It feels like just yesterday that I was pregnant, in Baltimore, putting together Elin’s nursery. I kept it bright and dreamy with hints of pale pink and gold accents. The very first item I bought for her room was a precious little white bohemian elephant, this is a piece I will always keep in her room as it has special meaning. When decorating any room I always start with a piece of furniture or art to draw inspiration from and build on. I came across this insanely gorgeous crib that I knew I had to have for her. My hopes were that I could use it with every child, but then when she was 5 months old I found out I was pregnant with Felix so that changed ha! That with the combined fact of her never attempting to climb out, lead me to keep it for her and transition it into a daybed. It will last forever and maybe someday (many years from now) she can use it for her children!
One of the biggest changes executed was transitioning her crib into a big girl bed by using this kit. As I mentioned, Elin was a late bloomer when it came to transitioning her out of her crib. Although she could scale a wall at 18 months, I never had issues with her climbing out of the crib (and I was not going to rush it!). Let’s face it, if I had a crib like her’s in my size I would stay in it to! It may also attest to the fact that always keep a monitor in my children’s rooms even after they are babies. This allows me to know right when they wake up, and it doesn’t even entertain the idea of giving them time to attempt to get out on their own. This is the monitoring system, we use. I love the large touch screen monitor, swivel cameras, and fact that I can also view the kids on my phone in an app.
I am certainly no expert, but A few tips I can offer when making this transition out of a crib are:
Wait as LONG as you can. I feel because she understood what was going on, there were no issues. The first day and night she stayed right in bed, I didn’t even have to re-direct her once! I know sometimes waiting isn’t an option and every kid is different, but do everything you can to keep them in the crib as long as you can. A tip I have seen (but not used) is to lower the mattress right to the ground to buy some more time!
Make it a big event, and involve your toddler. Elin “helped” Daddy change her crib in to a big girl bed. She was so excited! Felix helped out too and has been obsessed with real screw drivers ever since (insert eye roll). Elin makes sure everyone knows she now has a big girl bed, and Felix has a baby bed because he is a baby.
Add a special new element. I wanted to make this change fun and exciting event for her. If you know my daughter you know that she is obsessed with flowers, she will stop and smell (sometimes pick) every flower she encounters. So the second I saw this beautiful floral mural I just knew it would be such a special surprise for her! It was extremely easy to install, and could not be more gorgeous!! She asks everyone that comes over if they want to come see her mural, it is the sweetest thing and could not look more perfect for her room!
Seeing her grow into such a creative, caring, smart little girl could not be more rewarding. I hope everyone has an amazing Mother’s Day weekend, does anyone have fun plans?
I linked most everything I could with direct links down below, but let me know if you have any questions!
Insanely beautiful quilt was hand made by my grandmother
curtains: RH baby and child
sheets: RH baby and child
paint: Benjamin Moore White Sand
EV’s adorable dress: Dottie Darling (use code the UPSTATEMAMA for 15% off)
mobile: DIY by my amazing sister similar tutorial here.
dresser: $25 craigslist find that I refinished with chalk paint and gave new hardware!
xoxo,
Jenny