Let's set this up, shall we?
So we are just about ready to move Michael into his first "real" bed. Right now, he is in a toddler bed. But we have a brand-new bunk bed set (which will not be bunked for a while) and once we purchase the mattress, we are ready to roll. The plan is to set Michael up in his twin bed this weekend.
I want to start Michael out in the twin bed and give Liam some time in the toddler bed before he moves to the other twin. Liam is fine in his crib but this issue has kicked up notch on the priority list. Aside from baby #3's pending arrival, our crib was recalled & we have to send back some key parts of the crib before they will send us the voucher for a new one. I hate to rush Liam but I think he will be okay with the change.
We have a 3 bedroom house which means 2 kiddies will be rooming together.
There is a request for advice buried in here somewhere...
What plan do you think is better:
Plan A-
Switch beds and introduce the boys to their new shared bedroom arrangement all in one step
OR
Plan B-
Get both accustomed to new beds and THEN combine bedrooms
OR
Plan C-
Beds only for now and then have Liam room with Baby#3 once he/she moves to crib
OR
Plan D-
You have a more brilliant plan that I am unaware of--enlighten me, please!
One key factor you need to know before choosing: Liam is a dream sleeper and Michael is working on becoming an insomniac...this should be factored into your decision. I do not want to ruin Liam's lovely sleepy bear routine.
Comments...suggestions...thoughts...offers to provide us a 4 bedroom house?
All are welcome :)
7 comments:
I would think that having the two littlest room together would be my last choice for an option, just because baby sleep is so crazy. HOWEVER if the arrangement was that the baby would sleep with you for a while, then I might get the boys used to their new beds first and then move them together in a bit.
Then again, it might be nice to have them together before the baby arrives and make it seem like this great fun thing, instead of baby shows up and then they get thrown together - as though the sister booted someone out of his room.
Sorry, I'm not much help here huh?
I am already checking comments because I am desperate for input. Thanks Kelsey- it's good to hear another thought process even if you weren't sure of the conclusion either...it helps me to consider things I hadn't thought about. Also, we do not know the sex of baby #3 but maybe if we did, it would sway me in one direction. Good point about settling thing prior to baby's arrival so it doesn't seem like baby booted someone...
Do you usually keep the baby with you in a bassinet for a while? If you do...I would put off combining them in the same room for as long as possible, just because like you said, putting them together might really disrupt Liam's sleeping. Then you would have a handle on how well the baby sleeps and what the gender is - maybe the baby should be with Michael if he's the poor sleeper anyway? At least for a while? I don't know...these are all just thoughts.
One other thought - we skipped the toddler bed (we didn't have one and I didn't want to buy one) and just put the twin mattress and box springs on the floor with a railing for several months. That way if she fell (which she did), it wasn't as far. But then when we put her mattress up on the bed frame (when we moved), it didn't seem like any change for her. It was the same bed, just a little higher off the ground.
Just another idea, there are so many factors to consider. I've already had these same thoughts about if we have a third. We have 4 bedrooms in the new place but we really need our guest room because all family is out of town and we have guests at least once a month, usually more. So I've thought about all the combining rooms/baby sleep issues, too. Good luck and let us know!
Well, I would keep the boys separate as long as you can. I know all too well how it is to have good sleep habits swayed by bad ones. The temptation of having your best friend available at all hours is too great to resist. So I would move Michael to his new bed in Michael's room, Liam to the toddler bed in Liam's room. I would not mention that his crib is for the new baby, I'd just let him know he's getting a new bed, cause he's a big boy now. If you keep New Baby in your room for 3 months or so, Liam may be out growing his naps by that time which will help him sleep more deeply at night. Then the transition to Michael's room and twin bed may not be so traumatic and New Baby gets their own room and crib! Viola!
Theoretically, I'd go with A. But in reality, I would chicken out with the "one fell swoop" option and go with B. I don't think Liam with the baby would be any better than Liam with Michael. Both will likely be poor sleepers. Who knows, though? Maybe Liam will rub off on MICHAEL, and he'll turn into a better sleeper? Here's hoping...
I was just reading some old posts that had been sitting in my reader and realized you didn't know the sex of the baby...
If you do have a girl, I would like credit for predicting her!!! :-)
Since Michael is the crummy sleeper, how about putting HIM and the baby together? Maybe you could train him to give a bottle and then you could use his insomnia for good!
:) Good luck. We gave up our guest room when #3 came along...now our guests have to bunk up with Lily... ;)
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