Anyone sidecar the crib?
DH and I have decided that we are going to sidecar the LO's crib. She currently sleeps in the mini ARCS but it doesn't work so well next to our bed because it's not the right height to be flush with our mattress.
Did anyone here sidecar their crib? I've seen instructions online and it doesn't look too complicated. I'm worried about two things. First, there is a metal frame around the outside of the bed. It sticks out a few inches. I can't quite explain it. It's kind of like this although it's metal. I think this means that we'll need to put a lot of the foam between the crib mattress and the crib frame which makes me a little nervous. Second, our bed is very high and I worry about her falling out of bed. I was thinking of getting some pillows to put on the floor on the side of the bed in case she did try to crawl off. We also have a little bench at the end of the bed that the dog uses to get up on and off the bed. Can we teach her to crawl off the bed using the bench? Is that something that a crawling baby could understand? (she's not crawling yet - just thinking ahead)
Re: Anyone sidecar the crib?
Yup, and I know others on here have done so as well. Here's our system:
1) Mattress + box spring (low profile) are on the floor. This matches up with our crib on the lowest setting, and it eliminates a lot of worries. DS has been able to climb out of the bed for a month or two, but our bed frame was so high he would definitely have had issues. We can have a pretty bedroom in a few years, and our bed is just fine living in the garage
2) Crib with side removed, pushed up with a nightstand on the other side. We don't use bungees, because the furniture and the mattress on the floor keep things in place pretty well.
3) Rolled up towels between the crib mattress and frame to push the mattress up against ours and fill any gaps.
4) Video monitor for naps and when DS goes to bed. At this age he goes to bed early (like 7pm), so I feel much better with the ability to watch him. This was especially important before he could reliably get out of the bed feet-first, which only happened recently. Before that I would run up as soon as I saw him wake, and I usually put some pillows toward the edge of the bed in case he went off head first.
Bear in mind that the safety needs of a 14 month old are very different than a young infant, and keep things at your own comfort level. When DS was your baby's age, we used a bed rail only, but I think I would have done the sidecar had I known about it.
Yup. Pictures here:
https://embrita.blogspot.com/2009/12/so-now-that-were-ready.html
The gap is *very* nicely and safely closed with a pool noodle from target.
Follow your instincts regarding crawling. It's so far way from us that for now I'm going to focus on making sure he gets enough sleep.