Is there too much in his crib?

[Fairy]

I have a baby question! I've been worried for months, now, that I have way too much in 2-year-old DS's crib. DS is not just off but way the hell off the charts in height, about 70%-ile in weight. When we first brought him home I was terrified that he'd suffocate on the very air surrounding him, Baby Bargains and Baby 411 were my bibles, and the only thing in his crib was him and a sheet (elastic ALL around). No bumpers, no woobies, no nothing.

Then he started wanting the burpee rag that I had over my shoulder 24/7, and DH convinced me that he needed it while he was sleeping for soothing during teething. Ok, fine ONE burpee at 5 or 6 months old or whatever it was.

Then came the one bunny bear the size of my hand. And the small gund hippo. And the pooh blankie. Now, suddenly, we're a year old, and we're dropping burpees over the side of the crib, look how fun, OH CRAP, I WANT MY BURPEE, WAAAAH! So, we had a backup burpee in there. Cutting to the chase, we now have the following in his crib:

2 small stuffed animals
1 toddler-sized soft, light, fuzzy-in-places sutffed wizard
1-4 burpee rags at any given time
1 light blanket
1 heavier blanket
1 firm toddler-sized pillow
Um, a book or two
7 Sesame Street finger puppets. Stop laughing.

Now, I'm not dumb. I tried removing most of this stuff every night for three months, but every time I get down to just one burpee, 1 blanket, and the finger puppets, he has a cow. Big, honkin', mooing cow. That needs milking. Yesterday.

So, I caved.

I'm losing sleep and checking on him every couple hours to be sure he's not suffocating. I am one of those mothers that will keep doing what I'm told to do until he's 16 unless someone tells me it's time to stop now. I did the vaseline thing on his circ about a month past necessary. Can I stop worrying about the suffocation with respect to what's in his crib, or do I need to deal with the meltdown and hope the cow eventually returns to the barn?

-- Fairy

[shilo]

ok, no help here, we're not there yet (although if you see the nursery post from earlier today, you'll see that my DS _still_ has bumpers in his crib at 16mos. old - honestly, when we try to take them out he has a wigging fit and wakes up about 12 times a night, so we caved. i'll probably be looking up this post 9mos from now for reference :)). but anyway, mostly just replying to say you post was so funny that i had to read it outloud to my DH. thanks for the comic relief and i hope you get your answers from some mama's in the know.

lori
Sam 5/19/05 How lucky I am that you chose me.

[fauve01]

I am laughing with you, Fairy! my DD has a TON of stuff in her bed too. honestly i don't know how she fits. we started small like you did and just grew. we just switched to a big girl bed last week, but most of the stuff made the transition with her (thank goodness since there's more room for DD now, LOL). she has a couple fleece baby blankets (they were on the sides of the crib; now shoved against the wall), a fleece blanket to cover her (it's a down throw in cold weather), a whole bunch of soft stuffed animal guys, a whole stack of books (they change every night), a sippy cup of water, her baby's plastic bottle next to her cup, a soft Dora backpack with all this inside: a couple matchbox cars, a thomas train, a dora bath foam puzzle(!) a couple fingerpuppets and 3 small plastic pegasus, 2 my little pony play dough toppers, and a tiny purse with the ocean toob guys inside (14 plastic ocean animals). on top of all that, she now has a big girl pillow!

IMHO, if your DS is 2, he is able to roll on top or shove stuff out of his way or even toss it out of his bed. sometimes when i'd check on DD she'd be fast asleep on top of all that stuff, but mostly it was just around her. i think you can stop worrying.

hope that helps ease your mind--at least to know there's another mama out there sharing your pain. LOL

Anne + DD 10-03

[ribbit1019]

LOL, H!
I wouldn't worry. At 12 months DD insisted on no less than 3 blankets (which I rotated) and 5 to 6 of her stuffed animals. She would freak if her whole mattress wasn't covered by blankets. Now she sleeps with one blanket, but has to sleep up against something, (current fave is DH). I need to find something else for her to sleep up against or I am just going to chuck the bed and put her back in the crib, sorry ranting.

Anyway, if you are worried then I would see if you can cut the amount of stuff slowly (like take out one thing every week) in half or a little more. Also another reason to think about halving his collection, you don't want there to be so much in there that he makes a pile and climbs out. A fave of my lovely DD. :)

Christy
My Waterbabies
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[JBaxter]

OK Nathan is almost 3 and still is in a toddler bed converted from his crib.
CURRENTLY in is crib because is chages
Elmo crib comforter
2 crib size lovey blankets -I thought I was smart getting a second... now he has to have both "free-tee's"
1 mummy doll ( rescued from a yard sale box) thats "baby"
regular pillow ( bob the build pillow case)
small wheeled back pack ( contains bob the builder cars ALL of them)
and new to the pile the leap frog learning table without legs.
It takes 2 of us to carry his stuff but like you Im not dealing with the melt down at bed time.

[jennifer_r]

Lately, I've been asking myself that same question about DD1's crib. She is two and has 1 blanket, 1 small throw pillow (which I tried to take away from her but she, too, had a cow), about 3 board books that we rotate and at least 7 stuffed animals at a given time (about 5 or 6 never leave the crib and she always brings at least one of her teddies (she has 5 duplicates plus the same version but bigger and she loves them all!). I am not at all worrying about her suffocating (I figure once they can easily sit up/stand, move around, etc., they're O.K.) and having all the stuffed animals and everything in there "entertains her" - she LOVES her crib and will play in there for hours if I let her. My big concern is that she'll use them to start climbing out. She hasn't tried yet but I want her in there as long as possible. My husband says I'm mean that I'd want to take the pillow and "pooh bear" (big and lavender no less - it was a gift) out.

So don't worry. But, I love this thread - it's really made me laugh (I didn't start laughing until you told me to "Stop Laughing"!). And it looks like there's alot of kids out there with "crowded" cribs.

Jennifer

Mom to:
Christopher 12/29/89
Adelaide 8/23/04
Bronwyn 11/9/05

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[mom_hanna]

Ummm, in addition to all your ds has in his crib (including the 4 burpees), my dd, who is also 2, also has 6-8 books and HAS to sleep with her fake crocs too. Sometimes we will check on her at night and find her wearing them - sleeping!

So you are not alone.

[lizajane]

my ped told me the risk of SIDS continues to age 2. so you are at age 2. whoo hoo! you are done! you can stop checking on him and return bossy to her barn.

dylan is 20 months and tends to have a few lovey blankies, an afgan type blanket, a few binkers, 2-3 stuffed animals, a book, sometimes a cup of water... i am not worried at all.

[lilycat88]

I wouldn't worry about the suffocating thing. We've found that DD doesn't sleep well with a lot of stuff in her crib. I think she rolls over onto things and it wakes her up. So, on a usual basis, she only has 1-2 blankets (depending on what she asks for) and her lovey (one of those bunny head things with a "blanket" body). We've always been of the "beds are for sleeping, not playing" mindset so we've kept it minimal so she doesn't know any different. She's 27 months old and is still in her crib. We never allowed toys in the highchair or at the table either so our poor kid is growing up deprived all around :-)

[megv]

well, my DS is 22mos and his crib is chock-full of stuff. He wont go to sleep without his baby, grover, lovey, blankie, and 3 binkies (1 for his mouth as well as 1 for each hand). we even still have bumpers in his crib...we tried taking them out multiple times and he rolls around banging his head into the slats and wont go back to sleep. We are just waiting for the day when he climbs out of the crib. He is really into doing things his "self" and I know the day is coming when he tries to get out of the crib. So I think you are probably okay...

[Marisa6826]

There is so much freaking stuff in the girls' beds, I swear they should be leasing space out.

I wouldn't worry about your DS suffocating. He's old enough that he can shove stuff out of the way (or out of the crib, as Mia does).

Sophia has her own version of FAO Schwarz in her bed along with any given number of slippers, books (at minimum 3-4), a pillow, a blanket to sleep UNDER and a blanket to sleep ON TOP of. She then has her 'special daddy tissues' a/k/a linen handkerchiefs (long story, short - she has a thing for being able to 'dab' her eyes after crying. We used to give her regular paper tissues, but she was independently killing off the Pacific Northwest. To borrow your line - stop laughing.). I'd say that the ratio of occupants (both real and stuffed) to actual space is roughly 6:1. Whatever. She's the one sleeping in there, not me. ;)

Amelia has some board books, her beloved Magnadoodle (the smaller size), a couple stuffed animals, some Little People animals, and several pacis. Mia still has a bumper in her crib, but also sleeps under a little comforter. Mia has decided to outdo her sister, so instead of the daddy tissues, she has washcloths. Yes, my DD has determined that her lovey is a washcloth. Preferably a damp one, although I usually can persuade her to forfeit that for a dry model. Zillions of dollars in baby equipment, toys, etc., and she wants a WASHCLOTH. Sigh.

Again, this is how they choose to sleep. And thank the great God above, they have slept through the night (11+hrs) since they were 8w and 5w old. I've tried taking stuff out, but end up making trips back up and down the stairs all night. Slowly returning all their companions back to their original spots.

So, no worries about the cow. Perhaps it will cut back on having to buy organic milk in vast quantities! :)

-m

[Lynnie]

I'm sorry, a baby question ??

Huh ?

Is this a place for baby questions ??

sorry....

Um, really am sorry, couldn't help it.

But, I agree with all of the PPS - at your DS's age, I really think its fine to have all that stuff in the crib. My 2.5 year old has the pillow, the blanket, and whatever figurines are big with him at the time. Currently, it is a plastic batman, catwoman, his brother's joker, the little troll doll from burger king with purple hair, the spiderman adventure type person doll, half of a mini plastic dinosaur skeleton, and the lion from jo jos circus. and a cup of water so he can either spill it on himself or drink so much he overflows his diaper, which is always fun. and sometimes a book. I had to hide the stuffed animals to try to deal with dust mites, and, go figure, he hasn't missed them.

Does he actually wake up and notice the things missing if you take them after he falls asleep ?? if so, yikes.

[barbarhow]

Your DS sounds like he should move in with my DD. She has 2 blankets, actually 3 if you count that huge one with the pink bear head attached to it, about 14 stuffed animals, books, a fire engine, several pairs of socks and who knows what else. She loves her pile of stuff and when she wakes up in the morning is happy to sit there and play with it all. She has been known on occasion to pitch it all out of the crib but most of the time she likes it all in there. She sleeps with her pink pig under her belly and her arm on her blanky.
Sounds to me like he is pretty normal.

[maestramommy]

Ummm, no BTDT but I really think since he's two now you can rest a little easier. If he's dressed warmly enough can you get rid of the blankets and leave the other stuff?

Bwa ha ha ha ha! I love the finger puppets! Does he take attendance? Will he notice if you take a few away?

[Moneypenny]

Yes, stop worrying about the suffocation! DD likes a moderate number of things in her crib - 2 blankies and 2 stuffed dogs who must be placed at the foot of the crib "just in case" she needs them (the dogs replaced her nuk which we ditched a couple of months ago). She recently has started asking for her stuffed pea and tomato (known as Sweetie Pea and Sweetie Apple Who's Actually a Tomato) but they have googly eyes that I'm afraid will come off so they sit on the bookshelf next to her crib so they can watch her sleep.

Susan
mama to my cutie pie, Avery
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[sarahsthreads]

ETA: I totally forgot about the bear blanket, her actual lovely. What was I thinking?!?

I'm sorry, I can't help but laugh. :D

DD (23 months) has in her crib:
1 Fisher-Price aquarium
3 pink rag dolls (the "triplets")
1 small pink stuffed puppy
1 brown puppy that plays music when you pull a handle on his butt
1 lamb that plays music when you pull his tail
1 (small) taggie blanket
1 crocheted blanket my great-grandmother made for me
1 knit blanket a friend made for DD
1 toddler-sized pillow
1 set crib bumpers
1 white fuzzy blanket with a bear head on one corner and a bear butt on the opposite corner, with pink satin trim, of course
2 binkies. 1 pink, 1 blue, no more, no less.

At various points in time, this collection has also included board books (I took those away once she started shredding them) and a glow worm (am I the only one completely freaked out by those?) that went away when she kept rolling over on it, activating it, and waking up. I've tried to remove the other two music-making toys because I can't throw them in the wash if she wets through her diaper, but that didn't work out so well. Luckily, they've escaped getting wet so far...

The second blanket is a new thing. DH tucked DD in with the original blanket last night (not realizing she now has a preference) and came downstairs, and I could her her sobbing over the monitor: "Daddy, no, the purple blanket" over and over before he even hit the bottom step. And heaven forbid there not be one pink binky and one blue binky in her crib at any given time. She's woken up screaming in the middle of the night and when I drag myself down the hall and ask her what's wrong she cries "blue binky! where blue binky?" around the blue binky in her mouth, with the pink binky in a death grip in her hand. Sigh.

I'm not remotely worried about suffocation. I'm much more worried that she'll be sleeping with all this stuff when she moves into a toddler bed. In fact, I'm thinking we might just have to move straight to a twin (or bigger) bed, because DD's not going to fit with all this stuff...

Sarah :)

[Fairy]

He absolutely knows who is missing. And he usually knows where they are, cuz he's the one who dropped them behind the crib or over the side. In fact, we do take attendance. It's a real barrel of monkeys. We say, "Ok, here's your pillow, and here's ernie, and bert, and cookie (ha-ha-ha-ha), and grovey, and elmo, and big bird, and oscar ... here's your bunny bear and purple hippo. Here's Mr. Wizard, we have little blankie and big blankie, and other big blankie, and look, there's your burpee! And another burpee! And two more burpees! Oh my goodness it's land of a thousand burpees! Sometimes the books make a guest appearance. By morning, depending on how long I've let him hang out in there, all the contents may or may not have ended up on the floor.

[punkrockmama]

Hahah. Okay, besides his pillow and blanket Peyton has in his crib:

All of these are stuffed-
1 cow
1 pig
1 monkey
1 duck
1 horse
1 mouse
a plush Thomas, James, and Percy
and a medium sized wooden school bus

I don't worry about it. But it is not much fun cleaning poop out of a school bus by going in through the windows with a toothbrush. Just so you know.

[californiagirl]

Stop worrying and learn to love the burpees. He's past the risk of suffocating, and if he's not waking himself up or sleeping with knives, he's fine.

DD is pretty restrained, although we did of course have company the day she went to bed, came out, asked for a towel ("Is something wet?" "No, I want a towel"), and went back to bed content, with her towel. Never did it before or since. 2 days later I fished out the neglected towel, washed it and put it away.

[Fairy]

Yes, I was just wondering if those came with or without poop. As in, would you like fries with that. I will never forget that story! Dear angel butt. Oy!

[kboyle]

from about 6-7mos on max has had (same with charlie when he was cribbin' it) about
-2-3 blankets
-stuffed dog
-a wind-up plush elephant that "used" to play you are my sunshine, but then he got poo on it and i threw it in the washer, but he still has to have it play a few chimes before it dies at bedtime
-a HUGE kermit the frog guy (probably as big as a 6 mo old)
-a few hot wheels
-a hanging crib mirror thingy made by sassy
-a christmas scratch & sniff book

this is even better...in charlie's bed is:
him
his blankie
a pillow
a thick blanket
a body pillow :)
2 different superman action figures
2 " " batman " "
2 " " spiderman " "
3 hotwheel sized batmobils
4 of DH's old (i'm talking about 20yrs old) GI joe guys
a stuffed lion
his leapster
a travel sized magna-doodle

you should see what's UNDER his bed, i think i might find Hoffa under there!

so, what i've learned from ds1 to ds2, if they've got tons of stuff in their crib, they'll transfer that need to the bed too!

so, might as well have fun with it and take tons of pictures. after charlie's 2nd birthday he had 3, count-em' THREE, huge, metal Tonka trucks in his bed, and a set of snoopy golf clubs! of course i've got pictures, that's why i reproduced, to have someone to torture & make fun of during their adolecent years!

[Fairy]

As a matter of fact, yes, DS often ends up having squirreled away all his stuff into one big pile in a corner and uses it as a giant pillow, or sometimes gets on top of it and konks out. What are they, nesting?!

[punkrockmama]

>Yes, I was just wondering if those came with or without poop.
> As in, would you like fries with that. I will never forget
>that story! Dear angel butt. Oy!


Atleast I was able to throw all the other stuff in the washing machine. Once I got the umm, bulkier stuff off. Wait, did I just go too far? I think I did. :o Sorry

[Fairy]

Laughing SO hard with all of you guys! Especially with the piling of stuff, the magnadoodles!, and the GI Joes. Oy vey, people. I am now feeling so much better. Thanks for all of this. I will now stop using the vaseline -- I mean worrying about suffocation! Haha.

[megs4413]

DD is just under 18 mos and already has a pillow, a blanket, a big stuffed pig, and BaBa the bear. if any of these important pieces are missing---she doens't sleep. if Baba falls out at night...she has a freak fest. and she has to have a pillow...she won't sleep without a pillow! what a princess!

[mudder17]

Okay, I have to laugh here because when Kaya was in her crib, towards the end she must have had at least 8 stuffed animals, including her lovey, a pillow, and a giant rubber duck (like a foot by 6 inches on the bottom and maybe 10-12 inches high). Now that she's in a twin-sized bunkbed, she has a giant (twin sized) quilt, plus ~30 stuffed animals, two toddler pillows (one flat, one cylindrical) and a doll or two. Oh, and the starry night turtle light thing. Oh, and her cup of water. The only thing we've not allowed in her bed so far is books, just because I know she'd try to turn on the light and read it when she needs to be sleeping.

Eileen

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[mudder17]

Umm...yeah, skipping the toddler bed is a given. :P And when we moved her from the crib to the bunkbed, not only did the twin-sized comforter get put in, but the animals multiplied, 2x2. ;)

FWIW, DH will put the comforter over her, but in the morning when he gets her, she is either sitting up and playing with the animlas or the blanket is shoved to the side. And yes, there are some days when she gets in the mood to toss most of it on the floor, including the comforter.


Eileen

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