Thursday, September 23, 2010

Crib or Pack n' Play?

To buy a crib or not to buy a crib, that is the question!

So I have gone back and forth about whether or not to buy another crib.  My idea is to put Kamryn in the pack n play until she is old enough for a big girl bed (the Dugger's do it for their toddlers) and have Keegan start sleeping in the crib.  Here are my pros and cons

PROS
Don't have to buy a crib.

CONS
Kamryn will have to get used to the pack n play.
She will end up being in a big girl bed sooner.
She will be able to escape which could make bedtime and nap time a harder routine.
Kamryn being mad/jealous that Keegan has taken her bed. (she already gets mad if I put him in there)

Or I could get another crib and have them both in cribs...

PROS
I can put them down at the same time and not worry about Kamryn escaping.
Kamryn won't have to adjust to not sleeping in a crib until she is older.

CONS
Have to buy a crib

I know it is clear the whole Pro/Cons list that I should just buy a crib, but I hate to spend the money on another crib to only be used for 1 year or possibly less.

Kade was 2  1/2 when we finally put him in a "big boy bed".

So I have a question for you all!

What age did you switch your kids over and if you could do it over again would you have done what you did? What do you think I should do?


signature

5 comments:

amyraye said...

it would kill me to buy a second (temporary) crib, also. i can totally relate to your dilemma.

both of my older girls were in a toddler bed at 16 months. mostly because we moved to washington when elli was 16 months and we didn't want to set the crib up after we moved. and then we bought our first house when emma was 16 months and we were in the same situation.

i don't remember when i put the boys in real beds.

i don't think i would have even considered it had we not been "forced" into it, but it was great. it took a week or two of being really hard-nosed about keeping them in their beds (basically sitting outside the bedroom door and silently putting them right back into their beds when they got out), but it's so worth it.

i would recommend:

1. taking down and putting the crib away (when you move).

2. getting a toddler bed of some sort for kamryn and making a really big deal about it and making it really special (again, a great opportunity when you move)

3. and then, AFTER she is completely sold on her cool new bed (probably a couple weeks), set the crib back up for keegan.

good luck!

Young Family said...

Hayden was about 17 months when I put him in a bed. i never did the toddler bed. I used a bunk board instead of box springs so it was lower. He did great. He didn't even try to get off his bed for a while.

Parker is still in a crib. He wants to be in a bed but I don't have the money right now so he will stay in his crib until his birthday. My mom is buying his head board so I just need to buy th mattress and frame.

Courtney said...

Hi Kami, love your blog. All of my first three kids went to big beds at about 16-17 months because I needed the crib for another kid. I totally agree with what Amyraye said about taking it down for a couple of weeks to get her used to it not being around. I did that and it made it much easier to transition for the kiddos. Good luck!!

Jenny from the Blog said...

Hi Kami!

I won't tell you what I think you should do but I will tell you what I did. All 4 of my kids slept in Pack N Plays until they were able to get out of them. The reason I did this was because we would travel a lot to Los Angeles and I was able to bring their beds with me. Once they were able to get out of their pack n plays, I would put them in it for a nap and then put up a baby gate on their door lifted a little bit above the floor so it was high enough that they couldn't get over it. When they got out of their playpens and came to the gate crying, I ignored them for the most part. They would usually fall asleep on the floor of their room. Then I would go in there and pick them up and put them back in the playpen so that's where they would wake up. THEN when they got too big for that, I put their big kid beds in there and they would wake up in those. They adjusted to them pretty well.

I did have to do what Amyraye did in being really strict once they got in their beds. I do like her suggestion though too. Then Kamryn will feel like a big girl and not attached to the crib anymore. Plus it would be dressed different so she may not even notice...

I actually did get a crib for Ramon but decided not to use it and I sold it.

Our Family said...

Buy the crib. IT is the best thing I ever did. My little girl was in it for 3 years. She has been my easiest to transition to a big girl bed. No tears no fighting and no wrestling. I would do it again in a heart beat. Though I returned the new crib because my guy was stillborn I was glad I did it.