Busting Out the Big Kid Beds

Today was the day we decided to put the triplets in big kid beds. It didn't go as planned at all. I really didn't expect it to, but I never expected what happened.

Lauren's bed makes into a toddler bed, but John and Tyler's beds don't. Eventually John and Tyler will go in with Austin in his room, so I didn't want to do anything big for big boy beds. I was originally planning to put their crib mattresses on the floor, but they were in such bad shape (we bought them used) I went to plan B. We moved the futon couch in their room.



The next issue was containment. Our bedroom is downstairs and they certainly aren't ready to have free roam of the upstairs at night. Austin can open the gate to the stairs so that complicates matters further. We decided to put the door knob on backwards so that we could lock it from the outside. Lots of multiple moms have told me they did this initially with success.

This sounded like a plan. Clif fixed the door, then we took down the cribs, put in the futon couch (folded out as a bed) and brought the kids up to their room to start the new night time routine.

Clif had left the keys on the dresser. I hung them on the hinges of the linen closet door outside of their door until I could figure out where we would keep them. Why would you leave keys on the dresser for 3 almost 3 year olds to discover during their first night of new found freedom?



The kids were SO excited. It took a while to calm them down. They wanted to jump on the bed, get under the covers, get out of bed, run around the room, and on and on. Clif was getting tired of the repetition so we tried to wind it up. Lauren ran for the door giggling and Clif jumped in front of her and closed the door.

You can guess what we discovered next. Yes, we were all six locked in the kids' bedroom. The keys were still hanging on the hinges on the linen closet outside of the locked door. As I realized that we were locked in 2 things went through my head: both of my cell phones are downstairs (you don't know how rare it is for me not to have a phone in my pocket) and we had just finished super-toddler proofing the room.

There was absolutely NOTHING in the room that we could use to pick the lock or take out the hinges. That didn't stop us from trying. We tore up a couple of picture frames trying to use the easel or the metal clips trying to pick the lock. Our next brilliant idea was to try and hammer the hinges out of the door. The only thing we had to hit it with was a plastic kids hammer.

The windows weren't an option. It is about a 25 foot drop to concrete. The only extra house keys are with neighbors who weren't in earshot.

Clif was getting frustrated because he now had to go to the bathroom. I was determined not to spend my 40th birthday weekend locked in the kids bedroom. So I did what any mother of triplets with no extra pull-ups in the room would do: I started kicking (after Clif and I decided it was the quickest way out).

Clif has a bad Achilles and I have a herniated disc, but my back is better, so I got the honors. After a few hard kicks the door started to give way and the kids started chanting, "Go Mommy...Go Mommy." I stopped and explained that we were stuck in the room and they should never kick in a door unless it was an emergency. Do you think that made an impression?

I kicked a few times and then stepped aside to let Clif finish it off with his good leg. (What a pair we are.) Austin yelled, "Yeah Daddy!!!!"

This picture is the result.



We're out safe and sound, but there is a new #1 item on the "honey do" list.