From cot to bed

[ClareC]

My daughter will be 2 later this month, I am thinking it may be nice to convert her cot to a bed on her birthday as i think she will be very excited by that.

Just been looking at duvet options, they seem to come in 4 or 7 tog. Her gro bags are 2.5 tog but I've no idea which. Is correct given we have 13 tog!! Can anyone advise?

Should I get a normal cot bed duvet and pillow or is it worth getting one of the gro bag attached one's? They look good but I wonder if they just delay the inevitable learning to not throw quilt off / fall out.

Final question, once the cot is swapped to a bed it doesn't have guards.... It's very low so is the expectation they learn from (inevitably) falling out of bed or is the norm to buy bed guards / one of the attached duvet things?

Never realised there were so many considerations to something so simple!!

Advice, tips and experience all welcome, thank you

[Ruth_Baldock]

Hi Clare,

Seb has been in his bed for about six weeks now. We have a normal cotbed and little pillow set from John Lewis, the duvet is 7tog. His duvet set has dinosuars on it, he is very excited by it on a daily basis as you can imagine...until the one with trains comes out and then he just about loses it.

We don't have any bedguards on the sides, he has fallen out a few times but like you said, they live, they learn.Nowadays we hear 'Oh NO! Seb out, seb OUT!' and we go in, and say 'Get back into bed with your teddies, Seb' and he does. We do have a normal sized single duvet on the floor to 'soften' any falling out though.

[ClareC]

Thanks Ruth :)

Ended up making a next day delivery order of a quilt, pillow and quilt cover set yesterday. Decided against the gro bag quilt. I climbed out her cot yesterday afternoon!

I put her down for her afternoon nap and shortly afterwards there was a huge crash followed by crying! One side off last night and the full monty tonight once the new quilt set arrives.

I wasn't great going to bed last night, took advantage of her new found freedom. Once asleep she slept well and didnt fall out.

Any tips on bedtime (ie them staying in their bed), or is it just a matter of time?

[Sanne Panne]

We did story time in bed but then just let M play in her room if she wanted, with a dimmed light on a timer. They quickly get used to getting into bed when they're tired. So yes a few times we had to lift a sleeping 23mo from the middle of the room into the bed but that can be counted on one hand.

If you want her to stay in bed from official bedtime onwards it may be a bit trickier ;)

[ClareC]

Thank you :)

I have been putting her to bed normal time and then leaving her to play. It is getting better... She goes to bed at 7, night one she fell asleep around 930, night 2, 830 and tonight she went to bed at 6 and has just gone off now :)

She is still very excited by the whole bed thing but I think tiredness has finally got the better of her tonight :)

[redwillow]

We have a grow clock they are great at both ends of the night for getting in and out. My son goes to bed about 8 and does mother up till 7:30 until the sun comes up we have had it for about 6 months now he loves getting the stars up before climbing in to bed an still runs in in the morning saying the sun is up. It is the best ?30 I spent he was a 6 o'clock riser before and that changed in 2 days.

[ClareC]

What age would you recommend a gro clock works from, I suspect I is old enough to understand the whole sun / moon difference but I would be very surprised if she was old enough to follow the rules.