One of these days we’ll be thinking about getting rid of the crib. By that I mean putting it in storage and buying possibly one or more wooden beds . So what will make nap time easier? Would it be a race car bed? I wonder if that will inspire race filled dreams or perhaps long nights of flashlight ‘spotlight’ under the covers racing and not sleeping? I wonder. Then I wonder if perhaps since we have a little girl if we should go with something girlish and floral, whimsical and pretty. I do like that idea a lot, then again, maybe we should start with a toddler bed instead? Perhaps we should try and get a bed that can go through more than one child or be converted into a guest bed? Bunk beds, perhaps? Maybe we should go with a trundle bed. I like the one here. It reminds me of a sleigh bed, but of course has the trundle underneath, for friends and visitors from sleepovers to sickbed, should that be necessary. No matter what we choose, of course we have to consider that our little girl will grow up and be a teenager one day, so we need something that will grow with her. I guess we have some time to think. The crib will be with her for a while yet. I hope!
We thought long and hard about that, too. First off, does your crib convert to anything? Ours converts to a daybed. A crib-sized day bed. When we had to be thinking what to do in preparation for Lauren, I didn’t think Jacob was ready for a “big bed” but soon discovered that when he jumped (which was every waking moment spent in the crib) his waist came above the bar. So it was time for a big bed. Decided to go straight to the twin sized bed, for a couple of reasons. First, sometimes you have to lay with them (although rarely, with him), and I didn’t want to lay on the floor. Second, he liked to sleep with lots of animals, so it gave them space. Also didn’t want to buy a toddler bed when he would be out of it soon (and he’s a bigger kid to begin with, and we already had a crib that could work for a toddler bed). It looked way nicer, too. We went with a bed from the Attic Heirlooms collection from Broyhill. A captains bed, for him. Looked kind of rustic and boyish, and should work until he gets too tall for a twin. I expect that in high school. We’re looking at something more girly for Lauren, but I don’t want a bed to be too ornate. I plan to buy her bedding when we move, and probably again when she’s 10 or so, and then if we still have a twin, we’ll have to do it again in high school.
I would say go straight for the twin. The fun beds are fun and all, but they just don’t work for as long as you’d hope for the money you spend. Lots of people put the mattress right on the ground instead of using the frame and headboard until the kids are less likely to fall out (each of my kids has fallen out one time, and neither ever used a rail), and to make it easier for them to get in and out.
Part of your decision will be based on if/when you need the crib for another little one. No pressure, but keep me posted on that!!
I guess one last comment. With Lauren, I planned on keeping her in the crib as long as possible. It does seem that with the crib goes the desire to nap. Within 6 months, anyway. So Jacob was switched at 21 months, out of necessity (it went fine, and he was in it for an entire month before he needed to be). So back in early February, I bought Lauren bedding for her crib day bed, for whenever it happened, and she loved it so much we had to switch her bed that day. And we haven’t looked back. It gives you a lot of freedom. But it is more nerve-wracking to know they aren’t contained. Jacob’s first night, not only did I have a doorknob cover on his knob (great invention, by the way!), but we had a gate over the steps, and I was concerned that he could bounce it out somehow (not sure how I really thought that was going to happen, but I was first-time-mommy crazy, combined with my natural worrying tendencies), and I made Mark put a pressure mounted gate in front of the one screwed into the wall at the top of the steps. Lauren never had a cover on hers (mostly at first because she couldn’t do doorknobs yet) but 2 weeks ago she opened a door for the first time, and that very night I forgot to close the gate at the top of the steps. And you know what? She didn’t get out of bed. I suppose all that freaking out with Jacob was for nothing. But I am so good at it!
I love the trundle bed! I think that would be the perfect thing. Don’t do bunk beds. Too dangerous. I had one for my son and I let him sleep on top a couple of times, but he flops around so much at night, it was sheer chance that I walked in and caught him just as he was about to flop right over the rail.
What we did at first was just have a mattress on the floor. That way if he rolled out it was no big deal. Once he got used to the idea of no rails and stopped falling off the bed, we added a box spring. Then the frame. But that was my boy. Your girl may make an easier transition.