one ready for a bed, one not...

[dividedsky]

wondering if anyone may have insight...

my boys sleep in cribs - they are 14mos. they are not walking on their own yet (so close!), but i think one of them is ready for a mattress on the floor. when he falls asleep on the futon in my guest room, he sleeps 10000x better... but i'm afraid to let him sleep all night in there with the drop. if i leave him there for a nap and he wakes, he will climb off and crawl to me no problem. but i wouldn't want to leave him elevated like that while i sleep, just in case. and anyway, it'd be nice to have them in one room for now.

the problem is, the other kiddo is perfectly happy in his crib. do i just transition them both together anyway, or leave one crib and do one mattress? is it wise to bite the bullet and lose the guest room/office so the bedmaster can have his own space? what would you do and why?

i don't want to dismantle the cribs only to find i made a terrible, terrible mistake

[Red Pajama]

Me personally? I'd leave them both in cribs. But you may not want to do that, in which case I would do for each as they need. If one is ready for a mattress on the floor, and you can keep him safe when he wakes if you're still in bed, then give him the mattress on the floor, but keep the other in a crib, if that's what he needs.

Again, in a personal preference, I'd keep them in the same room as much as possible, just to encourage the sibling/twin bond. But that's me.

Good luck. Remember, your decisions need to work for your family, not anyone else's.

[Valerieg]

As a mom that moved a child way too soon...I say keep the crib baby in a crib until he is ready. Let the other be on a mattress on the floor in the same room. The crib baby may end up wanting to switch but what is stopping you from doing it then? It may be a week, a month, or a year!

My DS is 2 1/2 and still in a crib. I'm terrified to do it too soon. My DD switched at this age and I nearly lost my mind. We lost naps entirely and she began with night waking again and hasn't stopped. Oh, and she wouldn't stay in bed.

Only you know your kids but IMO transitioning them too soon can really wreak havoc on a household.

[Julia'sMom]

Well, my twins aren't there yet, but my dd did transition very early. We put her to sleep on the crib mattress on the floor for a while. Yes, it's a tight fit if you lay down to nurse the babe to sleep, but can be done. It's also very close to the floor and you should be able to fit it in your room where the crib used to be. Just an idea. She did fall off once or twice, but was never hurt. She usually just woke up and we'd put her back down.

[Intertwined]

My twins were ready to switch at about 20 months. We were having TERRIBLE battles at bedtime every day. When they started to fight me on naps, too, I thought perhaps they were uncomfortable. Sure enough, as soon as I switched them the bedtime battles eased considerably. Yes, they still fight me some times but it wasn't the all out war being waged. I think cribs are pretty uncomfy, unless you have a super nice, super expensive mattress (we don't ). They sleep better now and we're all a LOT happier. I've kept them in the same room. They crawl into bed together most nights.

[dividedsky]

thanks so much for all of your input! it's such a big change that i thought it'd be wise to get input from mamas who have been there...

i think what we'll do for now is put a mattress on the floor in their room, with a baby gate at the door, and remove the one crib when i'm certain that it's working out. one of my boys can nurse to sleep and be moved to his bed no problem, but the other one.... forget about it!