Conference moira::parenting

    Just my advice...I would move her into a big girl bed. Get her excited
    about it, maybe go shopping and let her help you pick out some sheets
    for a twin bed of her choice. And a bed rail for the side and she
    should be fine. I would do it a couple months before though. 
    
    Seems like kids regress a bit ayways when a new sibling comes along 
    and she may just want to stay in the crib just like the baby for 
    longer than you want.
    
    I was leery also but my 2 yr old was so excited about it, that we
    were surprised. We let her pick out some stuffed animals to keep
    on her bed. 
    
    Charlene

    I agree with .1 - my daughter was in a big girl bed when she was only
    17 months.  She was climbing up on the rail, and falling over the edge. 
    When we got her the bed she was very excited, and never fell out once.
    
    I know your reason are different than ours, but it might be a good move 
    for her, especially if you have a baby coming along.  It might make her 
    feel special to be almost redoing her room, while you are decorating or 
    preparing for the new baby.
    
    

    Also, if you can, start laying her down at nap time in "the big bed" so
    that she gets used to sleeping there during the day.  Tommy is 25
    months and is ready to move to a big bed.  We usually lay him down in
    his brothers bed a naptime, usually with no problem.  He may try to get
    out when *he* thinks he's not ready for a nap, but I don't let him get
    that far.  By the time he has his own bed, he'll understand that when
    he gets into bed, he's there to stay.
    
    Good luck!
    
    Suzette

    We moved our daughter to a bed when she was 16 months old. She never
    climbed out of the crib, but she screamed when we would try to put her
    in it. She sleeps much better now and she never get's out of bed till
    we come get her. It's so cute to hear her little voice say "mommy, come
    here"!  So we don't have the problem with her roaming the house at
    night.
    
    Sandy

    Andrew was 2 1/2 when we gave him his own bed.  Sam had been in the
    port a crib up until that point.  I wasn't going to have two cribs.
    We made it sound like Andrew was giving Sam a present by giving him
    his crib.  It worked .  One day, I just said would you like to give
    Sam a nice present, how about giving him the crib since you have your
    own bed.  It worked.  (we had the be set up in the room for about 2
    months [if I recall correctly]).
    
    Let the child think it's her/his idea.  It might be easier.
    
    Nancy
    

I had the same dilemma as .0, Nicole was perfectly happy sleeping in her crib
and never tried to climb out.  But, with #2 on the way I didn't want to
have to buy a second crib and I wanted to make sure that Nicole felt no
attachment to the crib when I am ready to use it for the new baby.

So...at about 23 months we got her a big girl bed.  We talked about doing it
for a week or so before hand and made a big deal of going to pick out new
sheets etc for the bed.  She had slept in a big bed previously when on vacation
so I think that made the transition a little easier.  She very willingly
slept in her "big girl" bed and never asked to sleep in her crib again.
We did leave the crib in her room for about a month just to make sure she
would not change her mind.  She never did.

This past weekend, we finally moved the crib into the other room.  She still
says "my crib" but never asks to sleep in it.  I am hoping that when the
baby arrives she will drop the "my" or just agree to let the baby sleep in
her crib.

Now if I can get her to sleep under the covers instead of only on top.

Barbara

    
    
    From our experience (we just moved our 21 month old son from crib to
    bed in ONE weekend), I think it is important to make the child excited
    about moving to the *BIG* bed...  One thing I can't recommend is
    letting the child nap in a big bed which happens to be mommy and
    daddy's bed... Mostly because we have friends who did that and their
    daughter no nightly will get out of her bed and into their bed at 2 or
    3 AM...
    
    What we did was get a book about moving from crib to bed and read it
    constantly (mostly before bedtime at night)... The one we got used a 
    muppet character...  We also took our son shopping for the bed and the
    sheets... WHen the bed was delivered we told him that we would be 
    putting it together and that it was going to be his bed...  He couldn't
    wait to put it together, and when we did of course wanted to "help
    daddy", which drove me nuts because he was sitting on the frame while
    I was trying to put it together... Anyways, that night we put him in
    the bed and after about an hour or so of him getting up and moving
    about he settled down... He didn't want any part of the crib (we
    tried)..  So the following day we disassembled the crib while he was
    watching too...
    
    I guess the main thing we found is that our son felt involved in the
    transition and he felt he was getting something better...
    
    
    
    John
    

    Thanks for the replies.  It seems that all of you were successful in
    making the move.  With that encouragement I think we'll forge ahead. I
    really do not want two cribs at the same time!
                                        
    Mary

    We moved Jackie at 20 months (in February) because she screamed every
    night when it came time to put her in the crib.  Although she did not
    know it, she was almost big enough to climb out of the crib (foot on
    top of railing time).  The crib and bed are in the same room and I want
    to move her to the other bedroom for her 2nd birthday, but haven't gone
    about doing that (reason: my nephew is coming to stay with us the end
    of June and he needs the crib and I can't have both in the same room
    etc...).  Anyway, I have the side railings up and a toy chest at the
    end of the bed so she can get in and out on her own.  This can be good
    because sometimes she puts herself to sleep; however, she also gets out
    of the bed during the night for various reasons and comes to get me.  I
    think this is a real pain in the butt, but I think she takes after me,
    my husband, and my mother who all tend to get up during the night for
    whatever reasons.  She's up for no more than a couple of minutes, goes
    right back to sleep (ususally), so it really has not been a problem.
    
    Good luck...  I have heard that (as previous noted) having the first
    child "give" the crib to the new sibling works well.
    
    Mary
    

We were trying to decide about this too.  With #2 coming about in late October,
we figured to move Elise by August or so.  She'll be moving rooms too.

We plan on finishing her new room in July or so, with her help (and I use the
term loosely).  Then working on moving her stuff little by little.  Like, 
putting all her clothes in the new room and dressing her there.

When she seems to prefer the new room, I thought we could do a ritual of moving
all the stuffed animals to the new bed and showing them where they will sleep
now.  (Actually, having Elise show them).

We'll see how it works.

Pat
 

    re: 10
    
    You didn't mention how old Elise is, but may be close in age to Ellen. 
    I can share with you our recent experience with moving her to a new room
    -- it was as if she didn't even notice!
    
    We are completing a small addition - adding an extra bedroom of course
    for the new baby.  In order to do so, we destroyed one bedroom (Ellen's
    original room, and build two new ones.  We first moved Ellen to a
    temporary room in January when her room needed to be gutted.  No
    problem.  She watched us take the crib apart, move it and put it back
    together.  We moved a bookcase and her dresser/changing table, and some
    toys and that was it.  She adjusted immediately.
    
    Last week we moved her into her new room.  Again she watched us take
    the crib apart and move it.  This time I pointed out the pretty new
    wallpaper, windows, etc.  She never flinched.  Went right down for a
    nap as soon as we got the crib together.
    
    I had worried about the move upsetting her.  But we have seen no
    negative reaction from her either time.  
    
    Good luck to you with Elise's
    new room.
    
    Mary

    Our first son was 22 mos. when his sister was born, and we, too, tried
    putting him in a "big boy" bed at about 20 mos.  For him, it was a
    disaster! He had *never* had any sleeping problems, loved his crib, went to
    bed without fussing, slept through soundly each and every nite, etc. We
    really played up the new bed, let him help set it up, choose sheets,
    help make it, etc.  He sobbed and screamed half the night. Back to the
    crib. We waited a week or two, leaving the big bed up in his room with
    the crib. Gradually we talked it up again, and this time tried at nap
    time. He had readily agreed to try it, seemed excited... and screamed
    in that bed for 1.5 hrs.! Well, from our point of view, it simply
    wasn't worth it! Going from a child who loved sleeping and never had
    any problems, to one who cried and sobbed for hours, was not our idea
    of a good time! We bought a used crib for the baby. At approx. 2.5
    years, with absolutely no prompting, he simply announced one nite that
    he wanted to sleep in his big bed. And he did. No fuss, no muss, no
    bother. Never slept in his crib again!
    
    All kids are different, and most will adjust with no problem. But if he
    has a problem, I'd heartily reccomend the second crib over setting
    habits of difficult sleep patterns, any day!
    
    --dave--
                             
                              
                             
                       

    Interestingly enough (to us, anyway), Gina just decided over the
    weekend that she wanted to sleep in her bed, rather than her crib.
    
    She turned 2 on May 16.  The bed has been in her room since before she
    was born (her room was formerly the guest room and we decided to leave
    the bed in there).  I use the bed daily to dress her, we read books
    before bed on it, and play on it.  
    
    She asked to sleep in the bed.  The first two nights we moved her into
    the crib.  She slept fine in it for her nap each day.  On Saturday
    night we just let her in the bed all night, and she seems fine.
    
    One thing we are doing, is leaving the gate at the top of the stairs.
    Our house is 200 years old and has steep stairs.  We don't want her
    wandering out and falling down the stairs, which are directly outside
    her room.
    
    Now if we can only adjust to another non-baby transition!
    
    judy

    Noone mentioned youth beds. I'm curious as to whether anyone considered
    one and what were the pros and cons.
    
    My daughter is not a current candidate for the transition but I have
    thought about a youth bed as an alternative. There isn't much space in
    her room and I'd like to avoid a BIG bed for as long as is
    reasonable...like until she is 3 ? There's a big bed in the Au Pair's
    room. I don't expect to have an Au Pair forever.
    
    Comments ?

    I have a youth bed for Ryan. The primary reason I chose it was space -
    I have both kids in one bedroom right now (2 bedrooms up, 2
    downstairs). Other than having difficulty finding a quilt (I ended up
    with a twin size that I fold a lot at the foot end), I have no qualms
    about the youth bed. My son loves it.
    
    And, it's low to the floor, so when he was first in it and fell out,
    the fall wasn't too far:-)
    

    We decided on a youth bed because my husband and I couldn't agree on
    what style bed we should get, because it was inexpensive, and because
    we thought we would be better prepared to make the decision later
    (because Stephanie could help when she gets older).  I'm very happy
    we made that decision for two reasons - the bed is close to the ground
    and the few times she has fallen out of bed have not been traumatic,
    and the crib matress that fits the bed is plastic covered!!!  Although
    she is potty trained, she still has occasional night time accidents
    which are very easily cleaned up.
    
    					Just my 2 cents...
    						Mair
    

    re: falling out of bed...
    
    FWIW:
    My 3 year old has been in his regular twin bed for a year now.  We have
    it sitting on the box-spring which sits right on the floor.  Easy-in
    easy-out and he's fallen on the floor several times when he first was
    in it without even waking up.  You might want to try this.
    
    Steve

    
    Just as we were ready to set up crib #2, our 18 mos. old daughter
    started climbing out of her crib.  We put the crib mattress on the
    floor for a while, and she was constantly rolling out of bed.  We had
    to put her back on her mattress several times during the night.  We
    then placed a side bar next to the mattress, and she still would find
    her way into the middle of the floor.  My husband finally made her a
    youth bed out of 4 pieces of oak and the crib mattress, and she was
    still falling out of bed at night.  Many evenings we would go to her
    room to find her feet on the floor and her chest on the bed...real
    cute!!
    
    She is still in her toddler bed (2.5) and really loves it.  She can
    easily climb in and out of it (good and bad...but then she was already
    climbing out of the crib).  We have bought her a "big girl's bed" which
    she will graduate to next month when her bedroom is finished.
    
    I think when you move your child to a bigger bed can depend on what
    type of sleeper they are.  Restless sleepers (like mine) seem to be
    better off in a confined crib.
                                  

I also thought about buying a youth bed but decided against it for several
reasons.  

	- Youth beds are not standard sized
	- You will have to buy a bigger bed later on 
	- Hwo do you buy sheets for it?  It's not as big as a twin.

As noted previously, we also bought a boxspring and mattress and put them 
right on the floor.  I put a fitted sheet on the boxspring to cover it up.  We
also bought a bed rail that slid right between the mattress and boxspring.  It
wouldn't have been far to fall, maybe a foot, but I thought having the rail
would make the transition from crib to bed easier.  

We did this for about a year and a half and then bought a bedframe, headboard,
etc.  

Barbara

Well, I thought I had decided what I wanted to do about my similar dilemma, but 
now I'm having second thoughts.

Those of you who say your 16-24 month old "got involved" in picking out the bed,
sheets, decor of room, etc., I am surprised at (especially the 16-18 month 
olds) because I can't see my 23-month-old doing that.  Maybe I am 
underestimating her potential for understanding.  I can't see her getting 
"excited" about moving into a bed.

For that reason I had decided she is going to stay in her crib as long as
possible.  Also, she is a very active child and I did not relish the thought of 
her coming in to get me those times when she decides to wake up at 6 a.m.  Plus 
I could just see her roaming the house.  (BTW, Dr. Spock recommends keeping a 
baby in the crib for as long as possible for this reason.)

Michelle will be 2 in three weeks which is also when our baby is due.  So I 
thought I'd just have the baby in the cradle for about 3 months and then 
re-evaluate at that time.  If Michelle was still doing good in the crib, I just 
see if I could borrow a crib from someone else.  I guess the danger I face is 
that Michelle may become attached to the crib (she has just started using the
word "mine" a lot!), but there were some good ideas for overcoming that.
Michelle is very, very adaptable to new situations, however, and I think that is
something that can work to our favor when we decide to make the switch.

Well I'm still not sure if I chose the right approach but we'll see what
happens...

Kyra

    Like you (.20), I thought I'd keep Gina in a crib for as long as
    possible.  However, when she asked to sleep in the bed, I felt I
    shouldn't refuse her.  
    
    She is also very active, but she has only gotten out of the bed once.
    She didn't want to go to sleep and cried a lot and came to the door. 
    When I came to the door, she scurried back to the bed quickly.  I guess
    I have more power than I thought!  
    
    Because she has a double bed, our choices in juvenile sheets are
    limited.  I got out the J.C. Penney catalog, and gave her the choice of
    two kinds of sheets.  She had an opinion, and by some fluke, it was my
    choice too.  She's just over 2, but I let her choose a lot of things
    this way, so we've had practice.
    
    judy 

    .....quick rewind from the previous version of notes....
    
    I read somewhere (can't remember right now) that if you *need* the crib
    for a soon to be sibling, the best way is to move the child out of the
    crib several months before the expected delivery.  Put the crib
    completely away, and out of sight.  Make a big deal of having a big boy
    (or girl) bed, and according to what I read (parent's magazine maybe?)
    it will be a little less painful, and minimize the sibling rivalry, or
    the feeling that this new creature is "stealing" the older child's bed.
    
    My sister inlaw had her two children 20 months apart, and had the
    younger one in a wicker basinette for several months, and actually used
    the approach of "giving her crib" to baby brother, then she got (I'd
    guess as a reward of sorts) a beautiful white canopy bed of her own, of
    which she was and still is very proud.
    
    reality....  AJ was in a crib until his third birthday, in our sleeping
    area upstairs.  (we have a large open area on the second floor of our
    cape style home.  Although we could hear one another to some extent, 
    there was no visual contact the way it is set up).  We moved AJ
    downstairs to "his own" room, which meant new room, bed, curtains,
    bedspread, and I took him to Sears and let him pick out which sheets he
    wanted, only two choices winnie the pooh or mickey mouse.  We lucked
    out, he picked out Mickey and for his birthday party his Godparents
    gave him the Winnie the Pooh sheets!  
    
    I did buy a side rail, but returned it within a week.  He just didn't
    need it, and it was getting in the way.  We initially only used the
    frame with no headboard so we could push the head and one side up
    against the walls.  We progressed to a "mates bed" with the drawers
    under and a bookcase headboard, which he loves for keeping tiny cars,
    an "energizer" bunny flashlight, his tape recorder and/or radio and a
    few books.  This is "his" corner, he can put anything he wants (within
    reason of course) on this headboard.  It's also a great place for "his"
    box of tissues, he really does do a great job of nose-blowing...thanks
    to the high pollen count!

    We got Kyla a big girl bed at around 27 months.  I had two cribs one for 
    Max and one for Kyla.  My sister had a baby when Max was 2 months and 
    needed the crib which is when we bought Kyla a big bed.  She had no 
    problem giving her crib to her brother Max so her new cousin could have
    Max's crib.  We thought she would be upset having Max sleep in her crib
    but it never bothered her at all.  We did make a big deal about a big
    girl bed and let her pick out sheets and blankets.  Now if only all
    other transitions will be so easy....
    

I just thought I'd report on Elise's move to her new room and her big bed.
(FYI, she's 20 months).

It hasn't happened yet.  We finished her room last weekend and moved all her 
stuff.  She helped carry and put things away.  I moved most of the pictures
etc.  We moved some of her stuffed animals to the bed, but left some in the 
crib.  (I also removed the bumper pads from her crib, a sneaky attempt to 
make it less cozy).

We offer the bed every night, and she says yes.  So we put her in it, and help
get her settled (give her her baby, etc).  Then she says, "no! no!" and starts
to climb down.  So we go back to the crib.  (It's been three nights).

I'd offer naps, but she only naps at home on weekends.

We do everything else in her new room and she seems pleased about it.  It's
bigger and she has enjoyed exploring it.  

I suspect she just needs more time to explore and adjust to the idea.  I'm
thinking about a bed rail, to make the bed cozier.  The head and one side are
against the wall, and a bed rail could make the open side more enclosed.  (I'm
not concerned about her falling out, it's a mattress and box spring right on
the floor).  I'll wait on that tho, 3 days isn't that long and she may need a
couple weeks to get comfortable with the move.

    Gina's bed is also in a corner.  We did get a bed rail and use three
    pillows to create a smaller space.  (Her bed is a double.)  I put her
    pillow the "normal" horizontal way in the middle of the bed.  Then we
    put another pillow on each side of it, going vertically.  
    
    I also put a bunch of throw pillows and stuffed animals along the wall. 
    She sleeps well in the bed, although some nights she sleeps in the
    crib.  We just let her decide, but we don't have a deadline for moving
    her to the bed.
    
    judy

A last update - Elise has finally accepting the "Big Girl" bed.

We were gone for a long weekend, and when we came back, I dismantled the crib
and reassembled it in her new room.  She slept in it that night.

The next night, my husband just matter-of-factly put her to bed in the bed.
He never mentioned the crib, even tho it's sitting right there.  She settled
right in, no problem.  

I guess the move is made, altho I'm waiting for the weekend to take the crib
apart again.  (On the other hand, it's a good place to store it until we get
the new baby's room repainted...)


Pat

    My son's "big boy" bed will be arriving on Wednesday.  Do you think
    it's smart for me to take down the crib on that day or wait a while to
    make the transition more smooth?  I really don't have the room in his
    bedroom for both the crib and the bed and would like to take the crib
    down as soon as possible.  What do you think?
    
    Lori B.

    Lori,
    
    We involved Steven in the dismantling of his crib and set up
    of his new "big boy" bed.  He loved it!  Went right in it for
    his nap that afternoon and never asked for his crib, EVER.
    
    I did attach some of his crib toys to the headboard to make
    it feel more like home.
    
    He was 22 months when we made the move.  We moved him because
    he was too big for the crib.
    
    Good luck!  We tried to make it a fun, positive event and it 
    worked out  well.
    
    Linda

    Well Shane will be home with me when the delivery men come on
    Wednesday, so I will try and let him be a part of the set up, as long
    as he's not going to be a hinderance more than a help.  I will also let
    him "help" me put his new Sesame Street sheets on the bed and then I'm
    going to try and put him in for a nap in the bed as soon as it's all
    done.  I will not take down the crib if he will not sleep in the bed
    (mom needs her sleep too!).  I don't anticipate any problems as he's
    been taking naps in a regular bed at his sitter's for about 2 months
    now with no problems.  Guess I'll just have to wait and see.
    
    Lori B.

    My wonderful nephew Sean just made the transition to crib last weekend.
    My sister tried to get everything set up before he got home....he came 
    home with just the frame of the bed together.....jumped inside it and 
    said "Sean's bed?", then pointed to his crib and said "Baby Stephen's
    crib!"      Has been great since!
    
    Hope I am that lucky when Lindsay's turn comes!
         
    

    Alex is almost 17 months and has not made any motion that she wants
    to climb out of her crib or go to a youth-type bed.  But I wanted to ask
    a safety/height question.  We have alot of furniture in her room and it
    is not baby proofed (yet, but will be)
    
    The other bed in the room, other than her crib, is an above-normal
    height double bed.  Is that too dangerous for her to transition to
    from a crib, due to the height?  Should I go to a youth bed?  
    
    Kathy

    
    FWIW... between my sisters and me, I have discovered tha some children
    don't want out of the crib until there're 3+... after all, it's
    familar, cozy, and very comfortable.
    
    We had to put Sophie in a bed when #2 came along... she was 2.5, and
    had no real interest in a bed, but made the transition easily.  We also
    have a bed which is higher than average, but we just put it against a
    wall and used a bed rail (Toy R US ~$15) for safety.
    Jamd

Is there any particular reason you are considering moveing Alex out of her crib?
I found it much easier on *me* to leave my daughter in her crib as long as she
liked.

When you do move her into a bed - you might consider putting the matterss and 
box-spring directly on the floor for a while.  My daughter (now almost 3)
still falls out of bed on occassion, and I feel better knowing it is only an
8 or 10 inch fall to the carpeted floor.

I second the suggestion for pushing the bed into a corner.  Our daughter tends 
to migrate towards the corner and snuggle against the wall while she sleeps.

A friend has placed old couch cussions on the floor next to her daughter's bed.
So at least when she falls, she has a very soft landing.

And finally - I have never heard of a kid getting seriously hurt from falling 
out of bed.  My brothers and I fell out tall beds onto a hardwood floor on
several occasions growing up and never suffered anything more serious than
some temoporary disorientation trying to find our way back into bed.

    After several minor mishaps, Ilona successfully made the transition to
    a twin bed.  To prevent her falling out, I tuck a long strip of foam
    rubber (about 2" x 2") under ths sheet on the outside edge.
    
    She is very happy with her pretty new sheets and comforter sent by (who
    else?) Grandma.
    
    We put the gate in the door to keep her from wandering the house and
    remove it when she's fast asleep so she can come get us when she wakes.
    
    We tried using the Ferber method (install gate for increasing durations
    each time she wanders out) but found it easier on all of us to just
    leave it in.  Eventually I'd like to use the Ferber method and get away
    from the gate completely.  We'll do that when she's a bit older and has
    more self-discipline.
    
    We let her play quietly in her room until she falls asleep.  Sometimes
    she yells a bit, but we ignore that unless it lasts more than a few
    minutes.  She gets into bed on her own.  Many the morning I find her in
    bed with a stack of books. A chip off the old block. :-)
    
    L

    I know its a bit early for an 11 mo old to move to a bed,
    but I have a question about babys' sleeping habits so I
    will post it here.
    
    Pillows. for at least the last 3 months, Charlotte has been pulling
    down the bumperpad attached to the head board and sleeping on it. Its
    a little strange. You can put her anywhere in the crib, but she will
    crawl up the head board, pull down the pad, and drop her head on it.
    (the pad is not very thick - its homemade and the material is 2
    thicknesses of lightly quilted cotton).
    Should we be considering a pillow for her instead? Do babies naturally
    want pillows? I thought this behaviour sort of odd.
    
    Monica (perplexed)
     

    Monica,
    
    Neel who will be 11 months on the 13th has loved a pillow ever since he
    was born. He has a habit of putting both his palms under his head while
    sleeping (he sleeps that way all nite!!!). So I selected a pretty flat
    pillow (adult pillow) so his head is not too elevated but is
    comfortable for him. Until Neel as about 4-5 months old I used a receiving
    blanket folded into a pillow since it is flatter than a pillow but
    works for him.
    
    Shaila
                                   

    RE: 35
    
    My son, Benjamin, who is 17 month, does the *exact* smae thing with 
    his crib bumper (which is also pretty flat) and has done so for several
    months...I just mentioned to my husband the other day that it might be
    time for a pillow for him.  I had heard that you should wait until 2
    years old before placing a pillow in the crib, but since Ben is such a
    big kid (about 30 lbs.), I don't think it would be a problem.
    
    I don't remember how old my daughter was when we first started with a
    flat pillow, but I believe she was about 18 months (she's 3 1/2 now -
    how time flies :-) ).
    
    Linda

Actually, when Jessica did this, I just took out the bumper pads.  I didn't
bother to substitute a pillow, and it didn't seem to bother her.  Seems to
me she was about the same age as Charlotte when she started it.

Brad never did that, but he did figure out that he could climb on them,
so that's when his got removed.

    >>Brad never did that, but he did figure out that he could climb on them,
    >>so that's when his got removed.
    
    I'm just WAITING for that to happen ;-).
    
    Monica

    When Christopher had a head cold this winter, I gave him a fairly flat
    pillow, to elevate his head. Since then I've kept it in the crib. He's
    now 20 months.
    

    I wonder if this pillow behavior is some kind of ritual they
    invent for themselves at night to help them settle. I've noticed
    my daughter (20 months) has followed the same ritual every night
    when settling to sleep: burrow into the corner of the crib,
    head against the bumpers, hold an animal under each arm (and
    if she doesn't like the animal, she sits up and rearranges all 
    the animals in her crib), babble and sing for up to 20 minutes,
    and finally fall asleep. Maybe pulling down the bumpers or 
    arranging hands under a pillow is all part of the same process.
    
    (Which is not to say that you couldn't encourage them to change
    the ritual -- I'm just speculating about why they do it.)
    
    Lucy

For those of you now comtemplating using a pillow for an infant, please
remember that if the infant is not yet skilled at moving his/her head,
then the pillow can suffocate them.  Even if the pillow if a little distance
away from the baby's face, the exhaled air (carbon dioxide) doesn't get a 
chance to move away from the baby's face, so the baby re-breathes it next
breath.  If you are unsure if your baby is old enough for a pillow, please
ask your doctor.

       Carol

    
    Michael started using his bumber pads for a pillow also, so I took the 
    hint and tried him with a small pillow first that Grama made him
    (about 10"x10"..quilted fabric with stuffing). He took to it right
    away and later after about 13-14 mos we switched to a full size "flat"
    pillow.  
    
    I wouldn't start them on a pillow too early, but don't think waiting
    till 2yrs old is really necessary either.  You'll know when you feel
    its safe.
    
    Chris
    

    Well, we decided that Charlotte pulling down on the headboard pad and 
    lying on it (basically stretching the elastics that went around the
    back of the headboard and making this a dangerous exercise) was of
    greater peril than a little pillow she could lie on, so my mom made a 
    very small flat pillow (only two layers of the stuff one uses in
    quilts) and Charlotte LOVES it. Sometimes she lying on it, other times
    its cuddled in the crook of her arm, under her hip, etc etc. But, she's
    always with it (likes it better than teddy too).
    
    Monica

    I saw something in one of the large department stores at the Auburn
    Mall last weekend.  It was called a "Travel Pillow"  It was an airline
    size pillow, with the blue and white stipe ticking, and they were also
    selling white cotton pillow cases to go over them.  The pillow was like
    $3. the cover was like $1.50, although it was being sold to be used in
    the car, for example, It seemed the perfect size for a crib.
    
    Lyn
    (forever a bargain hunter!)
    

re: .45

And if you get a "travel pillow", don't be suprised if your child uses it far 
past the time they are big enough for a "real" pillow, and don't be suprised 
if it become a security object that stays in the bed long after they child 
has started to use a "real" pillow.

Clay

Hi

I'm looking for experience with have you handled bedside lamps for 
evening reading ?

Jonathan, soon 2.5 years, loves books and wants a book with him in bed
to "read" before he goes to sleep. He looks at the pictures mostly
and tells stories to all the stuffed animals in his bed.

He wants the light on for a while after I put him to bed and I
let it be on for 5 minutes or so before I go in and turn it off.

Jonathan is still in his crib (he loves it and climbs in and out
like a monkey) but I'm planning on getting him one of those
youth beds that takes a crib mattress. I had thought at the same 
time to try to find a small night table with a suitable lamp for him.

I have been reading in bed for as long as I can remember, and
do not want to discourage him at all, if he wants to start the habit
this early. On the other hand I do not want him to stay up all night
with the light on.

At what age did your kids have a light by the bed they could turn 
on/off themselves for reading? Did you have to "monitor" the use
of the light in anyway?

Any comments, or suggestions are appreciated

Thanks
/Malin

    How about a clapper! ;.)  Actually, this would probably work well
    because he wouldn't have to get out of bed.  I don't have one so
    I'm not sure if they actually work.  You could also put his lamp
    on a timer to go off so many minutes after bedtime.
    
    
    			Mary
    

    Depends on the kid.  With Jessica, she's had a bedside lamp since she
    was around 2 and was still in the crib.  Before that, I used to leave
    the overhead light on, but a bedside light is more convenient for her. 
    In general, I let her keep the light on for about an hour, and then I
    would go in and say it was time to go to sleep, shut the light, and
    she'd go to sleep [every once in a while, she would fall asleep with
    the light on, but mostly, she'd still be up reading].  Now, she's in a
    regular bed and she's 3 1/2. Sometimes she shuts the light off on her
    own when she's done, and sometimes she just goes to sleep. There are
    even nights when she'll ask me to shut it off. It's the signal she uses
    to go to sleep.
    
    With Brad, I  haven't been able to give him as much latitude. He wants
    it on all the time, but we did compromise, and he has a night-light.
    But he visits with all his friends in bed vs. the reading that Jessica
    does, so a night-light is fine.