The Big Girl Bed

Well Father's day weekend, my dad brought up my sister's queen size bed frame. While I was preggo, he brought me a special queen size mattress but hubby hated it. We have on Oversize Queen and just couldn't get used to less space. So Monkey went from a crib to a nice framed and mattress, no box spring. That was it is low to the ground. My sister got a divorce and we ended up with the bed frame. We didn't even get toddler rails like we had planned.
There was one problem the frame was almost 1/2 foot longer then the mattress and it wouldn't get smaller. So there was a large dangerous gap at the foot of the bed. The first night I stuff a pool noodle in there and covered it with a blanket. It didn't kinda helped the anxiety, but not much.
We put her down and she was upset and scared. She got out of the bed and I went back in there and laid in the bed with her and sang and comforted her. I explained that this was her new bed. Then I left before she fell asleep. We are big on the ability to self comfort. She got out of the bed crying again. I went in there and put her back in the bed. I quickly tucked her in and kissed her head and left. She once again got out of bed crying and upset. I repeated the action. Then I heard the worst, most upsetting scream ever. I looked at our video monitor to see my sweet little Monkey fling the covers off her, stand straight up and march off her bed. I have never seen her get mad, but she was *issed!!! I was laughing at her. By the time I stopped laughing her, screaming had calmed down and she was wondering around the room. She got a few more blankies and a few more stuffed animals and climbed into bed. She tossed around and was sound asleep within the hour. Of course her head was perilously close to the foot of the bed and the dangerous whole, so I waited until she was very much asleep and moved her.
So not to bad the first time I went in there four times. Then for nap the next day I went and put her back to bed twice. Then the next night once. Now, she sleeps in there just fine. Also the next morning I put all our extra pillows in the space and covered it with a thick blanket and that works really well. The head board has two cubby holes that have sliding doors on them. I put books in one of them and sometimes after she wakes up from a nap she lays and reads books to her stuffed animals for awhile. That is super cute to watch and listen to. I also hooked up a nightlight to the wall right above her headboard. She hasn't figured out how to use it yet. I am sure it will be more used in the darker winter months. I also put up a fake fish tank that her grandma gave her. If she is having trouble getting to sleep and throwing her books randomly around the bed doesn't work, she will turn it on and watch it. Then she falls asleep looking at it.
My husband thought the transition would be very hard. I have seen super nanny get kids to sleep in their own beds time and time again. I used her methods because I have little guidance otherwise and they worked well for my child. I still giggle when I picture her marching out of bed. I am so glad we got the video monitor and that we live in a time where we could afford one! I think in the next few years it will be the one of my favorite forms of entertainment.