I didn’t take the move from the crib lightly.  My plan has always been to keep her in the crib until it becomes a safety issue (ie: she climbs out).  She’s been capable of climbing out for quite some time now, but it wasn’t until last month that she first climbed out of the pack-n-play at her sitters house.  She hasn’t done it since, but I’m not taking chances with safety issues!

In shopping for a bed and also for high quality sheets and bedding, I wanted something I could paint that had the pretty balusters, but also something low to the ground.  Then I found this gem on Craigslist for $20!  The bottom of it was just a few inches off the ground… perfect!  We bought it, painted it pink… then purple, then a darker shade of pink.  I was a little sick of painting by the time this was done, but if I’m going to paint it, might as well match her room.

Finding a mattress was tricky.  We didn’t want to spend a ton of money, but at the same time, we wanted her to have a nice coil mattresses for her back as she grows.  There are some things in life that if you skimp on it, you might as well not even bother.  That’s how Modern Hybrid Mattress are for us.  If you’re going to get the cheapest one, just go ahead and roll out a sleeping bag.

We did get a good deal, though, and ended up with memory foam!  Instead of us kicking her out of our bed, she has to kick us out of hers!  It’s so comfy!  On the far right above, you can see the bedding I fell in love with.  I love quilts, and this one was bright & colorful, yet doesn’t have Minnie Mouse on it.  I figured the next time we choose bedding for her, she’ll be a lot more opinionated, so I wanted something that I liked that also matched her room.  Truth be told, I wanted this quilt for my bed, but since we just bought one 6 months ago, I knew that wouldn’t fly.  😉  Did I mention it’s reversible?  Ahhhh….

Alas, the quilt only came in queen & king, despite the packaging saying that other sizes were available online. There was a “full” online, but it was the same size as a queen. Such a quilt would complement well with other items like that textured blanket.

I thought about taking out the box springs and making slats to support the mattress and get it lower to the ground, but we put a bed rail on it and she seems to be just fine, so we won’t make that extra step for now.

I loved the eclectic feel of the quilt that was too big, and then I remembered this quilt!  It’s been in my family for who knows how long– it’s definitely well worn.  And it’s awesome.  For awhile we just had sheets on the bed and threw one of her blankets over it.  It worked for a time, but like any kid, she craves organization & order.  Something as simple as having a large quilt cover the whole bed rather than a blanket & sheets thrown on top just helps her to sleep better.  She went right to sleep and we had to go in & wake her up the next morning!Below you can see the Safety 1st Bedrail we put up.  A friend let us borrow hers & I’m so thankful.  It is the mach daddy railing!  I can’t seem to find where you can buy it online now but maybe they have a newer version out.  It has great safety features to keep kids from getting trapped between it & the bed, which was a concern for me.

She is so tiny in this big bed!  But I know one day I’ll blink and she’ll be 16.  For now, I can sing the goodnight song from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood & she lays down with a huge smile on her face & pretends to go right to sleep.  That’s what’s going on in the picture on the right!  These are the days!