We babysit my grandson one day a week and right now he takes naps in the pack n play. He's about 24 pounds so he will soon outgrow it. Any suggestions for something not too expensive for him to go into for his nap? He's pulling up on furniture and is starting to climb so not sure what to put him in that would be safe.
I would post a 'want' on freecycle, crib needed for grandchild. Freecycle is a yahoo group, no money changes hands. It's a way to get rid of stuff you no longer need and a way to get stuff you need.
Be careful though, drop side cribs have been outlawed, I believe, in all states. They are considered a hazzard.
You could pick up one of those little couches that pulls into a toddler bed. (Walmart has them for sure. I'm can't say about anywhere else.) Then it will serve double-duty. My cousin's 4 year old still uses his, so it will last a while too.
Then just baby-proof the room and throw up a baby gate if you aren't going to be in the same room during his nap.
I would just do a mattress on the floor, a crib size one if space is an issue. That's how we transitioned all three of our kids.
Hi - depends on the kid's personality. If he isn't a climber and stays put when you put him down for sleep, I would leave him in the pack and play until he is climbing out of it to come find you on his own. After that, I would get a cheap toddler bed ($49 or so) at walmart or target and put that in a spare room and just tell him to stay in bed. Now if he is a climber or he won't stay down when you put him down, I would get him a sleeping blanket or the cheap toddler bed and then buy 2 safety gates for the door to the room he is sleeping in and stack them on top of each other. That way he can't get out. Also don't forget to make the room safe - anchor furniture to the wall, lock toilets etc. Good luck!
My kids comfortably fit in the pack-n-play until they were three. They were never able to climb out of it.
Have you considered looking for a second hand crib? Would you have room for that? Craigslist is a good place to look.
You cm look at O. Step Ahead. They have some good items.
We put our daughter in the pack n play until she grew out of it, she was about 3. She wasn't a climber, though. If your grandson is a climber you may have to find something else sooner. We ended up buying this cot for our daughter for when we go to grandma's: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Regalo-My-Cot-Portable-Travel-B...
and it has worked very well. I'm sure we'll buy the blue one for our son when he's old enough.
I would keep him in the pack and play till he tries to climb out of it or buy a portable crib. A baby that age needs to be confined for safty when the rest of the house is sleeping. so in case you ever keep him over night your going to want to have him someplace safe.
Pack and play should work for at least another year or so. No need for anything else.
is he a wanderer? my older son loved to sleep on the floor from the time he could climb out of his crib. we got him a little bed, but mostly it held his stuffed animals. at night he wanted his 'bear bed', which was a nest on the floor of blankies and buddies.
khairete
S.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Marshmallow-2-in-1-Flip-Open-So...
http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=f...
From Walmart. (if you search their website they have different patterns of this same type of folding couch/bed.)
Which Marie C. below also mentions.
When my kids were toddlers, we had these. LOVE IT VERY MUCH and my kids loved it too.
It is REALLY great.
And comfy.
We even took it to a hotel once here locally, so my son could sleep on it as he was only 2 or 3 at the time.
I highly recommend this item.
If he's one then he's old enough for a toddler bed or even a baby bed mattress laying on the floor in an out of the way room. Be sure every bathroom door has protection on it though. Kids this age can tip over into standing water and drown very easily.
We put kids on cots as soon as they turned about 10 1/2 - 11 months old so when they moved to the toddler room on their birthday they were already used to being on the cot.
You can usually pick up cots at garage sales or even by calling some local child care centers and ask them if they have any for sale. We often sold off our older ones when we got new.
This is the style of cot we had in my child care center. We made sheets for them that were a rectangle and put several inches of elastic on each corner. That way the elastic could slip over the leg on each corner. If you want you can simply order a cot for kiddo and have it on hand then sell it later on or see if you can find one.
http://www.preschoolfurniturestore.com/Creative-Colors-To...
You can also buy a 2 inch folding pad from Walmart, the ones they take to kindergarten, and make a larger pillow case that will slip over it. Then if you have an accident on it you simply turn it over then wash it when kiddo wakes up.
