The Sweetest Thing
August 22, 2008
Every night when I go upstairs to bed I find Miles. Sometimes I put him to bed in his crib but by the time I go upstairs he has moved himself, and his stuff, to my bed.
Then I pick him up and put him back where he belongs. I kiss his head and nuzzle into his chubby neck. He smells like baby shampoo and little boy sweat.
Yes, my 3.5 yr old son still sleeps in a crib. We do keep the side down and he climbs in and out at will. I tell people that it is because he loves his crib and doesn’t want to give it up yet. The real reason is that I haven’t gotten around to buying him a bedroom set yet. Because he is still a baby. Shut up, he totally is a baby.
And once I buy him a real bed, our crib days are over. It is the very last baby item that we have in the house. And while I am glad to be moving on from that stage, I just don’t want to rush it. Do you think they would make fun of him at college if he brought his cribby with him?
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I don’t see a problem with that at all. It’ll make him unique!
I intend on still nursing my 20 month old when she goes to college. Nothing wrong with that either, I don’t think.
August 22nd, 2008 at 11:40 amDon’t rush it. We moved our last baby to a big boy bed this month (he was fine in his crib, I think I rushed him). He loved the bed at first but now he’s been telling us that he doesn’t like it…this makes for some long evenings.
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:04 pmBuy that poor boy a big-boy bed….
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:05 pmWe still have our 2.5 year old in a crib and right now it looks as if he will be in there until he goes to college because otherwise he doesn’t sleep well. He is up and into everything if we don’t put him in a crib.
My 6 year old baby comes and crawls into my bed at night too. I like finding him there all cuddled up in my blankets. But I have given up taken him back to his bed. I just push him over and crawl in with him. LOL
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:14 pmPrecious picture. I kept my kids in the crib for as long as possible because I didn’t want to worry about them wandering the house. I liked knowing they couldn’t get out!
We just got rid of our crib set. Sad. But, cleansing as well.
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:21 pmI understand relishing on the last bits of baby-dom.
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:24 pmWhat a wonderful photo! If I were you, I’d frame this and hang it in my bedroom. So darn sweet…
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:33 pmMy crib left exactly 2 weeks after my 18 month old daughter looked at the toddler bed and stated imperiously with finger pointing, “That bed!”. Was I ever sorry to have it go? That’s when the night time escapades started. We’d find them snuggled up together the next morning. Now I wonder why I wasn’t more like you Chris? Why didn’t I have the camera ready for that one…. I’m such the slacker.
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:34 pmSweet sweet post…. don’t rush a thing.
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:58 pmwow, what a great picture. your blog is my favoritest on the net. i started at the beginning and i’m now on june ‘06. your husband had recently lost part of his thumb. it’s like i’m reading the best novel - i too am an only child and can so relate on that. but fortunately, i had a really great mother. the kind you have become. your stuff makes me laugh out loud, you are just so honest. i want more imaginary friends, the kind i don’t have to talk on the phone to, or meet for lunch. bec i’m much rather just stay home and blog/read blogs all day long.
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:05 pmhttp://www.lifespearliscast.blogspot.com
oh, and one more thing. about letting go of babyhood…i am a neat freak and get rid of everything that is not being used. we just moved and so were going through all the boys books. my little one, my baby (ok, he’s 6) was willing to part with just about everything. my heart broke a little that day. even his most favorite berenstain bears - no girls allowed. i thought, this is stupid, we don’t need to get rid of all this and put them all back on the shelf. even brown bear. bec i am just not there yet.
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:09 pmhttp://www.lifespearliscast.blogspot.com
If my sons wouldn’t have climbed out of their cribs at 22 and 20 months respectively, I would have kept them in the crib as long as possible. But, they wouldn’t stay in it, so we went to big-boy beds. I’d cherish this if it were happening in my house!
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:14 pmWe didn’t move our second daughter until she was one month from being three. She loved her crib and would probably still be sleeping in it today at age 5 1/2 if it weren’t for our third daughter. Who is now 2 and convinced she needs a bed. *sigh*
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:19 pmi guess it’s really crib-like if the side is off and he can get in and out on his own…
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:37 pmbecause that’s why we moved Isabella. so she could get up at night to pee.
not.
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:37 pmNOT crib-like
Ohhhh. I have a feeling my Ben will be in his crib for just as long as Miles. That picture is so sweet!
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:38 pmI can relate. My baby of 4 is also 3.5
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:40 pmThis IS such a sweet picture. Makes leave work and kiss my baby boy, he just turned 4 but he’s still my baby (:’o{
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:43 pmI love his little monkey.
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:45 pmSweet little boy.
We are on the countdown to a big boy bed with our 2.5 year old - I would keep him in the crib for 2 more years, but baby brother is coming in January. I’m treasuring these last crib days.
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:48 pmWe call it a cribby too!
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:12 pmOh that made me tear up. Roo is three and still in his crib. He loves it so much. He has never asked to move up to a big boy bed. I think if Miles is happy in his crib then let him stay. He will sleep in a big boy bed for the rest of his life. Why rush it?
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:15 pmWhat a sweet picture.
I picked Charlie up this morning, all six years and nearly 50lbs of him, and snuggled him against my shoulder and said, “Oh my baby.”
My husband said, “He’s not a baby anymore.”
And Charlie, god bless him, said, “Yes I am. I will always be your baby, Mama.”
And then I had to put him down because he is HUGE and I am old. The end.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:16 pmI like the monkey, and the boy is pretty cute too. Why do they always sleep on our side of the bed though? Dad’s side is just as comfortable.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:18 pmI slept in a crib (with the side down) until I was over five. I shared a room with my brother and we just didn’t have the space for another bed–toddler beds didn’t exist 40 years ago! When my parents finished the basement bedrooms and my brother moved downstairs I got his old bed and the crib was moved to storage in the garage. It didn’t do me any harm at all, and it makes for the occasional interesting conversational tidbit.
You’ve still got at least a year and a half before you need to get him “real” furniture!
Elizabeth
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:23 pmI am 29 and I have a blanky, so no, a crib is not weird
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:33 pmWhat a sweetie!! Take your time!
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:42 pmmy daughter turns 3 on Sunday. She’s still in her crib but asking for her “big girl bed”. I know she’s ready and its time, but for me it means no more baby
I asked my husband if it would be weird if she stayed in her crib until 1st grade. I was serious.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:53 pmAbsolutely beautiful photo of beautiful ‘baby’ Miles.
My son would never stay in a crib at all and I used to lie with him on his mattress on the floor until he fell asleep. Finally, after many years, he got his own real bed. Those were precious little boy years.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:57 pmI KNOW THE FEELING. OUR LAST BABY DIDN’T GO INTO A BIG BOY BED UNTIL HE WAS ALMOST 4. NOW WE HAVE OUR GRANDCHILD
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:59 pm& SHE IS 3 1/2 & IS STILL IN HER CRIB & WE ARE LOOKING @ BIG GIRL BEDS FOR HER NOW, SHE WILL BE GOING INTO A BIG BED SOON. I KNOW I DON’T LIKE TO RUSH IT. ALSO THEY HAVE THE REST OF THERE LIVES TO GROW UP. I HOLD ON TO IT AS LONG AS I CAN.
eh, my mother said she was in a crib until she was 5! so you still have a couple more years
August 22nd, 2008 at 3:02 pmConfession: my youngest moved to a big bed just after he turned 3 but the crib stayed in his room until he was almost 7. Yes, 7! I reasoned that it wasn’t taking up any needed space and perhaps my infant niece would need to use it when she visited. After we finally took it down it seemed to take forever to get used to not seeing it there anymore. <> They grow up so fast …
August 22nd, 2008 at 4:03 pmFunny that - I was just considering drafting you an email to say… how the heck do you get them to stay in their bed?! We usually get to 9pm most nights with night wanderings. At least Miles goes to sleep! Ours is just a partay animaaaal. So… what’s your secret?
(I too wish I’d left him in his cot with the sides down - I know the problem is the lack of sides = insecurity, but I don’t want to go back to having him trip over the sides of the cot in the dark. Any ideas?)
August 22nd, 2008 at 4:14 pmps we do have a wonderful picture of my son asleep on the landing with all his ’stuff’ around him, nose pressed to the banisters. classic!
August 22nd, 2008 at 4:15 pmMy not-quite-3-year-old sleeps on the floor next to her door. We moved her to a toddler bed when the hand-me-down crib finally broke. She took to it really well, but quickly realized she could get up to play instead so she passes out on the floor every night. Sometimes with the light on. I figure that will save me money in the long run. How often do you have to change sheets if no one sleeps on them?
August 22nd, 2008 at 4:57 pmi think it’s adorable that he still sleeps in a crib. no shame in holding onto his babyhood as long as possible.
August 22nd, 2008 at 4:59 pmIf I could’ve kept my 2 year old in a crib longer I would have. I joked that with my daughter, she’d sleep in one until she was 16 if that meant she’d stay in bed.
August 22nd, 2008 at 5:10 pmI totally understand. My daughter moved into a bed before I ready for her to. She told the babysitter that she slept in the bed and after that night she wouldn’t go back. I’d been planning to wait until she was 3 for sure but she was just shy of age 2. But she loves to sleep in the crib at Gramma’s and she’s turning 5 in two weeks!
August 22nd, 2008 at 5:32 pmNah, let him take the crib to college. If anything, it will give new meaning to the phrase, “Hey, girls. Wanna come check out my crib?”
August 22nd, 2008 at 6:09 pmOf course he is a baby, 3 is little. I tell my 13,11 and 8 year olds they are MY babies and always will be. Of course thet hate it and think I’m an eejit, which of course is true! Myles is so delicious!
August 22nd, 2008 at 6:46 pmSo sweet. I say, keep the crib as long as he fits. Life is too short to worry about the “rules” like these.
August 22nd, 2008 at 7:04 pmI’m pretty sure my 3.5 year old will be co-sleeping with us for many years to come. As long as they’re sleeping… do what works.
Very sweet photo!
August 22nd, 2008 at 7:06 pmaww he looks so peaceful & adorable.
I say upgrade when you feel you need to
August 22nd, 2008 at 7:32 pmUg. I don’t even want to think about our imminent crib-free days. Better to ignore it and let it jump up at me out of nowhere. Otherwise I’ll get all weepy and be too depressed to enjoy the present.
I love that he curls up in your bed for comfort. What a kid.
August 22nd, 2008 at 7:46 pmI nanny for twins that will be 4 at the end of October (making them 3 3/4 now, just ask them) and they’re both still in cribs… although the dad has removed the outer rails so that they can climb in and out.
August 22nd, 2008 at 8:08 pmI feel you sister. I just went through Doodle’s clothes to sell back to the consignment shop and nearly started crying. I am not looking forward to getting rid of the crib.
August 22nd, 2008 at 8:15 pmNot a problem at all. We still have a crib, though my daughter doesn’t use it anymore. I haven’t gotten around to taking the side down. No, it’s much worse over here. She’s still cosleeping with us because I’ve been too busy to set up her room. But, I will miss her so much when she’s not next to me anymore.
August 22nd, 2008 at 8:27 pmAHH the innocence of a sleeping child. What a wonderful picture. I see nothing wrong with him still being in a crib.
Buy him a bed when he asks you for one and cherish those baby days.
Take Care
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:16 pmLove Caroynn xxxx
Don’t worry what others say. My son is nearly 2 and he’s still in a crib. He hasn’t figured out, or if he has he’s decided he has no interest at the moment in it, how to climb out of his crib OR his pack-n-play (which he goes in if he gets up wayyy to early in the a.m. or when I want to take a shower during the day). We’re thinking of breaking down his crib to a toddler bed but that’s not really b/c he needs it that way and also b/c the side of his crib doesn’t go down and with me being almost 5 months pregnant now I need an easier way to put him to bed. For Baby #2 we plan on keeping him/her (find out next week!) in the top of the pack-n-play till he/she is about 9 months old (like we did with our son) and then getting a new crib and putting the baby in that. It’s whatever makes you feel comfortable and makes your son comfortable. You’ll know when it’s time to change things. And if it college time it’s college time:) If it’s when he gets married then it’s when he gets married:):)
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:19 pmYou know, it’s funny how it works with the baby of the family. I only have two, but I distinctly remember how much I couldn’t wait for my oldest to move on to a “big boy bed!”
And then with my second, I realized that time would come soon enough, and I held onto the crib as long as possible.
Oh, how I wish I were not already 40 and “done.”
Enjoy your baby…
August 22nd, 2008 at 10:01 pmI have been reading your blog for a while now, but have yet to comment.
However, in response to this post, let me simply say: I get it.
Thanks for sharing.
August 22nd, 2008 at 10:04 pmYep! I vote on getting him his very own bedroom set, especially since the crib is not serving the purpose of keeping him safe from getting out into the big dark world!
August 23rd, 2008 at 12:18 amThat’s so sweet!
And I totally get that he’s still a baby. He can stop being your baby when he’s…what? Forty?
August 23rd, 2008 at 1:46 amJack is only a few months younger than Miles and he is still in his crib. With the sides up. He has never tried to climb out. (We can hardly believe it either.)
We say we will get him a big boy bed in September when he starts preschool and also to make room for the next baby on the way, but there is something about a little boy in a crib that makes it so hard to move on.
August 23rd, 2008 at 2:59 amI’m awake right now for the same reason as your darling picture. Little boy in my bed. Mine is 5.5yrs. I’m hoping that by the time he goes to college, he won’t still be sleeping with us.
August 23rd, 2008 at 5:08 amHA..it took me a year to put UP the crib. The girl slept with us or in the port-a-crib because I knew if I put it up I’d have to take it down. Now she’s almost 10, and still loves sleeping with us.
August 23rd, 2008 at 8:49 amSounds like he still belongs in bed with you
Why not eh? Before you know it he won’t want to come into your bed as it will be for little kids. Sigh
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:25 amHe’s adorable.
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:06 amI totally think a crib is a great item for a dorm room - it’ll save lots of space! Also, when he says, “Hey let’s all go back to my crib,” he’ll mean it most literally!
Only the best for that baby of yours!
Just for the record, our youngest is 2.5, and I don’t see him leaving the crib any time soon - at least for another year!
August 23rd, 2008 at 1:22 pmI only took down our crib after 10+ years because the little one wouldn’t sleep there any more. But she still hasn’t given up the CHANGING TABLE - and if I had to pick one, I’d rather still have the crib!
August 23rd, 2008 at 2:03 pmSuch a sweet picture. It almost makes me want to have another baby or atleast borrow one!
August 23rd, 2008 at 2:25 pmThat is the sweetest thing EVER. I hope my two year old does that when she is a bit older.
August 23rd, 2008 at 4:01 pmKeep the crib. When the time comes, he’ll take it to his frat house and they’ll do some weird hazing thing with it.
Or, he’ll take it to Burning Man. Molly’s on her way there right now. It’s the new Young Adult Rite of Passage.
xo
August 23rd, 2008 at 4:27 pmI LOVE YOUR BLOG! Awarding you a BRILLANTE WEBLOG PREMIO-2008!
August 23rd, 2008 at 8:17 pmPass it on!!
If I could take pictures like that of my little ones, I would never, ever get mad at them. (Shut up, it is totally a realistic fantasy!)
Hmmm…about the crib predicament. Is there some bad habit you’re trying to break him of, or something you want him to start doing? Because maybe you could use a bed set as incentive. Once he stops (or starts) doing whatever it is, you could take him to the furniture store (or shop online) and pick out a bed and bedding set.
And then you can go to the shoe store (alone!) and pick out something pretty for you. Because, really, we moms need the incentive too!
August 24th, 2008 at 9:55 amHe is a baby! And so is my 3yo, though we did just sell the crib.
August 24th, 2008 at 9:33 pmPersonally, ‘I’ could still fit in a crib myself, but none of my 3 adorable baby sons slept in one for more than a year.
They were like Houdini beast’s,climbing out of cribs at 9 months old…..falling on the floor, scaring the crap out of their “young” mother…..making me take them to the emergency room. Gah! Where’s the love?
How come I didn’t get a 3 year old baby?
August 24th, 2008 at 11:44 pm:((
My youngest (of 3) will also be 3,5 by the end of September and is also still sleeping in his crib (and also with the side down). He sleeps in his siblings bedroom but he also comes to ours in the middle of the night. The only cure for that? Have a another baby
(which I don’t think we will 
August 25th, 2008 at 6:28 amAmen sister - you let him ride in that cribby as long as he is willing.
August 25th, 2008 at 8:35 pmBeth (mommy to a sweet little 5-year old in a big-boy bed)
LMAO! I got to the 20th word and thought “Crib? Did she say Crib?”
I’m kinda sorry you acknowledged it. Cuz I was totally going to come here and make some snotty remark. Now it wouldn’t be any fun.
August 26th, 2008 at 1:42 pmUnbearably sweet, I can barely stand it!
August 29th, 2008 at 1:28 pmthe baby shampoo and little boy sweat is precious. if we could only bottle that up. moms all know EXACTLY what that smells like….and it truly IS heaven.
August 30th, 2008 at 11:04 pmCrib - did you say crib? What’s that? We had one of those - 10 years and 2 children ago. However… let’s just say that we are STILL co-sleeping with a six year old! How’s that for birth control? By the way - having his own room (painted in his favorite color and decorated his way) and bedroom set has not been as motivating as we anticipated.
August 31st, 2008 at 4:40 pmI just moved my four-year-old from her crib to a toddler bed, or rather: we converted the crib into a toddler bed. She liked the perceived safety of the crib rails - so what?
September 10th, 2008 at 9:05 am