Two Under 2
17mo old & Newborn, Should I buy 2nd crib?
DS will be 17mo when baby#2 is born. I've been wondering whether or not I'll need to buy another crib. When DS was a newborn, he slept in a bassinet during the day and crib at night. (hse is two levels) With the 2nd baby, am not sure what to do. At what age did you move your toddlers to toddler beds?
Thanks!
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Re: 17mo old & Newborn, Should I buy 2nd crib?
My kiddos are 16 months apart and yes, we did buy a second crib.
I think this is one of those things where you need to look at your LO and their temperment and what is best for them. My DD loves her crib (even at 2.5, she loves it and it is "her space" and she doesn't climb out) and we knew she would have a TON changing with the birth of our son. So the last thing we wanted to do was take her "space" from her too.
Also, on a practical level, the crib was a place I could put DD when I needed to tend to DS. Like, if he had a bad diaper or needed something quickly and I was worried about DD getting into something I would just put her in her crib and give her some books or a toy and then tend to DS.
Lastly, I remember someone on this board reminding me of this when I was pregnant.... In the early sleepless months of having a newborn, do you really want your 17 month old out wandering the halls wondering what the commotion is? Again, the idea of containment and KNOWING that your older child is safe in their crib is priceless with 2u2.
Both of our cribs conver to toddler beds. I didn't for one second feel it was wasteful to get two cribs. I figure we'll have used each crib for at least 3.5 years before we give them away or sell them.
Married 6/28/03
Kate ~ 7/3/09 *** Connor ~ 11/11/10
4 miscarriages: 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014
*~*~*~*~*
No more TTC for us. We are done, and at peace, as a family of 4.
"Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but – I hope – into a better shape.” — Charles Dickens
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Camryn Grace ~ July 6th, 2009 ~ 7lbs 9oz, 20.5"
Brayden Richard Drew ~ December 20, 2010~7lbs 9oz, 20"
DS1 and DS2 were 11 months apart so we bought another crip well we just found out we are having baby number 3 in late aug. and im thinking we are gonna need a third because i dont think DS1 will be ready to move to a toddler bed yet even if he will almost be 3
2nd crib = best $$ we ever spent.
Nice to know the toddler is safe and contained while you're tending to the baby.
I didn't move them until they started trying to climb out. I'm an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" kinda gal when it comes to sleep.
#1 moved at 28 months
#2 moved at 32 months.
Total score: 6 pregnancies, 5 losses, 2 amazing blessings that I'm thankful for every single day.
We have a 2 bedroom house so the ultimate plan is to have the girls share a room. DD2 is currently sleeping in the PNP bassinet in our room until she starts STTN. She is just about at the 15 lbs weight limit for the bassinet, however, and will begin sleeping in the regular PNP part soon. Once she moves into DD1's room, she'll start sleeping in her crib.
DD1 is 24 months and is still in a crib. We do plan to convert it to a toddler bed within the next week or so since she's finally started trying to climb out.
~Team green turned Blue on 4/6/14~
Thank you all so much for the responses!! You've helped me look at this differently. DH and I have been debating about it for a while. We'll definitely buy another crib.
In the minority here, but we didnt get a 2nd crib and mine are 12.5 months apart. However, my oldest mostly bedshared with us and rarely slept in a crib so it was different. He moved to a full sized bed at 1 1/2 and it worked fine.
If you really want to stick to one crib, you could have baby sleep in a bassinet for the first 6 months or so and then transition your oldest to a toddler bed at 2. 35 inches is the height limit on crib use and that's about the average height of a 2 year old boy.
I never felt it was necessary to use the crib to contain my older child. I babyproofed and used gates, so if I needed to give DD a bath because she had a blowout diaper or something, I just put him in the kitchen with me. We babyproofed a ton before my 2nd came so I didnt have to keep an eye on him 24/7. Sure, if they can climb out of their bed, they can move around their room but as long as their room is safe for them does it really matter?
Where did you hear that? I just looked up the specs of my DD's crib (which we are converting to a toddler bed (basically a crib with a small rail instead of the four sides) this week. The only limitation listed by Pottery Barn is a 99 pound weight limit. Why on earth would height matter?
Married 6/28/03
Kate ~ 7/3/09 *** Connor ~ 11/11/10
4 miscarriages: 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014
*~*~*~*~*
No more TTC for us. We are done, and at peace, as a family of 4.
"Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but – I hope – into a better shape.” — Charles Dickens
Yes, I would buy a second crib. IMO, the last thing you want to be dealing with when your newborn is here is training your 17-month old to sleep in a toddler bed.
My child is about to be 2, still sleeping in his crib and will most likely be in there for quite awhile.
I'm in the minority also. Ours are 22 months apart but we transitioned my son at about 17 months to a toddler bed. I wanted to transition over my summer break in case it was traumatic (it turns out the transition went fine). I also wanted to transition him because it was difficult for me to get him in and out of the crib while pregnant. We still rock him to sleep, or he falls asleep in the stroller or car seat a lot and so I was having to lower him into the crib while pregnant and it was too much. Putting him in his bed was much easier.
He still can't work doorknobs very well and pretty much calls out for us as soon as he wakes up so I'm not too worried. His room is baby proof and I always hear him before he leaves the room, and he tends to come right to our room anyway. If I had a different child I guess I might be more concerned, but he's been "free" for 6+ months now and it's been fine.
We left the crib set up in his room but he pretty much ignores it. We haven't put the new one in there yet (she's 6 weeks) and probably won't for a while, except maybe for her morning nap but it's available to her when she's ready. Unless we unexpectedly have irish twins or something we probably won't ever buy another crib. We'll see though.
THIS! All of it! Smart mama
I'm one of the minority too! My girls are 18 months apart and I transitioned DD1 to a twin bed with rails at 16 months. She sleeps beautifully in her big girl bed and I personally don't think she's being "cheated" out of babyhood by being in a big girl bed as someone mentioned.
Yes we had some trouble with naps for a little while but she learned that she needs to stay in bed until after she sleeps, then she can get out. Also, we have round door knobs and she hasn't figured out how to turn them to open her door. She's "contained" in her room until I get her. All of her toys are kept in her closet (except her stuffed doggy) so she doesn't get out of bed to play instead of nap / sleep.
I love that she can come to my room in the middle of the night IF she wakes up (rarely these days) instead of yell or cry for me.
It's an aap rec and most cribs manufactored in the US come with that instruction in the manual.
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/pages/Choosing-a-Crib.aspx?nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000&nfstatusdescription=ERROR%3a+No+local+token
Does your crib convert into a toddler/twin bed? That's where that 99lb limit comes from.
I transistioned my DD1 into a toddler bed when she was 14 months old so she would have a few months to get used to it before DD2 came. It went fine, however, we put DD1 in a toddler bed because she started climbing out of her crib at 13.5 months! she has incredible upper arm strength.
If we didn't have a "climber" I'm not sure if we would have done it so soon or not. I think every child is different and it totally depends on your child!
Good luck!
Yep, I did. Mine were 17 months apart too. I was not ready to let him be "free", hehe. However, it was best for us. You'll know when LO is ready to move to a toddler bed - I think DS was about 2-1/2ish. Some say that's too old to be in a crib - but he's an "explorer", so it was nice to know he was somewhere safe while I finished BFing DD or whatever when he/I was waking up. He's almost 3 now - and sometimes I wish he was still in the crib...it's scary to wake up to his little face breathing on mine. It's scared us both before! LOL!
Agreed with OP, well spent money. However, I would skip the fancy double stroller. We bought the jeep umbrella double - $60 and such a good investment. It's small, but does the job well. The BIG clunky doubles we bought because we freaked out when we found out I was preg again - are sitting in the garage collecting dust.
Mine are 13.5 months apart and we did not buy a second crib. We bought a twin bed and set it up in DS1's new room & for now, he's sleeping in his pnp until he's ready for the bed.
DS2 is sleeping in a bassinet in our room for now & will transition to the crib in the nursery in the next month or two (as soon as his sleep schedule is more reliable).
More Green For Less Green
I haven't gotten one yet but I may end up getting one. I put my 1yo in a big girl bed and she did great for a little while. Then she started getting out of bed every night and pounding on the door. I put her in the pack 'n play and she started sleeping 13+ hours again.
So I have my 4mo in the crib and my 19mo in the pack n play. I hope to put the 19mo in the bed soon, but if she stops sleeping I may have to consider buying a 2nd crib.
DS switched to a convertible toddler bed with a full rail last month. He transitioned excellently, but I was prepared to put him back in the crib if he didn't. We decided that since DD will sleep in the RnP until she's 5 or 6 months, that's plenty of time to get him set up. If he wasn't ready, she could move the the PnP and we'd get a good mattress for it until he was ready for a toddler bed. I think you have to know your child. J is an excellent sleeper and has never really fought naps or bedtime so it was an easy transition for us. I think one crib is plenty for 17 month spacing for my kids, but my DS has always been independent.