Did you buy another crib or....

LadySmith08

What is everyone doing?  Did you buy another crib or go ahead and switch 1st LO into the big bed?  We had planned on not buying a crib and putting Em in her big girl bed.  Lately we have been going in there and reading her bedtime story in her new bed but she thinks it is a new jump toy. We planned on making the swtich at 17 months to give her some time to adjust before #2 arrives.  (We are swtiching her room too)  Any advice on how to make it a success at such a young age?  TIA

niki81

We bought another crib, but my little ones are only 10.5 months apart, so it was a much different situation. I refused to put sibling #1 in a bed at 11 months. I think you'll be fine. Just start with nap times. Put her in her new bed for nap times, and then eventually introduce the bed for bedtime. Keep reiterating to her that she's growing into a big girl and big girls sleep in beds. I think a smooth transition will work . . .

NaplesWifey

Our girls are 20 months apart, and buying the 2nd crib was very worth it to me. DD1 is still in her crib, and sleeps great in it, so I'm not going to switch it to a bed until she climbs out or when she is 3. We did buy a cheaper crib for DD2, but its still nice & is convertible (Baby Mod Cadence from Walmart).

I have seen people on here switch to a bed at a young age with success, so hopefully some of them will have advice for you! I just didn't want to mess with a good thing because DD1 has always been a great night sleeper.

 

Halo79RN

ds was in a bassinet in our room for 3 months,  dd was 19m old when he was born.  at 21 m we started out with her big girl bed mattress on the floor... after a month, added the boxspring... then put it all together on the frame after a couple of months.  dd did fine.  

jkelly41

Our kids will be 19 mos apart and we bought DS a new convertible crib.  He is showing no signs of trying to climb out of his crib and I need him contained for as long as possible.    If he starts trying soon after this baby arrives, we can quickly switch to a toddler bed for him.

Good luck!

thomas&lynn

My two are almost exactly 24mos apart.

DD started to climb out of her crib at 22mos so we converted her crib then. Then when she was 26mos we bought her a cute white toddler bed but kept the crib in the room still (but moved it off to the side) in case that was a huge fail (it wasn't). A month later, when she was 27mos and DS was 3mos we took the crib out of the room and moved it into ours for DS and have had no issues. 

Now DS will use her crib for about 2yrs and DD will then get it back in the form of the double bed it converts into. And then DS will get DD's toddler bed that she's in now. Works out pretty well!

 

 

 

monkeyqueen

My LO's are 12 months and 4 days apart.  We did NOT buy another crib.  Natalie is in the crib for now and Dominic is in a cradle.   In a few months, Natalie will go in the toddler bed ---- if it doesn't work, well, then we'd consider getting another crib.

Olivia was crawling out of her crib at 18 months and did fine in a toddler bed at that time.   I'm hoping Natalie makes the transition well, as well.

eta:  With Olivia, there really much of a transition... One night she was in the crib and the next night she was in the toddler bed.   Her sleep patterns did not get interrupted or change.

fisha25

even though i already had the bunk bed set up my second DD just wasn't ready when my DS was born. So we set up the pack n play in our room and thats where he sleeps until my DD is ready for her big girl bed.

Daisy22

We switched a little over a month ago when DS 13 1/2 months. He's in a low twin bed that has one side against the wall and the other side has an extra long, tall bed rail. When he's up there playing not during nap/bedtime he does love playing on his bed and with his toys in there. He begs now to go upstairs to play which is good b/c then I get to do laundry and stuff. But when I put him down for a nap or bedtime he has never gotten out. He even waits on us in the mornings. It's actually been a very smooth transition and way easier then we imagined.

Daisy22

Forgot to say, I think the one thing that made it smooth for us was that we kept his nap routine and bedtime routine the exact same. For nap, I carry him up, close the curtains, turn on the sound machine, kiss then lay him down. Just like if he was in the crib. For bedtime, it's bath, lotion/pjs, milk, brush teeth, kisses, lay him down. He's so use to these routines that he knows already that this means it's sleep time.

HarrietNJMommy

We bought another crib. That was worth more than having 2 kids up at all hours. I LOVE the confinement of a crib, especially since I EBF. I need to know that my older child is in a safe place and not able to roam the house. It worked out well for us.

DD#1 went to a bed at age 2 (she was ready). DD#2 turned 3 in May and is "almost" in a bed (any day now)....... 

kfriscia

19 months apart and we got a second crib.  Best money we ever spent.  It was great to have ds#1 in a safe place when he would wake up in the morning and I was in the middle of a feeding or a diaper change with #2.

Swoop1

I've done it twice, we had 3 under 3, at least for 2 months..then we had 3, 2, and newborn.

My oldest transitioned out of his crib and into a big boy bed at about 14 months, #2 was born when he was 16 months old. We moved him into a toddler bed and put a child gate in his doorway. I think I got more sleep that way, he got up and played in his room for awhile before wanting out, as opposed to yelling to get out of his crib. We just made sure that his room was baby safe.

When #3 was born, #2 was 18 months old and we moved him out of the crib about a month before the new baby came. Same thing toddler bed and baby gate, never had a problem. 

We moved #3 out a crib sooner than his big brothers not because we needed the crib but because he wouldn't stay in his crib even when we lowered it all the way down, he had monkey toes or something. But I was afraid he was really going to hurt himself during one of his escapes.

flgator

HarrietNJMommy:

We bought another crib. That was worth more than having 2 kids up at all hours. I LOVE the confinement of a crib, especially since I EBF. I need to know that my older child is in a safe place and not able to roam the house. It worked out well for us.

 Mine are 22 months apart and we bought a 2nd crib. I agree with Harriet. Also, DS#1 is a good sleeper and happy in his crib so why mess with a good thing.  They are both happy in their cribs and I'm glad we bought another one. 

Cakes2114

We bought 2 cribs and DD is still in her crib (she will be 2 1/2 in October)... until she starts climbing out she will remain in their for her safety and my sanity