When to move toddler from cot to bed?

[mrs f]

Hi, I'm sure there are other threads on this but I can't seem to find them so I apologise if this has been discussed before but

How do I know when to move my little one (17m) into a bed?

He currently tries to climb INTO his cot but not out and loves spending time in there reading etc whilst I do other things but he also loves getting toys in and out etc. The other week I took the side off for the afternoon as he was demanding I sat there whilst he was in the cot and got him books. He was delighted he could get in and out and spent an hour and a half doing this which is very rare for his levels of concentration.

He is really into snuggling down and I'm thinking perhaps catch this enthusiasm for bed now and swap him sooner rather than later before he gets more into escaping out of bed? or will I regret this as soon as he can get out and keep him contained for as long as possible?

Thanks

[Mum2be]

Time to move them into cot bed is deffantly when they start claiming out its better that they fall out of the bed than fall off the bars when climbing

if his happy in there I'd leave him for now his still very young

Hollie

[akc74]

I was just about to start a similar thread - your little one seems very little to me...I have been trying to contain mine as long as possible. However, he is certainly starting to outgrow his travel cots when we go and stay with relatives.

He is 27 months and he hasn't yet scaled the sides but it doesn't feel too far off.

I am slightly dreading it as I have heard many horror stories of repeated getting out of bed in the night etc etc - but would be good to hear any positive experiences too (if I'm not hijacking the thread - assume it's of interest mrs f?!)

[snowboarder]

I currently have a 3.5 yr old and an 18m old happily snuggled up in their cotbeds, with sides on.

The 3.5 yr old jumped out a couple of times at around 2/2.5 but we had words, bought him a duvet which he likes and a night light and did things like leave the door open etc and he stayed put (amazingly). Now he will not hear of us taking off the sides or getting him a big boy bed, says he likes his cot!! He is however able to sleep in a normal bed (has on holiday and at grandparents).

Personally I wouldn't rush it....but I like knowing they are safely tucked up!!

[mrs f]

Thanks. That was my initial feeling to keep him contained for as long as possible, I just got thrown a bit as am expecting no 2 when the lil one is 2 so didnt want to combine moving him with that potentially stressful time....

Keep the stories coming tho, a friend thought moving earlier was easier as they were less likely to get out but I wasn't convinced....

[Belle]

Yeah I went for late rather than early and was glad - think we moved him about 3 yrs and 3 months or so, at which point we bought a (low) full size single. I don't think he's ever fallen out, or if he has he has got back in and we have been none the wiser. Switching to duvet at the same time was fine. He has literally only just (5/6 months on) started getting out himself in the morning, and not every morning even then. I just found, a bit like leaving potty training till he was older, that it was easier to reason with him at this age, and he seemed to know about staying put. Whereas I know at 2/2.5 he'd have been up and down all night. We had number 2 when he was 2 yrs 8 months so he had a good 6/7 mths still in his cot after the arrival. We bought a second hand Ikea cot & new mattress for the baby until the older one moved out of his cot. In fact you are welcome to said Ikea cot for free if it would be useful for the same overlap period! Think it's in our cellar.

[newtoedf]

I had to move my escapologist into a bed at 18months when he started escaping the cot. I was amazed at the difference it made to his sleep which had previously not been good. He loves his bed and has never slept better, we've not had any problems with him getting up in the night at all, he just seems to know that he is supposed to stay put. It seems as though because he knows he can get out if he wants to he doesn't bother whereas in the cot, he'd howl if he woke. He is number two though, so the joy of being in a big bed like his sister is probably a big part of it. We have a guard rail on the bed on one side and it is pushed against the wall on the other so he can't roll out.

Could you try just putting his mattress on the floor to see how he gets on without the rails before deciding?

[mrs f]

Thanks for the offer Belle, I've just got a cotbed from the forum for him & I'm going to swap him into that & pack his cot up for no 2 as they will be shoved in the over crowded spare room/office so need a small cot!

[etta166]

I was also expecting #2 when #1 turned two. We kept the older one in his cot for another month or so after the baby was born, and then got a toddler bed for him. He helped us to build his big-boy bed, and then was very keen to move into it. He has never associated his little sister arriving with being turfed out of the baby cot/room. I think that's because she had been around for a while before he moved, and then she didn't move into his old room for another 5 months or so anyway.

I hope it works out well, Mrs F.

[lucyA1308]

We had to coincide it with i) potty training and ii) little sister needing the cot bed.

I think my daughter would have quite liked to have stayed in the cot bed, but we thought it would be silly to get another cot bed, if she will be needing a bigger bed in a while any way.

The other reason was that during potty training, she would stand up in her cot at about 5.00am calling out I need a wee wee. Now she can get in and out of bed, she obviously doesn;'t need to wake the whole house up to tell us about it.

The transition wasn't easy because it made bed-times really difficult now she could get out of bed, but I think we timed it badly re. summer time, and longer daylight hours.

When we do it again for her younger sister, I'll remember to do it in the winter months, when it is all cosy and dark.

[veryseriousgirl]

We moved our daughter at about 2 1/2 - she first started demanding blankets, not sleeping bags, and then asked for a "big girl bed", so we took the sides off her cot. She is now nearly 3 and won't get out of bed herself in the mornings - when she wakes, madame lies in bed and calls for us, expressing disappointment when we don't bring hot milk. She does roll out from time to time, so we'll wait a bit before moving to a taller bed.

[Fmm]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but does anyone have any recommendations as to bed guards, to stop little one falling out of bed when the cot sides come down. I'd prefer a wooden one for look as I think this might be on the bed for quite a while, so have been looking at the BabyDan one, but maybe the Lindam mesh type are better (and they are cheaper)? Thanks for any advice.