End of (cot) days

Two weeks ago, Sam tried to climb out of the cot, so we ordered a bed. The bed quickly became the touchstone for all our dreams of finally getting some sleep.

We had only seen it in a picture on the internet but nevertheless, we pinned our hopes on this bed; It attained god-like status, with the whole family intoning “The bed! The bed is coming! Your own big-boy-bed” to the mystified two-year-old.

Initially Sam just pointed to my bedroom and calmly but emphatically reiterated “My Bed”. No messing with this kid. But bit by bit, as we went on and on and on about the new bed, he started to become  interested. By the time it arrived on Friday, he was fully invested in the idea. It’s the closest thing to brainwashing I’ve ever seen.

The assembly was completed yesterday, and the bed installed in the room. Which meant the cot had to go. I arrived into the small bedroom with a cup of tea for my husband, to find him unscrewing the base of the cot. The sides were already detached and leaning against the wall. I burst into tears. My husband looked up, perplexed.

“Don’t you feel emotional about this?”

He just smiled in bemusement.

“Men” I said

“Women” he thought (I’m guessing)

A trio of babies whiled away their early years in this cot, often refusing to sleep, or standing, yelling to be picked up, or casually, so carefully and casually, ripping the wallpaper off the wall. But also sleeping peacefully too; sometimes being picture-book-babies.

No more cot means there is no longer a baby in our house; we knew that anyway, but this seems like the first tangible sign. A first sign that conversely has a feeling of finality. My baby is not a baby, and there’s no-one else coming up behind.

Having said that, all emotional ties and lingering fondness for the cot will be forgotten in a heartbeat if the bed does the trick and gets him to sleep. What cot?

Sock Dog likes the new bed
Sock Dog likes the new bed
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12 thoughts on “End of (cot) days”

  1. Don’t dismantle the cot. But a board on base painted with chalk paint and leave one side off. Put it in your playroom with 3 stools and use it as a table 🙂

    You can hang hooks off the bars with Baggies for bits and bobs or hang their artwork with pegs in twine off the bars.

    1. What a lovely idea! I take it you are speaking from experience 🙂 A lovely way to keep the cot and keep the happy memories, but also move onto the next stage

      1. Not yet I still have one in it but that’s my plan. I never want it to leave the family as a functioning piece. Too many memories as you said be they frustrating or full of love 🙂

  2. What Tanya said! I’ve seen something on Facebook where they made a desk out of the dismantled cot. Looks great!!!! Hoping the new bed works its magic. P.S. Impressed at him being 2 and in a Big Bed. My baby will be 3 in April and he is hanging onto nappies for dear life so I know we’ll need more than brainwashing to get him out of his cot!!!
    Wonderful Wagon recently posted…The Truths of Motherhood. (Revisited)My Profile

    1. I’m hoping for the magic Gwen; he loves his new bed during the day (to jump on, admire, show to people, play on) but bed-time and middle of the night it’s a different story!
      I’d say we’ll be the same as you with the nappies – plenty of time 🙂 The move to bed was really just because he tried to climb out and I’m afraid he’ll fall. And also, of course the “magic” that is coming…

  3. I got the idea from an Aussie site whose name escapes me at the moment. Once I find it again ill post link here so you have instructions.

    1. 50/50 so far: it was in place on Saturday and Saturday night was a complete disaster, I’ve shut it out of mind 😉 But last night was good – the little guy will be praised all day today for staying in his bed all night, although the bottom line his, it was pure fluke and he doesn’t actually know he stayed there or did aynthing extraordinary – he just didn’t happen to take up!!

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