I am just wondering what you would do in my situation regarding my son's bed. My son (who is now 25 months) started in a crib that converted to a toddler bed. He has been in the toddler bed for a few (4-5) months now. My son's bed does have the option to convert to a full size bed (so it was a crib/toddler bed/full size bed converter). We are expecting a new baby in January and my husband and I are at odds as to what to do with the sleeping arrangements.
When we purchased the conversion bed, I was under the assumption that it would be my son's until he went to college. Now, my husband is telling me we are going to buy him a new big boy bed and use the crib for the baby. My son has always slept in the crib/bed and I am afraid if we take it from him and put it in the nursery we may have issues. He saw the 'foot board' of the crib in our storage closet a few weeks ago and he said "That's my crib" (not in those exact words, but it was what he meant). My husband thinks if we take him to a store and let him pick one out, then he will sleep in it. I am thinking he will sleep there until the baby starts sleeping in the crib and then he will start either trying to sleep in the crib (which he can climb into) or something similar. Plus, if we do buy a bed for my son, I want it to be a loft style bed where he can have a desk/study area under the mattress part, but I don't think a 2.5 year old will be ready for one.
Do any of you have experience with this? Any suggestions?
My son was 19 months when his sister was born. A month after she was born, we switched him from his crib to a "big boy bed" and he loved it. When the baby was 3 months old, she started sleeing in his old crib and it was never an issue. In fact, I think it helped him see himself as a "big boy" and not a baby anymore.
Sounds confusing. He's only 2 still a toddler. I would keep him in his toddler bed until he grows out of it, then get a twin size bed. I think a full size bed for a kid just takes up too much room. Explain to him he has a big boy bed now and cribs are for babies. I wouldn't get him a loft bed yet. Maybe when the baby is ready to go to a bigger bed then switch them and get the loft.
Maybe you could involve your son in this decision. Make it sound like you'd really like to buy him the big boy bed he wants instead of buying the baby a new bed. Maybe he'd go in for the idea that at least the baby isn't getting all of the new stuff, he's getting some too. If you play your cards right you could make this into a very positive thing wherein your son is actually happy the baby has come because he got new cool stuff out of the bargain.
This is a tricky one. I see both sides. I started typing to let your son keep his bed, that plenty of new things will be occurring in his life very son. Best to let him have one thing that stays normal.
But then I think about cost. Why have his 'crib part' of his bed in the attic for forever and ever? Use the crib part of his bed for baby. He will never need it again, so no use in having basically two cribs around. So that being said, I guess I do agree with your husband. If you beef it up a lot and make this all about your son, he might get really excited to let his new baby brother/sister to have his old bed. Let him pick out new sheets and new stuff for his room and he may WANT to give his old bed to the baby. The loft thing though is an issue. Wait a few years before getting him a loft. He would most definitely fall out of it in the next year or two or even three.
In 5 years, get your son a loft bed, give baby the new bed, and sell the converter crib/bed.
Buy a new bed for your 25 month son.... then he'll have it until college Make it a double. He'll do fine.
Well, what we did in your situation was have my daughter switch to a full size bed (with bed rails and platform style, no boxspring) way before our second daughter was born. By then she was comfy in her bed and didn't care about the crib at all. I think she was 18 months when we switched her and 22 months when her sister was born, sounds young but she did fine. I think your son will do fine too. You don't say when you're due but if it's soon and you do decide to keep the crib for the baby just talk him up about how he's a big boy and all that and let him pick out some cute bedding. Good luck!
We're expecting Baby #2 in about 6 weeks and we decided to move our son into a new bed. We also have a convertible crib, but decided that we would put our son in a new Full bed. We only have three bedrooms and some of my family lives out of the country, so it's nice to still have a place for visitors to sleep on occasion as well.
I would just buy a new convertible crib-if I am understanding you right-u already converted the crib to a toddler bed-I am pretty sure the directions say once you convert it to the bed do not convert it back to a crib-at least mine did and a friend of mine too-not sure if they are all like that! L.:)
We are in the same situation as you - we have a 2 year old boy and a baby due in January. We didn't want to buy a new crib so we ended up getting a new "big boy" bed for our son. He actually loves it!! The first couple nights were an adjustment, but now he loves it and he's actually sleeping better in the big bed than he was in the crib. And we actually put the big bed up in his room BEFORE we took the crib down, that way he could get acclimated to it and it wouldn't seem like a drastic change. Then when we took the crib down he just said "bye bye crib!" And we even put the crib away for a couple weeks (in the garage) so that he would kinda forget about it, then we put it back up after he had adjusted to and fallen in love with his new bed. Now he sees it in the other room and knows it's for the baby and we haven't had any problems with it at all. If you're gonna do it, though, I'd do it now, so he has a couple months to adjust to it before the baby comes. That way it's not like a whole bunch of changes all at once. Good luck!!
My 2 youngest boys are 20 months apart so we also faced your situation just recently. We opted to wait until 4 months after our baby was born to change bedding situations and it worked out just fine. Our 2 yr old wasn't traumatized and never seemed to miss the crib. The crib remains in the same room as his "big boy" bed and he couldn't care less that his brother sleeps there now. It only took a couple times correcting him for crawling into the crib for him to learn.
With my oldest (a girl who is less flexible about life changes) we moved her to a day bed 3 months before our son was born and again had no problems with the transition. Kids are surprisingly able to adapt to change better than adults. I find that as the Mom I have harder time letting go of "the way things were suppose to be" than my kids. This issue isn't worth a fight with your husband since there's more than one right answer. That being said, please don't buy a loft bed just yet. Wait till your little guy is at least 5 or 6. The risk for injury is just too great. R., midwife mom of 3
Hi C.,
I was in the same situation 7 months ago, but with my 4 (now 5) year old son. My father-in-law made him his big boy bed and he sleeps in it with no problems. My husband and I were very up front with him and told him that the baby would be getting his old bed and that he would be getting a new big boy bed and we have had no problems. Yes, I know that he is older, but I thought that I was going to have the same issues. I would take your son to the store and let him pick out a new big boy bed because then he will feel that he's being included with this and he just might surprise you and sleep in his big boy bed. I would start looking now, so that its not something that will happen last minute and it will give him time to get used to his new bed.
I hope that this helps!
I. K.
I would get a twin mattress and put in on the floor, no point in spending money on 2 cribs, and the crib can still be used in all its abilities with number 2.
When we were expecting our second son, we bought a full size mattress set and bought bed rails at target that fit between the mattress and the box spring. We placed it directly on the floor so it wasn't too high and the bed rails work perfectly to keep him from rolling off. (This way you can hold off on buying an actual bed until he's ready and when he's ready, you'll already have the mattress set.) We originally started him in a toddler bed, but it was just too small--he was rolling around way too much and I couldn't lay in bed with him to read books or comfort him when he wasn't feeling well or scared. It has worked fantastic for us. Also, try to make the change well before the baby arrives. You don't want your son to feel like the new baby is stealing his bed. Make his new BIG boy bed very exciting and let him know that cribs are just for babies. Maybe get some sheets with his favorite characters on them. Good luck and congratulations on the new addition to your family.
Buy the new bed. I bought my daughter's crib (a convertible to a queen) thinking it would be hers always, but it was easier to just buy her a new bed and give the crib to the baby (21 months apart). We bought her a play tool set, and she helped daddy take it apart. She called it her crib for about 3 weeks, then it was her brothers.
They adjust quickly.
My kids transitioned from the crib to a full size mattress on the floor when they were about 1 year old, then the mattress moved to a bed frame later. In your situation, I would transition your son to a mattress on the floor and set the crib aside for your baby. I would also make this transition sooner than later, so it gives him time to own his new sleeping situation away from his crib/bed before the baby arrives. It will seem less like the baby is taking his bed away from him. You could even get him all new, fun sheets for the mattress. Then when he is old enough for a loft bed, you can move the mattress he's been sleeping on to the loft bed.
Hope this helps!
Looks like you've already got lots of good answers. We switched our older son (now 5) to a twin bed when he was about a year old, when he started trying to crawl out of the crib. We tried the toddler bed for a few days, but he kept falling out of it, even with a little safety rail. He was just so big, he wasn't comfortable. When we transitioned him to the twin, we started with the mattress on the floor, then put the boxspring under it, then eventually moved it into a frame. He only fell out one time after it was moved onto the frame, but that's it- never when it was lower. We bought his loft bed when he was about 3 because we bought a house where his bedroom was less than 1/2 the size of the huge room he had in our rent house. We wanted him to still have the space to play underneath. There are rails all around the loft, and the only concern at first was him climbing up & down the ladder, but he was fine. He never fell at all.
When he was 5, baby #2 was born, and the older one would say, "That was my old bed, but it's my baby bro's now cause cribs are for babies."
Now we will be having #3 soon, and are in the same debate you are, since #3 will only be about a year old when this one's born.
We are going to just transition him to our older son's twin bed on the floor since he is already tall enough at 8 mos to lean over the edge of the crib & is trying to climb out with the mattress all the way down. We'll get a full size bed for the 5yo.
Our crib also transitions, but my boys have been too big to be comfortable in it. Maybe baby girl (#3) will be smaller and we'll be able to use it?
