sleep training

Once Beckett started preschool, we figured now was good a time as any to transition him into a big boy bed.
So dad took the bunk beds apart...

I've really been dragging my feet on this one...but I realized that when Madden was at the same age that Beckett is now, he was already potty trained AND sleeping in a big boy bed.  So it was time.

Maybe I've been dragging my feet because I knew Beck would be a LOT harder to sleep train than Madden...and so far that theory has proved true.

He spends hours every night either playing with toys in the walk in closet, piling toys on top of Madden while he sleeps, or scooping up imaginary puppies in the hallway and then taking them to Randy and I in our bed because he says they're "so cute" and they want to "cuddle us."
We've tried everything, guys.
We've tried locking his bedroom door, but he quickly figured out how to unlock it.
We've tried threats and punishments but so far that hasn't worked.
We tried making bedtime "fun" by setting up his teepee in there with the iPad one night, but that plan totally backfired when he STILL stayed awake all night and ended up in our room at 11:30 throwing a tantrum on the floor because the iPad died.

Most nights he crashes well over 10 either in the middle of the floor surrounded by toys or in Madden's bed.  But then he still wakes up at the crack of dawn every morning!

Which makes for one exhausted, grouchy toddler who crashes on the couch at 4 pm the next day and I'm always torn between letting him sleep because I know he desperately needs it or waking him up cuz I want him to be so exhausted that maybe, JUST MAYBE, he will finally go to sleep in his big boy bed...

Up next...potty training.

But seeing how well sleep training is going, I've decided to put that one off for a little bit longer.

(aka a LOT longer)