Toddler Bed? - Tulsa,OK

My advice is buy another crib - the last thing you need is a 1 year old getting out of her bed at night and wondering around - she will also get up and wonder around instead of taking a nap too- I promise! Take it from somebody that has made that mistake - keep her in a crib as long as possible - my second child stayed in his crib until he was three and started climbing out and as soon as we went to a bed - no more naps even though he needs one. I promise it is worth the extra money to keep her in a crib - you really don't want to be changing her routine when you have a newborn - its going to be hard enough and you are going to be sooooooo tired anyway! Good luck!!

Hi S.,
just a thought but how about one of the "co sleeping" type bassenets... they are right next to the bed for the baby and you have great peace of mind knowing that baby is right there and bid sis is safe in her crib with the baby monitor.. you are set! Enjoy your babies.. i hope that this helps.

Get another baby bed - trust me you'll be glad you did. At your daughters young age you would never be able to keep her in a toddler bed and with a newborn it would make your life a lot easier.

If I were you I would by a 2nd bed and keep her in her crib.
One reason is, when the new baby comes it will be an adjustment for her and it probably isn't the best time to move her from where she is accustomed to sleeping until she adjust to the changes that come with a new baby in the house.
Another reason is, it might not be safe. I had a friend whose 13-month-old was sleeping on a toddler or twin bed at the babysitters and he reached for something that had fallen between the bed and wall. He fell face first and become lodged between the bed and wall where he couldn't breathe. He suffocated to death. I would wait a little longer if I was you, and then don't put the bed next to the wall.
Good luck with the new baby. Your children are bound to be the best of friends being close in age.

You probably do not want to put a child that can not walk yet in a toddler bed. I do understand your concern because you want your oldest daughter to feel like she is the "big" sister and in order to do that there needs to be differentiating things between both children. My advice is that if you do put her in a toddler bed, get bed rails...they are amazing! and then you will probably put her back into a crib because you will need your sleep and there is no staying in a toddler bed once they learn how to get out!

I would plan o keeping your first daughter in a crib. I tried coverting crib to toddler bed at 18 mnths and my daughter was up twice during the night. We put her back in the crib.

I'm in the sAme boat as you! I have a 19 mOnth old daughter and I'm expecting
number two in 3 days. I went ahead and got another crib since some
kids will stay in them till 3 or 4. I just made sure my new crib is convertable
so I canter maximum use out of it. My 19 month old is still so squirmy
at night and for naps I feel more comfortable with her in a crib.

I would get a bassinet for the new arrival and leave your 9 month old in a crib for now. This will give you some extra tome for your older one to grow some more. The bassinet will last you about 4-5 months. Then get a toddler bed and move your younger one to the crib.

I don't see why not. Most toddler beds that I've seen have rails on the sides so it shouldn't be harmful. Because if you keep her in a crib you'll have to go out and buy another crib for the new baby and crib's aren't exactly cheap. At least the good ones aren't. I put my little boy in a twin size bed when he was 18 months old and never had a problem. It was a racecar bed very low to the ground and the matress was lower than the sides of the bed. It's better to get her used to it before the baby comes because it is really hard to do any major changes once the new baby comes. Trust me...I have a 3 year old and a 7 month old. Good luck with your two little ones.

Well, I have opinions about toddler beds and I am for them. She'll be nearly a year old at the time of the new baby. If she attends a child care center she will be going into a cot very soon. In the toddler room (1yr olds) they don't have baby beds so the kids have to be ready to sleep on a cot by their birthday when they move up. I put everyone of the grandkids I am raising in toddler beds very close to their 1st birthday. There isn't such a trauma shifting from the baby bed at that young age. They can't really get injured from getting out because they are very close to the floor.

So, the other side of it. You will have issues with her getting out of bed and wandering around if you don't use safety gates in the doorway. If she does get out of bed she is in her room which is baby proofed and her own toys that are not choke hazards. Our book shelves are fastened to the wall on top with L-brackets. That way if the kids climb up them they won't topple over on them. We also took out those little pegs and replaced them with smaller L-brackets too.

After reading the previous post my heart went out to that family. Our toddler bed is in the middle of the room with the head at the wall.