s/o crib mattresses - When do kids typically move from a crib to a toddler bed?

Huahine

Just curious about this.  We are bed-sharing co-sleepers who moved our LO to a crib mattress on the floor next to our bed two months back.  That worked well until he started rolling off of it onto the floor and waking himself up.

Screaming. Several times a night.  FML.

I'm trying to figure out if I should bother buying him a crib now to contain him as he starts to crawl, or just put him in his own room on a larger mattress on the floor (assuming our house purchase goes through) and gate off the room.  Thoughts?

eklanger

bed guard rail?

Huahine

I was using a pool noodle under the fitted sheet to contain him.  But now when his binky winds up on the other side he wiggles himself up and over that thing like a marine elbow crawling towards a fallen platoon-mate.  "Binky down!"

bigbear

From what I'm hearing, people have their kids in the crib until they start climbing out of it. Then they switch to a toddler bed with the railing so they don't accidentally roll out of it, but can get out of bed safely if they want to.....

I'm not sure when we'll be doing it. I figured I have a bit more time with that, but our circumstances are obviously a bit different.

beccajanedowning

eklanger:

bed guard rail?

This sounds like a good plan. You can still keep him with you on the floor this way (or in his own room).  

meg_2006

I'm probably just ignorant b/c I don't co-sleep (and don't know much about)...but if you're putting him on his own mattress on the floor, why didn't you just put him in a crib next to you to begin with?  Or in a pack-n-play?  If he's on a mattress on the floor isn't he technically not co-sleeping any more?   If cost is the matter, I'd get a pack-n-play in your room (or his, if he's STTN).  

Huahine

meg_2006:

I'm probably just ignorant b/c I don't co-sleep (and don't know much about)...but if you're putting him on his own mattress on the floor, why didn't you just put him in a crib next to you to begin with?  Or in a pack-n-play?  If he's on a mattress on the floor isn't he technically not co-sleeping any more?   If cost is the matter, I'd get a pack-n-play in your room (or his, if he's STTN).  

To facilitate safe bed-sharing we put our King-sized mattress on the floor - this reduces the chance that a child will roll off and injure themselves by falling from a height.  

So a crib next to our mattress on the floor would be a little odd.  And he still winds up with us for part of the night sometimes, especially when he is teething, so we don't want to elevate our mattress back up yet. 

Bed-sharing = same bed.

Co-sleeping = same room.

So even though he isn't usually in our bed, we are still co-sleeping.  He doesn't sleep through the night and eats several times a night.  So moving him into his own room isn't in the cards yet.  Besides, we are in a 2 bedroom apartment, the second of which is my office (I work from home). So there is no place for him to have his own room.  

I'm considering a crib, hence this post.  Cost isn't an issue.  I just don't want to buy something that he may only be in for a short amount of time.  It seems wasteful.  So that's why I was wondering when kids move to toddler beds. 

 

namara5532

Toddler beds are for when they're old enough to safely get themselves out of bed, so about 2 or 3 years old I'd think.  I say go ahead and get a crib.  LO definately isn't old enough for a toddler bed, and it'll be a while yet.

bigbear

Huahine:

meg_2006:

I'm probably just ignorant b/c I don't co-sleep (and don't know much about)...but if you're putting him on his own mattress on the floor, why didn't you just put him in a crib next to you to begin with?  Or in a pack-n-play?  If he's on a mattress on the floor isn't he technically not co-sleeping any more?   If cost is the matter, I'd get a pack-n-play in your room (or his, if he's STTN).  

To facilitate safe bed-sharing we put our King-sized mattress on the floor - this reduces the chance that a child will roll off and injure themselves by falling from a height.  

So a crib next to our mattress on the floor would be a little odd.  And he still winds up with us for part of the night sometimes, especially when he is teething, so we don't want to elevate our mattress back up yet. 

Bed-sharing = same bed.

Co-sleeping = same room.

So even though he isn't usually in our bed, we are still co-sleeping.  He doesn't sleep through the night and eats several times a night.  So moving him into his own room isn't in the cards yet.  Besides, we are in a 2 bedroom apartment, the second of which is my office (I work from home). So there is no place for him to have his own room.  

I'm considering a crib, hence this post.  Cost isn't an issue.  I just don't want to buy something that he may only be in for a short amount of time.  It seems wasteful.  So that's why I was wondering when kids move to toddler beds. 

 

You definitely have plenty of time so I don't think a crib would be a waste. I'd say you have about 2 years left. Or you can buy one of those convertible cribs (we have one) that goes from a crib into a toddler bed.

meg_2006

Huahine:

meg_2006:

I'm probably just ignorant b/c I don't co-sleep (and don't know much about)...but if you're putting him on his own mattress on the floor, why didn't you just put him in a crib next to you to begin with?  Or in a pack-n-play?  If he's on a mattress on the floor isn't he technically not co-sleeping any more?   If cost is the matter, I'd get a pack-n-play in your room (or his, if he's STTN).  

To facilitate safe bed-sharing we put our King-sized mattress on the floor - this reduces the chance that a child will roll off and injure themselves by falling from a height.  

So a crib next to our mattress on the floor would be a little odd.  And he still winds up with us for part of the night sometimes, especially when he is teething, so we don't want to elevate our mattress back up yet. 

Bed-sharing = same bed.

Co-sleeping = same room.

So even though he isn't usually in our bed, we are still co-sleeping.  He doesn't sleep through the night and eats several times a night.  So moving him into his own room isn't in the cards yet.  Besides, we are in a 2 bedroom apartment, the second of which is my office (I work from home). So there is no place for him to have his own room.  

I'm considering a crib, hence this post.  Cost isn't an issue.  I just don't want to buy something that he may only be in for a short amount of time.  It seems wasteful.  So that's why I was wondering when kids move to toddler beds. 

 

Gotcha!  Your mattress being on the floor was the missing piece in my brain puzzle.  It makes sense now!  They do make convertible cribs where one side rail comes out.  You could put your bed back on its frame and put the crib next to it.