// Sidecar Crib


Linden is officially too long to fit comfortably in his moses basket. I was not looking forward to that day (especially since he's only been sleeping in it for about a week). I had no idea what we were going to do when he outgrew the bassinet because we weren't quite ready to put him in his crib in his room. Even though he has never slept through the night, we're able to anticipate him waking and we rush for his bottle and feed him while he's still (mostly) asleep. This means he goes right back down (!!!) and the whole feed only takes 15-30 minutes. Of course that's 15-30 minutes every 3 hours, almost on the dot. But it could be worse. Anyway, we wanted to ensure he was close by so we could continue our routine, but we were so relieved to finally get him out of our bed. He started sleeping really poorly when we were cosleeping, so I was desperate for some solutions.

Our 4moms Breeze playard was an option, but I ideally wanted Linden within arms reach so I didn't have to get up and out of bed each time he stirred. He has a nasty habit of spitting out his pacifier and then getting really upset (a habit we're trying to break!). That's when I came across turning the crib into a "sidecar" for the parents' bed. Since Linden's crib converts into a toddler bed, we knew it'd be stable without the one side. That's when we got to work. Mike fashioned the mattresses at the same height, affixed the crib to our bed frame, and took care of the (very small) negative space between the crib mattress and the back crib rail. We tried it out for the first time Sunday night, totally unsure of what to expect.

Luckily, it seemed to work like a charm. Not only was Linden less than an arm's reach from me, he was also directly at eye level so I could ensure he was breathing properly (Do moms ever grow out of checking for this?!) The only major inconvenience is that I'm no longer able to just pop out of bed and instead have to slide down to the foot of the bed to get off. A small price to pay for a baby who sleeps well, is safe, and nearby. It's the best of both worlds in my mind... cosleeping and crib training. 

I'm not sure when we'll transition him into his own room (sooner rather than later, I hope) but for right now this seems to be the perfect answer to our problem. It takes up a bit of room, but normally you'd just find my discarded dresses there anyway haha! 

I know they make sidecar sleeper cribs which are much more space efficient, but we had no desire to shell out more cash for another piece of baby furniture. At least this way we get our money's worth out of his Babyletto crib!

Today I had planned on sharing his nursery tour, but since we had to resort to this I didn't manage to photograph it. That's why you're getting this post haha! Here's to hoping he's in his room before long and I can finally share it! 

Have any of you ever done a sidecar crib? We're already anticipating what we'll do once he can crawl, climb, etc... provided he's still in this sleeping arrangement. Guess we'll be getting rid of our boxspring to accommodate for a much, much lower mattress haha!

9 comments:

  1. This is such a good idea!! We cosleep (I really wish we didn't, but he sleeps so much better with me!) and it gets so uncomfortable and crowded. Half of the time my husband ends up in our guest bedroom so there's enough room to sleep haha. We've been tryinggggg to transition to him sleeping in his crib, in his room. Slowly but surely.... it's a process!! Hope it goes smooth for you guys!

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  2. What a genius solution! Thank you for posting this - as a future one day mom your baby posts are extremely helpful!!! ox

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  3. That is such a good idea. I have my first on the way so I am totally saving this for later...

    Christen
    http://christenlouise.blogspot.com

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  4. This is a great idea. We co-slept for a long time but I think my husband would prefer this option. I will keep it in mind for any future babies.

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  5. I wish I had such a crib with my daughter 9 years ago, it probably would have saved my life at the time! Kudos to you for a great solution, and a money-saving one at that!

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  6. I have thought about doing this when the time comes! I've seen a lot of those little sidecar attachments for the bed and had the same thought about taking one side off of a crib that converts!! Very cool to see someone who has done just that and to see it working! Even though I'm a long way from being done with my pregnancy, the wheels in my mind are already turning like crazy about sleeping arrangements, everything we'll need, and what is just a plain old waste of money!

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  7. Ugh! Where was this when my littles were...well...little??

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  8. First of all, I love, love, love your headboard. Secondly, this is a great idea! You get more room to sleep, and you don't have to trudge to the other room to feed him every 3 hours. It definitely is the best of both worlds!
    xoxo
    Audrey

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HEY! Thanks for dropping by. xo KB