# If you cosleep, when do you use a crib?



## Readergirl (Jun 20, 2005)

I am planning to BF and cosleep for a while, but I'm not sure how long. When did you start using a crib and also, when did you buy the crib? How long can you use a crib?

Thank you!


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## aeiouys (Sep 6, 2006)

We still co-sleep with our 7 month old, and have no plans of stopping. He'll stay in our bed until he's ready for "a big boy bed", which will be something he decides I'm sure.
My first ds slept in a crib, but the first time he climbed out on his own we bought him a single bed.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

We never had a crib and never missed it.

-Angela


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## gurumama (Oct 6, 2002)

Never used a crib. The boys are 8 and 4 now and they co sleep, while DH and I sleep in a different room.


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## kaspirant (Apr 28, 2006)

My MIL insisted I would change my mind. She bought us a crib...it was a glorified laundry basket









Jacob had not used it yet on his first birthday so I took it apart and put it on Craigslist dirt cheap.


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## mommytomahmoud (Jan 8, 2007)

we dont have a crib but we have a pack n play and well he never even used it he loves sleeping next to me too much

i figure when he i ready for him own bed i will get a twin mattress and put it on the floor

once they get used to co sleeping it is hard to get them to stop my son is 6 months and knows if mommy is not next to him

ayah

stay at home mom iam







: and my wounderful







ahmad my







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for 6 months and counting







save the ta tas







: save the earth







: save the animals







: i love being vegetarian







:


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## quirkylayne (Sep 15, 2005)

We use our crib as a side car to our bed, so every night!


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## josh&davesmomme (Feb 24, 2006)

Many people cosleeping families don't need cribs at all. Some do find it handy for nap time though. and for us we side carred our crib ( basically turned it into a super size cosleeper).
I guess if and when you need a crib is a matter of pesonal preference, depending on how long you wish to cosleep.

My first slept in a crib part time ( before i figured out the side car thing) he didn't sleep well in it, everytime he'd roll over and bump into a rail he would wake up and soon was trying to climb out- really i found it not very useful as a regular crib much after a year (although weight wise they *can* be in it much longer) he slept much better with us and eventually on a twim mattress on the floor in his room- still occasionally climbing in bed with us. Now with the side car we plan on leaving it up for this baby as long as he's comfortable in it, he's 16 mos now and sleeps quite well there.
best wishes


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## 425lisamarie (Mar 4, 2005)

We don't have one. I am going to pick up a twin mattress this weekend though. We have a Cal King and a queen, plus a queen in another room, with a full in even another room (none of those get used!)....but DD 9 months naps on her own a lot when we are at home, and I've recently come too close to having her fall off the bed! I think a small mattress on the floor for naps if you're worried about falling off the bed is a good idea.

ETA: As far as how long you *can* use them. I dont' like them at all, but I realize there is a purpose for them sometimes. I think there is something wrong with them though, once child is able to walk around and almost crawl out of it. Seems like a pen to me at that point.


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## MoonWillow (May 24, 2006)

We never used one.


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## laohaire (Nov 2, 2005)

My mom bought us a cosleeper before DD was born, and we appreciated the option. We tried it out a couple of times and it worked better to just have DD right in bed with us. Now it's a great toy box


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## MCatLvrMom2A&X (Nov 18, 2004)

We have on and ds has used it 1-2 times to nap in only he is 27months. Like a pp said mine is now a clean clothing holder


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## momuveight2B (Mar 17, 2006)

Well youngest dd is four and we took down the crib that she never slept in. It was used for stuffed animals. No need for one at all unless you just like the idea of having a nursery set up. The only reason I am keeping it is because it converts to a loveseat and full size bed.


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## carmel23 (Jul 21, 2006)

We've had a crib since our first son was about 7 months old and have used it very little. DS#2 slept in it for naps and now we use it sidecar fashion with our bed (which it is now getting the most use then ever before).

I don't see a baby how one can go from co-sleeping to sleeping alone without crying it out. This was our experience at least--and we weren't going to let ds#1 CIO... I think it is best to wait until the baby is a little older to begin transitioning (age 2 or so) because then they can understand that mommy is right here just in a different bed and will even be proud to have their own bed.

But both him and his brother sleep in their own beds (most nights) now at 5 years and 3 years-old so they won't be in your bed forever! Although frequently I wake up with the 3 year-old snuggling with me and the baby in the crib sidecar fashion.

Depending of the size/climbing ability of the child, you can use a crb until age 2, 2.5 usually. Many cribs convert to toddler beds, too.


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## CalebsMama05 (Nov 26, 2005)

ds sleeps in his own bed for naps (sometimes) and the first part of the night. he goes to sleep before we do and he doesn't sleep well on our bed w/out us (well okay he doesn't sleep well in our bed without the boobies)

once he's done nursing during the night (down to only 4-5x a night!







) he'll be moved into his brothers room and they will share a bed.


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## Aliviasmom (Jul 24, 2006)

I bought one when I was pregnant, as I wasn't planning on cosleeping. (DD changed my mind on that one!) We started using it for naps at around 9 months or so. She now takes naps in there and starts her night out in it.


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## georgia (Jan 12, 2003)

Never used a crib, and we've been co-sleeping for over seven years







Cribs are not "must haves" by any stretch of the imagination. I usually suggest taking the money that would have gone to a crib and invest in a bigger mattress









Best wishes!!!


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## veganf (Dec 12, 2005)

We co-sleep for the first 6 months at night, then gradually have baby spend more time at night in a crib in our room until around a year old when they move to their own room.
However, I almost always have my babies nap in a crib, pack & play, moses basket, etc. so that they're accustomed to sleeping without me some of the time.

My middle son chose to sleep in his crib for quite a while. He had a bed next to it, and on rare occasions slept with me. But he really liked it in the crib--he likes to be surrounded by his animals and likes the coziness of it.


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## nfpmom (Jun 4, 2004)

never!









I have 2 kids and we have coslept with both. With #1 we bought a crib beforehand, biggest waste of money ever. He slept with us until 3 1/2 and moved into a full sized bed with a bedrail. Our DD still cosleeps with us. The crib is in the attic until we sell it.


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## eco_mama (Feb 10, 2006)

we don't ever plan on using a crib.







ds will sleep w/ us until he's ready for a toddler/twin bed.


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## wendy1221 (Feb 9, 2004)

The crib is great for storing things you want to keep in your room and handy, but don't want the baby to get into.







That's where we keep the hot water vaporizer in the winter.







It's also great for hanging things to dry, and for airing out woolens.

Our older ds's have bunk beds, but ds2 still sleeps in our room, either in our bed (king size mattress on the floor) or in a sleeping bag next to it. Ds1 sleeps in his bed most of the time, but still sleeps on the floor in our room sometimes. He was in our room most of the time up until this summer when we got the bunk beds. He had his own bed since he was 2, but still slept w/ us or on the floor in our room. He actually slept in the crib as a sidecar when ds2 was a baby.


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## pookel (May 6, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *425lisamarie* 
ETA: As far as how long you *can* use them. I dont' like them at all, but I realize there is a purpose for them sometimes. I think there is something wrong with them though, once child is able to walk around and almost crawl out of it. Seems like a pen to me at that point.

Only if you use it as a pen and leave the kid in it when he's awake, though. I look at the rails on a crib as serving the same purpose as rails on a hospital bed - to keep a sleeping person from rolling over and falling out. We switched my son to a toddler bed at 18 months because we thought he'd enjoy being able to get out on his own (and he did), but I don't think there was anything wrong with using it before then. We'd go get him anytime we heard a peep on the baby monitor. (And actually, he won't get out on his own these days either, I think because it's so cold. He insists on waiting for someone to come pick him up.







)


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## falcon (Jul 8, 2004)

We had a crib set up, but we never used it







I didn't really have a plan initially that it would turn out like that, we just kept cosleeping night after night, until eventually we decided he's too big for the crib, so we took it down


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## phathui5 (Jan 8, 2002)

We never did buy a crib. I'm considering buying a bassinet for baby #4 because co-sleeping with ds2 is driving me up the wall.


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## seamama11 (Jan 5, 2007)

We thought he would use it for every nap and all night...funny. We or I should say I never thought I would co-sleep and resisted it for six months. Now we use the crib for...hmmm. a nap here and there, but it is SOOO difficult to rock him to sleep and then lift him up and over the rail and back down, much easier to lower him onto a bed, although he prefers to be held the whole time, of course. Charlie starts every night out in his crib and it lasts for anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours until we go to bed....but he wakes up often and doesnt like to be in there, must feel like a little jail.
Waste of 500 dollars, MIL bought it for us.


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## nancy926 (Mar 10, 2003)

We never used one with DD1.

With DD2, it's used for naps and when she first goes to sleep at night. Once I go to bed, she comes to bed with me for the rest of the night.


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## Readergirl (Jun 20, 2005)

Thank you all for your responses! I am thinking we'll try to get an inexpensive one so we'll have the option. We are certainly not set in our ways since this will be our first baby. I do have a question... Do you need a special kind of crib in order to be able to sidecar it?


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## AugustineM (Mar 21, 2005)

You don't need a special kind of crib... you just take one side off the crib, lower the mattress to the height of your bed, and jam it against the wall & bed so that it can't move, yk, and there can't be a space in between bed & crib.

We never used one with DS... he went from our bed to a mattress on the floor in his room. With DD I expect it will be the same thing.


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## moonbeem (Sep 7, 2006)

we use ours as a changing table, and it supports some mobiles we got as gifts. DS likes them and its a safe place for him to be for a few minutes - he's never slept there tho'


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## Ambyrkatt (May 27, 2005)

We use a crib as a changing table, but DS has never slept in it. He has slept with us since birth and will continue to do so until he's ready not to. We have just moved into a bigger house, though, and he now has his own room. We put a twin mattress on the floor in there to use for nap times so that we can have our room when he sleeps during the day.


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## eldadeedlit (Jun 22, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
We never had a crib and never missed it.

-Angela









:


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## Still_Snarky (Dec 23, 2004)

never had a crib! no need for one. get a pack and play if you're really concerned.


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## ReuseCrafter (Nov 6, 2006)

I just put the crib together a couple days ago, before that we had a pack n play. I plan to sidecar the crib, but want to go get some bungee cords to hook it on underneath with. We only have a queen size bed and it gets a bit crowded sometimes, and I'm worried about DD rolling off soon, as she's 6 months now.

I usually put her in the crib (or the P'N'P before) when she first goes to bed for the night. Then I can get my shower done, do any extra household chores, get on the computer, do homework, whatever. DH is usually doing homework and working out & doing laundry (the exercise equip & laundry are in the basement) and we also need "Mama & Baba Time". This way I know she's safe and not rolling anywhere, and she's in the dark and quiet instead of right where everything we need to do is getting done. Then, as a PP said, when we go to bed, she comes to bed with us. She usually will only nap on me or right next to me. She used to take an afternoon nap in the swing, which was great, but it's no longer working









I had chosen a 4-In-1, so that after the crib, we can use it as a toddler bed with rails, then a toddler bed, then it's supposed to be a headboard for a full bed, but I don't really see that happening. It also has a storage drawer underneath which is nice in our small house. I thought it would also help her transition to her own bed if she already has some practice being in her own space.


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## Eaglevoice (Nov 30, 2004)

We never even considered buying a crib. Don't plan on ever using one. DD naps just fine in our bed.


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## apmommy76 (Sep 3, 2004)

We used it as a sidecar and then later put the side back on to use when I was not in the room and she was sleeping--for safety purposes.


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## sweedma (Jul 6, 2006)

You don't need a special crib to sidecar it, just one that converts to a toddler bed (i.e. a 3-sided crib). Most of them seem to now. Ours really gave us some extra space with our queen-sized bed. But he doesn't really sleep in there alone -- we kind of lean in there together sometimes in the night!


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## Novella (Nov 8, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *georgia* 
I usually suggest taking the money that would have gone to a crib and invest in a bigger mattress









Ditto! We bought a beautiful second-hand maple crib for our first child in summer 2001. She was already a few months old and I figured at some point we would move her from co-sleeping with us into her own room, in the crib.

I plan on "using" the crib to acquire $300 in a garage sale this spring









Each of our kids has co-slept for the first year as they have all been nursing. I've weaned each of them at that time to return to work (and partly b/c at that age they start to greedily nurse and paw ALL night long with little to no results other than that it really starts to ruin my sleep!)

When we have moved each out of our bed, we just put them in a normal bed. First DD alone in a double/full bed. Then adding DD#2 with her sis. Now DS#1 is in a queen bed on his own and newborn twins are in bed with us.

Along the way, we did move from a queen to a king-sized mattress and this is _definitely_ a priority baby-equipment expense!


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## Tara62 (Jun 30, 2005)

I use mine to hold diapers, blankets, toys, and diaper bags.


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## Stacey B (Jan 4, 2007)

We exclusively coslept for the first seven months. Lately none of have been sleeping too well in our queen. We bought a used crib where ds naps and spends part of the night, sometimes all. It's right next to the bed so he can still see us but we can all spread out. Some nights he still sleeps with us but we like having the option.


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## Past_VNE (Dec 13, 2003)

We spent the money a crib would have cost and bought a barely used king-sized Sleep Number bed from a friend, instead. It's been one heck of an investment. DS is 2 yrs 2 months now and is still co-sleeping.

My dad bought us, not one, but TWO cribs at auctions he went to, assured we would want them at some point. He's absent-minded though, and when we didn't take them off his hands, he left them on his porch, always, meaning to get around to re-selling them. Instead, the weather did them in. Too bad...they were both beautiful when he bought them.


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## Valian (Oct 16, 2005)

I bought a crib in my 3rd trimester, Ds was born the next week (early surprise). It sat in an unopned box for 6 months until we found the time to run to the store and return it. We expected to co-sleep but wanted the option and ended up not needing it.


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## chinaKat (Aug 6, 2005)

I'm clearly in the minority here, but we did/do use a crib.

Co-sleeping full time didn't last for us after DD reached a certain stage where she crawled and kicked and wanted to play all night instead of sleep.

We also always used the crib for naps, I never laid down with her for those.

First I nursed her to sleep and then put her in the crib, and when she got older she was perfectly happy putting herself to sleep herself -- both for naps and at night. She has books in the crib and likes to look at them for a while and then she'll just go to sleep on her own.

DD has actually never climbed out of her crib (I don't doubt she could at this point but she isn't that type of kid, I guess!), but we are transitioning her to a "big girl bed" (a twin) this month.

Sometimes she will still wake in the night and want to come in with us, that is no problem, I just go get her.


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## ColoradoMama (Nov 22, 2001)

We had a crib with our first was born. She took a few naps in it. We got rid of it when I was pg with #2 and haven't used one since! It was a waste of money for us.


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## JamieCatheryn (Dec 31, 2005)

Someone gave us a crib before DS was born, he took like 6 daytime naps in it, never at night, that was between 2 and 4 months. We took it down to rearrange the room after that, it was pretty useless. Now at 10 months, DS sometimes falls asleep in the other bedroom in the twin bed for naps or at first at night. After we move and he gets adjusted to the new house, around 16 months, we'll make up a room just for him and encourage more sleeping in the twin bed. I think my goal will be to have him spend most nights all night there by 2 years.


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## broodymama (May 3, 2004)

DS absolutely hated the crib. Wanted nothing to do with it until around 16 months, when he decided he wanted more space to sleep in and moved out of the family bed. When he was a babe he always napped either on my lap or I napped in bed with him.

I'll put 7 month old DD to bed in her crib around 8:30, right after I put DS to bed. My DH is deployed and after the kids are asleep is my time to clean up the kitchen, put away the laundry, scoop the cat box and then check my email. When DD wakes to nurse the first time she comes into bed with me for the rest of the night, DS comes in anytime from 4-7 am. DD also likes to nap in her crib, it's the only place she'll nap. I think she likes it because it is quiet and her brother doesn't drive his toy cars over her if she is in the crib.


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## boheime (Oct 25, 2005)

Never had a crib - never wnated one.

I say go without. You can always get one if you decide that is what you want later on. Don't waste the money and space.


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## jyurina (Mar 17, 2005)

Ours got put together at about three months and was a very handy laundry basket until we put the computer in it's place and stored it. Never put it up for number 2.


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## urchin_grey (Sep 26, 2006)

We have one but barely used it and now don't plan on ever using it again.


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## Love_Cyber_Cat (Aug 14, 2006)

Our crib is standing next to our bed but I only use it to put my DD in it for a few minutes while I am taking a shower!!!! What a waste of money! Later on it has an option to transfer to a bed- so maybe then we'll use it!


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## UmmBnB (Mar 28, 2005)

Never had a crib but ds took all his naps in a moses basket until he outgrew it. Dd was only in our bed for a couple of weeks...then we figured out that she didn't like sleeping with us, thus no one getting any sleep. We fashioned a cosleeper - her in the basket sitting on a toddler bed scooted up next to our bed. She slept in that until 18 when she moved into ds's room with him.

Ds left our bed for his own at 2 then came back at 3. He stayed until dd was born when he moved to a nest on our floor. Since then he's been in and out of our bed. He turns 6 in a few days and is FINALLY spending most nights in his bed. Dd just turned 2 and rarely comes in our room.


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## cjanelles (Oct 22, 2005)

Well, I'm 6 months along and although we plan on cosleeping, we went ahead and bought a crib last week.

It was a luxury purchase, honestly. Although I had cribs with my first two (now 10 and 14), they were hand-me-downs. I was a teenage mom and never got to have anything like a nursery. So, when DH and I decided to have a baby, I really wanted to do some "traditional" fun baby stuff.

Also, when DD was born, I intended for her to sleep with me, but she wasn't having any of it. She wouldn't sleep in the bed with me, nor would she sleep in her cradle in my room. She only would sleep--and soundly, for 6-8 hours at a time starting around 1 wk old--in her infant seat in her crib in her room!!! Not what I'd planned at all, but it's good I had the crib.

We went ahead and bought a convertible crib...the one that goes from crib to toddler bed to full-sized bed, and we'll use it as it becomes necessary, but we intend to keep the new baby in bed with us for a while.


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