wouldnt sweat it too much. he may just one day tell you he is done.
Speedy didnt start walking until about 2 and a half because of her CP so of course climbing out of the crib she had no interest in cause she couldnt walk to climb down and what not. she just didnt have the stability. she was in hers until just after 3 years. and really.. i didnt care what anyone thought. her version of the fish was the kick and play piano. it would sing her to sleep every night and she played with it all the time.
How cute! Hey, if he likes it and he still wants to sleep there...what's the rush??
wait, so I'm not supposed to have rails on my bed?
We didn't move the Boy out of the crib until several months before the baby was due. And then, only because we needed the crib for the baby, and didn't want the Boy to feel ousted, so we did it beforehand. He was quite happy there, and strangely, never tried to "escape". Ah, the good old days...
Zachary is absurdly routine oriented and adored his crib. But he loved the toddler bed and it barely created a wrinkle. Boy, did that ever surprise us.
Glad to know that you've come to terms with it! The man (i mean boy) knows what he likes!
Hooo! Man, that last one put me over the edge. "separate cribs." Seriously, you kill me.
Hey, by the way, I just unscrewed one of the sides off of my almost two year old's crib and it works like a charm. Still a crib, yet also a big-boy bed. Perfect.
Totally reasonable, you especially do NOT want any hanky-panky going on in that little enclosure!
My kids were both in cribs at 2 and 1/2, one was able to break out but never abused the privilege and the other one preferred to call out like a little rajah when it was out time. I think he was well into his 3s before he got the big-boy bed. But for future reference, transition was EASY! One of those things I dreaded as a parent and then wondered what I'd been fussing about.
I love it! My twins were the same way (routine oriented). They loved their cribs and also learned to jump in and out. I like to think this gave them an edge with the whole physical coordination thing. Because let me tell you, they can seriously navigate a playground!
(And one summer we went on a vacation, were they three? I can't even remember. And we stayed at a family camp where they gave us a room with bunk beds. We took off the mattresses and all slept on the floor. After that, they wanted big beds. So we got them. No big deal. )
LOL those are too funny, and the few extra ones in the comments... gold I tell ya. How about, "If you don't make your crib this instant I will take the car keys away!"
Hilarious! I love the fact that our girls are still in cribs (although with a crib tent so they can't get out). They don't seem to mind and why break what ain't broken?
Maybe Graham will be rich and famous someday and show off his "crib" on MTV!
Can I just say that your Graham's pajamas are super cool and if I can find some that would fit a grown man, my Graham would totally wear them, too.
If he's happy, why mess with that?
As long as he's not hurting himself or too HEAVY for it (which, he looks like a skinny kid from the pics) then keep him in! My kids usually progressed at around 2.5 or 3, but my youngest is still in it at 2.5 and I am not relishing the transition...
*snickering*
He's a little doll.
Oh - I only wish my dude had stayed in his crib that long . . . he climbed out at 9 months of age and never slept in it again. We'd put him in there . . . and he'd be on the floor with his mimi in the morning. So we gave in a week later and converted it in to a big boy bed - with a rail so he wouldn't roll out.
Your little man is such a cutie!!! Whatever works, go with it . . . especially if it makes evenings quieter ;-)
Is it me or is your little man growing at a wicked speed? Sounds corny, but everytime you post a picture he looks about a year older than in the last.. he is just too cute and this post is adorable!
"I say never mess with the sleep routine but he looks like a teenager in that crib!
This was funny!
I think Dan was at least 3 when he finally decided to go in a big boys bed.
Nice to read this, it made me smile
From what I hear, the longer kids can stay in their cribs, the better. Even if you have to make good on those threats you mentioned.
The (quite tall) May Queen was in her crib till she was nearly 3
He looks awfully good in that crib. I love his hair.
The last quote......HILARIOUS!
You are too funny! We move our kids out super early but that's because they are sooo heavy and lifting--well, I am only 5'4" not pregnant and when I was 7 months pregnant with #2, I just couldn't lift my huge son into that crib anymore. So I said, if you are gonna be that heavy--you need to start pulling your own weight--ha ha!
In the crib is just fine. Then again, you don't need me to tell you that! This was too funny!
Very funny!
I'm so glad we got a crib that converts into a toddler bed. We have a stage in between to move gradually from the crib.
I'm totally getting that crib aquarium!
I vaguely remember my mom having the same problem with one of my siblings. What they ended up doing was taking the side of the crib off so it became more like a bed (they started to worry she'd try to climb out). That did the trick and within 6 months or so my sister wanted a bed.
We moved Sierra out of her crib when she was 2.5 yrs old. We made a big deal out of it - I told her I hate babies, she suddenly wanted to be a big girl. She still thinks I hate babies - her sister included. Should I tell her otherwise?
TB's a freak!
he stayed in a crib till he was... uh... 1.1/2 year old...
Today he's 4 and sleeps in a double bed(yup... he DOES take a lot of space in bed... when he comes to ours at night he takes 2/3 of it!!! And not because he is fat because he ain't...)
lol!!!
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