We picked up a hand-me-down toddler bed and mattress from a co-worker of mine yesterday morning. Z was over the moon with excitement as she watched her mommy clean it and her daddy assemble it. But come naptime, she just couldn't resist her newfound freedom and spent the full 2 hours hopping in and out and generally making mischief. When I finally called off the nap at 3pm, she was standing on the rocker-glider, changing CDs in her boombox. All of her toys were out of the toy basket and books were piled up willy-nilly.
"Z," I said, "What's the rule for your new big-girl bed?"
"Stay in bed," she replied sheepishly.
Now what's amazing is she didn't act like a kid who missed her nap. In fact, she was a complete angel as we left her with a brand-new 15-year-old babysitter, offering us each a smile and a kiss bye-bye.
And if you're wondering, we didn't leave the toddler bed in her room for the babysitter to have to deal with. She slept in her crib. We're going to take down the crib and replace it with the toddler bed Monday night, before she goes to daycare on Tuesday. That way she can sleep in it in the dark for a few nights straight and hopefully establish some good habits before she's again faced with the temptations of an unchained naptime.
