Moms with kids close together, HELP ME! (XP)

So there's someone on the local craigslist that is selling a crib. I can't decide if I want to go look at it tomorrow and possibly buy it. What should I do? DD is 14 months old. She will be 18 months when DS is born in April.

DD climbed out of her crib once already, but we were able to lower it another 2.5 inches and she hasn't done it again. We tried transitioning her to the toddler bed (and DH even built a nice toddler bed frame and headboard), but she isn't ready for it right now. I'd like to transition her soon and then start potty training after so that she's potty trained by age 2. But I just don't know if she'll be ready.

She's teething right now (after not getting a single tooth for the last 2 months) and is throwing a fit before every nap and before bedtime. Tonight I put her in the crib and she threw a tantrum, once I walked out of her room she settled down and fell asleep within 2 minutes. If she'd been in a toddler bed, she would have followed be right out of the room and would even now be whining and crying next to me on the couch.

I don't want to get a second crib and then her be ready for a toddler bed soon, but I don't want to NOT get the second crib and need it because she still isn't in a toddler bed by the time DS outgrows the bassinet and needs the crib. I also don't want to waste DH's hard work that he put in building a nice toddler bed.

HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! :cryinghard: I can't decide!!

I think this is just an individual parenting kind of thing. I don't like to move my kids from their cribs until 2.5-3 years old. With my first two I got two cribs but then ended up cosleeping with DD2 until she was almost 2...so DD1 was out of her crib by then. This time around I again bought a second crib (got a mini crib this time because it fits better in our room) and I'm definitely glad. DS turns 2 tomorrow and I don't think any of us would get any sleep if he weren't in a crib :lol:
I will say there's solutions for the 'following you out of her room' you could put a gate up at her door or just close the door (assuming she can't open doors, DS1 can only open the lever handle type doors which we don't have in our house). She may not fall asleep in her bed at first but after a while she probably would eventually.
The toddler bed won't go to waste, you'll use it. My girls each used ours for over a year each, with my younger daughter it was probably more like 2. They can fit in them for quite a long time. I bet DD2 could still sleep in one and she'll be 6 in April, she's a little on the smaller end for her age but most kids definitely could until 5.
You could always hold off on the crib and if your baby is getting close to outgrowing the bassinet and your older daughter still needs the crib than buy another one.

I agree that this is one of those things that is different for each parent. My kids were in toddler beds by 16-18 months with no problem. I always found with my kids (well my first 2 anyway) that when I had the crib up and the toddler bed it confused them so they want back in what they were familiar. When I didn't give the choice they went in with little problems. DD had a problem of getting up at first but after the first week she was completely fine. But honestly I've almost never had a problem getting my kids to bed at all. So unfortunately I don't think I'm any help. I personally don't think I'd go spend the money. I'd work on getting them in a toddler bed first.

I agree that it's a personal kind of choice and every child is different. My older kids were 2 years apart and by the time I was ready to move my DS#1 to his own room in a crib my DD was ready to transition to a bed without any problems. DS#1 stayed in a pack & play until then.

My niece and nephew are 18 months apart and my sister had my niece sleep in the pack and play until my nephew went to a toddler bed shortly after he turned 2 (so little sister was a little over 6 months old). That worked for her.

My other sister's kids were exactly 2 years apart and she did the 2 crib thing and they stayed in cribs until they were 3 or so.

Sorry, I realize that I just presented 3 different scenarios with 3 different solutions. But maybe it'll help you to figure out what will work for your kiddos. If your DD really still needs a crib then either get the 2nd one or see if a pack and play solution might work for you.

GL, I am sure you will choose the right solution for you! I hope the rest of your pg goes smoothly for you.

When DS was born I moved DD out of the crib so he could use it....she was 16 months old and was NOT ready. We have had sleeping issues ever since to the point where she now sleeps in bed with DH and I and we can't get her out of our bed.

I would suggest putting the new baby in a pack n play or bassinet for the first few months until DD is ready to move out of the crib and then put baby in the crib. I would think by the age of 2 DD SHOULD be able to sleep in the toddler bed without problems, however taking away her bed and then bringing in a new baby is a LOT of change for a little person at one time.

Ultimately you have to do what is best for you and your family though. Good luck!

Cadence and Ella are 17 mths apart. We bought another crib for Ella without even trying to convert Cadence to a toddler bed.
She stayed in the crib until Wade was born and the transition was pretty easy (she was 2.5 by that time). At first we tried to convert her crib to a toddler bed, but she kept telling us her crib was broken. :rolleyes: So we put her in a twin bed with rails!

Ella and Wade are 14 mths apart ... Ella moved to Cadence's crib and we put Wade in the nursery crib! :)

Ella is almost 2.5 now and we are about to transition her out of the crib!

But that is just how we did it!!

:goodluck:

With mine, they all stayed in their cribs until they hit two years old... it's just easier that way. I also agree with everyone else on here though... that this is a decision that's different for every parent. If it saves you some sanity though, just get the second crib lol!

With DD when she was first born we kept her in our room in the pack n' play till she was a little over a year old. Then we moved her into her room in the crib. She sleeps fantastic in there. There was one night where she woke up and had a bad dream so we brought her into bed with us seeing if she would sleep better there, nope she stayed up and refused to go back to sleep. We put her back in her room and she fell right to sleep. I have often thought that when we started trying for #2 how we were going to do things because we know she's no where near ready for a Toddler bed yet, she would never sleep knowing she could get out of her crib, not to mention her room would be trashed if we did. Right now were trying for number 2 and if we succeed this cycle I would be due in Sept which is 3 months shy of DD's 3rd birthday. I know when the baby came we would do the same thing we did with DD so the baby would be sleeping in our room in the pack n' play for the first year which would give us plenty of time for DD to transition to a Toddler bed which then we can put the baby in the crib when we needed.

This is our plan and it just might work for you to if you go this route, but it's a different kind of comfort for everyone. This is what felt comfortable to us.

It is definitely a very personal thing, and each child is different.

I've only got 1 and she was in a toddler bed by 16 months but she never slept in a crib, we co-slept and had no trouble transitioning her, despite warnings from everyone I know that she'd never sleep on her own.

My brother and sis-in-law have 2 that are 26 months apart, they bought a second crib for baby #2 expecting to keep #1 in his until he was about 3, he had other ideas - he repetedly climbed out and fell to the floor so they moved him to a big bed even before #2 arrived!

My LO's are 17 1/2 months apart. Our plan was to keep DD in the pack n play until about 6 months or so and then see what we needed to do. Sure enough July 4th weekend (DD was a day shy of 7 months), DS (at the time, 2 years old) decided he had enough of the crib, climbed out 4 times in a single nap!! We took the front off to make it a toddler bed, and he climbed up the side and jumped off!!!!! So we put the mattress on the floor, went to the store and bought him an actual twin bed, which we have on a boxspring that is on the floor. With the frame it was just too high. We then transitioned DD until the actual crib. It worked out well for us. DS slept better in the twin bed and DD slept better in the crib. DD still partially co-slept with us until this month when she turned 1. Now I feed her in bed and then move her right back into the crib with no issues. 2 years old was perfect to transition him even though it was his choice. We keep a toddler lock on the inside of his door so he's not in and out all night. The gate thing didn't work for us because he could see us moving around outside his room and he couldn't sleep.

Only piece of advice I really have is to NOT transition right before or right after #2 arrives. If you are going to the toddler bed, do it now, or do it when #2 is 4 months old or older. Good luck making your decision!