Best kid in the neighborhood

I'm on another quest that is taking far longer than I anticipated. Luckily, I have started very early, many months early in fact, so I shouldn't lose my mind...much.

You see, I'm starting to think about transitioning J from the crib to a Big Boy Bed. Fortunately for him and his wildly acrobatic sleeping habits, "his" bed will also be our queen-sized guest bed, which will continue to double as a guest bed when guests appear. Sadly for me, queen-sized beds are not really the norm when it comes to kids' bedding, so my search has already run into a few snags. In addition, I really don't want to ditch the minimal decorating I've done in there already (ie the green curtains), nor do I want a design he'll grow out of in a short amount of time, so I have given myself other restrictions that are making searching even more fun than it already was!

Why all the earnest fuss? Because I've done my homework, and I understand that one of the keys to making a smooth transition is giving the child brand new bedding all his own. I can already see the logic of this. J loves items we make special for him, from his Big Boy cups to his J-only hiding places to his sleepy-time time teddy bear. So giving him a blanket picked out especially for him seems like a great idea.

But wouldn't you know it, the child industry has figured this fact out as well and raised the prices of such quilts and pillowcases accordingly. I mean, honestly, if anyone thinks I'm going to pay three figures for a machine-made quilt, they've got another think coming! And what is it about boys options, anyway? No, I don't want camo, or Camp Bravo, or Army adventure quilts, thank you very much! And can you explain to me the appeal of red, white, and blue designs? I can understand red, white, and blue nautical themes, but red white and blue planes, trains, and automobiles? Really? So far we've narrowed the suitable options down to sports (mainly assorted balls), some dinosaur options, and airplanes, not that J has shown any affinity for airplanes, but the designs are among the least obnoxious and often include some green in the color scheme, as do the other two.

Now, some out there might be thinking, why don't you just make a quilt with your new sewing machine? See my last post: my domestic skilz don't cover whole cloth creation, people! However, after seeing all these prices, I may change my mind! We'll see....