The CPSC issued a government warning today to stop using infant sleep positioners. CPSC has received reports of twelve infants between the ages of 1 and 4 months dying from suffocation due to the sleep positioners in the past 13 years. Doesn’t sound like a lot, I know, but if one of those numbers was your child it would.

If you have an infant check out the article – they lay out the reasons quite clearly.

Yes, we’re one step closer to Cora being permanently ensconced in a big-girl bed!

So she’s been sleeping on a toddler air mattress next to her crib for a couple weeks, and she’s handling it like a pro. We’ve had some emotional wrestling matches over naptime – she’s starting to give it up, and would just get up and walk out of the room. But we’ve finally worked it out, and now she knows she has to stay in the room and take “quiet time” until I come get her. She usually cries and demands, “Mommy! Come. In. Here. Right. Now!” for the entire forty-five minutes, but at least she doesn’t leave her bed.

Other than naptime, though, it’s been smooth sailing, so Thursday we took one more step – we went mattress shopping.

Cora’s spent one night and one nap in the toddler bed air-mattress now, and it’s been relatively easy, thank God.

We’ve got the toddler mattress set up on the floor right next to her crib, with all her stuffed animals and blankets spread out around her. When she first climbed in, she grinned as if she’d just won the lottery and rolled luxuriously all over it. I can tell just looking at her that she’s insanely proud of herself for “finally” becoming a big enough girl to rate a little more space.

So if Maddie’s night-night routine is challenging – what with all her incessant questions and all- then Cora’s routine is downright torture. My toddler is going through her “I hate bedtime and will do ANYTHING to prolong it” phase, and it ain’t pretty.

Cora will argue over every aspect of her bedtime routine: brushing teeth, getting pj’s on, pouring a glass of water – you name it, she’ll debate it. Almost every step is a knock-down drag-out fight, and it wears you down, trust me. There are only so many times I can –gently but firmly – pinch those cheeks to make her open her mouth so I can brush her teeth before I think to myself, Heck, how bad can skipping one night of brushing be?

I know, I didn’t say I did it. I just think it.