Hey Ladies! I was wondering if y'all can give me any advice on how to transition my son to his big boy bed. We have number 2 on the way and will need to put my son in his big boy bed sooner than we expected. He is almost 11 months now and I am due with #2 this December! So not much time to work with, and I was hoping for some advice. We are buying bunk beds for him and will put a rail up on the side that allows him to get out of the bed. The other side will be up against the wall. I know the new baby can stay in the bassinet for a little bit but I know I need to start working with him soon. Also, his first birthday is coming up.. wondering if anybody has suggestions for the party.. games etc. I want the other kids coming to have some fun but there ages vary from 8 months to 12 years old! Thanks for any suggestions Ladies and have a wonderful day!!
Thanks for the advice so far Ladies! A little bit more info though.. I would love to co-sleep but I'm one of those parents that it's just not safe for my child to sleep with me. I tend to hug a pillow or something while I'm sleeping, For my first child, I tried letting him sleep with me and started to hug him one time. Thank goodness I'm a light sleeper and he moved his head and I felt him move underneath my head! So I will surely never co-sleep for my childs safety! Also, he is almost walking now so he will be sleeping in a cot at school, so I know he's going to learn how to sleep in a bed there for the most part.. but wanted to get him used to his bed at home. I may put the mattress on the floor and try that so if he does fall, it's not that far but just wondering if anybody out there has had experience with this transition. And yes, I do need to free up the crib for the new baby.. not immediatley but within the next 6 months. Thanks again Ladies!!
I wouldn't even attempt putting an 11 month old into a regular bed. My first 2 are 17 months apart & I thought it was too soon for a bed for my oldest. We just got a 2nd crib for the baby & my oldest stayed in her crib for another full year.
Wal-mart sells them for $100 brand new or you can find them much cheaper 2nd hand.
I have two kids 18 months apart. We put a cradle in our bedroom and put our first son's crib mattress on the floor the day I came home from the hospital, because I'd had a C-section. After a couple weeks our first child wasn't rolling off the mattress anymore. Then, when our second child was about 2 months, we bought bunk beds and put them in the nursery, so our oldest could get used to climbing into and sleeping in a big bed off the floor. And then, when our second was about 4.5 months old and starting to sleep through the night, we put him in the crib in the nursery and his brother sleeps in his big boy bed. It's worked well for us, and I'm happy to say that after 5 months we finally have our bedroom back to ourselves!! :) Congratulations on the new baby!
J., Congratulations, I agree with some other posters. 11 months is Way too early and still will be in December. IMHO. Why can't you get a second baby bed for about $100 at walmart/target. or a resale shop? He will still be very much a baby and the best advice I was ever given about having kids close together was to let older child still be the baby. It isn't his fault that you are having his sibling so soon, why should he grow up so much faster? If you are getting the bunkbeds for them to have for later to share, your older baby won't be ready for the top bunk until a MINIMUM of age 6/7. So Slow down, relax and enjoy your two babies. You don't want to increase the sibling rivalry by taking his bed too soon and giving it to the new baby. he will see it as the baby taking his things and it won't go over well.
Good luck enjoy both of your blessings.
As a mother of 4, I have to tell you to let the 11 month old stay in the crib, unless of course he is climbing out. I dont know exactly what your circumstances are, like do you need to free up the crib, but if he is sleeping fine let him keep his cib. It is much easier having 2 in cribs if they both like it.
having 3 kids of my own, i'd say that's a little early. my 2 1/2 yr old still loves his crib. i don't know if he'll quite understand to stay in bed, and i'd be afraid of him getting up in the middle of the night without you knowing. i'd probably just get another crib. maybe you can buy those net edge things to put around a toddler/twin bed and maybe he'll still feel like he's in a crib and not try to get out. good luck!
In child care we put infants on cots at 10 months to prepare them to move up to cots in the toddler room. If he is safe in his room in the baby bed he will be fine in the toddler bed. You may want to put up a gate on the door so he can't wander the house at night. Start by letting him get familiar with the bed by putting it up in his room, let him play on it, lay on it for naps, etc...just don't force him into it because when the baby comes he will be upset the baby is in his bed. I would think by September he should be sleeping in it full time.
I'm going to have to agree with everyone else and say 1 yr. old is too young to be sleeping in a bed by himself. I would look into getting another baby bed. I would actually let him keep his baby bed and have the new baby sleep in a basinett by your bed. It's the safest and easiest. Being pregnant you shouldn't being worrying over that. I wish you good luck with whatever you decide!
This really depends on your child and his personality. To me its way too early for any child at only 1 year old! Is he attached to his crib? My son is and he is 2 1/2. Does he sleep through the night in it? If your son feels safe and sleeps well, its worth it for you and him to stay in there another year or so. You don't want two little ones keeping you up at night! I'm with the others who say to get another crib. You would be surprised how cheap you can find them, even brand new ... try garage sales or thrift shops and just buy a new mattress. Or get one that converts to a toddler bed, and then a full size bed and you won't have to buy him another bed down the road. Good luck!
J.,
I would try to find another crib if at all possible.
My baby boy is 16 months old and still sleeps in his crib.
He gets up in the morning and snuggles in my bed for a little bit, but when he's done he starts scooting off the bed to explore. There is no way I could put him in a bed without being a crib because he would "explore" too much for his age.
I plan on keeping him in his crib as long as possible.
As for birthday party ideas, when my baby turned 1 he has older cousins and siblings and we were trying to plan a party at home and decided to just have it a Burger King. It was winter time so we couldn't have it at the park or something. The baby was able to get down run around and play with the kids. The big kids were able to run around and play too. However, if your baby is getting ready to turn one during the warm months you could have it at a park or plan it at home and have outdoor activities for the big kids. My daughter's birthday is in May so we always have something outdoors at a park.
I'm pretty sure that it's too early to safely put a 1-year old in a bed by himself outside of a crib. He'll probably be able to climb right over that rail, and can fall and hit his head. And even if he climbs out in some safer way that you teach him, during the daytime, a groggy baby in the middle of the night is a different mattter.
I don't pretend to know the facts on this, but if it were me, I'd want to consult the experts. There's just too much at stake with a little one who wants to explore when you least expect it...like early in the morning or in the middle of the night. Having a new baby in the house will only exacerbate this. Then there's the problem of him exploring his room or the house unsupervised. There's only so much that babyproofing can do. As they say, there is no substitute for parental supervision. Especially when they're *this* young.
You can get a crib for SO cheap at a thrift shop or through baby showers. Or, you can do what most families do around the world: let your new baby sleep with you, and keep your son in his crib. Since he's used to sleeping on his own, it might cause more disruption to have him in bed with you, but if you start the baby off in your bed from day one, s/he will get used to being there from the start without learning to have enough room to kick and roll around and keep you awake.
Sleep sharing is at least as safe as the safest crib. Many researchers and pediatricians have concluded that it's safer, because the mother acts as a respiratory and heart "pacemaker" for the newborn, who is still learning to breathe through the night. So, it reduces SIDS. Some statistics seem to say otherwise, but those are from surveying parents of children who died in "alternative" sleep arrangements: on the couch, in the laundry basket (!), or in bed with parents who had been drinking, or Mom was still dopey from labor pain meds, or the parents did it ad hoc and didn't do it safely (pulling the blankets up, for example), etc.
But done properly, sleep sharing is extremely safe and helps the whole family to sleep much better. If you plan on nursing, it makes nursing/overnight feeding fantastically easy and convenient. You barely wake up while your baby latches on and nurses back to sleep when sufficiently fed.
It will also last as long as you like, whereas a bassinet only lasts till about 3 months of age or till the baby can roll over; whichever comes first. So, you can keep your newborn in your bed with you till your son is old enough to be in a toddler bed or similar situation. Just please read up on the recommendations for this so you make sure to avoid any dangers that you might not be thinking of off the bat.
You can learn more about sleep sharing at www.askdrsears.com.
Good luck with everything! And congratulations.
L.
