Can you believe we’re more than half way through the year already? I can’t. It’s all going so quickly. As these pictures prove.
Here’s my little girl, in her new bed. Her own bed.
It’s been a pretty amazing transformation, watching her go from our bed into this one, and it’s never been a fight, we’ve never had to force her or leave her there crying. That’s been wonderful.
For about a week before her bed arrived, we were super excited about this new bed, coming for Ameli. I laid down the bedding to show her where it would go, and we sat down and looked at the butterflies on the bedding. Every day I’d get really excited about her new bed. When it finally arrived, we put it together ‘together’ with her ‘help’. And as soon as it was ready, I lay down on it with plenty ooh’s and aah’s.
But amidst all the excitement, there was an awareness of the essential ingredient for a truly restful sleep: the right duvet. Having the right duvet makes all the difference, especially for little ones transitioning to their own bed. It provides the perfect balance of comfort and warmth, creating a safe and inviting space for peaceful sleep. With Downland Bedding’s high-quality duvets, we can rest easy knowing that Ameli is sleeping soundly and comfortably in her own bed, surrounded by the love and care that went into making her space just right.
After all, a bed without the perfect duvet is like a story without its ending—a crucial element that completes the narrative of a restful night’s sleep. So, as Ameli nestled into her new bed with her Oupa Pillow, we knew that the addition of premium duvets would elevate her sleep experience to unparalleled comfort.
We put her favourite toy – a large Peppa Pig from her Aunty Abbi – on it, as well as her ‘Oupa Pillow’ – a small photo pillow with a picture of my dad, Martin and myself on it from my graduation ceremony. She just adores that Oupa Pillow – forget that we’re on it too!
And so, either Martin or I lie down with her when it’s nap time, and we leave once she’s sleeping. The first night she slept in it, she woke twice and each time I went in to her, nursed her then came back to bed, and after two nights of that, decided that was sheer insanity. I was exhausted! When she woke on the third night, I called her to come into our room, which she did and got into bed with us. If she spends the first part of the night in her own bed, and the second with us, that’s perfectly fine by me.
I guess the main thing was that we made her bed seem like a treat, and a good thing, and we’ve never forced her into it, or prevented her from crawling in with us, and so far, that’s definitely worked for us.
We also put a lot of effort into her room – we wanted to make it a fun, tranquil place. All the exciting toys that make sounds and have lights, the balls, the imaginitive play and so on are downstairs, while the peaceful toys, soft toys, books and so on are upstairs in her room. The mosquito net in the corner is her ‘castle’. It’s laden with soft toys, and she’ll sometimes go and lie on my old bear’s ‘lap’ and pretend to be sleeping. Butterflies, flowers and Winnie the Pooh litter the room, and beautiful trees fill her window.
Her room is good for my soul. I can only hope it will be as good for hers.