OBBB: Day 6 Update

I just thought I'd post an update to let you all know how Operation Big Boy Bed is doing. I was counting up the days to put it in the title, and I can't believe it's already been 6 days! He's doing very well, and I think we're starting to get the hang of it.

Naptime
Naptimes are our biggest challenge. He is just so excited at his newfound freedom to explore his room that sometimes it's hard for him to settle down and go to sleep. I've been consistent about employing the Supernanny method of watching the video monitor and as soon as he gets out of bed and starts playing, I go back in and put him back to bed. I tried doing it without speaking the way she recommends, but I really don't think he understood what he was supposed to be doing. So instead I say something like "No play. Go night-night. Stay in bed." We've settled into a consistent routine of him taking just over an hour to go to sleep after I put him down. Today it was a little longer, but it was also different in that he actually stayed in bed on his own for the vast majority of that time. I only went in there to put him back to bed about 4 times in an hour and a half, when previously it's been like 20 times in that amount of time. So I'm hoping this means that he's catching on to the concept that he's supposed to stay in bed at naptime!

Bedtime
He has done awesome from day 1 with nighttime sleep. I don't think he has once gotten out of bed, even though it usually takes him about an hour and a half to actually fall asleep after we put him down. He just rolls around and talks to himself to wind down. Tonight I had to laugh because I was watching him on the monitor and he was holding his hands close to his face and counting his fingers... He got to 14, though, so I'm not sure what that means! :)

The only trouble we're having with this now is that his bed is up against the wall that is shared with our room, and one of his favorite pastimes is kicking that wall when he's in bed but can't sleep. I don't want to encourage that at any time, but it's especially wearing when he does it at 2 or 3 in the morning! Dude! Easy on the kicking, please!

Roomtime
I am also thrilled at the way he has been able to make the transition from crib playtime to room playtime. He does awesome playing by himself in his room - I just put the safety gate in the doorway to keep him in. He's still learning what he's not supposed to do - opening up his wipes and throwing them around the room was a new one he tried today. He also can reach the light switch if he stands on his bed, so that's a battle to keep him from playing with that. But in general he does great with just listening to music and playing with toys by himself.

He seems to be really proud of his big boy bed, and he knows that he's a big boy to be sleeping in it. Often when I tell him it's time to go night-night, he'll say "big boy bed!" quickly followed by "Thomas the Tank Engine!" who is on his sheets. So he likes it, and I think we're going to make it!