Simon's Toddler Bed (and nighttime potty training)

We have been talking with Simon for a couple months about a taking a side off of his crib and turning it into a big boy bed. He got excited about it and started asking for it, so we made a deal that if he could go to bed 5 nights in a row with no whining and no crying then he'd get a big boy bed.

Last week, after one false start when he was sobbing in his bed 'I can't do it, please come back', Simon went to bed like a champ for five days in a row. On Sunday, while Simon and I went to the Cubs game, Alan turned the crib into a Toddler Bed!

GoodBye, Crib! 

Hello, Toddler Bed!

Full story after the jump: 

We are making both the transition to toddler bed and potty training at night in one fell swoop. Sunday night Alan tried putting Simon to bed (while I was putting Lillian to bed) and there were many, many tears from both kids. Finally, we decided to switch. I started over with Simon's bedtime routine and Alan took over Lillian's bedtime. Both kids were asleep in about 20 minutes. 

Though we'd told Simon to get up if he had to pee, he treated the toddler bed like his crib that night and stayed in it until I went in to get him at around 6:30 the next morning. No surprise to anyone, the bed was totally wet. Everything went into the wash and I reminded Simon that he could get up and go potty instead of peeing in his sheets. At nap, there was another set of wet sheets. 

Now, it is possible that at almost 3 he just isn't physically able to hold it while he is sleeping. There is a signal sent in an adult brain that tells the bladder not to empty when sleeping that babies just literally don't have - the signal starts getting sent anywhere from 2-5 years old. That is why it is so important not to get mad at toddlers when they wet the bed, they physically might not be able to control it. Alan and I knew this and were planning on giving him a week, maybe 2, and if it just wasn't working we'd go back to diapers until he was ready.

So, on the second night I reviewed with Simon again that if he wakes up and has to pee he should just go right into the bathroom. We had 3 trips to the potty during story/song time (totally annoying) and then one more as soon as I left him (making 4 trips in about 30 minutes). Then he finally fell asleep. At 2am, not long after a Lillian wake up, Alan heard Simon's door open and when he got up to check saw a little Simon face peaking around his door frame. Alan reassured him that all was well and walked him through the bathroom break and tucked him back in (dry sheets!). Lillian woke again around 5:15 and while I was in nursing her there was suddenly a little man in the doorway who had to potty. THE SHEETS WERE DRY!!! Only day 2 and he already had made it a night with dry sheets. 

While we won't be surprised if there are some more wet-sheet nights in the future, I'm so impressed that he managed it on his second night. And maybe, if we are very lucky, that will be it and he will be night time potty trained. He is, after all, very advanced for his age!