2 under 2...sleeping arrangements?
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Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
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Topic: 2 under 2...sleeping arrangements?
Posted By: Luckymama23
Subject: 2 under 2...sleeping arrangements?
Date Posted: 27 October 2009 at 8:47am
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Hey guys, just after some advice, bub number 2 is due when Jack is not quite 2, and were wondering whether we need to buy a 2nd cot, or just move him into a big bed, and give the baby his cot?
What age do most kids happily move into a bed?? and are they likely to get upset having to give their cot to the baby??!! 
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Replies:
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 27 October 2009 at 9:23am
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we have tried twice to move E to a big bed and it hasnt happened(bub two due when E is just about to turn two ) so in the end we got another cot so there is not rush as i don't want to be changing things too close to when bubs is born..
as for the age there doesn't seem to be a set age but around 2 seems to be popular.. ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: Tastic
Date Posted: 27 October 2009 at 9:23am
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Id buy him a big boys bed. Just make a big fuss like he is grown up enough for it otherwise he will just think you want him out of the cot for the new baby
I know a couple of people who have there children in a big bed from the time they are walking, how long before bubs is due? Id suggest taking the side off the cot for a couple of weeks to help him adjust before putting him into the large bed, as I know from my boys they were scared of the big bed at first but when they slept on the cot with no sides then put into the big bed they were fine also remember it can take a few unsettled nights before they will adjust to the new bed |
Posted By: Tastic
Date Posted: 27 October 2009 at 9:25am
| ohh and another thing, if the big bed doesnt work, then Id suggest buying a bassinet for the baby. will give your oldest a few extra months to adjust to the big bed |
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 27 October 2009 at 10:26am
| Daniel has been in a big bed from about 18 months. Things we learnt (which may just be Daniel) is that taking the side off the cot was a nightmare, he wanted his cot to be how he knew his cot was meant to be, removing part of it caused major meltdowns. Also having the cot up in his room as well as the big bed just caused confusion for him. It went great once we removed the cot completely. Only took a day or two to adjust |
Posted By: LittleBug
Date Posted: 27 October 2009 at 10:43am
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Chloe was only 13 months when Ollie was born, and in no way ready for a big bed... so we have 2 cots. But if he is going to be closer to 2 years old, you may want to transition him into a big bed a month or two before bubba arrives, so that you don't have to get another cot.
Works quite nicely in our house though, especially since their bedroom is too small for a big bed  and I love Chloe not getting in and out of bed. But she is not two yet, I don't know if she will be trying to climb out by then.------------- Chloe (4 years) and Oliver (3 years). |
Posted By: emz
Date Posted: 27 October 2009 at 11:32am
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I moved Jack at 18 months, 2 months out from when Ava was born.
What I did was buy a big bed 3 months prior and set it up in his room, then went on and on for that time saying about how big boys sleep in beds and babies sleep in cots. Then on transition day, I took everything out of his cot and turned the mattress on its side. Put his cot quilt on his big bed for the first week. I didn't take the cot down because they'll be sharing that room eventually anyway and I was pg so couldn't be bothered basically. Day sleeps are still an issue, but thats more him dropping that sleep rather than the bed. He wouldn't sleep more if he was in a cot. Also, consider getting a pillow and putting it in the cot at first. I found Jack slept a lot more still once he had a pillow so it made me less concerned about having him in a big bed. |
Posted By: kmarie
Date Posted: 27 October 2009 at 7:56pm
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Good to read up on this as we'll be hitting the same prob before too long (we'll have a 19mth-ish gap). My SIL had a big bed in her oldest daughter's room from day 1 and they ended up using it to settle her to sleep a lot, so found that she transitioned really easily really young - 14mths old. Worked out well for them as they had an 18mth gap. I'm planning on putting a big bed up in Bethany's room soon, I figure we can use it for reading books before her bedtime etc. so she gets used to the idea and then sometime further into the new year we'll think about doing the swap, so I guess she might be around 16/17mths old. I figure we'll see how we go, can only try, right? ------------- 
twins in heaven Oct07 Is 40:11 "He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart." |
Posted By: kmarie
Date Posted: 27 October 2009 at 7:57pm
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Oh, and emz your pillow idea sounds good - how old is safest to introduce a pillow? Scares me a little! -------------
twins in heaven Oct07 Is 40:11 "He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart." |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 27 October 2009 at 8:25pm
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We bought lil miss a new cot as the gremlins were only 20 mths when she arrived and I thought they'd still need their cots. Lil miss ended up spending the first 4 months in a hammock as she refused to go near the cot, and the gremlins started climbing out of their cots within about a month of her arriving so in hindsight, we didn't really need to bother with another cot.
I agree with Tastic about the bassinette being an option too (or a hammock, we  the hammock) as it gives you an extra few months up your sleeve.------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Nikki
Date Posted: 27 October 2009 at 9:14pm
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Morgan was due a few days after Jake turned 2. We put the big bed into his new room at 18months but left him in the cot for another 5 or 6 weeks ... so he was used to the bed being there, and played on it. Then one day (between 19-20months) he had a day nap in it (still in his sleeping bag), which went fine so that night we said he would sleep in the big boy bed .... he fell out the first night so after that I put some rolled up towels under the fitted sheet, and we've never had a problem since. Took the cot out a few days later. I'm sure he didn't even remember it was his by the time Morgan came. ------------- DS (5yrs) and DD (3yrs) |
Posted By: Bel
Date Posted: 28 October 2009 at 8:32am
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We had Amy is a bassinette for the first 6 weeks and then she moved into a portacot for a few weeks while we tranasitioned Luke over to his big bed. It went really well, and he seemed to understand really easily that once the cot left his room it was Amys. ------------- Mum to two beautiful kids
Luke (09.11.2007) Amy (01.04.2009) |
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 28 October 2009 at 10:51am
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far out seems i'm one of the only ones with a nearly two year old still in cot!:) ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: Febgirl
Date Posted: 28 October 2009 at 11:45am
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We're going to have a 21-22 month gap between our two. DD1 sleeps beautifully in her cot and I didn't like the idea of turfing her out just because we were having another baby so we've bought another cot. If she wasn't a good sleeper in her cot then I would have considered getting a bed instead, but why fix what isn't broken - I'm happy for DD1 to stay in her cot for as long as she sleeps well.
Both the cots turn into toddler beds so I figure it's money well spent anyway. ------------- Two little girls under 2! 
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Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 28 October 2009 at 1:05pm
| tom transitioned on his 2nd birthday so dont worry KA. |
Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 28 October 2009 at 1:07pm
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:) i just find it weird how noone else had any issues but E hates it:(! oh well he will get there:) ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 28 October 2009 at 1:19pm
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So did tom when I tried to take side off his cot. He thought is was great fun till it came to sleep time.
What changed it for us....probably an age thing....was when we were away he got sick and DH had to sleep with him in a single. The next night he wanted to sleep in the single bed instead of the portacot. When we got home we bought him a bed and that was that. I might add that we put a gate up on the door so we can keep him in it and up unitl this week I have had to lie down with him to get him to sleep. So its not automatic! |
Posted By: lisa85
Date Posted: 28 October 2009 at 1:33pm
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KA all my sisters waited until after their kids turned two to transition to the big bed.
What if you get a bassinet instead of forking out heaps of dosh on a new cot. I'm sure by the time bubs grows too big for the bassinet Jack will be in a bed. -------------  
TTC #3 since Jan 2010 - PCOS MC April 2010 |
Posted By: 5th...and final??
Date Posted: 28 October 2009 at 2:03pm
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DS1 was 16mths when DS2 arrived and was sleeping so well in his cot we didn't want to add any extras to the mix! within a month of DS2 being born he was climbing out, so we took the side off the cot. he still sleeps in it and is 3 next month. wondering now whether to make a toddler bed and keep him on his cot mattress as the room is small, or buy a single bed.
DS2 is in his cot with the side off, but still using a safety sleep at 18 mths. have a bassinet, which i don't really want to use again for DS3, if needed. ------------- 
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Posted By: Luckymama23
Date Posted: 28 October 2009 at 4:34pm
Awesome! Thanks heaps for the great advice, I think we will try a bassinet, and then if he doesnt like the big bed, we have a few more months!!
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Posted By: emz
Date Posted: 28 October 2009 at 7:48pm
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KA - we actually had a lot of issues (mainly with day sleeps as Jack's always so tired at night) but there was no way I was buying another cot with a 19 month age gap.
Kmarie - you can buy toddler pillows at baby factory etc but we just got a normal (but rather flat) pillow - heaps cheaper. It's something to do with they can have a pillow when shoulder - shoulder they are double the width of the head or something |