New Baby

Dear S.
Hi! I took my kids out of the babybed when they were
15 months old. What I did was took the twin bed off the frame
and put it on the floor up against the wall on oneside on
the other side I rolled a blanket up and put it under
the bottom sheet so if they rolled over they would not
fall out . We made a big deal out of it that they were
getting a big bed because they were getting bigger.
They thought it wsa neat to get in and out of their own
bed. Hope this helps. B. K.

You might want to try a small bassinet for a while for the new baby. It will buy you a few months and by age 2 she should be okay.
Good luck to you!

Hello S.. I put all 3 of my kids in a normal bed at age 12 months with a side panel and they have done great. In fact my baby is just 13 months now. She loves it being able to get in and out of her own bed. It has not been a problem at all. She knows when it is bedtime and time to get up she calls for mommy too. If you don't feeling that she will not be safe you can always lay a matress on the floor for a while too. I hope this info helps. It may also help her transition into being the big sister! Yeah and congrats on the new baby! E.

My daughter was 10 months old when my son was born (surprise!), definitely not ready for a big bed yet! Some family members did give us a second crib, but we haven't really used it as a crib yet (it's up against our bed with one long side off so he just more or less sleeps with us). But really, I've never had the need for a crib with a newborn. My daughter was almost 6 mo old before she moved into her crib. We used either a bassinet, a Pack-N-Play (which is a GREAT option because you can move it easily from room-to-room or to Grandma's, and they are supereasy and supercheap to find at garage sales or on craigslist, or to borrow from someone - and they come in different sizes if you want a smaller one for the sake of space), a little in-bed co-sleeper (we borrowed from a friend), or just had them in bed with us. There is a lot of good information out there about how to safely co-sleep with your baby (Dr. Sears' website has great information on this and many other attachment parenting issues, including the statistics about SIDS rates being lower among co-sleeping infants). Having been there and done that, definitely don't stress over not having another crib. Keep your eyes peeled for a cheap or free (freecycle was a great idea I saw from someone else) alternative like a Pack-N-Play, learn about co-sleeping and you will have enough time for your daughter to grow into a big bed before you need to move the baby into a crib. Congratulations! And just a word of reassurance, two little ones are a lot easier than it seems like it is going to be once you get in a rhythm and they are really fun to watch play together! You will truly enjoy them this close :) Oh and one more word of experience, if you aren't already familiar with babywearing (slings, wraps, mei-tais, etc., you can check them all out at www.thebabywearer.com, and there is a local group meeting called Gateway Babywearing, they have a yahoogroup also), I highly, highly, highly :) recommend it, it was an absolute life/sanity saver for us, with needing to hold a baby and chase a little one! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, I can explain VERY low cost babywearing options (like under $5). Good luck and enjoy your babies!

Hi S.,"sell" that the next step is a bed like mommy and daddy or cousin tommy, then that is what is next. My second child arrived when my oldest was 18 months and guess what? It was bed time. And Johnathon transitioned because I sold it as fun and , quite frankly, the next step. I sold the "dream of a big boy bed and how fun it was for us to sit on it and read before bed, look at the stars together on the ceiling...etc... We created lots of new traditions, all to celebrate the new bed. The most important thing is that all of his toys that live in the crib, take up new residence as well. Does you daughter have a blankie? If not, grab one of your many, and create a special bond with blankie. The security will transfer, when it is time for the transition to big girl bed. All will be wonderful because your enthusiasm will "sell the dream" Good Luck!

let her keep her bed for a while. get a pack and play for the new one . they change in size and will cost less than a new twin bed. new babies take a while to out grow bassinets too .

If you have a bassinet or pak'n'play you could put the new baby in there for the first couple of months and push off moving your daughter even longer. With me and all my friends it has worked best to wait until the child is 2 to move them. Good luck and congrats. on the new baby. God Bless

They recommend not "evicting" the oldest from the crib for the new baby. If there is someone that you can borrow a crib from for the baby for the first few months to give your oldest the time to adjust first to the new baby and then to going to a toddler bed or "big girl" bed. That is what is best. I wouldn't say she would be tramatized, but it may start the subconcious resentment towards the new sibling.

I know that financially, it makes sense. Why buy another crib when you already have one? But personally, I wouldn't put my child into a toddler bed until she was over two. It is just safer for them to stay in the crib. Little ones move around so much when they sleep. The crib that I had for my daughter was one that grows with her. It went from crib to toddler day bed (she was 2 1/2) and can also be hers as a full bed. At the current time, she is now in a twin, as I received a nearly new twin mattress and box spring for free from an ex-coworker when he moved from the area.

Best of Luck and Congratulations!

there are lots of options if you truly don't feel she's ready. you could put the new baby in a bassinette, for a couple months. you could get a pack n play for your daughter. if money is tight look on craigslist, they have lots of good stuff cheap. if all else fails try her in the new bed...you won't traumatize her i promise! good luck and congrats!

I know you've already gotten lots of responses, but we were in the same situation with our first two and I wanted to share how it went for us. We were also in a small place and didn't want to have to buy another crib. However, our son, who was about 18 months when his brother was born was not ready to move to the big bed. We struggled for several months with bedtime, getting him to fall asleep. In the course of our struggles we read a book that suggested children are not ready to move to the big bed until they are 3 because they can't control the impulses yet that make them just get out of bed whenever they feel like it. We lost lots of sleep because we didn't feel we could move our youngest out of our room until the older one was sleeping better in a bed.
So, all that to say, even though we are expecting #3 now and our youngest son will be 26 months when this one is born, we are probably going to bite the bullet and find another crib free or very cheap, just so we can get more sleep and wait to move #2 to the bed when he is 3. I'm sure we'll be able to sell or give away the second crib when it is no longer needed.

If I was in your situation I would probably keep my eyes out for a very cheap or free (but obviously in acceptable condition) crib. If you find one, yeah! But if not, work with what you have.

Our kids are 18 months apart, and we did the same thing. We actually moved our oldest to a big bed at 15 months, so that she wouldn't associate the new baby with losing her crib. Also, our new baby didn't use the crib, except for occasional nap, for 4 months, since we slept with her. It worked out fine. Our oldest loved her new bed, which was my old bed from childhood. We had a bed rail on there and just put the mattress on a board to avoid the box springs.

I had my second when my first, a girl, was 20 month and I started working on the big girl bed around 18m. It was tough at first but by the time the baby was here, it worked out fine. Now they are 5 and 3 and are great at entertaining each other (Ok and some fighting!) Good luck!

Hi S.,

This happened to my son...they had an 18 mo old girl (with downs syndrome) when they had their 2nd (a boy). For a while the new baby slept in the bassinet, then they moved him to a play-n-pack until they felt the older one was ready to be moved to a toddler bed. She is now 3 and loves her big bed and the baby is now 18 mo and is in the crib. They made the switch a few months back and it has worked out really well for them. Hope this helps :)

V.
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Hi S.! Congrats on your second baby! I found that making the transition from crib to bed was quite smooth. We went to a toddler size bed for a few months and then to a twin mattress on the floor. (I will skip the toddler bed next time.) My son was about 20 months when we made the transition and there were a few nights that he was in and out of bed, but overall it went smooth. I kept reminding him that he was going to have a big boy bed soon and that when it was night time we would read together in bed and that he would fall asleep in his new bed. I really listened to his cues and felt like he was ready to be out of the crib. I think if I had done it even a month or two sooner than it might not have been so smooth. But, again, your child may be ready sooner or later.... I think you just need to watch her cues. Also, if the new baby comes and she's not made the transition.... Have you thought about using a co-sleeper for the new baby? or creating a safe sleep environment where you can sleep with the new baby in bed? Many moms find this helpful to family bonding and it would buy you 6 months (at least) for the older sibling to transition to a new bed, while making the adjustments of being an older sibling at the same time. Whatever you decide will take some time, but it sounds like you are in tune to your childs needs and that will make it all go very smooth!
K.

She will be fine, My son was out of his crib by 13 mos b/ c he was climbing so bad and he did just fine! good luck!!

The question is, will you be traumatized by moving her too soon?? I would put the baby in bed with you and your husband if you can't get a porta crib (which is always useful) from Freecycle or somewhere. And, leave the 18mo old in her own bed. Having a new sibling can be stressful, so that isn't the time to move her. Give her a couple months, and with my first three, when I put them in their crib at 3 mos full time, we had no issues with them staying in there at all. Now, if you wait after the 3 mos....LOL We've done it both ways, but we forgo the crib altogether now, because when the baby comes, the older one is average of 2 yrs, and go straight to the toddler bed. But, then the child is crowded and takes to their bed a lot easier. If you aren't having anymore, then that won't work for you. See if you can borrow a bassinet if you don't like the idea of cosleeping. And, yard sales are common right now. I would keep the child in the crib until 2yo to keep my sanity and keep her safe. just my .02 from having 7 myself

Hi,
My first 2 where 16 months apart. We also went though the what to do delima....and ended up putting him in a regular bed with a good side rail. It worked out fine. We actually moved him to it about a month before the baby was born...so it was not a displacement but a treat as he was getting to be a big boy....
It worked out fine.
Barb

Hi S. - I have an 18 month old and she loves being in the big bed (even though most of the time it is mine). At 18 months my little one gets up and down on the couch and spare bed (that is low to the floor). I think she will do just great and if your beagle is like mine they will probably want to sleep with her (we usually all end up in the same bed).

N.

my kids (4) all were out of their crib at that age. Just get a toddler bed and use crib mattress and put against a wall and the rail on the toddler bed on the outside they shouldn't fall out. You can also put it in your room awhile til she is used to it. You may have an issue with climbing out, just be persistent and keep putting her back in bed. routine helped me a lot. Bath, story, bed. No variations. They just knew what was next and was excited to tell ME what was next. Good luck!
J.

My middle two children are just seventeen months apart--Surprise! We weren't planning them that close, but things happen. I too was concerned about what to do with my son when he was only going to be seventeen months old when his sister was born, but it ended up working out unexpectedly well. We have a small toddler bed that uses a baby crib mattress and has raised sides (it's the white plastic model from Graco, though I'm not sure if they still make it--we got it five years ago or so). I set the bed up early and had him start taking naps in it during the day if he wanted to around sixteen months old--at first he just played in it, but that was okay with me. I just wanted him to get comfortable with it. I hoped I would have an extra month or two with our daughter sleeping in our room in the bassinet, but our son took to the toddler bed quickly and soon wanted to sleep in it at night too. He did get up and down alot, but I pretty much took everything out of his reach that I didn't want him to play or mess with and only left a very small assortment of toys in his room. I was definitely worried what would happen being that he was so young and a boy (he seemed less mature for his age than his older sister did at the same age), but he did very well. I had a sister-in-law who had a similar situation and it worked out well for her too. I would just try to hipe up the excitement about starting to sleep in a new big girl bed and put both beds in the room for a while so she doesn't feel like you are taking her crib away to give it to her new sibling. Best of luck!

If she isn't ready to leave the crib, go on the Craig's list or look in the paper for garage sales with baby stuff. You can usually find a crib pretty cheap. You could also call churchs. Some of them have thrift stores where people donate stuff like that and they sell it for almost nothing.

Our second daughter was in a cradle the first few months before she moved into the crib. That could buy you some more time. If you don't have a cradle then place her bed mattress on the floor for a few months until she is completely ready (ie. not falling off the mattress)to go higher in the bed. She should be fine. It worked for both of our girls. Good luck and God Bless.

I was worried about this issue as well, my two are 18 months and 6 days apart. I started moving my daughter to a toddler bed when I was 4-1/2 months along with my son. I started out where I would let her just play in the bed during the day for the first week or so, then I started doing her naps in the toddler bed and giving her lots of praise for being a big girl in her new bed, but I still put her in the crib at night for another month or so. Then, I finally finished the transfer by asking her where she wanted to sleep, the big girl bed or the baby bed, she always chose the big girl bed and I knew she was done. Altogether, it took about 3 months so give yourself plenty of time. The only thing that I did notice is that she did flop around a lot so I bought her an extended rail and took the toddler bed rail off and replaced it with that, it made her feel more secure. I just took it off a little after her 2 year birthday and put the original rail back up. I have heard bad things about letting your new baby sleep in bed with you right after birth. I was told that having a baby in your room with you during the first few months causes your body to take longer to heal and you don't get the rest that you need because you are subconsciensly not drifting into deep sleep because of fears of rolling over on them so I would not have the new baby sleep with you, but that is just my opinion.

I can say I have a 18 month old daughter and she is not ready for a toddler bed yet because she can get stuck. this is recommend by our doctor. they can get hurt in the middle of the night because they can climb and so on. If I were you I would invest in pack n play until your youngest is 2 years old. I have three infant until 2. my 18 month old i could not imagine putting her in a bed yet. her is so guidelines for you that we got told to us: 1) does her nipple line meet the top of the rail on the lowest setting,2) can she climb out on her own, 3) what does she weight because most cribs have weight limit. try this and see if this helps.

I would have the new baby sleep with you in your room for the first few months. That would get your oldest time to adjust to having a new sibling and so forth. Plus, with the newborn in your room, he/she is less likely to wake up his/her sibling in the middle of the night. Slowly, transition the new baby to the crib, while emphasizing to the older child how much of a big girl she is for "giving the baby the crib." However you go about this, I'm sure everything will work itself out. Good luck and congrats!

Hi S.,

You have lots of good choices here. My only suggestion is, if you do use the pack n play style bed, make sure you put some things between the mattress and floor. The draft down there can be something that effects your baby's sleep, something we don't even think about. I discovered it when I brought the pack n play with us to a hotel. The vinyl covering over the pad kept the bed cold; not much sleep that night. Anyway, something to consider. Take care, L.

After the new baby is born I would imagine that they will be in a basinet for the first few months. That should give you a little more time to get your little girl used to sleeping in a bigger bed. Get one of those toddler beds, and put her in it for nap time at first, and if she does well with it start putting her to bed at night in it. When my kids were making the transition to a toddler bed I put one of those fold up foam chairs beside it. You know the ones that lay out into a flat mat, or fold up into a chair. It worked great to make sure if they fell out the bed they only had a couple of inches per drop. She should be fine makeing the change and shouldn't be tramatized by it. It might even make potty training easier if it makes her feel like a big girl.

When My oldest was around that age he wouldn't sleep in his crib, so I actually just put a twin mattress on the floor (no box springs) and that is where he slept. That way I didn't have to worry about him falling out of bed. It was only a couple of inches off the floor. And he loved that he was sleeping in a "big boy bed".
Good luck and congrats on the new one.

Hi S. - I just want to share that my children are 17 months apart. I made a big deal out of setting up his big boy room and bed. That seemed like a great idea to me. It was fun for me anyway. When the new baby girl arrived - my son never took another nap. He resented not only his position in the family changing, but hr taking his place and space. I would hit garage sales and get a second hand crib for the new baby. I would not remove her from her space - or change her bed. That is just the experience I had. It broke my heart to see the change in my son, when his sister arrived. G.

You could use a bassinet with the baby for awhile, or get one of the pack-n-plays, they last longer than a bassinet, then your other daughter could still use the crib longer.

Hi S.,

Congradulations on your great news! In my opinion it depends on the child. It would be too soon for my son because he rolls around so much when he sleeps and he always finds comfort pushing himself up against the crib wall. When he is ill sometimes we need to keep him with us during the night and he will spend 30 min moving around until he finds the right position and he does this multiple times throughout the night all the while sleeping like a rock. He isn't even aware he is doing it. I don't think she would be tramatized by the new bed. It may take her a few nights to get used to a new bed just like we do. You could always try it before the baby gets here like a couple of months before the baby arrives and see how she does. Also if she moves around alot like my child you could put the open side against the wall so the panel is on the outside to protect her from falling. I hope this helps you some. Good luck to you and your family.

A. H.

Congratulations! You will have your hands full with two that close in age, but in the long run, having them that close is great because they will grow up being best friends. My daughter is 19 months older than my son. We moved when she was 15 months old and figured that was a good time to transition her to a "big girl bed." (She could already climb out of her crib anyway.) We found a used Little Tikes Cottage toddler bed at a yard sale for $25. We put it up against the wall and put a bed rail on the other side. We put her same crib blanket and sheets on it , so she did fine. She is a flopper too though, and has since moved to a full size bed because she didn't have room to twist and turn. She never tried to climb out of the bed by herself if she woke up at night. She'd just call out to me to come get her. She never asked about the crib or acted jealous either. Occasionally she wants to get in there and lay next to him when he first wakes up. The youngest is 13 months old now and has just about figured how to climb out of the crib, so he'll probably be getting his own "big boy bed" too. :)

I see you have plenty of great advice, but here's my input: My parent educator from Parents as Teachers told me that staying in the crib is a security thing for the kids, meaning that they feel secure in the crib. We were lucky enough to have a hand-me-down 2nd crib for our 2nd child (17 months younger than #1). Then we had two more children each 2 1/2 years apart, so we had 2 cribs occupied with each newborn baby. See what works - nothing is permanent.

However, my first baby spent her first 10 months in a pack & play because her bedroom was upstairs and we had a 1st floor master bedroom. Her room seemed way too far away, so we kept her in the pack and play in the office across from our bedroom. So much for having to decorate a nursery before the baby came! Congrats - they'll be best friends!

Hi S.!
What about getting a Pack and Play for the new baby? They are not super expensive and my daughter who is six months still sleeps in her pack and play in our room some nights...that could buy you some time for the 12 month old to still get to be in her crib until you are ready to take her out, and the new baby will have a safe place to sleep also.

I think under 2 is a bit too young for a toddler bed. At that age they still need you or dad to come in and help them out of bed. It might be too easy for her to crawl out of bed without you both knowing and get into something that might harm her. Is there a way you can have 2 cribs?

S.: my experience was to move the child before the new baby comes so she does not see this baby as taking away her stuff. Try moving her into a toddler bed first, not a big bed. Or if you do a big bed, might I suggest not using a box spring since that sits the bed up higher. Good luck!

Congratulations! My oldest girls are 15 months apart. We kept the baby in a bassinet in our room until she was about 2 1/2-3 months old. About a month after she was born we moved our oldest into a twin bed and put a rail up. She went right to sleep the first night and waited for me to pick her up the next morning. We lived in a two bedroom apartment at the time and they shared a room. Those days seem so far away now. The girls are the best of friends. They still enjoy sleeping together and they are 9 and 10! Good luck!

Try to find someone to loan you a crib for a few months. You wont want a brand new baby and the transition to the big bed at the same time. Good luck.

Hi S.! If you are just pregnant now, you have 9 months before the baby is born. If you use a basinett for the new baby for a few months, you oldest will be close to two. If you use side rails, it won't be bad at all for her to transition. This is when my son moved into his "big boy bed" and we didn't have any issues. Good luck and congratulations!

When my son was 13 months old, I found a great deal on a toddler bed. So I bought it with the intention of using it later. My husband put him in it for naps right away (he was home, I was working), and my son did fine. (My husband was very relaxed about it, and I think that helped.) Now he sleeps in it every night and does fine with just a little side panel to make sure he stays in! I think if you decide to transition your oldest, make sure you do it early enough so she has time to adjust to it before the baby comes.
Good luck!

I would move her before baby comes or borrow another crib.

My oldest son slept in a toddler bed for only a couple of months, and then got a twin size bed. We had a rail that went under the mattress. He loved it. He didn;t cry once. He cried the first two-three nights in his toddler bed. If you make it exciting I think the transition will be fine.

Hi S.,

I moved my daughter to a toddler bed when she was 13 months old. We had a couple problems 1. she learned she could come to our bed and we wouldn't wake up to put her back. We learned to put a gate at her doorway. She now stays in her bed all night. 2. She is a flopper, if you sleep with her you get feet in your face and hands in your ribs, lol. So she would fall out of her bed all the time or hang off the side. So we learned to turn the bed backwards and put it up next to the end of my daughters twin size bed. 3. The first few nights she slept in it we would sit with her until she fell alseep, well that wasn't good because we started a bad habit from that and had to quickly break her from it. Now my oldest daughter and her share a full size bed that has a side panel on the side of it. I sleep them side ways on the bed, this way they have more room. My oldest daughter is a flopper also and she is 3 yrs old.
My advice get her into "a bed now" whether it be a toddler bed or a twin size bed, do it now while you don't have 2 of them waking in the middle of the night. Personally if it were me I would go straight to the twin size bed and skip the toddler bed, there will probably not be enough room for her by the time she is 18 months, another part of my daughters problem. Now she has room to go all over the place. Anyway thats my advice hope it helps. Oh and no she won't be traumitized by it at all. W.

If you make a big deal of how concerned you are then she will also. First make your plan-now she can help somewhat in the bed buy-but remember you are the final choice here. Give her some to look at and make sure you have already picked what you think would be the best. If you are worried about a big bed maybe look into something with larger sides or a day bed with 3 sides (but those can be hard to make-up) or some of the beds that are short to the ground and have a theme. (I know you have seen them,like race cars and pink princess) it may take some research on your part.Now think about bedding too. She can help you pick out sheets and pillow. Maybe a new "stuffed friend" to add to the program. the trick here is to make this a fun thing and it will be for all of you.

She would be fine moving to a toddler bed at this age. I would recommend moving her at 14-16 months of age before the baby is born so she doesn't think she lost her bed because of the new baby and have resentment towards the new baby especially if she is attached to her crib.

My kids moved to a toddler bed that had rails on the sides at 14-16 months and made the change pretty well. My oldest son took a few weeks as he wanted to sleep in his new bed at night but still wanted his crib for naps but after 2 weeks he was ready to sleep in his toddler bed all the time and we could take down the crib.

Just take a little time to let her adjust and not just take her bed from her when the baby is born.

We moved my son when he was 2 to the toddler bed he has a crib that convert's and he loved it.He never came out of bed (he is a good sleeper) so I didn't worry about him roaming the house.Anyway we were expecting soon after he was 3 and bought him a twin size bed so for we can use the crib works great that way for us.There are toddler beds that are very low to the ground or you can buy a twin size bed and put no frame on it if you wanted too or put the bed against the wall and buy a side guard so for She doesn't roll off of it.You have options it is what makes you feel more comfortable.

If you don't think she is ready, why don't you just buy a new porta-crib for the new baby? You can get them for 40 bucks or so and they are so sturdy these days. The new baby sure won't know the difference or grow out of it for quite a long time.

Personally, I envy you and would love to pull a new baby in bed with me again :)

Suzi

Our two are 22 months apart. We tried moving Hannah into the twin bed after Aaron was born to get her used to it before we moved him from the bassinet in our room to the crib in their room, but she wasn't having any of that! Why should she give up HER bed for a baby?! :) What my husband finally did was to take the crib apart and stack the pieces against the wall. He then told her the crib was broken and she had to sleep in the big girl bed (with rails). After about two weeks, he put the crib back together and we moved our son into it, and our daughter didn't have any problems with it at all. I wonder....will that kind of stuff still work when they're teenagers? LOL!

I know that neither of my boys were ready for a toddler bed at 18 months, but that doesn't mean your daughter wouldn't be. It is garage sale season right now, maybe you could find another crib at one if you look around. Often, if baby things are going to be sold it will say that in the ad. You might be able to find a lot of things for your new baby at garage sales.

Hi S., I am a mother of 4. I have a nine year old boy, 3 1/2 year old twin boys and a daughter who is one. Having two cribs in a small room we couldn't wait to move the twins to beds. When they turned one we went and bought toddler beds. They did great! The toddler bed uses the crib mattress and has side rails on both sides that go about half down the sides. Yes they did fall out a couple of times but they never got hurt because the toddler beds sit only about 6 inches off the floor. Hope this helps! Good luck:)

We just use a play-n-pak for our daughter. They have matresses & sheets that you can buy separately for them. Works great. My girl friend never used a crib for her 2nd. Just used the play-n-pak until she was ready for her big girl bed. They don't take up as much room as a crib and can be used longer than a bassinet.

S.,
My kids are 18 1/2 months apart, so I understand what you are concerned about. When my daughter was about 15 months we went out and bought a new big girl bed (twin). Moved her in to a new room which we decorated with hot pink and pink stripes with white polka dots. Its adorable... she did great ..we bought detachable sides to keep her from rolling out. She did look tiny in the big girl bed.. but now she is eight and is still in that bed and fills it out perfectly.
Hope this helps...remember the first year is the hardest and then it gets easier from there.

Age doesn't always indicate when a kid can develop. Development doesn't happen in a straight line either, there are ups and downs, huge leaps in progress, then there may be a few steps back.

Your child will be young, but take her along to get the bed. If it's second hand, have her go with you to pick out sheets, or maybe a new blanket or toy for the "big bed"only. If the kids will be sharing the room, maybe decorate her part along with the new bed. My biggest piece of advice is to handle it in a VERY matter of fact manner. "It's time for you to be in a big bed" You will have the luxury of doing this before many kids try the power struggles.

Another balance you need to try to achieve is moving her soon enough to get used to it before the baby comes, but delaying as long as possible. Don't be surprised if she's OK with the big bed until she sees the new baby in her bed. You may have struggles there. But, again, that's just the way it will have to be.

Both our sons were moved out of the crib around 20 months. They slept better becasue they has so much space. We used a twin bed, with a board underneath the mattress, forgot what the board is called, but all furniture stores will sell them. It brought the twin bed lower in case they ended up rolling off. If you make it exciting for her, she hopefully won't have much of a hard transition. Buy her new sheets in her favorite character as well.

My son did great moving to a twin bed when he was 12 months. We told him what why we were taking down his crib. We let him watch us put together his big boy bed! We bought him Superman sheets (his favorite character) and when his bed was all made we got all excited and sat together on it. Having him involved in the process helped. Make it fun, she'll do okay. If she get's a little anxious, knell at her bedside, rub her back, read one more book, sing a song. Good Luck and Congrats with the new baby!

I would keep your 18 month old in her crib for a little while longer and use a playpen for the new baby. But that's what I would do, it's totally up to you. Also, usually for the 2-3 months you can have your infant in a bassinet anyways. You can find those at Other Mothers, Children's Orchard or even EBay or Craigs List relatively cheap. Just check it over before you commit to buying it, and from experience I wouldn't go for a rocking one, they're a waste of money. But again that's only my opinion. Do what's best for you and yours! Good Luck!

I agree with the other moms' responses. My two children are 14.5 months apart and when they were born we lived in a small two bedroom cottage house - so they would be sharing a room. We bought a toddler bed for our daughter before her brother was born. We spent a few months transitioning her to this toddler bed starting with naps. By the time her brother was born, she was fully in the toddler bed and the crib sat empty for a while. (We kept our son in a bassinet in our room for a few months.) By the time we put him into the crib sharing a room with sister, she had completely given up "ownership" of the crib. Good luck!

I think the most important thing is to get her out of the baby bed ASAP... because otherwise she will resent the new baby for taking her bed. If you can afford it(which we could not) I would buy her a toddler bed with the side panel and put the otherside against the wall. We just used a twin with my son and put it against the wall and he did fine, never did ever fall out of bed either.( hew was 18 months when we switched him because he and his sister are 21 months apart) Hope this helps.. let us know how it went- J.

That is when I found out I was expecting as well. Actually the day before my oldest turned 1. I put her into a twin bed with side rails. It was good but I think I should have put her in a toddler bed. She will be ready when the new baby comes...but I wouldn't do it right now. Also my oldest then was potty trained by the time my youngest came but then she stopped and wanted to be like the baby. So I recommend even if she is ready to wait until after the baby comes to start potty training. Good Luck!

Hi, S.. I would say there is a good chance she will not be ready to move into a toddler bed. Since both beds are about the same size, I would recommend getting another crib until she starts showing signs she is ready for the toddler bed. I am sure she would be fine in a toddler bed pushed up against the wall with one side panel, certainly not traumatized, but I would try and go at her speed, not your speed. Good Luck and Congrats on the pregnancy!

She should be fine by then. We're going to be moving our 16 month old within the next few weeks. Her crib converts into a toddler bed, so we'll be doing that, then we'll move her to a twin bed with a railing but keep it on the floor.

I've read that you should try to transition them well before the new baby comes so they don't think the baby is "stealing" their bed.

Here's an article I read from BabyCenter: http://www.babycenter.com/0_sleep-concerns-moving-your-to...

Good luck and congrats!!!

My first two were very close together, also. I didn't even think of putting my oldest into a "big girl" bed. What a novel idea!! What I did was mention to everyone I know that I needed another crib and the word spread. I got one for free from someone I didn't even know. My suggestion if you want another crib is to send out a mass e-mail to everyone in your contacts asking if they know of anyone that is wanting to get rid of one or sell for cheap. You never know who they will forward it to. You may get lucky like I did and get a free one. I am actually on my second free crib. Both were like brand new. Also, I had both the cribs in my room with me (I was going through a divorce when my son was born) and we all survived!! Don't fret! You'll find something that works for you. If you belong to a church and know someone who is very involved, have them spread the word for you!