Bed Drama

You may have read the title of this entry and expected to read about nighttime wakings for one or both of the boys.  While I certainly have plenty to write about on the topic of midnight antics from both of them, this blog is literally about bed drama.  Who knew a wooden structure could cause so much angst?

Back when I was pregnant with Spencer, I anticipated that Miles would stay in his crib until Spencer was ready to move out of our bedroom (sleeping in a Pack N Play bassinet) and into the crib.  At that time, we would plan to move Miles into some sort of toddler bed.  I even thought that Miles and Spencer would be ready to share a room at that point.  After reading a little, I decided instead that Miles should stay in the crib until he was able to get out of it on his own.  So Spencer outgrew the bassinet a few pounds ago and has been sleeping in the Pack N Play in the former guest room, across the hall from Miles.

On vacation, Miles learned to climb out of the Pack N Play and then upon arriving home, learned how to escape his crib.  So off went the side of the crib, on went the safety rail, and with it, a dilemma:  now what?  Spencer needs the crib, so where does Miles go?  Toddler bed or twin bed?  Regular twin bed or a captain/mate bed?  Trundle bed, perhaps?  What about bunk beds?

I searched the endless options night after night.  I was almost convinced to get bunk beds that can separate into two twin beds, but didn't find one that was perfect.  If I'm going to pay for a piece of furniture that I plan to use for a considerable amount of time, it had better be perfect.

My patience was wearing thin, and my back was wearing out.  You wouldn't think picking up a small child out of a Pack N Play would wreak so much havoc on one's back, but it certainly does.  Whereas a child lying on a floor is relatively easy to pick up (by bending at the knees and getting low to the ground), a child lying almost on the floor in a small mesh cage-y contraption is difficult to pick up - you have to bend only at the waist and scoop up the baby.  I was doing this many many times a day and many many times at night, and my lower back was waving the white flag of surrender.

Finally, in desperation, I made a bold move.

After a doctor's appointment today, I planned a whirlwind second-hand shopping trip in Lexington (Once Upon A Child, another children's consignment store, then Goodwill) to see if there was anything (ANYTHING!) I could use.  I didn't have high hopes, but as I walked into Once Upon A Child, I was thrilled to see four different toddler bed options - a Little Tikes car bed for $80, a Step 2 fire engine bed for $90 (adorable, by the way), a white resin plastic bed from Cosco for $25, and a Jardine wooden toddler bed for $40.  I thought for a few moments before I made my decision, settling on the wooden toddler bed.

Assuming it is in good shape when Miles is finished with it, we can sell it and hopefully get $25 for it, more than I figure we would get for the plastic bed in a few years.  OUAC also sells new crib mattresses for a very low price of $66.99, but since I bought both a bed and a mattress, I got a 30% discount on the mattress, making my total purchase price $92.00.  Not bad for a temporary, but necessary, solution to our bed drama.  Our next bed purchase will likely be a good bunk bed set that separates into twin beds so that they can be used for a very long time.

So there you have it.  Our ridiculous bed drama and solution that settled it.  Now the search is on for adorable matching/coordinating bedding!