Operation Sleep

When I was pregnant, we bought a convertible crib which transforms to a day bed and finally to a twin bed. This was way before we knew who Elijah was and certainly before we knew that he would have special needs. Once we realized that he desired a different sleeping arrangement, we toyed with the idea of getting him something different -something closer to the ground and something that would have railings - but decided to give the day bed we have already a try. He was doing pretty good just with his mattress on the floor, so two weekends ago we decided to transfer Elijah from his mattress on the floor to his day bed.

Despite the post prior to this one, I am happy that we made the decision to forge ahead with this transition to a big boy bed. After all, Elijah wasn't really sleeping through the night before we made the switch. Best of all, Elijah seems happier about sleep. He beams when he gets in his bed and he seems to be proud of himself. He didn't like being boxed in his crib and would cry every night when we put him to bed. Now, he seems to like knowing that he can get out of bed if he wants. Of course, the new challenge is teaching him to stay in bed all night long.

I know it takes time and training for any kid to sleep in a bed, not just those with special needs. I know that little ones sometimes fall out of bed when they're learning and we've set up pillows as a precaution. We worry, of course, that he'll hurt himself. I'm not so much worried that he'll roll off of the bed (because of those pillows), but that he'll fall from a standing/jumping position. But, I have to ask myself... is this any different than any other parent making this transition? Perhaps in some ways, but I think it's mostly the same. Elijah is highly mobile, desires to be independent, and knows how to get down from his bed safely. So, we'll make his bed as safe as possible and try to teach him how to sleep in a little boy bed. We think he's ready and he deserves to be treated the same as we'd treat any other child, right? At least that's what I keep telling myself. That doesn't mean we're not afraid he'll hurt himself. We are afraid. But I don't want that fear to hold us back from giving him the opportunities to grow and develop, just as any other kid.

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