Big boy bed

[birdmom]

Hi ladies -
I'm new here, I lurked on MM when it was on The Nest and followed you over here. Now I have a question, regarding babies, and there is a MM Moms board. How fabulous!

I have a 16 month old son, and we are unintentional co sleepers. He's had lots of ear infections and gets sick a lot (he's in daycare). He's also teething, which is making him miserable. He never liked his crib, doesn't sleep well in it, and I feel like a bitch making him cry it out when I don't know if he's crying because something hurts or because he just doesn't want to sleep in his crib. And, I'm a sucker for a snuggly baby next to me, and I also like sleep, which I get if he's sleeping with me. If he's in his crib, I'm up and down all night.

Anyway, his crib is one that converts to a toddler bed. I'm debating converting his bed, thinking he might actually sleep in it. We have rails for the sides, and I would still use the Angel Care monitor, so I would know if he was out of bed. Am I crazy for wanting to put a 16 month old in something other than a crib?

[Deleted]

Make sure his room is baby-proofed and go for it. I think this is way less crazy than the moms I know that have 2 year olds climbing out of the crib but still haven't just move them to a bed.

[spiderspray]

Popping in to commiserate. Ds was a chronic ear infection kid for months and months, so CIO was not an option for me (is it pain? How can I leave him in there if he's in pain? Etc.) Same with teething.

At this point I think you have nothing to lose. He's not sleeping in the crib as it is, why not try something different? Worst case scenario he doesn't like that either and nothing changes. Best case: you get your bed back!

Take what you can out of the room and baby-proof the rest. (Anchor dresser to the wall, knob protector on the closet, etc.)

Good luck!

[Deleted]

We switched at 23 months because he climbed out. I wish I could have lasted longer in the crib, but we made it work. That said, he sleeps well.

I would proof his room as much as possible, (anchor things to the wall, all choking hazards put away, electrical covers on all outlets, blind/curtain ties up high, etc.) and then try it.

[brit1017]

As long as his room is baby proofed, it can't hurt anything.

That said, since he will not sleep in his crib now, I wouldn't expect that he will do so in a bed. My kids were fantastic sleepers in the crib. When we switched to a big bed (b/c they were climbing out and we weren't comfortable with that), we had a way harder time getting them to sleep b/c they would keep getting out of bed.

[birdmom]

Thanks for your input. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't totally off my rocker! We're going to give it a shot this weekend!

[definitelyO]

I don't think it hurts to convert to the toddler bed and give it a try.

agreed just to baby proof the rest of the room for climbing and toys, etc..

[csquared]

We converted DD's crib to a toddler bed when she was 15 months and it was life changing. There was something about her crib that she hated, but she started actually sleeping when we converted her bed She could climb in herself and I think that really helped. She never once fell out and never got up and walked around. We babyproofed everything (dressers anchored to wall, locks on windows, knob covers on closet doors and we always keep the gate at the top of the stairs closed so she can't get downstairs. We have knob covers on all the other doors on that floor other than our room (so she can get to us if she needs to), but she can't get into the guest room or DH's office. We also turned her doorknob around so the lock is on the outside (not so we can lock her in, but so she doesn't accidentally lock us out). We also removed all the "loud" or musical toys, so all she has in her room are stuffed animals and other quiet toys and books. It's worth a shot - if he's not using the crib, what can it hurt?

[IrishBelle]

Our DD became an un-intentional co-sleeper as well when she was 12 months. She hated her crib and refused to sleep in there anymore. Even if she did fall asleep in there she'd be up multiple times every night and would scream when we tried to put her back down. It didn't surprise us because older DD went through the exact same thing.

At 16 months she is now in a twin captain's bed with a bed rail and is liking it so far. For older DD we started with a double mattress on the floor and then moved her into a double bed at 2 years.

[satama]

DS was about 19 months when we converted to a toddler bed. He did great. Never got out or anything. He never had a problem with his crib though and was in there starting at 3 months. He was in a twin bed with a safety rail a couple of months later. Just make sure the room is really well childproofed. Remember they will climb anything just about. We have all furniture (dresser, bookshelf) bolted to the walls.