Here are the facts:
1) Wesley is still sleeping in a crib. He can't climb out of it and occasionally he fights sleep and needs to cry for a few minutes in there before giving in. I'm not too anxious to switch him to a bed because he's really doing great in the crib.
2) We have a Moses basket for baby girl to sleep in for the first 2-3 months in our bedroom.
3) We have a pack-n-play with a bassinet attachment that she can sleep in when she outgrows the basket if Wesley is still in the crib.
4)I was given a crib/toddler mattress by a friend here so now it is set up on the floor of Wesley's room opposite his crib.
This is the crib that we have currently. We bought it from IKEA for Wesley and it has now dropped in price from when we bought it-- it's only $69.99. It also looks like they have upgraded it a touch because it says "One bed side can be removed when the child is big enough to climb into/out of the bed."
Our crib does not have that feature. It's just a cage really.
So here's the question. Should I just buy another one of the same crib so that
a) the beds will match
b) Wesley will be able to stay in his crib as long as he wants and I won't feel pressured to get him into a bed sooner
c) and when he is ready, I can just remove one side and it's still a familiar bed for him, just all grown up.
Or should I just get a toddler bed frame because who really needs two cribs? I think I'm leaning toward the 2 crib thing because of a-c above and also because buying the crib is only $10 more than the cheapest toddler bed I could find (Craigslist included. People sell their used junk for WAY too much out here).
Originally my plan was to buy this bed from IKEA and move Wesley into it when he was ready for a bed. The thing is, I have a crib/toddler mattress and I don't have a twin size mattress. Wesley isn't quite 2 yet so I'm thinking that he'll be able to stay comfortable in the toddler bed for at least another year, maybe 2 right? So I won't have to buy the upgrade bed for a while.
So since I've never had two kids before and lots of you have, what do you do in this situation? Did you buy 2 cribs? I certainly wouldn't even consider buying a second crib if it didn't have the option of dropping a side so it can be a toddler bed too. Anyway, comments and emails on this subject will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
7 comments:
I would wait until a decision felt right, or until a CL deal came along that was too good to pass up, or until I had to decide because Baby didn't fit in the basket anymore. It would be really fun to have them in matching beds. And I like having bars to keep them in. But it's nice for the older one to be able to get out.
People are always trying to get rid of toddler beds, because they have such a limited period of usefulness. I bet that if you want one, you can find one for less. I paid $15 for mine, then was mad when I saw a bunch for less. People will clear out stuff on CL in March-May, when it's warmer.
I agree with Guinevere about people trying to get rid of toddler beds.
We happened to have a twin size bed, so Jane started sleeping on just the mattress (so it wasn't too high that she could fall and hurt herself) when she was about 14 months old. I wanted her "weaned" from a crib before baby2 came, that was just because she's pretty possessive and whiny, and mine are so close together. Yours may be totally different.
We've gradually added a box spring, and then a frame. She does great. She doesn't handle sleeping in cribs or pack n plays, and she's 18 months. But, I'm pretty sure the Duggars have their 3 and 4 year olds sleeping in pack n plays, so...
We have the same exact Ikea crib, the one that converts to a toddler bed that is. So far we have never used that feature.
I think whatever works for you will be fine. It might be tough to have two little ones in the same room. I'm thinking the infant will most likely be chill, but it will probably disturb your toddler's sleep. But obviously people have done this for centuries and millenia!
Just don't pay $900 for a crib and try to sell it back on craigslist for 850. I see that a lot. Like I would ever pay more than $50 for anything for a baby.
I was talking to Matt last night about calling you this morning and seeing if you wanted/needed our crib. I'm transitioning Annie and am done. I will talk to you at MMers and hopefully it might help solve your problem (or you can just say you aren't interested and I won't be offended)
Here's my two bits: Keep Wesley in a crib as long as you can, especially if he's sleeping well and not crawling out. Why ruin a good thing? And what is more important than sleep when you have a new baby?
So that leads to my opinion on toddler beds. Personally, ridiculous! Unless you have a crib that doubles, just move them right to a twin mattress on the floor like your other friend mentioned. But if you have two cribs, two crib mattresses and they turn into toddler bed, bonus.
Personally, I never bought two cribs until I had the twins, when it was clearly a need. Most of my others just slept in the pack-n-play for an extended amount of time. Call me white trash, but I just didn't see the need--that coming from someone who had a new baby coming home to a toddler (or two) in a crib three times. Why have one more thing?
For what it's worth . . . Good luck!
I would not buy the second crib. I'd use the Moses basket, then the pack-n-play w/bassinet. By that time Wesley should be ready to move out of the crib. Also, for little kids, it's a great idea to use the toddler mattress on the floor - not a bedframe. 1.) they can "jump" on it to play (if you allow them to) and not hurt the frame, and hurts the mattress even less, and 2.) there's no worries of "falling" out of bed during the night, and 3.) way easy and "fun" for the little kids to get into.
That'll save you the money, until you are actually ready to buy a twin bed. Because let's face it, we don't really use the "toddler beds" for very long at all. Not worth the money in my opinion.
AND.... who knows... maybe you can even put his toddler mattress under the baby's crib and call it "bunk beds"! lol! Good luck! I'm sure y'all will do what is best for you! You are two smart people! :)
I feel a twin size bed would be the best bet. My children started sleeping in twin size beds at a little under 14 months. I recently found a wonderful site that lists different twin size mattresses, as well as other mattresses at great prices. Though I currently work with Sleepys, they have honestly helped me find the perfect bed and they have all the information you need to find a good night’s sleep. I would definitely check it out.
Hmmm... I think this crib is fit for my granchild
Alexz Ross
Easy Rest
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