need some sleeping arrangement advice

ok so i have two DDs. my older is 2.5 and still sleeps in her crib. my younger is 6 months and is still in the rock n play sleeper next to my bed. she wakes up 1-2 times a night to nurse (annoying but true). the weight limit on the RNP is 25 pounds so i have more time to keep her in it if i want to, but i am thinking it may be time to do a switch, as maybe she might sleep for longer stretches if she were in a crib in another room. the problem, however, is that i don't feel comfortable putting my 2.5 year old into a big girl bed yet, which is a queen size in our guest room. i don't think she would get the concept of having to stay in it, nor do i particularly want to rock the boat since she sleeps so well in her crib. so what do i do?
a) leave the world the way it is, with DD1 in her crib and DD2 in the rock n play until she meets the weight limit or starts trying to sit up out of it?
b) buy a better, firmer mattress for my pack and play and move DD2 into it in the guest room? then i will have to get out of bed in the middle of the night to feed her when she wakes up
c) move DD1 to queen size and DD2 to crib

i am open to other suggestions as well. so confused here as to what the best option is.

need some sleeping arrangement advice

I would either move the RNP into the guest room or go with the pnp. I remember thinking it would be such a big deal to go get DD from her room to feed her (she nursed at night for a VERY long time) but it really wasn't. You could always try moving the RNP and see how she does. If you think it's a good time to move her out of that, the pnp mattresses are pretty inexpensive. We got a Dream on Me one on Amazon for about $30.

need some sleeping arrangement advice

personally I would never have a 6MO in the RnP anymore. we moved my DS at 4 months because he was rolling over in it. I actually have a picture of him at 6-7 months and he is trying to stand in it. We moved him out of it for sleeping at 4 months and he still napped in it until the standing issue.

If you don't want to buy a new crib then I would use a PnP. My DS slept in a PnP until 11 months.

need some sleeping arrangement advice

I would say pnp with a mattress.

My dd was in her rnp until 6 months, then I moved her to pnp for like 2 weeks next to me to get used to laying flat and having room to roll around. THEN I moved her to her room in her crib.
If you don't want to buy another crib like I said PNP would be my choice in that situation.
The only thing I will say is your only buying yourself a few more months in it. My dd was not a fan of the pnp when we sleep out anywhere because its not enough room and shes not very big to begin with. She rolls and hits the edges it wakes her. She wakes up when she has to sleep in it. Just something to consider. Are you trying to buy a few months or another year?
What about maybe a portable crib? Or an inexpensive one?
When do you plan to move your older daughter to the bed? Do you plan in a few months or do you want to wait longer? If longer you may want to consider an inexpensive crib or portable crib.

Re: need some sleeping arrangement advice

Get a other crib.
A second hand or a very cheap one.

Re: need some sleeping arrangement advice

Re: need some sleeping arrangement advice

Re: need some sleeping arrangement advice

Re: need some sleeping arrangement advice

Get another crib or a twin bed for the older child.

She'll be able to crawl and stand before she reaches the 25 pound weight limit, which is just dangerous. My guess is she isn't comfortable in the RnP because she's getting cramped and probably wants to roll around.

need some sleeping arrangement advice

I'm guessing your guest room is going to be your ODD's room, so why not just swap out a twin bed for the queen and move her in there?

Re: need some sleeping arrangement advice

Just to add another option, we moved my 2.5 year old into a toddler bed recently and she LOVES it. It is low to the ground and has rails that go half way down, so she doesn't fall out. After the first few nights and bribery, she knows she has to stay in it.

My DS is due in March and I wanted the transition done now, way before he gets thrown into the equation.

The toddler bed is wooden, matches the nursery furniture and was $60 on Amazon. The 2 will be sharing a bedroom, her in the bed and him in the crib (once we move him there from our room).

ETA, the weight/height limit on the toddler bed should last her til she's 6. Infact I can lay on it with her, though I'm too tall, but it supports my weight.

Message edited 1/4/2014 6:03:16 PM.

Re: need some sleeping arrangement advice

I wouldn't buy another crib.
Your dd may do better than you think in the queen bed. I switched my twins just about at 2.5 and they did great. Dd has been sleeping in a queen bed since.
I would do the pack n play for now and then try to switch your dd into the queen bed. I started with nap time.

Re: need some sleeping arrangement advice

Re: need some sleeping arrangement advice

How about buying a mini crib or portacrib and upgrading to a better mattress? They are inexpensive and you can fit it in a variety of places.

I would not keep a 6 month old in a rnp, personally. And I'm not too thrilled with the support of a pack n play, even with a better mattress.

Re: need some sleeping arrangement advice

I think it's time to transition your older dd into a bed. She will probably do better than you think! Both of my dc went into their beds by 26 months. It took a few nights to get the hang of it but they did just fine. I personally wouldn't buy another crib b/c at 2.5 you would only be using it for a short time.