Transitioning toddlers from a crib to a bed has to be one of the scariest moments for parents. Who decided to start off our most prized possessions in these safe gated and cushioned sleep stations to these wide open spaces where there is plenty of room for error? At least this is what it can seem like when you are making the transition from a crib to a bed for the first time.

We transitioned Matthew in to a big bed back in Texas about a year ago today. We needed the crib for our third child, so we basically booted Matthew out of his crib in to a big boy bed to make room for our new life with three kids. He handled the transition really well and thought he was cooler than a winter breeze and welcomed the change. Ben and I liked that he would be in a big boy bed, but not so excited about the bed choice at the time. We had to move him in to a twin size bed and that is something I NEVER wanted my kids to sleep in; I like to snuggle with my kid and twin size beds are not big enough for cuddle time.

After months of sleeping in a twin size bed, we decided to make the transition from a twin size bed to full size bed to make room for snuggling and reading time. I began my search for a bed that is when I heard about ‘5 Little Monkeys bed‘ from a close friend. She told me they were potty safe and would arrive in a box ( I liked the sound of that)! 5 little monkeys bed are memory foam mattresses with potty training safe covers! Yes… we could eventually move towards potty training and NOT go through a huge headache of dealing with urine on the mattress. I know we have all experienced or seen urine stained mattresses and been thoroughly disgusted. I am somewhat of a sanitary freak, so this idea of having a stain free mattress was amazing! Seriously, I couldn’t have been any more excited. I was even thrilled that their mattresses come with a pillow, a sheet, and zipper capability on the waterproof protectant cover. Can I get an Amen or a woohoo!

So as we got this mattress with the idea of potty training… my two year old whom we got the mattress for refused to start potty training. This is real life you guys. I tried to bribe my son with well you name it. I even tried to bargain and cheer him on and he denied the request. He said absolutely not and shut the whole idea down rather quick. The great part in all of this is that we have an awesome waterproof mattress protector and its extremely clean and easy to take care of. Even with diapers, sometimes we find our kids overflow overnight when they drink tons of water before bed. In this case, we still don’t need to worry about the mattress getting ruined with germs. I know every parent can appreciate this.

Fast forward to now… Matthew is still in diapers and thinks he is the biggest boy. I kid you not, I would literally do almost anything to stop paying for diapers every month and to have my little man in underwear, but that is asking too much of him right now. Here is the thing; sometimes we ask more of our kids than what they are ready for or willing to see in themselves and as parents we have to listen. I mean really set aside our goals and dreams for our kids in order to be who they need us to be. Let me be the first one or maybe the millionth parent to say that this is NOT easy. If this strikes a chord with you, awesome. We can totally stick together!

So while this may seem like a ‘mom fail’ to most, I am counting this one as a win. It is a win because I am choosing to listen to my kids and what they need from me. I want to build this little man and his confidence up as much as possible. I am all for being the parent and making choices for my kids, but lets be real… my kid is not going to be in diapers forever. He will learn to use the potty just like everyone else in the world and he will have fulfilled one of his many societal duties in the world by using the potty. Ha!

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Full size waterproof mattress